TKWPAP 12

chapter 12

“Dead bodies?”

“How horrible!”

The banquet hall buzzed with shock at the soldier’s report. Even the orchestra, in the middle of playing a waltz, stopped playing and turned in unison to stare at the soldier.

Dead bodies found in the forest near the banquet hall—on such a celebratory day, no less? Unthinkable!

Although the guests’ faces revealed their thoughts, they all kept their mouths shut.

“Explain in detail. Have you identified the cause of death or the victims?”

Empress Consort Nersia stepped forward, pale but trying to remain composed.

Though she was of a delicate temperament and ill-suited for handling something as grave as murder, with the Emperor absent, it was her duty to take charge.

Louis, who had been standing a bit further away, also turned grim as he listened closely to the soldier.

“There were three adult males, but their identities are unknown. All of them died from excessive bleeding caused by stab wounds.”

“Does that mean a swordfight occurred within the imperial capital?”

The Empress Consort asked again, her delicate lips trembling. The soldier, still panting from having run here, nodded repeatedly.

“Yes, Your Majesty. Moreover… they were all wearing masks.”

“Masks?”

A new wave of murmurs erupted from the guests.

“They must have been assassins! This is terrible…”

“Who were they after?”

Noble ladies from all factions, standing near the pale-faced Empress Consort, were visibly shaken. If masked individuals had died in a swordfight, there was no choice but to suspect an attempted assassination.

“Are you sure there are no remaining enemies nearby?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. We’ve deployed forces to sweep the forest thoroughly. So far, no unusual activity has been detected!”

But Empress Consort Nersia looked around in fear and hastily called out her son’s name.

“Vincent! They may have been after my son. The Second Prince—where is he?”

“Please calm down, Your Majesty. The Second Prince said he was sleepy earlier and returned to his chambers with his nursemaids.”

“Still, I must confirm it with my own eyes!”

The Empress Consort barked the reply to her handmaid, then issued orders to the soldiers.

“Triple the number of guards around the banquet hall. Search every corner of the palace and ensure the safety of our guests and royal children!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

The soldier bowed quickly and rushed out of the hall.

“Lord Eurean.”

Louis turned toward the voice calling his name.

Duke Kaidel stood there in full formal dress, his expression stiff and grave.

“Have you seen the girl?”

Louis didn’t understand at first who the Duke was referring to. The Duke hadn’t mentioned a name or a relationship—just “the girl”—and his tense expression was unfamiliar.

Though Louis and the Duke were fairly acquainted in social circles, he had never seen the Duke look anxious.

Only a few seconds later did Louis realize who the Duke must be referring to. Coincidentally, it was the same person Louis had been thinking about.

“It couldn’t be. I told myself he had a safe and happy childhood, unlike mine. I wanted to believe that.”

From the moment she saw the scars, Eathrys’ mind went numb.

Looking again, she realized his body was covered in stab wounds, not just his shoulder, but his arms and legs too.

Before the regression, when Adrian had learned about her tragic life as a duke’s daughter, he had gotten angry and grieved on her behalf.

When she had once asked about his childhood, he had simply replied, “Nothing happened.”

“Why did I believe that obvious lie meant to protect me?”

She felt foolish for ever trusting him when he said he was okay. In truth, his past had been unbearably tragic.

“Oh, right. I should offer my neck. That way, the nobles will believe you.”

Adrian spat the words coldly as he loosened his collar. The blood-stained cravat came undone roughly, exposing his pale neck.

He winced through the pain and said:

“Go on, take my head. I’ll die without resistance.”

He raised his chin slightly, as if sincerely offering his neck to her.

Eathrys shook her head, clearing her thoughts.

“I’m not an assassin.”

Adrian’s violet eyes widened at the sound of her youthful voice.

“Is that so surprising?”

“No… it’s just that you’re really young. I thought the assassins must have mistaken something.”

Eathrys figured Adrian hadn’t clearly seen her earlier in the darkness and accepted his surprise.

Adrian quickly composed himself and asked in a detached voice:

“Then why are you here?”

His tone was that of someone who truly didn’t understand.

“Is it only assassins who come to see Your Highness?”

Eathrys’ voice rose slightly in indignation at his assumption, but she regretted it immediately.

She wanted to believe his question was unfair—but it wasn’t.

Before the regression, she had also come with the intent to betray him.

