Chapter 4

“……!”

At the sound of knocking on the door, everyone’s gaze turned. All those inside stared at the door in nervous silence, and the door thudded once more.

“I know you’re all in there, so aren’t you coming out?”

With the woman’s irritated voice, someone near the door finally approached and opened it. At that moment, the innkeeper’s wife appeared.

“What on earth are you all doing, making such a racket upstairs, not even opening the door properly, and all these grown men packed into one room?”

“Uh, well, that’s…”

“Goodness gracious. The guests downstairs are already complaining about the noise, so if you’re not staying here, get out! Out!”

With her urgent gestures, Diana stepped forward to try to resolve the situation.

“I’m sorry. We’re almost finished. I’ll send everyone out right away.”

At Diana’s apology, the woman frowned.

“Who are you? Are you the young man staying in this room?”

“…Yes, that’s right.”

“I was wondering who suddenly came out to apologize. Your voice sounds different. Why are you wearing a mask and cloak in the room? Is it cold?”

“Well, um… collecting masks is a hobby of mine. So I wear them sometimes for fun.”

Of course, her excuse didn’t do much to change the woman’s unimpressed expression.

“So you were all just hanging out in here?”

“Yes, well, that’s right.”

“…Alright. Just finish up quickly.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Young people these days never do what they’re supposed to. The woman’s muttering as she walked away was quite loud, and every word reached Diana’s ears as she stood by the door.

“…….”

Feeling self-conscious and embarrassed, Diana quickly closed the door and fell silent for a moment. But her subordinates, who seemed to have left their sense of caution in that tunnel, all spoke up in unison.

“We have a reason to earn money now! First, we need to set up our hideout!”

“Yeah. That will definitely take a lot of money. As expected of you, Leader! You predicted everything, didn’t you?”

Diana felt too exhausted to do anything more. Having spent all her energy, she simply waved her hand.

“Right, so… let’s focus on earning money first. Okay? You saw it too, didn’t you? We can’t gather here anymore. So please, don’t get into any trouble and just quietly earn some money, alright?”

With all her hopes, Diana pleaded with them. Using the last of her strength, she reminded them again.

“So for now, keep a low profile. Oh, and they’re about to increase patrols in the alleys, so don’t go wandering around in suspicious groups at night.”

“Yes! Understood!”

“I said keep it quiet!”

Please, pleeease!

At their loud cheers, Diana quickly brought her finger to her lips, but it was useless. As the atmosphere grew noisy again, she let out a silent scream.

*   *   *

Imperial Palace underground prison. In the pitch-black darkness where not a single ray of sunlight reached, something writhed among the lit candles.

“Uh, ugh…”

On the floor lay a man, covered in blood, groaning weakly. His body trembled in pain, unable to speak properly, and beside him stood Evan and Hamel.

“Based on the interrogation, we found out their headquarters and sent knights.”

“And the result?”

“It was as he said. But it seems they realized their assassination failed, so the place was empty. Instead, we followed the traces of their escape and captured some of them.”

“Only some?”

“They tried to take their own lives as we caught them.”

It happened in an instant. As the knights tried to capture them, they bit down on prepared poison and ended their own lives. They managed to stop a few, but even those could try again at any moment, so the knights were now watching them around the clock.

“We’ll interrogate them first. Now that we’ve found their base, we’ll try to uncover the forces behind this.”

“Do it.”

While Hamel reported to Evan, the man’s painful convulsions grew worse. Finally, the man struggled to open his eyes and looked up at Evan.

“Y-Your Majesty. Please spare me, please…”

“…….”

“I’ll never do it again. I’ve committed a grave sin. I’ll never do it again. Merciful Majesty, please… please…”

Unable to move properly, the man crawled toward Evan. Evan stared down at him.

“Did you get everything you could from him?”

“Yes. He doesn’t seem to know about the forces behind it. But we learned more than expected.”

Usually, even with interrogation, some will keep their mouths shut to the end—especially assassins. But with this man, it was easier to get information. Evan had expected this.

“Yeah. That’s why I kept him alive.”

Not all the assassins in the bedroom died that night. Evan left one alive and handed him over to Hamel. Hearing this, Hamel asked curiously,

“You knew he’d talk?”

“In moments of crisis, especially facing death, a person’s true nature comes out.”

“…….”

“Whether he really came to kill me, was just following orders, or got scared and wanted to escape as soon as he arrived—you can get a sense of it from their actions and eyes.”

He sounded casual, but Hamel was impressed. It was easier said than done to judge such things among assassins sent to kill you.

As someone who had spent much time close to Evan as Emperor, Hamel was sometimes surprised by him. Even though Evan had spent a long time in the palace, stories from his days as prince were rare and almost invisible. So when Evan ascended the throne, honestly, Hamel hadn’t expected much, just like everyone else.

But the Evan he saw up close was different from what he’d thought. It wasn’t just luck—the man before him had survived the Prince’s Rebellion for a reason.

“Yes, Your Majesty. I’ll do my best as well.”

Hamel bowed his head deeply, with renewed loyalty. But Evan, receiving the greeting, quietly pondered something. Soon, he spoke.

“Captain.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“What does it mean to say you’ll marry once things settle down?”

“Excuse me?”

Surprised by Evan’s sudden question, Hamel’s lips curled into a smile. 

So His Majesty truly wants to marry now. Or perhaps there’s already a lady he likes? This was truly joyful news for the Empire.

“I suppose so. Many ladies do seek stable marriages. So, it’s probably about peace in the household, isn’t it?”

“Peace?”

“I think it means a harmonious situation without conflict. It’s what all couples wish for.”

“No conflict…”

Diana didn’t know. She didn’t know the heart of Evan, who had proposed to her. His tone was light, but his feelings were not. Nor did she know how long her liege had held feelings for her.

She also didn’t know that Evan was capable of doing anything to have her.

As Evan murmured softly, the crawling man’s fingertips touched Evan’s shoe. The man, now barely able to speak, gasped for breath.

“Y-Your Majesty. Please… please…”

Hamel, startled, tried to stop him, but Evan raised his hand to hold him back. Instead, Evan drew the sword from Hamel’s side, and swiftly pierced the man’s back. Before he could even scream, the man died.

“…….”

Holding the blood-soaked sword, Evan was silent for a moment before speaking.

“I’ve decided.”

“Yes?”

“I’ll wipe out all the anti-Emperor factions.”

“…….”

“Whether they’re nobles, commoners, anyone.”

Until now, Evan had only been receiving the assassins sent his way, never actively responding to the anti-Emperor forces. But now, Evan’s red eyes gleamed with resolve. The blood flowing from the man stained Evan’s feet.

“One by one, every last one. Until none remain.”