But if the duke was included in that party…… as Emperor, he could not turn a blind eye.

“I hope she isn’t foolish.”

At his voice, uncharacteristically earnest, Jayden found himself nodding without realizing it.

The shadows of the suspicious party crossing the slope made his heart pound. Rockfort also bit his lip firmly as he watched them.

“……They’re coming.”

The wait wasn’t long.

“It’s the carriage that went into the ducal residence and didn’t come out.”

Huh, Rockfort exhaled a long breath like a sigh.

“As you ordered in advance, I’ll block their way.”

Jayden deliberately turned to look at Rockfort as if stalling.

But Rockfort didn’t hold him back. As if he couldn’t withdraw an order given as Emperor.

“Very well.”

Spurring his horse, Jayden rushed forward to the slope.

“Halt!”

As he drew his sword and raised it, the suspicious party panicked and stopped the carriage.

“I am Jayden, Commander of the Crimson Knights. Identify yourselves and state where you’re going.”

As soon as Jayden revealed his identity, several shabbily dressed mercenaries driving the carriage covered their faces and fled. They clearly had something to hide.

“First, I need to confirm who the leader of this party is.”

Daniel, with his face half-hidden by a muffler, frowned from where he couldn’t be seen. He couldn’t explain by coincidence why the Emperor’s close aide and knight commander was here.

“Reveal your identity. This is by His Majesty the Emperor’s……”

Daniel gripped the reins tightly. He felt he might be able to escape alone now.

“Yes.”

But a coldly echoing voice stole that possibility. Soon, a black horse carrying the Emperor appeared at the only escape route.

Though there were only two of them, it was a perfect blockade.

“This is my direct order.”

Thud, Daniel, who never imagined the Emperor himself would appear, dropped the reins.

Behind Rockfort, the clouds in the night sky slowly cleared. The half-revealed moonlight illuminated the Emperor’s handsome face clearly.

“Who are you.”

Daniel unconsciously bit his lip, then reluctantly dismounted and showed proper respect.

With the Crimson Knights Commander, said to consist of only the strongest men in the Empire, and the Emperor himself, who could handle them single-handedly, both resistance and escape were meaningless.

“I, Daniel Theon, greet Your Majesty the Emperor.”

Upon hearing his identity, Rockfort’s eyebrows twitched fiercely. Daniel, unable to control his parched lips, was desperately thinking of all kinds of excuses.

“Is the duke going to the convent to pray…… with a suspicious carriage at this hour?”

Clunk, Daniel’s clever mind froze. He had clearly hired an unregistered carriage, and there was no way the plan could have leaked, yet the Emperor spoke as if he already knew everything.

“I am asking you a question.”

“Yes? Yes…… I…… now…… I was on my way to the convent to pray for Elia’s recovery.”

“I suppose so. Since this road leads only to the Amas Convent.”

The Emperor’s expressionless face was fully revealed in the moonlight.

“You look like you don’t understand why I’m here.”

Rockfort’s purple eyes gleamed eerily as he continued to look down from his horse.

“It could be a coincidence, or it could be inevitable…… but confirmation comes first.”

“Your Majesty!”

Daniel called out urgently.

“This, this is a secret prayer method of the Amas Convent. Since my sister learned it at the convent…… to seek God’s salvation away from others’ eyes, that is, for Elia’s recovery……”

“How commendable.”

Swoosh, Rockfort dismounted lightly and casually passed by Daniel, who was desperately trying to come up with more excuses.

“Your Majesty……!”

Given how flustered the duke was, those who had been driving the carriage were already prostrating themselves on the ground, bowing their heads.

Rockfort opened the carriage door leisurely without any interference.

“Two women.”

Two women with their faces hidden by convent robes bowed their heads toward the Emperor without making a sound.

“Show your faces.”

Flutter, seeing the delicate shoulders trembling, Rockfort’s breath trembled as well.

“I apologize, but as nuns, we cannot reveal our faces to men outside our order.”

Briana responded with a deliberately calm voice.

“I command you as Emperor. Did God teach you to regard me as merely an outside man?”

“It’s the convent’s rule, so please……”

Rockfort, no longer patient, reached out and yanked off the veil worn by the woman next to Briana.

“What……?”

In that moment when everyone froze, the full moon brightly illuminated the night sky.

The moonlight, brighter than ever, clearly revealed this moment.

“Who are you.”

