“But isn’t she the emperor’s concubine? I thought the conquest war back then started because the emperor had his eye on the princess.”

“My goodness. You don’t know anything. The princess never went to the emperor’s bedroom. High Priest Sinax in the imperial palace imprisoned her in a tower, saying she was cursed. And then the crown prince and the princess met by chance.”

“But the crown prince is the one who brought down the princess’s country……”

“What does country have to do with love? Besides, think about the crown prince. Though he’s a bit frightening, how splendid he is. What woman wouldn’t fall for him if he showed interest?”

The relationship between Crown Prince Roshan Vistius, who had subjugated the Sedas Kingdom, and the prisoner princess presented to the emperor but imprisoned for some reason, was the subject of romantic rumors subtly spreading among noble ladies and young noblewomen.

“I hear the emperor beat another concubine to death.”

“Again? Who was it this time?”

“Some dancer wench whose name I can’t even remember.”

“She may be a commoner, but he should show some restraint. Treating human lives like flies…… And since he always raises his hand against those of humble status, the common people in the capital are full of resentment.”

Of course, it couldn’t compare to the sensational rumors about Empress Liliana who suddenly left the capital, or about the emperor k*lling another concubine. Particularly, with Empress Liliana’s sudden disappearance, suspicious points emerged in the behavior of her father, Duke Day. Those with sharp instincts watched the empire’s political arena with wide eyes.

“They say Her Majesty the Empress went to Moulin. With no promise of when she’ll return.”

“They say she went south for treatment due to illness…… Well, I don’t know if we can believe that.”

“Come to think of it, Duke Day has been acting strange lately. The rumor that he visited the Blue Palace before the empress left for treatment—things are flowing oddly.”

The only ones unaware of this situation were those completely outside of power and the emperor himself. Even today, the emperor was busy toying with his concubine in the Ivory Palace where Liliana had disappeared, exhaling smoke from a long pipe.

“How cute. I should have kept you by my side much earlier.”

“Your Majesty, really.”

“This is also novel. At first, when I heard you sleep on the floor, I thought it was barbaric.”

His eyes were hazy as he imitated the lifestyle of the king from his concubine’s distant homeland on a floor piled with multiple layers of animal fur. The drug’s effect, which had recently grown stronger, seemed to have reached his hair, as his long black locks lay disheveled on the floor. The concubine kissed the emperor’s red lips coquettishly and spoke in a sweet voice,

“It’s not bad, is it? Once you get used to floor living, a bed actually becomes uncomfortable.”

“Yes. It’s not bad. Above all, I like having these hideous beasts lying in layers beneath me, with only their skins remaining.”

Emperor Kedrick grinned and imagined. He imagined that the beast he and his concubine were lying on was his half-brother Roshan.

“……Insolent b*stard.”

As his imagination continued, the head of the beast truly began to look like Roshan’s head. A head carelessly severed and dripping blood. The emperor raised his upper body, staggering as he tried to grab and lift it.

“Oh, Your Majesty. I’m curious about something.”

The concubine raised her upper body along with him and lowered her voice. The emperor nodded lightly, giving her a gentle kiss as she smiled prettily with her eyes.

“Tell me.”

“About the crown prince. Is he really that ruthless?”

Kedrick, who had been reaching for the beast’s head, stopped his movement. He looked directly at the concubine and asked,

“……What do you mean?”

At the emperor’s question, the concubine raised the corner of her mouth. She had recently been competing with another concubine who was from the Sedas Kingdom.

‘You must have been so bold with me because you trust the crown prince. Well, let’s see how you fare. How much His Majesty hates the crown prince.’

Having heard that her competitor’s backing was the crown prince, she planned to use the strange rumors about the crown prince and the princess from Sedas to eliminate her rival. She caressed the emperor’s stiff n*ked body and whispered,

“Please don’t take offense. It’s just a rumor, but……”

The concubine tattled in a small voice about the rumors circulating among the maids. As her words continued, the emperor’s expression darkened.

“That’s not all. Diana, who stays with Your Majesty alongside me, is also from the Sedas Kingdom. I heard that the princess from Sedas presented to Your Majesty not only fools around with the crown prince but also deliberately used him to place Diana by Your Majesty’s side… Ack!”

The emperor clenched his fist. Then he tore away the concubine who was clinging to him and threw her aside.

“Y-Your Majesty.”

Getting too excited about bringing down her competitor had been the problem. The concubine only now noticed the emperor’s suddenly changed mood and knelt down beneath the pile of fur, trembling. Her shaking body revealed the fear she felt.

