As soon as Philip arrived at Olstein Port, he hired the fastest carriage he could find and traveled through the night. Although he occasionally stopped at inns when the horses tired, and the coachman started to grumble, he could never rest properly. It felt as though an urgent desire to see Amelia was constantly pushing him forward.

Thanks to this, although it was late in the evening, he arrived in Olstein’s capital earlier than expected. The familiar silhouette of the town was gradually being cloaked in darkness. The air, though still cold, was much milder than before. The days were slowly growing longer, and soon, spring would arrive in Olstein.

“What’s the matter?”

Philip leaned out the window and asked the coachman when the carriage came to a halt near the edge of the town.

“I’m not sure, sir. The road is unusually busy tonight.”

The coachman also looked puzzled. It was rare for the streets to be this crowded so late at night, especially with no festival going on. The road was packed with people holding orange lanterns, and an unusually high number of guards, causing the carriages to crawl along like turtles.

“There was a special release earlier today.”

A passerby, overhearing Philip’s conversation with the coachman, threw in a comment and quickly disappeared, holding the hand of a child who was happily skipping along.

“Of all days…” the coachman muttered. It seemed that to commemorate the Crown Prince’s engagement, the royal family had granted a special release of prisoners. These special releases typically targeted those who had been acquitted of self-defense or petty criminals. The streets were lively as townspeople celebrated being reunited with their loved ones.

“…In that case, I’d better walk.”

Seeing that the streets would only get more crowded, with people soon likely to start drinking in every corner, Philip decided to get out of the carriage.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Oh, thank you, sir!”

After generously paying the coachman, who was overjoyed, Philip quickened his pace. He changed his mind about reporting to his parents at the embassy and decided to head straight for the castle. He didn’t feel confident about making it through the crowd all the way to the embassy.

More importantly, he wanted to meet Amelia and show her the asylum permit. He wanted to tell her that he could take care of her, even without relying on his family. That she didn’t need to feel guilty or burdened anymore.

* * *

As the town, with its people wandering like fireflies, faded into the distance, the enormous castle walls came into view. The number of guards decreased noticeably. It seemed that many had been sent to maintain order in the town after the prisoners were released.

The eastern gate was the closest route to the Crown Princess’s residence, where Amelia was staying. The road there was much darker, but he had no other choice.

‘I should’ve borrowed a lantern from town.’

Philip regretted his haste, but just then, he saw a small torch flickering in the distance, lighting up the path. Relieved, he felt a bit of comfort as his vision brightened.

“Excuse me,” he called out, thinking it might be a guard, and stepped forward. The torch, which had been swaying, stopped suddenly. As Philip’s eyes, accustomed to the darkness, adjusted, he saw the silhouette of a man in ragged clothes.

“…Oh, never mind.”

It was just a passerby. Philip, slightly disappointed that he couldn’t get directions to the eastern gate, began to walk past the man.

But suddenly, the man, who had been some distance away, was now uncomfortably close. Before Philip could react, a kick landed hard in his stomach. He didn’t have time to defend himself.

“Ugh!”

Philip bent over instinctively, the force of the blow knocking the wind out of him. His knees buckled as pain shot through his abdomen, leaving him breathless.

“Argh…”

“Perfect! He’s alone!”

Someone shouted from above. Philip’s mind tried to process what was happening, but his body remained motionless, kneeling on the ground, his hands weakly grasping at the grass beneath him as he groaned in pain.

“Hurry up! The guards will be here soon!”

“Shut up already!”

Another voice hissed, followed by the sound of someone clicking their tongue in annoyance. Before Philip could fully comprehend, a sharp blow struck the back of his head.

“Ah…”

His limbs, which had been trying to hold on, lost all strength. He felt warm liquid trickle down his neck and face. His vision blurred, and though he couldn’t fully grasp the situation, he saw droplets of blood forming a shallow puddle on the ground. In the reflection, he saw his own dazed eyes staring back at him.

“The guards will be here soon. Let’s go!”

“Yeah, this should be enough.”

“No need to kill him.” The three criminals, who had been released earlier that day, whispered as they stood over Philip’s collapsing body. One of them picked up the trunk Philip had dropped and opened it, his eyes widening in surprise.

“No…!”

Philip tried to shout as he reached out weakly, but no sound came, and his body refused to move. The men quickly gathered the valuables and, unsatisfied, took the trunk as well before running off. Watching them flee through his narrowing vision, Philip finally lost consciousness.

