Chapter 44
4:00 AM. The Grand Duke’s night watch had ended. There were eight assassins in total: six caught by the barrier, and two captured by the guards.
Four of them had already committed suicide, while the remaining four were prevented from biting the poison. Leon’s soldiers were pushing them into the underground prison one by one, and Leon was watching.
“Um… how should we deal with them?”
Assassins usually die on their own once captured. Keeping them alive meant they had some use somewhere.
“Shall we start by severing all the tendons in their ankles?”
The imprisoned assassins’ expressions wavered. Leon looked down at them.
“They are trained. If left alone, they’ll escape. They might even take the lives of a few of my precious soldiers.”
“Then, as you said…”
“Let’s show them mercy for now. But don’t give them even a drop of water.”
Leon said this and left the underground prison. As he ascended the stairs, voices chattered excitedly, as if something had them overjoyed.
“Two pair! Huh, what’s that? Why are you laughing?”
“Full house.”
“Miss! He’s using sleight of hand!”
“Nope, just skill!”
“Does that make sense?! You’ve been winning nonstop!”
“Hey, look! Is there something here?”
It seemed they were playing a card game. Knowing that they didn’t understand anything gave Leon a small sense of satisfaction.
“It’s better not to know if you can avoid it.”
Leon said that and went up the stairs to his room without anyone noticing. No one would be able to harm them.
Finally, the day of the banquet arrived. Leuké had done her best to practice her new role in the short time she had. Contrary to Katia’s threats, we spent the day comfortably and without incident.
From the morning, I was being groomed by Leon’s household maids. A new dress had been laid out without prior notice. It had been prepared by the Grand Duke.
“Miss, you look absolutely beautiful.”
“Your hair is so lovely, too.”
“Mhm, thank you.”
“Your eyes are like emeralds.”
Hearing compliments for the first time, my face turned red. At my aunt’s house, there had been no maid to dress me up. Leuké and I always took care of ourselves.
“This never happened when serving the Grand Duke! I’m so excited!”
A maid with red hair and pale skin chattered as she applied powder to my face.
“Um… what about your sister?”
“Miss Leuké! Ah, Charlotte is really excited. She said she wanted to touch such platinum hair at least once in her life!”
Hearing that reassured me. If each maid did her best, naturally Leuké would look even more beautiful. Anyway, Leuké had to stand out the most at the event!
Another maid twisted my hair up and inserted a flower-shaped pin made of diamonds and pearls.
“It’s heavy.”
“It’s not something we do every day. It’s the Crown Prince’s birthday, and you’re going as his partner, right?”
“Pa-partner?”
I had thought I was going as part of the troupe staff—there to manage things behind the scenes and ensure the event went smoothly.
“Why act so shy? The dress is the latest fashion. Since the Grand Duke doesn’t know, we chose it for you!”
It was the same dress Leuké had worn before, with a narrow bodice and a trailing skirt. It was indeed fashionable, but thinking I had to wear it felt strange.
“Not ready yet?”
“Your Highness! You mustn’t come in!”
“Are you undressing or something?”
“No, it’s not like that!”
The maid squealed and pushed Leon away.
“It’ll be done soon!”
I shouted at Leon, who had been shoved out through the door gap.
Though I said “soon,” it took another thirty minutes before the grooming was finished. If I hadn’t suggested ending it, it would have taken even longer.
Once done, I went out to find all the troupe members gathered in the Grand Duke’s mansion. Thankfully, nothing had happened while staying there, and John and the others who had stayed outside were healthy.
Most importantly, Leuké had once again surpassed herself today. She wore a white dress adorned with roses, and white flowers were braided into her hair, making her look like a forest spirit. I wanted to fuss over her, but Leuké signaled with her eyes: “Stay calm today.” It was an important day—but still! She looked divine. Once this was over, we should hire a maid just for beautifying her.
“Ready?”
Leon looked at me, and I nodded.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes!”
The servants loaded props and costumes into the carriage. Leon watched absentmindedly while washing his face. I wondered if he was sleep-deprived from tension, but then I thought that couldn’t be the case—maybe we had just been too noisy.
“Your Highness, you look a little tired… Did we keep you up?”
