~Chapter 55~
The northern part of the Draxion Empire.
At the border with the Aldrosia Empire lay the Hayden Barony.
Baron Hayden sat restlessly, pale-faced, unable to sleep as he waited for someone.
“Baron!”
Before long, a hurried voice and urgent knocking came from outside. The baron jumped to his feet and personally opened the door.
There stood one of his knights, looking exhausted.
“How is it? What’s the capital doing now?”
“They’re still chasing Duke Killian from the Imperial Palace, but they haven’t even found a single clue yet.”
“What?”
Baron Hayden’s face went even paler.
“And… Viscount Paddington is dead. They claim he was ambushed by assassins on his way back from the palace, but it doesn’t seem to be the truth.”
“…It must be the Empress Dowager’s doing.”
The baron let out a deep sigh, collapsing heavily onto the sofa as if his legs gave way.
“…Things have gone wrong.”
Holding his throbbing temples, he sank into thought.
“Until Killian Winters is captured by the Empress Dowager, I can’t move recklessly. And if she disposed of Paddington that way… the next one could be me. No—actually, that might be even more convenient for her. After all, what she really wants is this land itself.”
「Hayden Barony ─ Recently met Roselia many times. Likely because of Hayden’s northern territory. If war with Aldrosia breaks out, the north must be defended for Roselia’s sake. Dig deeper.」
Aisha’s suspicions had been exactly right.
Roselia had indeed met Hayden multiple times for the sake of defending the northern lands, and Hayden had been nearly swayed to her side.
But…
“Join hands with the Empress Dowager right now, before Killian is even caught? When we don’t even know where he is?”
Killian’s sudden disappearance shackled Baron Hayden’s decision.
“If Duke Killian has other plans, everything could change. The Empress Dowager is powerful, but Killian Winters is no less.”
In truth, thanks to his victories in recent wars, Killian had earned strong support from many nobles. On top of that, Sunday’s Exposé had made him even more famous in society.
What if—just what if—Killian was preparing for rebellion?
Could Baron Hayden truly be certain that siding with the Empress Dowager was the right move?
“Also, others are trying to earn favor with the Empress Dowager. They’ve even lent their private soldiers to help track Killian Winters.”
“…Ha.”
“If we’re going to act, Baron, we should decide quickly. The Empress Dowager seems to be watching our family closely as well. What should we do?”
Opportunistic bastards.
The baron cursed inwardly, then after a long silence finally spoke, his face resolute.
“Our Hayden Barony… will not move.”
“…What? But—”
“Yes, maybe one day I’ll regret this choice. But I don’t like gambling.”
“Killian Winters is not a man who can be eliminated so easily. If it were possible, he wouldn’t have vanished without leaving a trace.”
“Keep watching the Imperial movements, but don’t make contact. And… which nobles are still supporting Duke Killian?”
“Count Gramor, and all the nobles who went to war with the duke—they stand on his side.”
“….”
“And Viscount Paddington’s death shocked many. Even some nobles who were granted mines by the Empress Dowager are wavering. Unlike others, they’ve neither lent soldiers to the palace nor helped track Killian Winters.”
Of course. It was obvious. Those nobles weren’t bound by strong ties like Duke Dilsen or Baron Crawford, who were fully connected to Roselia. They were light allies, easily discarded. Just like Paddington had been.
Naturally, fear had taken hold of them.
“If only Paddington hadn’t been killed that way…”
But spilled water could not be gathered again. Roselia would eventually pay for her choices.
“If this trend continues…”
After a moment of thought, the baron gave another order.
“Track down Duke Killian Winters. If you discover anything, report immediately. And make sure nothing leaks to the palace.”
Is the baron… planning to side with Duke Killian instead of the Empress Dowager?
The knight looked shocked, but in the end, he nodded.
“Is it really okay for us to just sit around like this?”
It had been three days since Aisha fled into the forest with Killian.
She was now asking herself the most fundamental of questions.
“…Don’t tell me this man is just pretending to have a plan when he actually doesn’t?”
She glanced suspiciously at Killian, who sat calmly across from her, reading a book.
“No, no way. This is Killian, not me.”
Even as she thought that, she still couldn’t sit still.
Just as she got up from the table, where she had been idly eating, to walk over to Killian—
A sound came from outside.
“Ah…!”
Startled, Aisha froze and sat right back down, worried her reflection might show in the window.
“Who is it? Did the Empress Dowager finally find us?”
But something felt strange.
Instead of showing alarm, Killian simply looked at her with round eyes, as though surprised by her reaction.
“…Didn’t know.”
“What?”
“That you could be so startled.”
“….”
“If I had known, I would’ve told you in advance.”
“What are you talking ab—”
“Duke!”
Just then, a familiar voice came from outside the door.
It was Theorn.
“Seriously! He could’ve just told me sooner.”
Aisha grumbled inwardly, standing again and looking at Theorn, who entered with a strangely bright face.
“Hello, Lady Aisha.”
“You look much better than when you were living at the duke’s estate.”
“Of course she does. Sien isn’t here.”
Killian replied bluntly. And honestly, he wasn’t wrong.
Theorn smiled at Aisha, then quickly walked to Killian and handed him a bundle of documents.
“As you said, Duke.”
“….”
“Everything is going exactly as planned. And… last night, we received a message from there.”
There? Where?
Aisha’s ears perked up like a rabbit’s.
“It’s over now. At this rate, the Empress Dowager will fall!”
What?
What was he saying?!
Aisha’s eyes went wide in shock.
“That’s good.”
Finally, Killian stood, a satisfied smile on his face.
“Let’s go.”
Then, in a low voice, he added:
“To meet our most respected Empress Dowager.”
