12. Masquerade Ball (3)

BANG—!

“……?!”

Startled by something suddenly rushing in, Saena reflexively tried to summon Yolly when her body was snatched up.

Constantine dropped (actually threw) the prince he was holding and immediately grabbed Saena, pulling back.

Even among Oathkeepers, his reflexes were clearly different from hers.

“Urgh—!”

Along with a dull explosive sound like something bursting, someone’s desperate scream echoed through the room.

Since Constantine’s embrace blocked her view, Saena only heard the sound, but it seemed like an agonized scream.

What in the world is going on?

Saena broke free from Constantine and turned around with wide eyes. An unexpected scene met her eyes.

‘……?!’

The prince must have been the source of the scream. His convulsing body could be seen going limp and sprawling on the floor.

Had he regained consciousness briefly? But what was that scream about?

Saena looked around trying to understand the situation. Then she noticed a presence snorting on the other side of the prince.

‘…Erenhorn?’

Did Erenhorn ram into the prince?

“Ha! Looks like I’m not too late!”

She recognized another presence as well.

Erenhorn’s master. Duke Aberdeen, who had suddenly appeared, hugged her tightly.

“…Oh!”

“Thank goodness. Thank goodness!”

—Snort!

For some unknown reason, Erenhorn also clung to her back and rubbed his cheek against her. Surprised by the inappropriate(?) hug, Saena tried to push Duke Aberdeen away but he held her so tightly she couldn’t move him at all.

“This bastard….”

However, with Constantine’s angry voice, the beings blocking Saena’s front and back were instantly thrown off.

“What’s your problem, Kramer, what business do you…”

Duke Aberdeen started to shout but seemed to notice something as he stared at Saena.

On one side, Erenhorn also snorted as if displeased.

“Ah… Flo… ria isn’t… Who are you? Could it be?”

Saena slowly removed her mask and nodded to him.

“I’m not Floria.”

“Huh…. An Oathkeeper’s energy…. I saw it earlier but… amazing.”

“Yes. That’s how it is.”

“Wow, Kramer you bastard…. Ha, that’s not important right now. Where’s my sister and why are you wearing her clothes?”

“I’m wearing her clothes. Don’t worry, Floria is in a safe place.”

Saena briefly explained the situation up to sending Floria away.

Duke Aberdeen tilted his head as he carefully observed the situation Saena described, the collapsed prince, this annex, and Saena and Constantine’s attitudes.

“Just what is going on here, hm?”

He muttered, though it wasn’t clear to whom.

“I felt something was off as soon as I entered the imperial palace today.”

Duke Aberdeen had felt watching eyes as soon as he stepped out of his carriage. Those eyes remained even after he entered the banquet hall.

Though he’s not wearing it now, he had worn a gentleman’s hat to cover his hair color at first and of course wore a mask, yet still they watched.

Not eyes looking for a partner, but literally surveillance gazes.

Someone who knew nothing about an Oathkeeper’s sensing ability must have assigned the watchers. If they had known, they would never have assigned them so sloppily.

It was extremely suspicious.

So he deliberately seduced a woman. Then headed to the second floor with her. His goal was to shake off the watching eyes by entering a bedroom and figure out what exactly was happening here.

‘All rooms on this side are currently occupied. I’ll guide you to an empty room.’

But suddenly, a servant appeared and did something even more suspicious.

An empty room?

This was another move possible only because they didn’t know what an Oathkeeper was. How could an Oathkeeper who couldn’t even sense presences catch demonic beasts?

As far as he could sense, most nearby rooms were empty. It was still early in the banquet. But curious about their intentions, he followed the servant.

‘You can use this room.’

The last room in the corridor.

Lucas Aberdeen checked the energy beyond the room but sensed no presence. It was definitely empty. Though he didn’t understand why they had to come all this way.

I’ll find out when I go in.

Thinking lightly, he nodded to the servant and led the woman into the room.

Upon entering, he looked around.

Interior items, structure…. A normal guest room.

A simple guest bedroom without unnecessary furniture or luggage.

If anything was different… Hm? There’s another door inside the room? Plus what’s this smell?

There was a strange smell.

As he tilted his head wondering, suddenly the woman who came with him threw herself at him.

‘Hnng—!’

‘—What?’

The woman suddenly started stripping her clothes and pouncing on him.

‘I want… mmm….’

Her eyes were hazy and her body writhed strangely. Looking around, he saw a glass with signs of use on the table.

Water? Alcohol?

Whatever it was, she must have drunk it and there seemed to be something strange in it.

Plus this scent now.

With sharp eyes he searched for the source of the fragrance. He thought the flower arrangements placed decoratively around the room were suspicious. It wasn’t just a mere fragrance, but something that stimulated the nerves.

Lucas knocked out the woman clinging to him, redressed her, and laid her on the bed.

Then he thought,

Why had they guided him to this room?

Simply for a night of debauchery?

Something felt off. He could tell suspicious things were happening throughout the masquerade ball.

Floria is attending too! Will she be alright?

As various thoughts crossed his mind, he suddenly started worrying about his sister and stood up.

But then.

The adjacent room that had been empty until just now had people enter it.

Two? Three? Especially one of them carried an energy he couldn’t ignore.

…An Oathkeeper?

Based on the energy, it was that of the imperial family.

