Chapter : 129
“Nonsense. What exactly are we supposed to check in a place that’s already been burned down?”
Allen dismissed Rahedis’ words as nonsense, but the commander of the knights led us closer to the fire site.
The first person I saw was probably Mr. Hector, who Rahedis must have brought out.
I felt a sense of relief at seeing him, but at the same time, I looked up at Rahedis with uneasy eyes.
‘What on earth is Rahedis thinking?’
Like everyone else, I approached the abandoned imperial palace with curiosity, and then I froze in place at what I saw in the flames.
‘That is…?’
Amidst the raging fire, there was a massive block of ice that hadn’t melted.
And inside it were the research lab and its documents.
Everyone who saw it fell into stunned silence, and Rahedis finally spoke.
“Who would build a research lab in an abandoned palace where only the royal family lives? And what were they trying to make?”
“……”
“If we examine those documents, we’ll find out. Whether the rumors were true or not.”
Seeing the lab frozen in ice, Allen let out a hollow laugh.
It was disbelief rather than anger—he couldn’t comprehend how something like this could even exist.
‘Well, even I was surprised.’
Rahedis had broken the restraints and frozen the entire lab moments before it was about to explode.
The entire vast space, in such a short moment.
And not only that, he had just fought Allen.
Even for an ordinary person—or even a skilled one—this would have been impossible.
“If you are truly innocent, then I assume you have no objections to inspecting this lab.”
Rahedis said this as he turned to Allen.
Allen’s eyes were filled with murderous intent, as if he might attack Rahedis at any moment, but it seemed he was holding back, perhaps aware of the many onlookers.
The knight commander, having understood the situation, ordered the knights to extinguish the fire and then approached us.
“Then Your Highness the Crown Prince, along with the three of you, will need to come with us until the remaining documents are examined.”
That made four of us: Rahedis, me, Mr. Hector, and Allen.
Allen jumped in anger.
“Are you suspecting me now? Me, the Crown Prince?”
“I do not believe Your Highness would commit such an act in the palace where the Emperor resides, but since you were present at the scene, verification is necessary. I ask for your cooperation.”
“Hah! You’re going to treat me the same as these traitorous bastards?”
“Well, historically, there have been many Crown Princes who waited for the death of their fathers.”
“What did you just say, you bastard?”
Rahedis, who dared to say what the knight commander could not, smirked with implied meaning. Enraged, Allen lunged forward.
The knight commander awkwardly brushed the corner of his mouth and gave orders to the nearby knights.
“Escort His Highness to the Crown Prince’s palace and ensure his safety.”
In other words, they were to detain Allen and watch over him.
He calmly added in a measured tone before Allen could cause more trouble.
“The Royal Knights guard the palace under His Majesty’s command, and it is my duty to preemptively monitor anything that threatens the palace or the royal family. I ask for your understanding.”
In short: “My actions are equivalent to an imperial decree, so comply.”
Allen’s face burned with even more anger, but faced with the word imperial decree, he said nothing further.
Cursing under his breath, he turned away with the knights.
Now, only Rahedis, Mr. Hector, and I remained.
‘We’re heading to the knight order’s building.’
Just as I was thinking that, Rahedis’ expression stiffened as he looked at me.
“Take the injured person home.”
The knight commander’s gaze landed on my left arm at Rahedis’ words.
But his response was firm.
“To prevent any further criminal acts, no exceptions can be made. The lady’s treatment will be assisted by court physicians—”
“I mean, she needs immediate care and rest right now.”
“……”
“Commander, do you value principles and rules over a person’s life?”
Rahedis stepped closer to the commander, his gaze colder than I had ever seen.
It was a type of intensity I had never witnessed before.
‘No! Even if we’re innocent, Rahedis can’t do this to the knight commander!’
After all, he had even detained Allen, the Crown Prince!
I had to stop Rahedis.
I reached out with my right arm, which felt impossibly heavy despite being fine, and grabbed Rahedis.
“Rahedis, I’m fine, so please… stop…”
Uh…?
But before I could finish my words, my vision spun and darkness engulfed me.
“Vivian!”
With Rahedis’ urgent voice echoing, my world was swallowed by a quiet darkness.
When I woke up, the first thing I felt was the excruciating pain in my left arm.
Ironically, feeling the pain made me realize I was alive.
‘I’m still alive…’
Well, obviously, I wouldn’t die from a stab in the arm.
Still, I had worried that I might lose my arm due to the pain…
‘Since I can feel it, at least my arm is still intact.’
Feeling relieved to be alive, I turned my head and saw my father sleeping uncomfortably beside my bed.
And Rahedis, in the same awkward position, was also sleeping nearby.
Seeing them safe gave me a rough idea of what had happened while I was unconscious.
After inspecting the lab documents, Rahedis was released by the knights.
And my father, who had been drawing the Emperor’s attention, returned safely.
‘Both of them should just go sleep in their own rooms, it’s uncomfortable here.’
I wasn’t badly injured, yet both of them were so fussing.
Even thinking that, I couldn’t hide the smile creeping onto my face.
I tried to sit up to send them back to their rooms, but in doing so, I accidentally put weight on my left arm and couldn’t hold back a scream.
“Ugh!”
“Vi… Vivian?”
“……Vivian?”
Because of that, I inadvertently woke both men up without extra effort.
Then…
“Ah… Dad? Are you crying?”
Suddenly, my father’s tears began to fall!
I panicked and tried to wipe them, but he pulled me into a tight hug.
“Filial daughter, my foot. You were about to hammer nails into your dad’s heart…”
Though he spoke scolding words, his hands patting my back and head trembled uncontrollably.
He was pretending to be angry, yet clearly emotional!
I wanted to tease him back but somehow felt guilty, swallowing my words.
‘Anyway, Dad can’t function without me.’
Instead, I patted his broad back with one arm.
Once he calmed his tears, I asked them both what had happened while I was unconscious.
“All the documents and research materials from the lab revealed it was all the Emperor’s doing. I was released immediately after that.”
Rahedis’ account matched exactly what I had expected.
“After hearing the news, the nobles came to the mansion this morning to meet you, my lady.”
My father’s news was a bit unexpected.
Though I had imagined such a scenario when investigating the Emperor’s misdeeds, seeing it in reality felt surreal.
“They went to the palace to demand the Emperor take responsibility for this incident. We should hear news soon.”
“So… it’s all over now?”
“Yes. It’s finally over.”
It was over.
Without spilling innocent blood in the name of justice, we had pulled down the Emperor who had pushed my mother to her death.
‘I did it.’
Hearing my father, the reality that it was over made my heart swell with emotion.
He patted my head and added,
“Then rest easy and sleep more.”
“I’m fine, so you and Rahedis go rest. You’re both tired.”
Just as they were about to speak, there was an urgent knock at the door.
“Master Dane.”
The butler’s voice carried urgency, and an inexplicable sense of foreboding washed over me.
After patting my head, Dad opened the door and left the room.
Beyond the closing door, the butler’s anxious voice reached me.
“His Majesty the Emperor has disappeared from the palace.”
“……What?”
“It seems… he may have crossed into the Demon Realm.”
