Chapter 111 – Return to the Royal Palace (3)
Bang!
Ancelot slammed open the conference room door.
Count Arsene followed closely behind him. Under the bright lights, all the key figures had already gathered. Among them, Winley stood out the most.
The poor thing’s whole body trembled uncontrollably, her face pale.
“......Haa.”
With a sigh, Ancelot soon walked towards her.
“Calm down.”
“......”
“It’s going to be okay. Nothing is confirmed yet.”
Ancelot tried to help Winley stand.
“For now, we should have her step outside.”
Suddenly—
Grab!
Winley seized Ancelot’s wrist.
“......No.”
“......”
In a steady, unwavering voice, she declared.
“I’m going to stay.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
Ancelot looked at her for a moment, then gave a small nod.
“Please brief us in detail.”
“Hmm......”
Viscount Rodri let out a low groan as he stood up.
“......Just now, an urgent report was sent through the telecommunications crystal ball to high-ranking nobility. A fire has broken out at the Twilight Palace.”
“......”
The Twilight Palace.
There is no eternal day.
The rising sun must eventually set.
It was the residence of the former king, who had abdicated the throne.
“Father......”
Winley’s trembling intensified. Ignoring her distress, Ancelot pressed on.
“Has something happened to Melio II?”
“......Well......”
Viscount Rodri stole a glance at Winley, then sighed.
“The fire broke out while the former king was sleeping...... He has suffered severe burns—serious enough for his life to be endangered......”
“......This makes no sense. A fire in the heart of the palace? What caused it?”
At that moment, Marquis Foltaine, who had been silent until now, spoke up.
“The world is full of strange happenings. Children vanish from villages, unexplained plagues spread, and people mysteriously die one after another. ”
His sharp gaze glinted as he continued.
“More often than not, in the end, it turns out ‘humans’ were behind it all.”
“Who do you think is responsible this time, Marquis?”
“......I’m sure all of you must be thinking the same thing. Who else but those Imperial bastards?”
Marquis Foltaine responded sardonically to Viscount Rodri’s question.
“......The Empire was the first to be suspected, and they are apparently displeased by the suspicion.”
“Hmph. Of course they would be.”
“If the Empire is indeed responsible...... We must hold them accountable.”
Marquis Foltaine scoffed even louder.
“And how, exactly? We’re just a weak country with no power. How do you plan to pressure the Empire without any evidence?”
“Even without evidence, we have to find a way. Especially with an important national event just around the corner.”
He was talking about the upcoming diplomatic meeting. Viscount Rodri continued in a concerned voice.
“......I can already picture the chaos at the palace. The guests must be anxious. The host country’s security has been breached, after all.”
“Our national reputation is in shambles. How did things come to this? How regrettable.”
It was then that Milon, a man known for his quiet demeanor, spoke up.
“Perhaps this was inevitable.”
“......What?”
“We were the ones who invited foreign powers here because of our own weakness.”
“......”
Marquis Foltaine narrowed his eyes.
“You mean......”
“Yes. We’ll take full responsibility for investigating this incident.”
“......”
Duke Herman looked up at the sky, feeling utterly defeated. The idea of a criminal investigating their own crime—what an absurdity to hear face-to-face.
‘They say weakness is a sin......’
And yet, Kaiman wasn’t finished.
“For your information, this arrangement was requested by Duke Kairos, who oversees the palace guards.”
“......Haa.”
“In that spirit, I have two proposals for your nation.”
Herman lowered his head.
“Two, you say?”
“First, cancel the upcoming diplomatic event and send the guests back to their respective countries. This is, of course, for their safety, which I’m sure you’ll understand. And second......”
A mysterious smile spread across Kaiman’s lips.
“......How about temporarily relocating your king to our Imperial Palace? For his own protection, of course.”
“What?”
“At least until the culprit behind the fire is caught.”
In other words, they intended to take the king as a hostage.
“You insolent......!”
Herman’s eyes blazed with fury.
***
That night, a special task force was formed. Even the children, awakened by the commotion, rushed outside.
“You all wait here.”
Of course, I had no intention of dragging these kids along.
“That includes you, Princess.”
Winley flared up immediately.
“No, I’m coming too.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Don’t be ridiculous! This is about my family—our home......!”
“They say justice without power is mere incompetence.”
“......!”
Winley clamped her mouth shut.
“What can you even do if you come along?”
“......That’s......”
“What if they take you as a hostage? Those Imperial bastards would be thrilled.”
“......”
Winley had no response.
I knew how she felt. Frustration was written all over her face, ready to explode at any moment.
“It’s okay to be angry. It’s okay to feel frustrated. If it’s too much to hold in, go to a mountain and scream your lungs out. Shout, ‘You fucking, sons of bitches!’ as loud as you can. You don’t have to worry about your dignity. No one will hear you there.”
“......”
“......Jan, Kirian, Harun. Take good care of the princess.”
The three of them nodded solemnly.
“And...... Remember. You could be in the same situation someday.”
“......”
There was no need to say it, but I did anyway. Jan had already lost an eye by acting on emotion.
They’d all lost their brother, Hersen.
Even so, I gave them one last warning.
“Let’s move out.”
The task force was finally assembled. Me, Marquis Foltaine, his knights, and Milon.
“Do we have a plan for when we reach the capital?”
“We need to assess the situation first......”
Milon cut in.
“We must seek an audience with the king. This kind of crisis would surely terrify someone so young.”
“The Empire wants to send a message: ‘Don’t mess with us. Defy us, and this is what happens.’”
Marquis Foltaine nodded grimly.
Yes.
I knew this strategy well—their signature tool of diplomacy.
“......Then we’ll have to show them.”
I stared down the dark path ahead.
“We’ll show them exactly what happens when they provoke us.”
***