“No. That’s impossible.”
Leon didn’t explain further and boarded the carriage. Leon, I, Alex, and Leuké were in one carriage, and the remaining troupe members split into two other carriages.
“Let’s go!”
The guards on horseback escorted the carriage from front and back. There was quite a large number of them. Leon kept staring out the window, clearly expecting an ambush.
“Why?”
I watched Leon quietly until our eyes met.
“Just wondering.”
“Don’t worry.”
“Yes.”
I wasn’t particularly worried about an ambush, but I turned my gaze away anyway. We would probably reach the palace safely. Leon would handle clearing the way. Still, his strangely fatigued expression made me uneasy—was there something else we didn’t know?
“Everyone, bow your heads.”
Everyone lowered their heads, and almost immediately, the sound of arrows hitting the carriage echoed. My chest tightened. The threat was unlike anything I had felt when first meeting Leon. This wasn’t mere intimidation.
“Don’t get out.”
Leon stepped out of the carriage. The horses whinnied in fright, and swords clashed. Neither the troupe nor I made a sound—not even a breath. After a long while, when my back grew stiff, Leon opened the carriage door and came back in.
“Good thing you brought a change of clothes.”
Blood was splattered across his meticulously arranged uniform.
“Any injuries?”
“None among the troupe.”
I didn’t ask further. The carriage continued to speed forward, stopping and starting repeatedly. Each time the carriage stopped, Leon dismounted. Screams and the sounds of people falling to the ground could be heard. Each time Leon returned, he looked as if half his life had been drained, and the bloodstains on his clothes increased. The carriage continued like this.
“We’ll be late at this rate.”
Leon said this simply. In fact, Leuké next to me looked paler.
“Sis, it’ll be okay.”
“It’s not scary. I just didn’t expect Katia to go this far.”
Still, the carriage gradually approached the palace. As the roads widened and traffic increased, the carriage could travel calmly. Once the situation stabilized, Leon changed into freshly prepared clothes.
However, when we finally reached the palace gates, the gatekeeper blocked our way.
“No one may enter except the Grand Duke.”
“We have an invitation, and all companions are accounted for. Didn’t you receive it?”
“Yes, my apologies.”
The gatekeeper was stubborn. We couldn’t use magic or force as before. Forcing our way in would itself be rebellion. But we had a pass and an invitation, and a letter had been sent in advance confirming we would visit with the Grand Duke.
“Why say no now?”
“Sorry. A ban has been issued for all companions of those invited this morning!”
It made sense. Everyone else fidgeted in frustration. The Grand Duke stopped quietly and nodded.
“Companions are banned, understood.”
Something in the Grand Duke’s hand glowed brightly. It looked different from his usual simple magic. The accompanying guards looked shocked.
“Your Highness! Don’t! Using all your magic now would be disastrous! You’ve spent the week dealing with barriers and assassins!”
“Do not break focus.”
“I’m trying to make you break it!”
No wonder he looked tired. It wasn’t that nothing had happened all week—I just hadn’t known.
“Your Highness, let’s find another way.”
I also tried to stop Leon. If he collapsed, it would be a disaster, and we didn’t know what magic he was about to use.
“If you collapse here, all plans fail.”
“It’s the same if we can’t enter. We just need to enter legally.”
“So let’s find another way.”
I took Leon’s brightly glowing hand, and he quickly withdrew his magic.
“Dangerous!”
“If I don’t, you won’t stop. There’s still time, so let’s think of another way.”
At that moment, an elderly man walked calmly through the gathered troupe members at the gate. Though old, he had a solid build and stood tall.
“You’re keeping many people waiting.”
Leon looked surprised. Wait, this man could even be surprised?
“You refused my request earlier, didn’t you?”
“I didn’t come to help. I just want to enter.”
The old man spoke something incomprehensible to Leon and then smiled at the gatekeeper.
“Can’t my companion enter with me?”
Behind the old man stood a tall, elderly-looking woman. She wore a crimson velvet dress with gold embroidery, her hair elegantly styled in deep honey-blonde. Like the old man, she looked old but sturdy. The gatekeeper turned pale.
“Ma… Ma’am! H-How is it that you are here?”