No, similar yet somehow different. Still, if he had to say, it was closest to the imperial family’s.

Just what is the imperial family plotting?

His brow furrowed as he recalled the prince who had been acting suspiciously lately.

People entered the next room right after he entered his. And of all places, a room connected by a connecting door…

This definitely wasn’t a coincidence.

Lucas raised his sensing ability and observed next door. After some time passed, only one of the several presences remained. More precisely, only the Oathkeeper’s remained.

He waited quietly.

If he could sense the Oathkeeper’s energy from here, they could sense his as well. So he couldn’t move rashly. Unsure if he should take action first, he watched the next room while maintaining tension.

But when there was no movement from the other side even after a long while, he thought something was strange. He approached the connecting door and deliberately made a show of rattling it as if to open it.

Still, the other side remained quiet.

After some more deliberation, he decided to open the door. For an Oathkeeper, opening a locked door was nothing.

He opened the door while maintaining a defensive stance, but the other side remained silent.

Lucas carefully entered the next room.

…The princess??

And what he found there was an unexpected person.

Princess Madielle.

Moreover, she was carelessly laid unconscious on the bed.

It’s strange enough that Her Highness is here, but this energy is even stranger.

Snort.

Erenhorn, who had appeared at some point, sniffed around the princess’s navel area and raised his head. Seeing that, something occurred to him.

Ha, no way. She’s pregnant? Has the princess received proof of succession?

Lucas was dumbfounded by the unimaginable situation.

The princess rather than the prince.

He wanted to think it was a misunderstanding, but he couldn’t ignore this energy he felt with his whole body.

It was truly one mountain after another. The situations were becoming increasingly difficult to understand. He realized it was time to catch someone to figure out what was going on.

This bastard….

He had actually known from the start that the servant who guided him to this room was not far away.

An ordinary person wouldn’t realize it, but since Oathkeepers possess the power of Guardian Spirits, detecting at this level was effortless for them. After leading him, the servant appeared to stand guard, ensuring no one else approached the area.

He went out and immediately snatched that servant back.

‘Urghk!’

He smiled brightly while raising his energy at the startled servant. Though to the servant, that smile felt more like the cold smile of a death god.

‘Now, would you like to explain what this situation is?’

‘Wh-what do you mean!’

‘Why is Her Highness the Princess in that next room?’

‘Pr-Princess? I-I don’t know…’

‘Let’s not waste energy unnecessarily, okay?’

Duke Aberdeen’s large palm covered the servant’s head.

‘—Aaaagh-mmph!’

Lucas lightly covered the mouth of the servant who started screaming as if seeing something horrific, eyes bulging and body trembling.

It was Erenhorn’s ability. You could say it recreates the most horrific scenes through illusions and visions.

‘Now– do you feel like talking?’

The question delivered in a bright voice was terrifyingly intimidating.

The servant answered while trembling.

‘I-I really don’t know why Her Highness is there… Urghhhh–!’

Lucas sighed and used his ability again. This time he questioned him directly within the vision. Though he had tried to hold back due to the severe side effects, thinking about it, why should he show mercy to those who would even kidnap royalty?

The servant spoke slowly while his body trembled.

‘Her Highness… didn’t know….’

It seems this servant had no direct connection to matters concerning the princess.

‘Hebeta, she… guided… orders….’

However, while that only applied to the princess, he clearly had connections elsewhere.

Lucas started digging in other directions. And combining the mumbled words, he could tell the mastermind was Hebeta Elizabeth.

Just what kind of nerve did that woman have to not only lure him here but even lay hands on Her Highness the Princess?

The princess had knights guarding her 24 hours a day. It couldn’t have been an easy task. He couldn’t understand it at all.

‘…Later… will come….’

The servant said his duty was to guard the path until the Hebeta arrived to prevent others from coming this way.

‘…Lady… Aberdeentoo… surveillance, target….’

‘What?!’

Lucas became enraged upon hearing this unexpected information while continuing to extract information. He interrogated the servant like catching a mouse. Until there was nothing left to get out of him.

From the continued neural stimulation, the servant’s eyes rolled back, drooling as he lost consciousness.

‘Ha, Hebeta. What makes you so confident?’

So he waited.

Until Elizabeth entered while humming. Silently in the darkness.

“…So you brought that woman here now?”

Constantine asked after hearing Lucas’s explanation.

Through the door that no longer functioned after Erenhorn’s charge, they could see a woman sprawled in the corridor beyond the broken door.

Elizabeth, caught by Lucas, had to spill her plans while suffering the same fate as the servant. As a result, Lucas had been able to find this annex.

“Couldn’t leave her in case she tried to escape.”

“What about Her Highness the Princess? You didn’t just leave her in that room, did you?”

“Are you crazy?”

“Then where is she?”

“I was in such a hurry because of Floria…”

Lucas made an embarrassed expression and added,

“I ordered my Guardian Spirit to guard her thoroughly! There’s no problem yet!”

“Ha. So you brought the Hebeta but left Her Highness?”

“I told you my Guardian Spirit is guarding her!”

Constantine frowned and glared at Lucas as if that wasn’t a proper answer.

“Would you act any differently if you heard your wife was in danger?”

Lucas shouted angrily.

“……”

At those words, Constantine’s frown immediately smoothed out. He had instantly empathized with Lucas’s feelings.