“The world is changing!”

“Isn’t that treason?”

The nobles, along with the people in the royal palace, were agitated.

While some were utterly speechless, paralyzed by Andrew’s bombshell statement, a few were struck with fear.

They had been too faithfully serving as pawns of the tyrant all this time.

They had worked hard to gain favor from the emperor for special privileges, but now they couldn’t afford to lose it all overnight.

“You traitor! Do you think His Majesty would fall to a mere Viscount Wiltsbrook?”

“Seize Count Mondely immediately! If His Majesty finds out, you won’t even have bones left to bury!”

“Your entire family will be wiped out too!”

“This is outrageous!”

Andrew shouted so loudly that the palace seemed to shake.

“My family was already massacred in the North! I’ve lost everything because of that damned emperor! Do you think I’m the only one? You rotten bureaucrats are about to meet your end too!”

“Nonsense! His Majesty would never—”

Slap!

Suddenly, someone struck the cheek of the nobles who had been speaking.

The maids nearby gasped and covered their mouths with their hands.

The sound of flesh hitting flesh was loud enough to make it seem like the skin would tear apart.

“Are you out of your mind?”

It was one of the servants who had come from the kitchen to deliver food to the wife of Viscount Wiltsbrook.

The middle-aged woman’s eyes burned with fury.

How dare a mere kitchen servant lay hands on a high-ranking official!

In this unthinkable situation, even Andrew flinched.

The middle-aged servant scolded sharply in a thin voice.

“If the emperor dies, you should be the first to be cut down! Since you’re so loyal, why don’t you follow him to the afterlife!”

“Look at this crazy woman!”

The noble raised his large hand.

It was big and thick, as if he was about to strike the servant and send her flying.

Just before that hand could reach the servant’s head, Andrew grabbed the official’s wrist.

The noble flinched in surprise and tried to pull his hand away.

“Let go, let go of me!”

“Do you know who you’re being rude to? In the past, you wouldn’t have dared to even raise your head in front of her.”

“What?”

At Andrew’s words, people began looking at the kitchen servant with confusion.

Andrew had been able to learn about Louise’s capture in time thanks to this woman, who had been in the palace.

Though there wasn’t much she could do in such circumstances, she had promised to keep an eye out for useful information while staying close to the emperor.

When Andrew told her that Alec and Louise would eventually rebel, she was initially shocked but soon expressed her willingness to join, which surprised him even more.

“In that case, I should start paying attention to anything useful around the palace. If I had known, I wouldn’t have sent that letter to Louise.”

“Pardon?”

“Never mind. Andrew, could you find an appropriate position for me?”

Of course, she had many complaints about how the kitchen maid’s outfit didn’t suit her dignity.

“Who exactly is she?”

As people murmured, Andrew let go of the noble’s wrist with a firm push.

He had wanted to keep her identity hidden until the situation was more certain, but now, neither he nor she could retreat any further.

Ever since Louise had been kidnapped into the palace, there had been something unbearable welling up inside him.

Especially after witnessing Alec attack the emperor and Count Warden with tremendous power…

Odelia removed her wig with cold eyes.

As she shook her head a few times, her original hair color, shimmering with a reddish hue, came into view.

The gray wig disappeared, and the sight of her red-tinted hair made people’s eyes widen gradually.

They were starting to see the face of someone they never could have imagined.

No one had bothered to really look at her face when they thought she was just a kitchen servant.

Andrew clearly pronounced the name of the person they had hesitantly begun to think of.

“Odelia Myers, former Duchess of Brent. Alec’s mother.”

“……!”

Everyone’s jaws dropped simultaneously.

Odelia, completely unfazed by their reactions, began speaking in a tone even more serious than usual.

“Those with any sense would cooperate with the will of our family. Do you really think the Duke of Brent, after all these years of strength, will crumble forever just because of that emperor’s childish tricks?”

“……My Lady!”

Her words left the people in shock.

In truth, Odelia was still unsure.

Was this Alec truly her son, Alec?

She still had her doubts, but she focused solely on the fact that he was the only one capable of opposing the emperor.

