Chapter 13 – Part 6

“Connor Johannes? Isn’t that the family that served the imperial family?”

“If it’s Connor, he’s the aide to Crown Prince Ailon!”

“My goodness, what did he use all these drugs for?”

“Isn’t Baron Gale one of the strategists of Vails!”

The nobles who picked up the flyers quickly changed the subject and started talking loudly.

The Empress, groaning and being examined by the palace physician, was extremely bewildered, unable to grasp the situation.

The Emperor, too, was listening to the content of the flyer from his aide, ignoring Anne.

Carly stared at the man in front of her. Despite the noisy situation, it felt silent around her.

“Ferrell?”

“…I’m not Ferrell, Lady Carly.”

Carly stepped toward Ferrell. The flustered Ferrell tried to escape, but Carly was quicker, grabbing his collar.

With one hand gripping his collar, Carly swiftly brushed aside the tousled hair that covered half of his face.

Even in her dreams, Carly’s eyes filled with tears as she yearned to meet the sincere gaze she had missed so much.

“You’re alive?”

***

Evan picked up a flyer that had fallen to the ground, maintaining a calm expression.

The Emperor spoke with a voice full of anger amidst the chaos.

“Duke Davis, aren’t you under house arrest?”

Evan smirked and pulled an invitation from his suit pocket in response to the Emperor’s displeased words.

“Your Majesty, it was you who sent me this invitation.”

“Is that so?”

The Emperor sighed deeply, as if he couldn’t believe it.

Sending invitations was not something the Emperor handled personally.

The Emperor, deciding to find and dismiss the person who sent the invitation, looked back at Evan.

Seeing Evan’s much more relaxed expression than usual, the Emperor felt even more annoyed.

The man who used to seem like a pathetic worm struggling under him now wore such a calm expression.

Unable to hide his growing displeasure, the Emperor approached Evan.

Meanwhile, a noblewoman, shocked by the poison she had ingested, grabbed the Emperor’s trousers.

“Your Majesty, please tell us what kind of poison we’ve ingested.”

Javier pushed the woman’s hair aside and away. Although a small scream was heard, no one could reprimand the Emperor.

The other noblewomen were also anxious but only stomped their feet in frustration.

As the Emperor got closer, Evan remained calm despite the urgent breathing sounds around him.

Finally, the Emperor grabbed Evan by the collar, but Evan simply looked down at him and spoke.

“Coincidentally, a new weekly newspaper has been distributed. Would you like to see it?”

With a smile, Howard nodded at Evan’s words.

Howard thought that he hadn’t expected such clear evidence to appear from an unexpected place.

Evan spoke seriously, his smile gone.

“A noble of the Empire has secretly conspired with someone from the Kingdom of Vails. Shouldn’t we hold them accountable, Your Majesty?”

He looked like a loyal noble concerned about the country’s troubles.

The Emperor was infuriated by this. Ailon was locked up, not in his right mind, and the precarious successor could be lost at any time.

The fact that such a competent man was right beneath the royal family was unbearably irritating.

The Emperor, his face turning red, threw the flyer and shouted.

“It seems you’ve prepared diligently, but without verifying the original evidence mentioned in this newspaper, it’s not trustworthy.”

Howard chuckled at those words. Commander Davis must have considered that possibility.

Before entering the palace, Evan had teamed up with Howard’s subordinates outside the palace to retrieve the original ledger from Johannes’s residence.

Howard had already received that ledger from Evan Davis.

“Seeing this will change your mind.”

Howard handed over the document, which the Emperor eyed sharply. Howard continued as he flipped through the pages.

“This doesn’t seem like a conversation for here. Could you spare some time?”

***

In the Emperor’s reception room, which was not easily accessible.

Three men sat around a table in a room decorated with a luxurious canopy.

Although the tea steamed warmly, none of them touched it.

Howard Vails was the first to speak.

“Would you join forces with me? It’s not something that would harm the Empire. We can find the traitor.”

“Let me ask you. Is this your independent action?”

The Emperor, glaring at Howard, growled.

Howard shook his head in response.

