At the emperor’s words, the smile disappeared completely from Robert’s face. The man his father had put forward as a suitor for his younger sister was someone he knew very well.
“Could it be… that the one who proposed to Seri is the ‘Red Man’?”
Before becoming crown prince, Robert had once traveled as an envoy to Bismarck to congratulate the new emperor on his accession.
He had been treated with great hospitality as a guest, given tours of the city, and entertained with delightful amusements. But what Robert wanted wasn’t such frivolities; he wanted to observe the political climate firsthand.
He wanted to see the relationships between noble families, the actual influence of the emperor, and the administration’s policies and decisiveness. But he couldn’t get close to such matters. The palace staff treated him with utmost courtesy, yet whenever he brought up politics, they would desperately redirect his attention elsewhere.
“Prince of Castaros, why concern yourself with such troublesome matters? Isn’t it enough to simply enjoy your days?”
And the newly crowned emperor spent each day in the same idle manner. While he should have been learning state affairs and navigating delicate power struggles with his ministers, he spent his time flirting with women, hunting, or enjoying performances, never attending administrative meetings in person.
Instead, it was this man—the one feared even more than the emperor inside the palace, whose name could not be spoken lightly, known only as the ‘Red Man’—who reported the results of daily meetings to the emperor.
“If you’re talking about Duke Demian Auloman, then you are correct.”
Robert clenched his fists tightly under the table.
Duke Demian Auloman. He was the first cousin of the current Bismarck emperor and a prime minister. With his red hair, red eyes, and penchant for red clothing, he was called the ‘Red Man,’ but the blood on his hands was even redder.
He had stained both hands with blood to place the current emperor on the throne, and ever since, he had ruthlessly eliminated anyone who stood in his way. The emperor, being his puppet, never dared to punish him.
Robert had no intention of handing over his beloved younger sister to such a bloodthirsty man.
“—Your Majesty, excuse me, but I have an urgent matter to attend to. May I leave first?”
“Urgent? How pressing is it?”
“Very.”
The emperor clicked his tongue in disapproval, muttering that raising children was useless, yet he did not stop Robert from rising. Robert quietly bowed his head and left his seat.
“As crown prince, I cannot oppose His Majesty’s decisions without reason. But given the kind of man he is, there must be something shady if I dig deeper.”
No matter who came, Seri would be precious to anyone—but not to him. Even the purpose behind his proposal to the princess was unclear. He was a dangerous man, and Robert, as crown prince, could not rush to Bismarck to protect Seri should something go wrong.
Clenching his fists, Robert strode down the corridor, determined: he would protect his innocent little Seri with his own hands. He would never let anyone take his young, delicate angel.
“B-Bix Howell.”
“Aquil Rosel. I was knighted by Baron Trantes and, as of today, am assigned to escort the lady.”
Karia stared at Bix and Aquil, both dressed in knight uniforms, sitting upright in her office chair.
The two, who usually wore dull clothes and hid their faces, looked completely different now, their hair neatly combed and attire proper. They looked like knights, at least for the hastily arranged ceremony.
However, to Karia, they still didn’t appear elegant. Their leader, Baron Noah Trantes, had disappeared the day he fled, never showing his face again.
“Noah?”
“The leader is currently resting due to illness.”
“Where has he been sick for a week straight? I should visit him. Where is he now?”
“It’s nothing serious; he will recover with time. Don’t worry about it.”
That was why they suddenly became knights. At first, Karia had thought it was just awkwardness, then perhaps embarrassment for a few days—but a week had passed.
She had complained to Shagal, and sending these two was his answer. Fearing her anger, Shagal had also not appeared.
“And Shagal?”
“With the leader.”
“The ‘Black Night’ allows both the leader and deputy to work quite flexibly. Had I known they were such a flexible group, I might have reconsidered hiring you.”
Even Shagal, with whom she could normally communicate, had disappeared, and Karia’s patience had reached its limit. Other mercenaries silently guarded the townhouse, ignoring her questions as if she were speaking to a wall.
And now, they had unilaterally changed her escorts? That was no less than disrespecting her as their employer.
“Do not worry about safety. Although Shagal DeSimone is the deputy, he was selected not for skill but for charisma and communication. Among the mercenaries, aside from the leader, the most capable are myself and Bix here.”
“Communication skills, huh… I see my concern for personal safety must have sounded like a noble-style speech, which doesn’t suit you.”
Karia glared fiercely at Aquil, standing at attention with hands on his waist. Despite her piercing stare, he showed no reaction, his expression perfectly neutral.
Having just been knighted, Aquil’s composure at least seemed better than Ansen Miller, who had previously guarded her in the duke’s household. Not that it improved her mood.
“And this one is Howell, you said?”
Karia shifted her focus to Bix. Unlike Aquil, who seemed almost like a golem, Bix nervously avoided eye contact, unsure where to look.
Caught off guard by her questions, Bix stammered:
“P-Please call me Bix!”
“You look quite young. How old are you?”
“Ah, I came of age this year!”
“Ho, younger than I thought. Yet you are skilled? Talented, I see.”
Despite his large frame and facial scars, his face was youthful. Flushed by her praise, Bix shyly looked down, honest in his embarrassment.
Being young, he had a certain innocence. Karia smiled faintly, emotionlessly, and began to question him gently.
“It’s impressive that a newly-of-age mercenary can convincingly play a knight. Even Baron Trantes only recently purchased his title.”
“Ah, th-that’s…”
“People might think being a knight is your primary role and being a mercenary is just a cover. Oh, speaking of which, when I first visited the ‘Black Night,’ you were protecting Noah, weren’t you? Is Noah more than just your leader—perhaps your master?”
Bix turned pale, sweating profusely. Karia had suspected something about the Black Night for a long time, from the very beginning.
“They seem lazy, yet no one drinks or takes drugs. Their skills are unusually high for mercenaries.”
She had kept her distance for Noah’s sake. Noah had shown her clear interest, and she had matters to confirm with him. The mercenaries’ internal affairs were secondary; what mattered was keeping him close.
But after nearly a month and over 100,000 gold paid, they ran off? After such a heartfelt confession? Her patience was wearing thin.
“Do not tease him. He’s not good at joking.”
“I wasn’t really joking. Just venting.”
Aquil said nothing. It wasn’t that he objected; her venting was a silent acknowledgment to act as she wished.
Bix, innocent and undeserving, looked dejected, his face disproportionately sorrowful for his size.
“Ha… we should be heading out soon, so let’s leave it at that. Betsy, fetch the outer coat.”
Betsy, the twin-tailed maid, brought a gorgeous coat made at the high-class boutique. Bix’s previously gloomy eyes brightened.
“Oh! You said we’re going to see the opera with Princess Seri today? She’s already arrived!”
“Really?”
“It’s Balmont’s new opera. The heroine’s aria is so dramatic that some faint during the climax!”
“Indeed. But since two escorts might be too much, Sir Bix, perhaps you’ll run errands instead?”
“Ah, y-yes!”
Bix, eager to watch the opera with her, could not hide his disappointment.
Regardless, Karia, as if accustomed to it her whole life, prepared for departure with the maid’s assistance.
It was natural for someone in her position to have a somewhat stern but capable knight escort rather than a nervous one trembling in front of many eyes.
“You will go to Noah immediately and get an answer. Does he need more time? Does he intend to live his life without seeing me? What happened to the unfinished conversation? Did he just run off? …Also, tell him I’m not as gentle as I seem!”
“-Hic!”