Whether he was really her son or not mattered less than bringing down the emperor.

The officials gathered in the room were deeply unsettled without saying a word.

“L-Look over there! Count Warden has been captured!”

At that moment, someone shouted, and all eyes turned toward the window simultaneously.

“What? Count Warden?!”

“What is that giant beast—!”

Andrew hurriedly looked out the window again.

Lady Eloise was petting a large, fluffy beast as she glared at Count Warden, who was tied tightly to a tree.

* * *

“What are you doing? Get away from Louise, Alec.”

I turned toward the voice I heard.

My gaze, which had been fixed coldly on the emperor, did not soften.

The emperor, too, glared at Alec and me with the same intensity.

“You’ve made it this far? I thought you’d be dead by now. What happened to Harriet? You couldn’t have defeated him easily.”

“…Is it because of this?”

Suddenly, Alec responded coldly and turned his back to me.

As he extended his hand downward, a sword with an imposing presence appeared instantly in his grasp.

A clear, radiant energy shimmered along the blade.

The sword exuded such a sacred and dignified aura that it was evident to anyone that this was no ordinary weapon.

Then, out of nowhere, a blue eye ornament on the hilt blinked, and a dreamlike voice spoke.

“It feels strange. It’s like my body has been cleansed with pure water. Is this truly my master’s power? Impressive…”

“…!”

Did the sword just speak?

The emperor’s eyes widened in shock, as surprised as I was.

“Selvine.”

The emperor’s expression grew serious.

“How is that sword in your hands?”

His gaze was fierce, as if he could pierce through anything with just his eyes.

Alec casually swung the sword a couple of times.

*Swoosh*—a powerful wave of energy surged from his blade.

“It seems you, Aksen, have awakened a very dangerous sword. Thanks to that, I now possess a blade the likes of which I’ve never seen before.”

“You… how…?”

The emperor ground his teeth, his face contorted in rage.

It appeared that the sword Alec held had deeply unsettled him.

Judging by the situation, it looked like it was the sword Harriet had wielded, but the emperor hadn’t expected Alec to be the one to claim it.

Yes, my husband’s strength is a surprise, isn’t it?

How does it feel to be caught off guard like that?

I stared at the emperor, feeling the urge to mock him, but instead held back.

The look on his face was priceless.

Alec, who had been observing the emperor, briefly glanced at me.

“Louise. Did the emperor do something to you?”

I looked at Alec for a moment and then nodded once.

“Yes. He tried to give me magic, just like Olivia, but suddenly he decided to kill me instead.”

“…”

Without a word, Alec slowly turned his head back.

At that moment, his aura was so terrifying that it felt as if time itself had slowed down.

“You should consider yourself lucky that Louise is unharmed, Aksen.”

“…!”

Suddenly, an immense power surged from him.

At the same time, the emperor released a dark, glowing energy.

*Boom*—the surroundings shook as if everything might collapse at any moment.

But I was too focused on the standoff between Alec and the emperor to even feel the tremors.

I forgot to breathe.

It was like watching a battle between a dark moonlight and a bright sunlight.

Here.

Will he really succeed in defeating the emperor here?

Or will something happen to him?

Even though I trusted him, I couldn’t help but feel anxious and worried.

If he doesn’t defeat the emperor here, we’re as good as dead.

The emperor’s strength seemed to falter, but soon he regained control and started to overpower Alec again.

However, Alec drew on more power, refusing to give the emperor even the slightest advantage.

The emperor ground his teeth with a chilling sound.

“You… will never… kill me.”

“….”

“No one, no one can surpass me!”

“…!”

The emperor’s power exploded out of control.

But strangely, that power reversed and began to surge back toward the emperor.

At the same time, Alec’s magic unleashed a massive wave of energy.

It was so bright I couldn’t even keep my eyes open.

What’s happening?

Just as I realized that the ground beneath me felt slightly unstable, *Boom*—a deafening noise filled the air, as if the entire building was about to collapse.

TL NOTE: More advanced chapter of this story is already up to the site. Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories