CH 22

22. Unauthorized

She didn’t know why he was holding the knife, but it was clear that it meant something bad. Lasilia hid Yvette with her body and hardened her expression towards Serben.

“What are you doing, sir? Put down the knife.”

“I am only doing my duty as a shadow knight, Your Majesty. His Majesty’s appearance is not to be seen by anyone without permission.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

Ryan added his words behind Serben’s back.

“In other words, since the court lady saw something she shouldn’t have seen, it means that she should keep her mouth shut. She is Her Majesty the Empress.”

“Hee-ik, geup!”

When she was told to cover her mouth, Yvette covered her mouth with her hand. Lasilia turned her arm behind her and wrapped it around Yvette. Yvette grabbed her sleeve with a trembling hand. Even without looking at her expression, it was vividly conveyed how scared she must have been.

“I don’t understand. Isn’t it true that everyone in the palace knows that His Majesty changes his appearance during the Blue Moon? She saw it, so I had to shut her mouth. What do you mean by that?”

“That’s because what you know and what you see with your own two eyes are different… By the way, is Her Majesty interfering with the enforcement of the imperial law right now?”

“It is incomprehensible. Aren’t there many people who saw His Majesty just yesterday? Why does she have to be punished now?”

“No, Her Majesty the Empress. Except for Her Majesty, there were only the two of us.”

“No way. There were people everywhere in the palace.”

“It wasn’t movement that humans could see.”

She might not have been right. The Emperor suddenly jumped out of the darkness. There was no one of the royal guards chasing behind the Emperor.

“Then how about today?”

“The witnesses were the chief knights of the Royal Guard. These are the ones who have sworn allegiance with their lives.”

“…”

Lasilia lost her words. Serben nodded as if he knew that and added a word.

“The only ones who are okay with seeing that are those who have sworn allegiance in death and those who have the blood of the imperial family. There are no exceptions.”

It was clear that the imperial family inherited the blood of the demon tribe, but it was a long time ago that people directly witnessed it. There had never been an Emperor who was born with the blood of demons as thickly as Lescal. There were only a few Emperors in the early days who were said to have undergone mutations in the Blue Moon. After that, everyone had a partner on time, or the demon’s characteristics weren’t strong enough to undergo mutation. Even the Shadow Knights took time to get used to Lescal’s transformation. If ordinary people saw it, it would have a big impact.

“Please get out of the way now, Your Majesty the Empress. We will take care of that palace attendant.”

It couldn’t be. No matter how the law was, Yvette had no choice but to follow her own words.

Lasilia shook her head.

“Still… That is too much.”

“The law has a reason, Her Majesty.”

Serben deliberately spoke in a calmer voice.

“Even though it seems cruel, such a law has protected the Imperial Family and His Majesty the Emperor.”

After a brief pause, Serben twisted his mouth.

“And in that sense, I don’t understand why Her Majesty would protect a court lady who violated a clear imperial law. Since when did you save the life of a court lady? Do you know how many courtiers have died in the Empress’ palace for reasons far less trivial than this? Oh, of course you don’t know. It would literally be too trivial for Her Majesty the Empress.”

“That…”

Saying she didn’t remember wasn’t the answer. Here, Lasilia was the Empress. Eliarden’s Empress of Cartagena was capricious, cruel, and a liar. She, and only she was the one who used her contacts as weapons to wield the Emperor at will.

“So I can’t help but wonder if I have some other purpose as a shadow knight, Your Majesty the Empress. Is there a reason why the courtier has to survive even though he has become a threat to the safety of the imperial family? Is it because you are plotting something through that palace attendant? Isn’t that why we chose to hide in the north tower where no one was looking for you?”

“Yes? No! Not really!”

Yvette screamed and knelt on the floor.

“Really… Really. Her Majesty the Empress is not plotting anything. If she was going to do something through me, I should know! But she didn’t say anything. Really!”

Serben didn’t listen to Yvette’s words. From what he had experienced so far, when the Empress of Cartagena did strange things, there was always a reason. It was already the second time that the Empress, who talked about her memory loss, had disappeared without anyone noticing. Twice could never have been a coincidence, so she should have been more thoroughly suspicious. Contrary to what he suspected, Empress Cartagena could have been the real companion. Ryan already seemed to accept it that way. But Serben thought that was more of a problem. If so, it meant that the Empress had other reasons for rejecting Lescal. The reason was still unknown. But he was sure. It must be a reason to harm the emperor somehow, obviously insidious and evil.