She was no different from the assassins now lying dead in the grass.

But not anymore.

Eathrys tilted her head slightly and looked him squarely in the eye, then gestured toward the cape around his shoulders.

“And besides, you weren’t planning to die so easily, were you? The moment I moved to strike, you were going to stab me with the dagger in your hand.”

She pointed to the dagger hidden beneath his cape.

Though Adrian looked defenseless and exhausted, his hand was tightly gripping a blade soaked in blood.

“When did you notice?”

“Well, given how you grabbed that assassin by the collar and turned the fight around earlier… I’d say believing you’d die quietly would be more suspicious.”

Even when it seemed like the fight was over, Adrian had seized the attacker with his injured arm and flipped the situation.

“So you didn’t kill them for glory… but to save me?”

“Yes. I came to save you.”

Adrian couldn’t possibly understand the weight of those words. He had no idea how far she had come.

“To be clear, my intentions were entirely moral. I simply didn’t want to see an innocent person die in front of me.”

Feeling her words might sound ridiculous, she quickly added that last part.

Adrian gave a brief, bitter laugh and staggered to his feet.

“A moral reason, huh?”

Seeing that he could stand, Eathrys habitually looked around to assess the aftermath of the battle.

“First, we should call soldiers and find out who sent them. And your wounds—”

Before she could finish, Adrian grabbed her shoulder and pushed her against a tree.

Thud! A dagger whizzed past her ear and embedded in the tree behind her.

“Don’t make me laugh.”

His voice was low, laced with freezing fury.

“You said you hated seeing innocent people die? For moral reasons? No such people exist in the palace.”

Blood still lingered in the air, but it was a scent Eathrys had long grown used to. The prince’s threat didn’t frighten her.

If anything…

“And what’s this about saving me? You expect me to believe that now? Absurd.”

If only you’d doubted me like this before.

Maybe then… you wouldn’t have died.

She regretted that he hadn’t been this skeptical in their first life.

“I never asked you to believe me.”

She replied calmly.

Her resolute tone made something flicker in Adrian’s violet eyes.

“Not believe you?”

“No. In fact, I’d prefer if you never, ever trusted me.”

“Then I might as well kill you here as another assassin, yes?”

“Please don’t. That would be a loss—for you.”

Adrian frowned at her increasingly cryptic words. Realizing his guard had slipped slightly, Eathrys gently pulled his hand off her shoulder.

Then, instead of backing away, she stepped closer.

When they were almost nose to nose, she spoke.

“Don’t trust me. Use me instead.”

After a pause, Louis finally replied to the Duke’s earlier question.

“Forgive me, Your Grace, but I haven’t seen Miss Eathrys either. I looked for her several times throughout the hall and assumed she hadn’t come to the celebration.”

“Weren’t you close with her—my niece?”

The way the Duke awkwardly referred to her as “my niece” was unusual. Louis respectfully nodded.

“She is my closest friend. That’s why I came to meet her today. But she wasn’t here. I wondered if she’d gone home early.”

“She said nothing of the sort.”

Duke Kaidel’s eyes darkened.

“But… it wouldn’t be surprising if she left without telling me.”

There was a faint hint of self-mockery in the Duke’s expression.

A strange feeling stirred in Louis.

From their few conversations and the rumors, Louis had gathered that Eathrys had grown up neglected and unloved in the ducal household. The root of it had been the Duke’s indifference and hostility.

But now, his expression didn’t quite match someone speaking about a person he supposedly hated.

Still, Louis couldn’t pry into a noble family’s private affairs.

More importantly, there was something far more urgent.

“Your Grace, forgive me, but does this mean no one knows Miss Eathrys’ current whereabouts?”

Louis’ throat tightened slightly with tension.

It was highly likely she had returned home.

But…

What if she was caught up in the swordfight by accident on her way?

If she’d run into the assassins, they might have silenced her as a witness.

A disturbing thought crossed Louis’ mind.

The question hit the mark—Kaidel’s face turned pale, like waves draining from a beach.

“Hella. Find out where she is immediately.”

The knight standing nearby gave a silent salute and disappeared into the crowd.

“Oh come now, brother, there’s no need for all that.”

A man approached with a wine glass in hand. It was Kaidel’s younger brother—and Hedon’s biological father—Josef.

“She’s probably just hiding in some empty room. She’s so gloomy and timid. This fancy party probably scared her stiff.”