Chapter 59
“……!”
The Kahel Assassins are known never to keep the identifying token of their client in something as trivial as a pocket.
But to think he had hidden it inside his own thigh.
I stared uneasily at the ring, which until just a few hours ago had been buried within his flesh, muscle, and blood.
“Id Mente pretended to search his body, then slit open his thigh. That means he already knew about their methods.”
There was no way I could argue that Id wasn’t suspicious anymore.
Because Kahel was an assassin group whose very existence was only secretly known to the highest-ranking nobles.
Ordinary nobles—especially rural ones—could never have known their traits, let alone deliberately cut open a body to find such evidence.
“But if he’s on Mars’s side, would he have saved me?”
“That’s exactly why I said earlier that my answer was half right, half wrong.”
For now, since he handed this evidence over to me, it’s unlikely he’s Mars’s direct subordinate.
Even so, the suspicion remained, leaving me uneasy.
Since it wasn’t something I could solve immediately, I carefully placed the ring into a small pouch for safekeeping, then asked Theodora,
“Come to think of it, it was Her Majesty who sent you all, wasn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“Then she must want me to use this incident as leverage to be reinstated.”
“That is correct.”
Honestly, after being attacked like this, there was no way I could keep living in this territory.
This place could no longer protect me or Aslan.
In the end, reinstatement was my only option.
The simplest method would be to accuse Mars of attempted murder.
But if I did that, there was no chance I could actually win the case and be reinstated.
The ring might belong to Mars, but the seal was of the Imperial House, and there was no documented evidence whatsoever.
And above all, preparing for a trial would take far too long.
If, during that time, I didn’t face another life-threatening attempt from that wretched couple in this miserable environment, it would be a miracle. So, this was a path I could only take after gathering more evidence later.
“For now, what we need is a safe place…”
At my muttered words, Theodora responded as though she had been waiting.
“Yes, and thus His Majesty the Emperor has granted permission for Your Highness’s residence to be relocated.”
Yes, that was exactly like His Majesty.
Though my time with the Emperor had been short, both from Minerva’s memories and my own experience, he was a man of thorough calculation.
He must have already chosen where I would be moved.
But with enemies targeting me, was there really any such thing as a safe place?
My supporting nobles would already have scattered by now.
Unable to guess, I asked Theodora,
“Where does His Majesty want me to go?”
“To the Grand Duchy of Eckhart.”
“…What?”
For a moment, my breath caught.
The Grand Duchy of Eckhart meant the domain ruled by Grand Duke Eckhart—the very man who once had marriage talks with me, and in the original story, adopted Liona.
My voice shook in confusion.
“Wh—Why of all places there?!”
“Because it is the safest territory. His Majesty has already spoken with the Grand Duke.”
What the hell—when did that happen?!
Even if it was the Emperor’s request, the Grand Duke of Eckhart had always remained utterly neutral, never openly supporting me even before my confinement. And now, suddenly, he was willing to accept me?
What on earth was he thinking?!
Unmoved by my obvious confusion, Theodora simply informed me,
“Since Your Highness has recovered, we will depart tomorrow. We shall escort you.”
“Hey!”
I finally lost my composure and shouted, forgetting all pretense of dignity.
While Theodora and her people busied themselves with moving preparations, I called for Aslan.
“Mommy!”
“Yes, sweetheart.”
As if even a short separation made him anxious, Aslan clung to my side like a magnet.
As I stroked his hair, I wondered how to tell him about the move.
After running several simulations in my head, I carefully asked,
“Aslan, should we move to somewhere safer?”
Aslan blinked his big eyes innocently and asked,
“What’s moving?”
“It means changing homes.”
“To somewhere safer than here?”
“Yes. And there will be more people to protect us.”
I worried he might throw a tantrum and refuse.
He was stubborn as a mule, after all.
If Aslan had insisted on staying, I had already resolved to drag him along even against his will.
But to my surprise, Aslan gave a completely different reaction.