* * *

The Levant and Admiral Licht left the harbor under the close surveillance of the imperial inspection party. Only Amelia, watching the ship grow smaller, sincerely prayed for their safe voyage back to Brienne.

She hadn’t expected to return from her visit to the harbor, driven by a simple desire to see the sea, with such a heavy heart. As the sea gradually disappeared from view, Amelia sat in the carriage. The waves, indifferent and steady, were different from those in Brienne. As if to bid her farewell, the seagulls cried overhead.

“I need a fleet.”

So Olstein didn’t have a navy. It was only recently that the Empire had extended its influence to coastal countries like Brienne. Had Josef planned to demand ships ever since Brienne surrendered?

Amelia hoped that was the case. She thought of how Josef had treated her like a prized toy, showing her off. If he was using her visit to Brienne as leverage to demand ships from her father, it weighed heavily on her heart.

Amelia no longer wanted to be used by Josef. For Brienne’s sake, it was her duty to break free. But staying in Olstein, she wasn’t sure she could resist Josef’s influence. The resolve to leave gnawed at her.

“I’ll hear your answer when I return.”

Amelia gazed at the shrinking harbor, now a tiny point on the horizon. She made up her mind that next time she visited, it would be with Philip. She imagined herself boarding a ship with Sarnica’s asylum papers in hand.

Josef wanted ten ships. Would she be free once he got them?

No, she wouldn’t. She had already caused more than enough harm to the people she loved. This guilt would become an eternal prison, a cruel sentence she couldn’t escape.

The carriage picked up speed, and Amelia closed her eyes, trying to push away her racing thoughts.

If she had looked outside, she might have met Josef’s gaze.

* * *

“There’s been an assault near the castle.”

Henrik handed Josef a hastily written report while they were in the carriage. A soldier who had left the castle two days ago had ridden non-stop to deliver it.

“The culprit?”

“The guards are searching for them.”

Just as Josef had expected, the incident happened as soon as he left the castle. It was especially unfortunate that it occurred on the same day as the special release, when Philip Clavier from Sarnica had been found beaten and robbed.

[Philip Clavier of Sarnica assaulted. No threat to life. Count Clavier protests.]

After reading the report, Josef folded it with an irritated expression and tucked it away.

“Do you think it was a spy?” Henrik asked, worried that this attack on a diplomat’s son might be an intentional attempt to provoke conflict with Sarnica.

“If it was, they would’ve killed him. They wouldn’t want their face known.”

Josef was less concerned about who had been attacked and more about how sloppily the crime had been carried out. It wasn’t about money, nor was it an assassination attempt. That left only two possible motives: either the culprit had a personal grudge against the victim, or they held a grudge against Josef, the one responsible for the special release.

If it was the former, it didn’t matter. If it was the latter, action needed to be taken quickly.

“…”

Why had the special release been carried out precisely when he left the castle? Although the list of prisoners required Josef’s approval, why had they chosen the release date on their own? It almost seemed as though someone wanted him to take the blame, leading him to suspect that the culprit was among the released prisoners.

“We need to find them before the guards do.”

Josef gave Henrik his orders. The inspection team was staying near the harbor, so the culprit was likely still hiding around the capital. Having robbed a noble, they were probably excited about handling a large sum of money for the first time and would start spending it recklessly. Finding someone paying for lodging with gleaming gold coins wouldn’t be hard.

“What should we do when we find them?”

Henrik, nodding, asked for further instructions. Should they interrogate the ringleader, ask if someone had hired them, or hand them over to the guards and take the credit?

“Get rid of them.”

Josef thought the cleanest solution would be best. If, by any chance, the culprit was among the recently released prisoners, it would work against him.

Besides, it had already been a few days since the incident, and the fact that the guards hadn’t found any clues was suspicious. Even though it involved an attack on a noble.

It almost felt like someone was waiting for Josef to return to handle the situation, aiming to pin the responsibility on him.

It would be better to make sure this incident never happened at all.

“No one can know their identity. Destroy the body.”

“Understood.”

Josef leaned out the window to glance at the carriage following behind them, which carried Amelia. The horses, unaware of anything, trotted energetically back toward the castle.

He remembered Amelia’s tear-filled eyes when she had lamented how much she missed Brienne. What would her face look like when she heard that Philip Clavier had been injured? The thought made Josef deeply uncomfortable.

Josef’s face, as he leaned back in his seat, returned to the usual expression of a Crown Prince. He wished Amelia would cry in his arms instead. He didn’t want her tears to be wasted on any sympathy for others. His desire, growing deep inside him, was becoming more desperate, taking root and preparing to sprout a dangerous obsession.