CHAPTER 53…………………

The air from the knight hit me immediately as we stepped outside.

At the same time, all my senses sharpened.

I asked the knight in a firm tone,

“…What’s going on?”

“You’ll see soon enough,” he replied.

A royal summons.

Following the knight out of the mansion, I saw that the carriages were already lined up outside. They were enchanted for speed, capable of reaching the palace in no time.

Though the sky was still a deep, pale blue of early dawn, the lanterns on the carriages lit up the surroundings.

So that’s why it looked so bright outside.

As soon as I boarded, the horses surged forward almost at a gallop toward the palace. The dawn streets were empty, nothing blocking our way.

I clenched my hands tightly in the slightly jolting carriage and thought quietly,

“…Have I ever done anything to incur the emperor’s displeasure?”

No.

Nothing comes to mind.

Maybe if I had been too favorable…

After all, I was literally shaping Enrike into a proper person.

Exactly as the emperor wanted.

Even searching through all the laws of the empire, there was no record of someone being abruptly dragged to the crown prince’s palace like a criminal in the early morning.

Whether I was uneasy or not, the carriage continued deep into the palace and finally stopped right in front of the crown prince’s residence.

“…….”

I swallowed hard.

Even from the outside, the crown prince’s palace looked chaotic.

The Épsilon Knights and the Umbra Knights surrounded it, and they seemed to be at odds with each other.

“Please get out,” the knight said.

“…Yes.”

The knight who brought me opened the carriage door and escorted me out.

The moment I stepped down, a familiar voice shouted in outrage.

“Are you completely insane? No! You can’t just send a fragile young lady in there unarmed!”

“I’ve prepared self-defense tools,” the knight replied.

“That’s not the issue, you know that!”

A knight with disheveled hair stepped forward, knocking the hand of the knight holding my wrist aside, and stood between us.

His eyes were sharper than usual—I almost didn’t recognize him.

“…Sir Carlson.”

It was Dietrich Carlson.

“What’s going on here?” I asked.

The knight who brought me only kept repeating, “You’ll see when you reach the crown prince’s palace.”

Seeing the familiar Épsilon Knights’ uniforms instead of the Umbra, I relaxed slightly.

“…….”

Dietrich, who had been biting his lips, finally spoke,

“It’s nothing serious. You should return quickly.”

“Nothing serious?”

At that moment, the blonde knight interrupted Dietrich. His hair shone in the moonlight.

“It’s a royal summons, Sir Carlson. Even as captain of the Épsilon Knights, do you intend to defy it?”

“…Very well. Does this even make sense?”

What is this? What are they talking about me?

I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Wait!”

I shouted.

Both Dietrich Carlson and the blonde knight turned to look at me.

Under the pressure of two imposing knights staring at me, I furrowed my brow and said,

“So, exactly what is this royal summons? Why have I been called here? Explain everything properly.”

“…Well…”

Dietrich stammered, but the blonde knight jumped in first.

“The crown prince had a seizure.”

“A seizure?”

“Yes. Occasionally, while asleep, he attacks those around him or destroys things. There’s been a problem.”

Why call me for that? I asked with a puzzled look. The knight continued,

“This seizure is different. It seems an assassin infiltrated the crown prince’s residence.”

…An assassin?

“Is His Highness safe?”

Dietrich blocked the blonde knight and began to explain.

“…His Highness has dealt with all the assassins during the seizure, so there’s no danger to him.”

Dietrich exhaled deeply and continued,

“…However, the seizure hasn’t stopped.”

“One Épsilon Knight and seven Umbra Knights were injured, right? Isn’t that correct, Captain Épsilon?”

The blonde knight added mockingly,

“I suppose you spared the Épsilon Knights because they were familiar faces.”

“…….”

I pondered their words for a moment, then turned to the blonde knight and said,

“Then I understand why I was called here.”

Send me in, huh?

The blonde knight gave a sharp nod.

“The emperor ordered Lady Lilian Crimson to enter the crown prince’s residence to calm his seizure.”

I nodded without hesitation.

“Alright. Let’s give it a try.”

“…No!”

Dietrich, pale as a sheet, opposed me even more strongly.

“Even trained knights can’t withstand His Highness for more than a few minutes. He’s resistant to all poisons, so even sleep toxins won’t work. Sending you in…”

He meant I’d be a goner.

But I had complete faith.

I patted Dietrich’s broad shoulders a few times, then turned to the blonde knight.

“Sir Lorain.”

“…Yes?”

He twitched at hearing his name—he hadn’t expected me to know it. I had memorized the names and ranks of all officials and knights in the palace after becoming Enrike’s tutor.

Umbra Knight. Young man. Shining blonde hair. Uniform insignia slightly different from the other knights.

That alone was enough to deduce his identity.

“The emperor will surely reward a tutor who understands a royal summons properly, right?”

“…I cannot say for certain.”

He probably didn’t feel good after his knights had been beaten by Enrike, but duty is duty.

“A vice-captain of the Umbra Knights should know that much, shouldn’t he?”

“…Perhaps.”

When I mentioned his rank, Lorain reluctantly nodded.

Good. I already needed to request a private audience with the emperor. This actually made things easier.

Taking a lantern from a servant, I told Dietrich,

“If I don’t come out in two hours, come in.”

“…Understood.”

Dietrich’s eyes clearly said, She won’t be dead in two hours, will she?

I smiled faintly.

“You know me. I’m His Highness’ tutor.”

“…Always exceeding expectations,” Dietrich finally nodded. His fists were clenched, but he seemed to restrain himself from stopping me.

Raising his head, he said quietly,

“His Highness is in the reception room.”

“…Ugh.”

Inside the crown prince’s residence, I could almost walk with my eyes closed.

After last time, when I entered the wrong room, I had Dietrich give me a tour to memorize every corner.

The corridors were eerie.

Blood splattered the walls, and every noticeable portrait was slashed.

Dietrich explained that the Épsilon and Umbra Knights had entered to subdue the prince, but injuries forced them to retreat.

How strong must he be?

Could a twenty-year-old crown prince really be too much for seasoned knights to handle?

Enrike’s claim that he could dominate anyone was not an exaggeration.

But the real problem: unlike typical seizures lasting under an hour, this one had gone on for six hours.

Fortunately, he remained inside the palace, but if he got outside, it would be catastrophic. Immediate action was required.

“…Huh.”

I slid my hand into my pocket and fidgeted with the hilt of the dagger Lorain gave me. It was blunt to avoid harming the crown prince.

Why even carry it?

But I didn’t plan to use it, so it didn’t matter.

“One Épsilon Knight, seven Umbra Knights injured…”

The gap seemed too wide to be coincidence.

Then a hypothesis: if Enrike could control his rage even slightly around familiar faces, then…

Even in a seizure, he retained some judgment. There was hope.

He wouldn’t attack his tutor, would he?

…He mustn’t.

“…Ugh.”

I stepped over the bloodied fallen assailants and entered the reception room.

One door was already broken, so the room was fully visible.

Inside, a few bodies that seemed to be assassins lay scattered. Compared to other rooms, it was relatively clean.

On the sofa sat Enrike, sword held loosely.

“…….”

His crimson eyes, completely unhinged, locked on me.

“…Huh.”

Plan A, B, and C were ready. Let’s do this.