“Then I want to.”
“…Huh?”
He nodded without hesitation.
I hadn’t expected that at all. While I stood there stunned, Aslan chattered on,
“A safe place is better. I’ll miss this place a little, though. Ah, but we’re taking the tree with us, right?”
Cats are supposed to be territorial creatures, but maybe thanks to his instincts warning him of danger, he didn’t mind leaving his territory.
After all, this was no longer a peaceful countryside.
Relieved and grateful for his understanding, I nodded.
“Of course. We’ll take the tree and every keepsake with us.”
“Yay!”
Since talking with Aslan went so smoothly, that hurdle was cleared.
Next, I had to inform our neighbor to whom we owed so much.
I went to find Id, who was still staying in our house, and told him,
“So, it’s decided. We’ll have to leave here.”
“I see. Knowing that you’re heading somewhere safer eases my mind.”
He didn’t look regretful at all—rather, he seemed relieved.
At first I thought, Really? After being neighbors all this time, you don’t feel even a little sad? But remembering what I learned last night—that I couldn’t fully trust him—I just smiled instead.
“Sir Mente, please be careful too. You should strengthen your defenses.”
But he simply smiled faintly, as though such worries were unnecessary.
“Ah, no need. We’ll be moving soon as well.”
“You too?”
I had my reasons, but wasn’t this too sudden on his part?
As if it had already been planned, Id explained smoothly,
“This place is far too rural. For Aila’s sake, we need to move to a larger city. And with this incident, we can’t risk her safety by staying.”
Well, he had a point. If a massacre had nearly happened next door, I wouldn’t want to keep raising my child here either.
Still, knowing that my circumstances indirectly forced his family to move made me feel guilty.
“I’m sorry, it’s because of me.”
“Not at all. Thanks to Your Highness, both I and Aila have been truly happy.”
It still felt strange hearing him call me Your Highness.
Since he often traveled to the capital, I assumed the Mente family would move there as well.
If they had already prepared for it, they would be leaving soon.
“I feel bad for Aila—she must be shaken already, and now such a sudden move…”
“I’ll explain it to Aila. Please only worry about your own relocation.”
Id spoke as though I had no need to feel indebted.
Though his true nature remained questionable, he had done so much for us that gratitude outweighed suspicion. So I gave him a final, polite bow.
“Thank you for everything, Sir Mente—including saving us.”
“And thank you as well, Your Highness. I wish you peace in the days ahead.”
He bowed back with equal courtesy.
It was, all things considered, a good farewell.
“Perhaps we’ll meet again someday.”
Except… that casual phrase, so often spoken as mere formality, sounded strangely significant coming from him.
The journey to the Grand Duchy of Eckhart went more smoothly than expected.
During a rest stop when we had stepped down from the carriage—
“Mom, I wanna ride a horse too!”
“That’s too dangerous!”
Theodora and Aslan were at it again, playing a kind of chase.
Aslan darted nimbly out of her reach, dashing toward the horse.
At first glance it seemed like he was just being mischievous as usual, but in truth, this was rather mild behavior.
If he had really wanted to throw a tantrum, it wouldn’t have ended this easily—I knew that better than anyone.
He refuses to let me get too far out of his sight. Considering how he used to sneak off without a word… this is real progress.
It pained me that it also meant he was fully aware of the danger, but still, it was growth.
“Prince Aslan, please!”
“Prince Aslan!”
Theodora and the knights surrounded him, but Aslan evaded them mockingly—then leapt.
He landed gracefully on the horse’s back, finishing with a flawless posture.
“Oooh. That was amazing, Aslan!”
I couldn’t help but clap, as though watching a circus act.
The knights looked more horrified than impressed at his athleticism, but Aslan only cared about my reaction, puffing out his chest with pride at my applause.
Theodora let out a half-laugh, half-sigh, then muttered to me,
“Your Highness, just what sort of creature did you give birth to…”