At Rockfort’s bewildered murmur, a middle-aged woman raised her head. Even Daniel was surprised and held his breath, but his first thought was that he was saved.

“You…… I’ve seen you somewhere before.”

“I am honored. I am a maid from the Theon ducal residence and have had the honor of seeing Your Majesty.”

Surely, Briana and Elia should have been in the carriage. Rockfort had suspected so, and Daniel had been certain of it.

But what was all this?

“You will need to explain this situation immediately.”

Jayden intervened at the appropriate moment. In response, instead of the hesitant Hannah, Briana, still veiled, stepped forward and bowed deeply.

“Your Majesty, I am Briana, who briefly visited the ducal residence to care for Elia. As my brother, I mean…… the duke said, I was returning to the convent to offer special prayers for Elia.”

Rockfort, still unable to shake off his suspicion, narrowed his eyes and looked alternately at Briana and Daniel.

“In the middle of the night? Disguised as a cargo carriage?”

“Since we had to move secretly……”

“Why is the duke here? Only women can enter the Amas Convent. Besides, isn’t that maid Elia’s maid?”

“Your Majesty, I will search the carriage.”

It didn’t take long to examine the shabby cargo carriage. Jayden nodded to indicate there was no one else.

“How will you explain these suspicious actions?”

“I…… requested it. A splendid ducal carriage would not suit the convent, and since I was going to offer special prayers, I departed at night according to the convent’s rules…… and the duke, as my brother, was escorting me on this dangerous night journey.”

Hmm, making a curious sound, Rockfort looked straight into the maid Hannah’s eyes.

“And you? Why are you here instead of with the lady?”

“I, I am honored…… the lady, being physically unwell, earnestly asked me to escort her aunt in her place……”

Though she stammered, it was Hannah’s best possible answer.

“Then, where is Lady Elia?”

“Today, another maid is taking care of her instead of me.”

Rockfort had asked about Elia’s whereabouts, but Hannah’s naive answer actually became a plausible response.

“……I see.”

Rockfort turned away from the carriage and faced the duke again.

“Yes. With the hope that Elia recovers quickly…… I followed the convent’s secret method, but if I have caused Your Majesty concern, I deeply apologize.”

Daniel, who had somehow regained his composure, spoke respectfully. He couldn’t understand what was happening, but in any case, it was a tremendous relief that Elia wasn’t in the carriage.

“I wasn’t particularly concerned.”

Rockfort also put on a plausible smile and mounted his horse, looking down at the duke.

“Let’s call this…… a coincidence.”

Since Elia wasn’t in the carriage, tonight’s events would be treated as if they never happened.

“Praying for Lady Elia is essentially praying for my future empress, so it’s a commendable thought. I will send a reward to the Amas Convent soon.”

“I am deeply honored.”

The Emperor, his purple eyes gleaming in the moonlight, looked down at the chaotic scene before spurring his horse.

“Well then, I’ll be on my way.”

Jayden quickly followed the Emperor, urging his horse forward. As soon as the two disappeared from sight, everyone either collapsed as if their strength had left them or exhaled deeply.

“What…… is going on here.”

Daniel, now that his safety was assured, belatedly felt great bewilderment at the situation.

“Why, there……”

“You’re asking why there’s a maid instead of Elia?”

When Briana calmly asked back, Daniel’s gaze sharpened.

“You deceived me.”

Huh, Daniel’s hollow laugh sounded incredulous. That his overly gentle sister would deceive him was something he couldn’t have imagined.

“Don’t misunderstand, brother.”

“Misunderstand? Why did you hide this from me, Briana? We’re family, aren’t we?”

Several things were already clear. That Elia had remained openly at the ducal residence, that Briana was on Elia’s side.

And that the Emperor knew of Elia’s safety.

“I’m sorry. Elia’s request was so earnest that I couldn’t turn away. In the end, everything happened just as she said it would.”

“Elia’s request?”

“Yes. This was…… Elia’s intention from the beginning.”

The most important fact is always revealed last.

Yes, Elia was not the fragile lady Daniel had thought. She was even less the naive lady he could easily dispose of.

“Still, to go so far as to deceive me……”

Daniel made an effort to suppress himself and put on his usual gentle mask.

“No. Surely, there must have been a profound reason.”

The most disconcerting thing was that Elia had read the Emperor’s suspicion, which even he hadn’t anticipated.

But the duke couldn’t show his feelings due to his pride.