~Chapter 62~
‘He’s just like the Empress Dowager… Killian Winters is forcing me. He’s telling me to take his hand right here and now… or else face ruin.’
Killian’s eyes burned like fire. They carried the clear message—if you don’t side with me, your end will be miserable.
‘Killian Winters would never do something this reckless without a plan.’
But still… was it really safe? What if siding with him meant making an irreversible mistake?
Baron Hayden’s gaze instinctively darted to the Empress Dowager.
And in that fleeting moment—he saw it.
Blue veins bulged from Roselia’s pale hand as it gripped the armrest of her chair.
Hayden shut his eyes tight, then opened them again. His voice came out low and heavy.
“…Duke Killian’s words are all true.”
His voice trembled slightly as he continued:
“Yes, Duke Killian came to my estate with his soldiers. But it was purely for the safety and peace of Draxion—not for rebellion.”
“Baron Hayden! Do you even realize what you’re saying?!”
Hayden pressed on:
“Her Majesty coveted the northern lands by Aldrosia’s border. If Duke Killian truly has evidence of her collusion with Aldrosia’s exiled Emperor’s faction… then everything will be clear!”
Evidence? Impossible.
There couldn’t be any.
Roselia had been in contact with Aldrosia’s exiled faction—just this very morning, in fact.
It was a dangerous alliance for both sides. A double-edged sword. Profitable, yes, but if exposed, it would destroy them both.
That was why secrecy had always been the top priority.
So what proof could Killian possibly have?
“Theorn!”
Killian’s sharp call echoed. Immediately, Theorn entered the chamber. He set a stack of papers and a black jewel-like stone on the table.
A recording stone.
“In Aldrosia, the Mage Tower holds more influence than the temples,” Killian explained. “So magic-based industries thrive far more than in Draxion. Like this recording stone.”
Theorn activated it, and at once a clear image appeared.
[……So, you’ve joined hands with Roselia?]
It was a member of Aldrosia’s exiled Emperor’s faction—the Emperor’s own brother.
[Yes.]
[But if word leaks that we’ve allied with an enemy nation, it would cause chaos. Even if we restore the throne, if the current faction finds out—]
[That won’t happen. Unless Roselia or I betray each other, no one will know.]
The bearded man smirked confidently.
[And once we regain the throne, we will strike Draxion immediately.]
[To eliminate Duke Killian Winters, as agreed?]
[Yes. He is their war hero. If we’re the ones to kill him, no one will ever suspect my alliance with Roselia.]
[Roselia will get what she wants, I will take back the throne. It benefits us both.]
The recording ended with a sharp crackle, the jewel dimming back to an ordinary stone.
The chamber turned deathly cold.
“Th-this… what is this…?”
Nobles began whispering in shock, faces pale.
“Does this mean Her Majesty the Empress Dowager betrayed Draxion—just to get rid of Duke Killian?!”
“No! No, that’s not true! Her Majesty acted only for peace—”
“Peace? You call it peace to ally with our enemy? If Aldrosia takes back its throne and betrays us, what then? With no Duke Killian, how would we win another war?!”
Roselia’s hand trembled violently.
Where had things gone wrong? How had Killian obtained such evidence?
Unless… could it be?
Had the current Emperor’s faction infiltrated the exiles and delivered this?
Yes. That knight in the recording—surely he was one of them.
“Your Majesty the Empress Dowager!” one noble cried. “Forgive me, but isn’t this treason? Since Draxion was founded, no ruler has ever joined hands with our enemy to kill our own people!”
“It’s not true! Think instead—how could Killian Winters even have obtained this? Doesn’t that prove he fabricated it, just like he used Sunday’s Exposé to sway the people?!”
“Everyone, calm yourselves.”
Killian rose slowly, placing his hand on the table as he looked at them—and at Roselia.
“I obtained this recording stone because I had long suspected the Empress Dowager’s dealings.”
“Duke Killian!”
“There is no need to worry. Unlike Her Majesty, I never made direct contact with Aldrosia’s exiles.”
“That’s a lie!”
Theorn stepped forward.
“Long before the throne changed hands in Aldrosia, the Winters family had infiltrated knights into their territory. They’ve been conducting espionage ever since. This recording stone is one of their results. And we have every single piece of correspondence stored—if you need proof.”
It was over.
Roselia was finished. She would fall, branded with the very crime of treason she had tried to pin on Killian.
Killian placed his palm flat on the table, smiling faintly.
“It seems the time has come to change today’s agenda.”
His voice turned colder.
“Are you ready, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager?”
At that, Roselia leapt to her feet. Her eyes blazed like ice as she glared at Killian.
“I will not accept this! I deny all charges! Who dares to frame me like this?!”
It was predictable. With her hand exposed, denial was all she had left.
“This itself is rebellion! To slander the throne with such lies—what greater treason could there be?!”
“Yes! The Empress Dowager speaks the truth!” Duke Dilsen cried, biting his lip. “Killian is once again twisting facts, just like with Sunday’s Exposé! He’s only riling the people—”
But just then—
“Her Majesty! Your Majesty!”
A desperate voice shouted from the entrance.
Everyone turned.
Roselia’s knight, Bill, came running in—disheveled, clutching something in his hands.
It was…
A fresh issue of Sunday’s Exposé.
“Th-there’s something… unbelievable happening right now…!”
