GTMDWH | Chapter 81

~Chapter 81~

Just as the fireworks began, Johann turned his head to look at Leah.

“I wonder what kind of expression you’ll have watching the fireworks.”

Leah had her mouth slightly open and let out a small gasp at the colorful bursts.

Her emerald eyes sparkled with all the different colors.

He couldn’t take his eyes off her.

When she tilted her head and looked around, their eyes met.

“…”

Her eyes flickered nervously.

“Uh-oh. What should I say if she asks why I was staring?”

But Leah didn’t say anything either—she just looked back at him silently.

She looked just as tense as he felt.

He gently held her clenched hand.

He wanted to help her relax.

Up close, he noticed her cheeks were flushed.

“Is it because of the beer?”

She looked so lovely.

He literally couldn’t look away.

His heart pounded wildly.

He saw himself reflected in her shimmering eyes.

Suddenly, he leaned in toward her face.

“…Please, accept me.”

Her eyelashes trembled like a butterfly’s wings and closed gently, and his lips softly touched hers.

To Johann, who had no memories, this was his first kiss.

Their hot breaths mingled.

Leah grabbed onto his sleeve with her free hand and tilted her head up more.

He gently supported the back of her head.

When the long kiss ended, he pulled away reluctantly.

“…Leah.”

His voice was slightly husky.

“…Ah.”

But instead of happiness, Leah’s eyes were full of confusion.

“…I-I should go.”

She stood up suddenly, clearly flustered.

“Leah.”
Before he could grab her hand, she stepped away.

“Rafi might be awake. S-So we should go.”

“Wait.”

Johann stood to stop her.

“…Did I mess up?”

She didn’t push him away, so he thought it was okay.

He chased after her as she walked away quickly without looking back.

“Leah, wait….”

Suddenly—

Johann stopped, sensing a killing intent nearby.

Someone was targeting them.

“Not just one person… and…”

He quickly reached her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, turning her to the side before she could react—

Whoosh—thunk.

An arrow flew through where Leah had just been standing and stuck into the grass.
“…That arrow was meant for Leah.”

He glanced behind her.

Who did this? And why?

Leah hadn’t noticed anything—still flustered, she shook off his hand.

“Leah.”

“…”

She avoided his gaze.

“Was that kiss… did it bother you?”

He kept his eyes sharp on their surroundings.

“I need to get her to the carriage without alerting her to the danger.”

He didn’t want her to be scared.

“…Let’s talk about it later.”

Leah looked like she was about to cry.

“…Okay.”

Now wasn’t the time.

“But why does she look like that…”

His chest felt cold.

But there were more pressing matters.

Another arrow flew at Leah from another direction.

A hidden knight blocked it and began chasing the assassin.

Leah walked quietly beside Johann, still unaware of the danger.

The assassins had planned this during the fireworks to hide their movements—
but it actually helped Johann, too.

He signaled to other hidden knights nearby.

“Move without alerting Leah. Kill everyone but one.”

The knights moved silently to hunt down the attackers.

By the time Johann and Leah reached the carriage, the knights had done their job.

“…Aren’t you coming with me?”

Leah looked confused when Johann didn’t get in.

“You go ahead. I have something to take care of.”

“…Okay. Then I’ll head back first.”

She looked relieved.
That stung a little.

“You two, guard the carriage.”

“Yes, sir!”

After sending the carriage off, Johann headed to the hilltop.

When he arrived, the knights had already captured or killed the assassins.

Only one was left alive, as ordered.

“There were five?”

“Yes.”

That was too many to target just a normal woman.

“And sir,”

“What is it?”

“The arrows were laced with demon poison.”

A knight stuck one arrow into the grass.

Immediately, the grass around it withered and turned black.

Johann’s brow furrowed deeply.

“So they weren’t just trying to hurt her. They wanted her dead—no doubt.”

He grabbed a dagger from a knight’s belt and walked to the lone assassin,
who was kneeling and tied up.

Rip!

He cut the cloth gag from the assassin’s mouth.

“Tell me now. Who sent you?”

“I-I don’t know!”

The assassin trembled under Johann’s piercing gaze.

“You don’t know? You really think you can get away with that answer?”

“I swear, I only got the order…!”

“Gilbert. Age 32. Been in the assassin guild since 18.

Your family lives in the northern part of the capital. Parents, siblings, and a son.”

“H-How do you know that?!”

The assassin stared up at him in fear.

The empress often hired assassins to kill the crown prince,
so Johann had already been digging into the assassin guild.

It made sense that he knew all about them.

“Why would I need to explain anything to a scum like you?”

He knelt and gripped Gilbert’s jaw hard.

“Urgh…”

The assassin grimaced in pain.

“Gilbert. If you care about your family—especially your son—you’d better talk.”

“Please, I’m begging you.”

He shook with despair.

Funny how a killer could still care about his own family.

“Was it the empress?”

The assassin gave a tiny nod.

“Why go after her and not me?”

Johann already suspected the empress was behind it.

But going after Leah instead of him didn’t make sense.

“She doesn’t like Leah, maybe, but trying to kill her in public like this?”

If she saw Johann as a threat, fine—but Leah?

“I-I don’t know. I was just told to kill her no matter what—even if I got caught.”

“They said that?”

“Yes! They even gave me demon poison to make sure she died.”

Johann searched him and found a small brown vial.

Demon poison.

Possessing anything related to demons was forbidden
by law across the entire continent, even for the emperor.

Too dangerous.

“That proves the empress had demon poison.”

But even if he brought this assassin as a witness,
the emperor would likely cover for her.

Say it was a setup or something.

But another question bothered him.

Why use demon poison on him and Leah—
when they didn’t even use it on the crown prince before?

If Johann died, sure, it would weaken the prince.

But Leah?

“…Is Leah really that much of a threat to the empress?”

Why take the risk of exposing demon poison to kill her?

It didn’t make sense.

He put the vial in his coat and stood.

“I told you everything I know!”

Gilbert begged, bowing low.

“Please… leave my family alone!”

“Sure.”

At Johann’s signal, a knight behind him
silently cut the assassin’s throat.

For a man who’d killed so many,
his death came almost too peacefully.

“Clean it up. Let’s head back.”

Johann’s cold voice echoed through the night.