Chapter 47
That night.
Lia left her office a little late. When she returned to her bedroom, night had already fallen.
With her work piling up again, Lia felt tired.
It wasn’t just decoding the letters—she also had to figure out which palace maids were agents of the Marquis or Freya.
But discovering that was no easy task.
Because of that, Lia fell asleep quickly in her bedroom, completely exhausted.
While she slept quietly, the only sound in the room was her soft breathing. Outside the window, a shadow appeared.
A figure dressed in black silently climbed through the window and entered Lia’s room.
The black-clad figure moved toward Lia’s bed. Lia slept without stirring.
The intruder looked around the room, seemingly searching for something. Failing to find it, the figure moved closer to Lia.
The moment the figure reached out to her, Lia opened her eyes. Their eyes met—Lia’s and the intruder’s dark eyes.
Just as Lia was about to speak, the figure covered her mouth.
“Shut up.”
With a deadly aura, the figure drew a dagger from their cloak and pressed it to Lia’s neck. Lia inhaled sharply at the sharp blade against her skin.
Her eyes shook for a moment in surprise, but she quickly regained her composure.
“Where’s the key?”
She had planned to quietly take what they wanted and leave, but now that she had been discovered, that was impossible.
The black figure pressed the dagger closer, threatening her.
Lia, however, looked slightly amused, despite the situation.
What was the point of asking a question while holding a hand over her mouth? Did they even want an answer?
The figure’s expression grew colder at her reaction.
But Lia wasn’t afraid.
Of course, she felt some fear—it was her first time facing this—but she was certain of one thing: this person could not kill her.
And she had something prepared.
Without answering, Lia moved her hand slightly under the blanket.
She had anticipated this. Normally, it was for calling a maid, but this time it was to call someone else.
She had placed it within reach in the blanket so she could grab it easily.
As her hand moved, a bell rang.
The intruder noticed immediately and tried to move, but Lia was faster.
She didn’t let go.
As the intruder moved, Lia hooked their leg. Off balance, the figure stumbled, and at that moment, Baron, waiting outside the door, burst in.
Baron quickly approached to attack the hidden intruder.
The figure tried to escape, but Lia’s hand held them firmly. Failing to run, the intruder changed tactics and pulled Lia toward them, pressing the dagger against her neck.
Baron froze at that action.
“Come closer, and she dies.”
The dagger pressed to her neck again. Baron held his breath, searching for a weakness in the intruder’s stance.
The intruder also eyed Baron sharply, waiting for a chance to flee.
Lia had no intention of letting the intruder go.
She didn’t know what they were after or who sent them, but this person could be an important witness.
She couldn’t let them escape.
Her body tensed naturally at the blade, but she moved without hesitation.
Lia, who had been held still, struck the intruder’s abdomen with her elbow. As the figure staggered, she kicked their knee.
Her heel hit exactly, and as she freed herself, Baron rushed forward and subdued the intruder.
“Got them.”
Lia glared coldly at the intruder pinned to the floor by Baron.
“Are you all right?”
Still restraining the intruder, Baron asked with concern.
“I’m fine.”
Although the dagger had left a slight mark on her neck, it wasn’t serious.
But Lia’s relief didn’t last.
Before Baron could take the intruder out of the bedroom, the figure killed themselves.
The masked intruder had hidden poison in their mouth and died instantly.
“Huh?”
Lia looked at the dead intruder in disbelief.
After all that effort, this was the result?
Baron, too, seemed surprised by the suicide, but there was no way to bring the person back.
“What on earth…”
“Exactly. I didn’t expect them to die.”
Suicide was smart for someone who might be captured, but from Lia’s perspective, it was highly inconvenient.
“They must have been a professional assassin.”
Otherwise, why would they carry poison for suicide?
“Exactly.”
Lia frowned, annoyed at the dead intruder.
If she had captured them for questioning, she might have learned who sent them and what they wanted. But now that person was dead.
Of course, she could guess.
Their original goal was probably to steal the letters she had.
The one behind it must have been Freya or the Marquis of Sarontien.
But that was only speculation. The person who could prove it was gone.
“Did you know they would come today?”
“Knew what?”
“That this person would come.”
“I kind of expected it.”
Lia spoke calmly, despite the serious situation.
Baron was impressed.
Before going to sleep, Lia had requested that if the bell for a maid rang, it wasn’t to call a maid but for Baron to enter.
She also asked him to increase the number of guards in her room.
Judging by today’s events, she must have anticipated that someone would target her and had prepared accordingly.
“Who could it be…”
“I can only guess.”
It was almost certain, though.
“First, let’s get rid of this intruder.”
“Understood.”
“And tonight, I’ll sleep in the office, not the bedroom.”
She didn’t want to sleep in a room that had a corpse.
This was only the second corpse she had seen in this place.
It was the person who targeted her and had taken their own life. She didn’t feel guilty, but it was still unpleasant. Seeing a dead body was chilling, no matter the reason.
“Would you like to go to His Majesty’s room instead?”
Even as Empress, visiting the Emperor’s room at night would be improper.
But given the situation, the Emperor would probably understand—and he liked the Empress so much that he would welcome her anyway.
It was better than making her sleep in the office without a proper bed or in some other empty room.
“No.”
It would still be uncomfortable, so Lia firmly refused.