“Stand aside, Her Majesty. Before things get more complicated.”

Serben raised his sword like his ultimatum.

Lasilia bit her lips. There was only one way. The only thing she could rely on at this moment was the Emperor.

“Your majesty.”

* * *

“Heh, hehe, really… It’s not real… I really… Whoops!”

Terrified, Yvette fell to the floor and cried helplessly. Lasilia sat down next to her and hugged Yvette protectively.

“…”

The Emperor approached her and sat down on the floor as if trying to meet eye level. She caught a glimpse of the shadow knights’ puzzled expressions. The gaze that didn’t have to look up at this moment felt like kindness.

“Your majesty.”

Lasilia called out to Lescal once again with difficulty.

“Speak.”

“…It was just a coincidence that this courtier got to see His Majesty. It was never intended.”

“Intention is no exception.”

“I know. But Your Majesty also knows that you can make an exception.”

“Are you going to make a deal?”

“I am asking you a favor.”

The gold eyes that looked at Lasilia narrowed. As if he was examining something, or as if he doubted it.

“If it was a request worth listening to, I would have listened willingly. But I’m also unfamiliar with the situation where you ask me for the life of a courtier.”

That said, he had no choice but to be suspicious.

“There was nothing like what His Majesty’s knight said. I just can’t afford to see an innocent person punished excessively just for following me. I can swear by the name of God.”

“Unfortunately, you have taken too many false oaths in the name of God.”

“…”

What kind of person was the Empress? Lasilia closed her eyes and opened them.

“Please make an exception this time.”

Eventually she had to say something like this.

“Then I will make an exception for Your Majesty.”

“…The deal is right.”

She couldn’t deny that it was a deal. But it was the only way. Serben tightly gripped the handle of his sword and said to Lescal.

“Your majesty. You must not respond. Doesn’t His Majesty know what kind of person Her Majesty is?”

“Quiet. I am thinking.”

“Ung.”

Lescal covered Serben’s mouth with a gesture. As if really thinking about it, Lescal slowly stroked his chin.

“If your oath is no exception. What are you going to do then?”

“…Do you think I am lying?”

“Right.”

Gold eyes looked at her as if they would pierce her body.

“I have no reason to trust you. Of course, there is no reason to keep a court lady who has broken a clear law alive at risk. But now, I want to hear what you have to say. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a favor or a deal, so whatever.”

“Okay, Your Majesty…”

Serben gritted his teeth and screamed in pain, but Rascal didn’t care. Instead, he reached out and gently caressed Lasilia’s cheek.

“So you need a price. If you are lying to me now, what can I get for risking it?”

It was strange. Strangely, the words of the Emperor, who talked about the cost of not believing, sounded as friendly as eye level.

‘He said he didn’t believe me because he had been lying all this time.’

Still, the Emperor said he wanted to listen to her. Whatever it was, at any risk. It didn’t sound like desperate need, it sounded like blind affection.

‘Strange. The Emperor said he hated the empress. But why…’

Why did he act like this? Why did he confuse people like this?

“Then.”

Lasilia put her hand on Lescal’s, who was carefully touching her cheek. At this moment, it felt like she had to do that.

“I will pay for anything. Whatever your Majesty wants.”

As if the answer was unexpected, Lescal twitched his shoulders. However, his hand, which had been weakly caressing his cheek, soon embraced his face powerfully.

“Good then. It will be a fair deal.”

At that, Yvette stopped her crying and jerked her head up.

“Ah… me then… So I don’t have to die?”

Lescal answered with his gaze fixed on Lasilia.

“No, you don’t have to.”

“My God… Th, thank you! Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Her Majesty!”

The crying that she had been trying to hold back a little while ago now came out with more relief. Serben looked at Yvette and shook her head. It was a face full of worry.

“By the way.”

Ryan slapped Serben on the shoulder and stepped forward to her. Ryan was the one who believed that Lescal’s choice was not wrong. Now that it was revealed that she was the real Empress, Lescal was right that she woos the Empress unconditionally until full contact was made. But now, the risk was too great. It’s not that she couldn’t keep an eye on one court lady, but she couldn’t blindly guarantee her life without even knowing what kind of person that palace lady was.

“Since His Majesty said it, I will follow it, but wouldn’t a safety device be necessary? In any case, if today’s affairs leak out through that palace, there will be a problem. Like a snake head.”

Serben, who was opposed to the situation from the beginning to make an exception, came to the aid.

“That’s right! There were the Knights of St. Malik!”