Fortunately or not, the emperor paid no attention to her. Instead, he tightened his robe, stood up, and shouted toward the outside,

“Is anyone there! Come in at once!”

* * *

“The emperor seems to have noticed. Just now, a servant from the Central Palace came to inspect this place.”

On the first floor of the tower, Hayden reported to Roshan while prostrating himself. Roshan nodded slightly to indicate he understood and quickly ascended the tower.

Not long after Roshan disappeared up the tower, Frederick came down. Hayden asked as he left the tower with him,

“You’re not planning to hide it from the emperor anymore, right?”

“That’s right.”

Frederick nodded and gave a hand signal toward the bushes near the tower. His subordinates who had been waiting moved, causing the bushes to rustle slightly.

“It’s lunchtime, why don’t we eat together? If you haven’t eaten yet, that is.”

After confirming his subordinates’ positions, Frederick turned to Hayden and suggested. As he happened to be hungry, Hayden immediately agreed.

The two went to the dining hall for knights within the imperial palace. Perhaps because it was a bit late, the dining hall was quiet. Frederick and Hayden sat in a corner and began eating bread and soup promptly served by a servant.

“The soup is cold and the bread is hard. Terrible.”

“Frederick. How old are you…… Don’t whine about such things.”

“But this isn’t a battlefield, and given my position, I should be able to expect a little luxury.”

Despite Hayden’s words, Frederick didn’t stop grumbling. But even while complaining, his hands were busy tearing bread and bringing it to his mouth. Hayden chuckled at the sight.

“You must be having a hard time with work. Judging by your constant grumbling.”

Frederick didn’t deny it. It was true that his workload had recently increased. But more than physical exhaustion, his mental discomfort was the greater issue. Frederick stopped chewing his bread, and Hayden, examining his face, carefully asked,

“……How is the princess?”

Frederick glanced at his friend who asked about Yerena, then resumed chewing his bread. However, the texture felt gritty like sand, making it quite unpalatable.

Just as he put down the bread, a young servant rushed over and placed a meat dish in front of the two. The steaming chunk of meat was large, and judging by the generous use of ingredients and the good smell, they had spared no expense.

“Pitiful.”

Frederick cut the meat with his knife, picked up a piece with his fork, swallowed it, and spoke in a dry voice. At this honest assessment of the princess, Hayden paused as he was about to touch the meat and looked at his friend. Frederick continued speaking while mechanically moving his knife and fork,

“I have no intention whatsoever of going against His Highness’s wishes. But the princess’s situation…… Anyone would see it’s not normal.”

Frederick disliked what he had observed—the princess’s time wrapped in lies. Of course, it was his lord’s will, and having already received one warning, it wasn’t right to harbor any feelings about the princess. But the more he watched from the side, the more he felt conflicted about deceiving her.

“You can see the person withering away moment by moment. Of course, it’s not my concern. Besides……”

“……”

“You’ve heard about the princess’s eyes, right? I don’t particularly believe in things like goddesses, but it seems miracles do exist.”

“……”

“But when I think about how the princess can see, albeit strangely, this thought occurs to me.”

“……”

“What if another miracle descends and the princess regains her sight completely, and thus learns that all the situations she’s experienced so far are lies……”

“……”

“……Could she endure it?”

Though phrased as a question, Frederick had already determined the answer. If she learned the truth, the princess wouldn’t be able to endure it. To know that everyone had been deceiving her all this time, and moreover, that the one person she relied on was the mastermind behind it all and the cause of her tragedy…… Frederick forcibly put down his fork. In front of him, a chunk of meat more than half uneaten was bleeding.

“Then perhaps His Highness’s thinking is correct.”

Hayden, who had been silently listening to Frederick’s words, muttered instead of stopping his meal. At his words, Frederick moved his eyebrows as if to ask what he meant. But instead of answering, Hayden recalled an item that had recently come into his lord’s possession.

‘The prophet’s deputy asked me to deliver this to Crown Prince Roshan.’

The boy cleric who had guided his lord and himself in the capital’s temple. The small hands of the boy cleric who entered the imperial palace held a wooden box. And Hayden could immediately guess what was inside.

“Hayden.”

Frederick called to Hayden, who was lost in thought, and with his expression, asked once more what he meant. But Hayden shook his head instead of answering and began his delayed meal. Seeing this, Frederick also gave up asking further and picked up his fork again.

But neither man could tell what the meat tasted like. Though the sensation of chewing with their teeth was appropriately tender and greasy, strangely, their mouths felt bitter.

In the end, both men left more than half the food on their plates and stood up. The young servant who scurried over to clear the table shrugged at their behavior but was delighted to be able to fully enjoy the high-quality meat dish.

* * *