Chapter 77
If you know or have seen the person below, report it immediately.
The emperor promises the greatest reward under his authority.
And the wanted person is none other than—
[Katrin Ellemore]
It was me.
Below my wanted poster were several conditions and rewards:
Bring her back without a single scratch. Anyone who harms her will be severely punished by imperial decree.
“…My lady.”
My heart was pounding.
As the young lady of Ellemore, once the center of the emperor’s faction, it was unavoidable that the revolutionary army considered me their enemy.
But to issue a wanted poster this quickly…
‘Couldn’t he have just let it go?’
Did Etias not realize that I had been helping him?
I had hoped that this might slightly offset the crimes of Duke Ellemore.
I had also hoped there was a chance that he would only go after Fadelmon.
But with this wanted poster…
“What does he plan to do if he catches me?”
At times like this, I can’t help but think about the things I couldn’t do for Etias.
The harsh words I had deliberately spoken to him to maintain Ellemore’s character…
What if those words had hurt him deeply?
‘And maybe this ring too…’
The ring on my fourth finger now felt like it was sending a message—
‘I will definitely find you and kill you.’
‘Is that what this means?’
As my cold eyes flickered with these thoughts, Heros answered quietly:
“Either way, trust me and follow me.”
He added in a low voice,
“I have no intention of letting him take you away.”
Just as my brows twitched at his words, the carriage suddenly came to a stop as if the brakes had been slammed.
Heros leaned out the window to look around, then hurriedly opened the carriage door.
“From here, we’ll have to walk, my lady.”
I took his hand and jumped down from the carriage.
“We need to erase our tracks,” he said.
I glanced briefly at the cliff beside the carriage path, then began pushing through the thick bushes with Heros.
Piyo, who was snugly held in my arms, let out a cheerful “Piyo~!” as if excited for the new adventure.
The world had been turned upside down.
In just one day, the empire belonged to the prince once mocked as a puppet, Etias von Clyde.
The citizens cheered the downfall and death of the emperor, who had ruled the empire without merit, and they hung imperial flags outside their homes to welcome the new emperor.
It was only natural that the nobles of the former emperor’s faction were in complete chaos.
Many of them had already been imprisoned in the imperial palace dungeon, which made things easier.
And those who hadn’t been imprisoned still couldn’t put up any real resistance against the revolutionary army.
After buying Ellemore’s business rights, their finances had been bleeding, forcing them to reduce the size of their private armies.
On top of that, Katrin had stripped them of their powers under the pretext of forming a new imperial faction, which left their unity at rock bottom.
“I thought the nobles would resist fiercely, but they’re nothing more than toothless tigers now.”
Caron reported to Etias with a voice of relief.
Once, Caron had been bullied by palace officials while wearing shabby gardener’s clothes. Now, he was dressed like a refined young noble, no different from any other aristocrat.
“This is also thanks to Lady Katrin Ellemore. We are all searching for her together with one heart, so please wait just a little longer.”
As he spoke, Caron recalled the events from a few days ago—
As soon as Etias ascended the throne, he informed his closest aides, including Carmel and Caron, that Lady Katrin Ellemore had been secretly supporting the revolutionary army.
Half of them didn’t believe it at first.
And who could blame them? Katrin’s reputation for cruelty had spread across the continent.
“Look at this.”
“No way… this is…”
Etias then revealed the letters Katrin had personally written, comparing the handwriting to the notes found in the coin pouches she had secretly sent to them.
“The handwriting is identical.”
“Then it’s true… Lady Katrin…”
The room was filled with shocked gasps.
Without that funding, several key operations could never have even been attempted, and countless revolutionaries would have frozen to death with nowhere to shelter.
But there were still those who doubted, claiming the handwriting could just be similar.
To remove all doubt, Etias brought in a witness—
a maid who had worked at Katrin’s house.
Her name was Aness, and she calmly testified before the nobles about what kind of person Katrin truly was.
“She was a person who shone as brightly as the stars. She completely changed the lives of us maids and servants, who had been living as though walking through a field of thorns.”
Aness’s expression was one of someone praising a goddess.
“She gave us something we’d never had before—days off. She gave us clothes and shoes as fine as any rich young lady. We ate good food and worked happily. Laughter filled the mansion because of her.”
This testimony completely contradicted the monstrous image everyone had of Katrin.
And really, in this changed world, why would servants lie for fallen nobles of the emperor’s faction?
Especially when those servants had once lived like slaves, fearing and hating their masters.
Aness confidently listed the things Katrin had done for them, sure that any other employee would say the same.
She spoke about how the emperor had kidnapped her, suspecting Katrin,
and how Katrin, already anticipating this, had ordered her to act the part.
She insisted that the young lady had never been on the emperor’s side.
“….”
The room fell into a heavy silence.
Many of those present knew about what had happened in the dueling grounds after the royal hunt.
Katrin had blocked the emperor’s sword aimed at Etias.
It had been publicly known as a gesture of loyalty to the emperor, but now the maid revealed it was not so.
“Bring in the next witness.”
After sending Aness away, Phileos Regalo was dragged out of prison.
He testified in a bitter, trembling voice that he had once suspected something between Katrin and Etias,
and had reported the suspicious circumstances to the emperor.
But all he had gained was trouble for himself, since the “suspicious items” Katrin loaded onto Etias’ carriage had turned out to be leaflets for a charity orphanage.
Everyone knew how valuable those leaflets, as well as the food and medicine Katrin had secretly funded for Sistina, had been.
Every layer peeled back revealed more of Katrin Ellemore’s good deeds.
They might not have appeared to be kindness on the surface, but everything ultimately led to supporting Etias and the revolutionary army.
Many who had once thought ‘Ellemore? Impossible!’ were now beginning to look serious.
That level of support had been enormous—something only Ellemore could have afforded.
Carmel Beatrice then stood and declared that he believed Lady Katrin Ellemore was one of the most important contributors to the revolution.
Coming from someone who had played such a key role in the revolution’s success, his words carried weight.
“However, we cannot officially announce that she is a revolutionary hero just yet.”
Etias nodded, already understanding what Carmel meant.
Carmel bowed slightly to Etias before continuing.
“Everyone will target her if we do.”
Even though Katrin had imprisoned most of the key enemies,
there were still remnants of the emperor’s faction scattered across the empire.
If they learned she was a “traitor,” her life could be in danger.
Montella was another problem.
The Grand Duke of Montella had wanted to take Katrin in the past.
If he learned she was a benefactor of the revolutionary empire, he might try to capture her to use her as leverage.
“….”
More than anything…
“We need to bring her back as soon as possible… and repay her properly.”
Etias’s low voice settled over the entire room.
