Chapter 96

Silence fell over the hall.

Naturally, if the dagger had been used to threaten someone in a blazing fire, its blade should have been covered in ashes.

At the very least, there should have been bloodstains.

But the dagger was spotless, as if it had never been used.

Aglia’s eyes trembled.

“How could it be so clean?”

“It looks completely new.”

As the nobles murmured, Aglia’s brows shot up sharply.
She quickly thought of a way to argue back.

“H-ha! Even if he didn’t draw the blade, the opponent might have panicked in fear and met such a fate, don’t you think?”

Her words weren’t entirely unreasonable.
After all, a sword is a weapon that can take a life.
Just the sight of an enemy holding one could make a person lose the will to resist.

It was easy to imagine:
the burning palace, Duke Elemore blocking the doorway with a dagger still sheathed, and the pale Empress collapsing helplessly to the floor.

“That makes sense.”

“Yes, just the fact it was found near Her Majesty the Empress’s body proves Elemore was involved.”

As the nobles began murmuring in agreement, Kamel let out a small sigh.

Etias spoke again.

“…There are words engraved on this blade.”

At that, every gaze turned toward the smooth dagger.
Indeed, just as Etias said, there were faint grooves carved into it, as if engraved when it was made.

“Read it aloud yourself, Aunt.”

At Etias’ quiet command, Aglia flinched.
Her trembling lips began to read the letters on the blade.

“I will protect Lala.”

As her voice carried, people tilted their heads in confusion.
But a few recognized the meaning, and their faces hardened.

Aglia herself didn’t understand it, but she could sense things were turning badly.

Kamel spoke.

“Lala was the nickname of the late Empress Leila Clyde, used only by her closest friends at the Academy.”

At those words, silence fell across the hall.

“The late Emperor, the late Empress, myself, and Duke Luciano Elemore.”

“…!”

“We were always together. His Majesty was our leader. Luciano, though quiet and unreadable, was our friend.”

Memories shimmered in Kamel’s eyes.
Of the four, only he remained alive, the sole one left to recall those days.

“This dagger was not used to kill the late Empress. Rather…”

All eyes turned to him.
Aglia shook her head sharply as if to stop him, but Kamel spoke with firm conviction.

“It was a gift I gave her long ago.”

When we arrived at the Imperial Palace and I dismounted, Etias stood before me, placing his hand on my shoulder.

The nobles of the Empire must choose: to accept you, or leave this country.

My heart pounded as his blue eyes met mine and his lips moved softly.

“But… Your Majesty, with respect…”

For some time, I had felt a strange sense of unease.
The Etias I knew weighed all things fairly.
He judged good and evil without bias, never sparing even his own side.
He punished corrupt officials without hesitation, no matter how close they were.

“…This isn’t like you, Your Majesty.”

Inside the palace, Aglia would surely demand my punishment, presenting so-called proof that Duke Luciano killed his mother.

As a daughter of House Elemore, I had no right to stand at his side.
Even if everyone else agreed I did, how could he silence the voices of all his men if they condemned me?

Etias was no stubborn tyrant.

As I struggled with confusion, he gave me a faint, crooked smile.

As I promised, I’ll tell you the truth now.

And the truth he revealed was something I had never imagined.

“Follow me, Katrin.”

He took my hand and led me into the Imperial Palace’s secret library, where I found the record of truth he had uncovered.

It was none other than the diary of his father, the late Emperor.

After becoming Emperor, Etias had found it in his father’s chambers.
As a child, his father had taught him how to open the hidden safe behind a portrait—
a place the Rebel Emperor had never discovered.

“Read it.”

My eyes fell on the diary.
Inside were astonishing details.

The late Emperor and Empress, Duke Kamel Beatrice, and Duke Luciano Elemore—
the four of them had once been the Empire’s brightest elites, bound by close friendship.

But why had their bonds been severed?

The diary held the answer.

Duke Luciano Elemore discovered grave corruption in House Elemore. To avoid bringing ruin upon Your Highness, I must end our friendship here. I wish you great fortune.

The letter, neat and without emotional wavering, reflected Luciano’s quiet nature.

The late Emperor’s choice, however, had been different.

I refused my friend Luciano’s proposal. Instead, I asked him to remain by my side in the shadows, while I destroyed the evidence of Elemore’s corruption. If Kamel would become my sword, Luciano would be my cloak, shielding Lala from the predators waiting for me to stumble.

My eyes shook as I read.

Luciano refused. Still, I erased Elemore’s crimes and spared them from purge. He no longer answered my letters, only observing from his family’s side, as if he had betrayed me completely.

Even so, the Emperor continued to write.

He wrote of his love and marriage to Lala,
of Kamel’s fierce loyalty,
and of how Luciano lurked in the shadows of noble society, always near when threats to the Emperor arose.

Many petitions demanded Luciano’s investigation,
but the Emperor ignored them, leaving his power untouched.

Soon, the Empress bore a precious child.

I asked Luciano to protect my son, Etias. He gave no reply—but I knew, by his eyes, what he intended. Duke Luciano Elemore is my man.