“Of course not.”

“Then?”

“This matter is too significant for a mere youngest prince like me to handle alone.”

In other words, it was the intention of the King of Vails.

After Evan contacted Howard, Howard spent sleepless nights persuading his father.

The King of Vails believed that the eldest, who would naturally inherit the throne after his death, couldn’t have been involved.

However, as undeniable evidence and circumstances came to light, he changed his stance.

Although the royal power would eventually be passed on, it had to be done under the king’s leadership.

Such an approach was unacceptable.

The Emperor smirked at Howard’s words.

“If things go wrong here, you do understand that the King of Vails plans to abandon you, don’t you, Prince Howard Vails?”

“On the contrary, it could also be seen as a choice to expand my influence within the Empire.”

At those words, Javier laughed softly.

“Traitors within the Empire must have been beneficial for your kingdom, right?”

“Do you think the kingdom only received information? These individuals thrive on prolonged wars. They balance the scales to profit equally from both sides.”

This meant that the kingdom’s operations had also been compromised to the Empire.

“Well, we’ve been thoroughly deceived. In that case, shouldn’t we behead the traitors and hang them in the square to set an example?”

Evan found the conversation absurd but didn’t show it.

Could the Emperor really behead the Empress if she were behind this?

“It’s troubling.”

Howard smirked and extended his hand for a handshake.

“Are you saying you will cooperate?”

“Indeed. It seems we need to clean this up. Let’s conclude today’s banquet. Inform the new guests of their rooms.”

The Emperor, looking as if he had a headache, held his forehead and walked away.

***

The banquet hall remained noisy even after the Emperor, Evan, and Howard had left. Anne watched the entire scene in a daze.

Ferrell had told her that finding the Crown Prince was the only way to save Evan, but everything had progressed without her knowing.

Well, they say all’s well that ends well.

As Anne sat down in disbelief, she noticed Carly dragging Ferrell away in the distance. She signaled Kyle to follow Carly just in case.

After some time, the chamberlain announced the end of the banquet.

The nobles quickly left, eager to discuss the recent events, from the poison to the flyers.

Should I leave too? Anne wondered for a moment.

But with Ferrell and Howard still absent, she decided to wait for them on a couch in the banquet hall.

After what felt like an eternity, she saw Evan and Howard walking toward her.

Exhausted from the chaos, Anne stood up, clutching her trembling legs.

She approached them and looked at Evan with a gaze full of reproach.

She wanted to ask why he hadn’t told her anything but turned her head away in frustration.

She took a step closer to Howard and asked,

“…Prince, why didn’t you tell me?”

“If things went wrong, you could claim that I was just a servant who brought people from the Kingdom of Vails. It was all under Ferrell’s direction.”

She already knew this from Ferrell.

And she knew it was Evan who gave Ferrell those orders.

She recalled what Ferrell had said to her.

“They are all His Highness’s guards. And the Duke of Davis would never send you to a dangerous place alone.”

Anne lowered her head.

She couldn’t lift her head as she remembered the conversation she had with Howard before entering the palace.

Anne, oblivious to her reddening ears, mumbled softly.

“I didn’t know….”

Howard smiled deeply. She was quite fun to tease.

He recalled how her ears had turned red during their conversation at Vanessa’s mansion.

As Howard moved closer to Anne, Evan stepped in front of him.

“Let’s talk here, Prince of Vails.”

Anne peeked out from behind Duke Davis, looking like a curious rabbit.

‘What a cute young lady,’ Howard thought absentmindedly.

“I wanted to speak with the lady alone.”

“That’s not possible.”

“Really.”

With conflicting answers from the two, Howard chuckled. Anne clung to Evan’s waist and looked up at him.

“Commander, why not?”

“Well, because….”

Evan, at a loss for words, couldn’t say anything. Did he have the right to say so? Not yet. He wasn’t her fiancé or even her lover.

Howard watched the conflicted Evan and chuckled. He seemed like a fool who couldn’t even confess to the woman he loved.

With a playful smile, Howard patted Evan’s shoulder.

“Then, take her!”