Chapter 94

In the position of having to block the surprise attack, they did as much as could be expected. Security was heightened to the utmost, and those entering and leaving the palace were inspected far more thoroughly than usual. However, there are always cracks somewhere.

Separately, if there was something they hadn’t anticipated, it was that the faction attached to their reckless elder brother was larger than expected.

At any rate, the 1st Prince—now stripped of even his title and called only a traitor—Javier’s scheme failed completely, but Layan Aviles’s plan was about half-successful. The one they wanted to kill was still hovering between life and death. That person, strictly speaking, was his niece… but she so closely resembled his detestable half-sister that he felt little guilt at all.

It felt as though he had finally killed, with his own hands, the one he had always wanted dead.

The only thing he hadn’t stupidly anticipated was that he himself would be pinpointed as the culprit.

“No, why would I kill Dione?!”

“…….”

“Your Highness! I am that child’s uncle!”

Raihan’s gaze as he looked at Layan Aviles, locked in the dungeon, was so cold that not a trace of his usual warmth or kindness could be found.

He pressed his jaw tight, which had thinned in just a short time, and slowly closed and opened his eyes. Every time his vision darkened, the image of the woman collapsing in the distance, coughing up blood, seemed to cling to him without end.

And it all felt like his fault.

That she was now lying on a bed, her face pale, barely breathing—it all felt like his responsibility.

He should never have brought her to such a place in the first place.

“That’s right. You’re her uncle. Isn’t that exactly why you tried to kill her?”

At the cold words of the Prince, Layan jumped up and down, insisting otherwise, but Raihan had already gathered almost all the evidence. The Earl still had the letters exchanged with Javier. Perhaps because it was his first time doing such a thing, he didn’t realize he should never leave evidence behind.

Or maybe he wanted to leave proof that Javier had met with his daughter.

Whatever the reason, thanks to that, they had obtained the evidence almost laughably easily. Layan was caught, and Javier was also being tracked. He had apparently entered the palace that day, but with help from someone other than Earl Aviles… so the investigation was pressing ahead on that front as well.

“What are you saying? How could I hurt my own flesh and blood…?”

“You don’t even consider her family, yet your tongue is long.”

There was nothing more to say. Layan Aviles had lost even the minimum of humanity. Having reached that conclusion, Raihan left him alone in the dark dungeon and stepped out.

“Hoo…….”

Raihan rubbed his dry eyes and glared up at the dazzlingly blue sky, which seemed oblivious to his turmoil.

This incident, unfortunately, was not merely a rebellion aimed at seizing the throne. Earl Aviles, most likely unaware of the true objective, had targeted only Dione in this plan… but Javier’s real goal was war with the Essen Empire.

For that reason, Yurik had been targeted as well. Fortunately, his martial prowess was so outstanding that, even while protecting Dione as she hovered on the edge of death, he escaped with only minor injuries.

……After Dione collapsed, the banquet hall was thrown into utter chaos. The Emperor and the delegations evacuated first, and the nobles rushed to get outside. The assailants disguised as attendants, seeing their main targets gone, turned their eyes to their next targets—Raihan and Yurik.

The fortunate thing was that elite knights were at their side, and both were fully capable of defending themselves.

The rebels were all subdued in the end, and now every one of them was imprisoned.

Ironically, the first to stab Dione was not one of the rebel group, but a mere attendant who had been bribed. And for that, Raihan was deeply grateful. Thanks to that, Dione was still alive.

If a trained soldier had stabbed her, her heart might have been pierced in an instant and she would have crossed a river from which there was no return.

With a mind that wouldn’t fade, as if he had taken a stimulant, Raihan’s body screamed from every corner. But he had neither the time nor the presence of mind to listen to his body’s complaints.

After the attack at the coronation, there was one more attempt on Vicente, but thanks to tight security, it was thwarted without incident. However, this only increased the workload and the number of people suffering through long hours.

While heading to Vicente to deal with the accumulated tasks, a servant ran up to Raihan in haste. The servant brought the news Raihan had been waiting for, though he didn’t show it.

“Your Highness, the surgery went well.”

“Ah…….”

“Your Highness!”

His legs gave out and he collapsed to the floor. Anyone watching might have thought it an undignified act for a member of the Imperial Family, but Raihan couldn’t care less about appearances at that moment.

Dione was alive. That was all that mattered now.

“How… what did they say—no, I’ll go myself.”

“Ah, yes. This way…….”

Raihan, always so calm and elegant, now looked flustered and dazed, almost unrecognizable. The servant, staring blankly at the Prince, suddenly thought, Ah, love really can change a person completely.

Forcing strength into his trembling legs, Raihan finally arrived at Dione’s bedroom door, let out a heavy sigh, and entered.

“Ah, you’re here.”

The doctor checking on Dione stood up to greet him.

The surgery had been performed by a doctor who was part of a foreign delegation. Of course, there were doctors in the Elvirtein Imperial Palace, but a doctor from the Moreira Kingdom—famous for its advanced medicine—had stepped forward. There were likely various political motives behind it… but saving her life was all that mattered, so those concerns were secondary.

Following the servant’s guidance, Raihan sat at Dione’s bedside and carefully asked the doctor across from him,

“How… did it go?”

The doctor chuckled once at the question and gave an unexpected answer.

“You’re asking exactly the same question as Duke Schwitz.”

“Well, that’s…”

Of course he would. In a situation like this, asking if the surgery went well was only natural. Realizing his words had come out wrong, the doctor waved his hand.

“Ah, I just meant your expression was the same as his.”

“…….”

It wasn’t exactly pleasant to hear, but Raihan didn’t bother to point it out. When he kept silent even at the doctor’s jest, the conversation returned to its main subject.

“Miraculously, they avoided the heart.”

The doctor added that it was luck upon luck, and explained that if they had been even a little later, she might not have survived due to blood loss.

“The surgery went well, and once she regains her strength, she’ll open her eyes. Mobility is a secondary issue and will be decided based on her condition later, but……”

“…….”

“There’s no major problem, so you don’t need to worry.”

“…I understand.”

Raihan nodded heavily. Even though it was the doctor sitting before him who spoke, he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the woman’s slightly pale face. The gentle rise and fall of the blanket brought a strange sense of relief.

Saying he would leave first, the doctor exited the room, and left alone, Raihan gazed at Dione’s face for a long while before also stepping out.

He went to the newly prepared room for Yurik, right next to Dione’s bedroom.

Originally, his quarters were farther away, but after last night’s incident, he had been moved in a hurry to the room next to Dione’s.

Even as Raihan entered, Yurik did not react, simply staring out the window. He didn’t greet him either, not wanting any formalities.

The two men, who had clearly stayed up all night, had sharp, intense gazes.

Like a silent protest, neither of them spoke for a long time, until Yurik finally addressed Raihan. His voice was very quiet.

“…Did you see her?”

Raihan nodded silently. According to the doctor, Yurik had visited before him. Their feelings now were surely the same.

Another heavy silence filled the room.

“I kept thinking about it.”

It was Yurik who spoke first again.

“Why was I so careless at that moment?”

“…….”

“Why didn’t I suspect that attendant?”

His calm tone was tinged with deep self-reproach. Though only about twelve hours had passed since the incident, his face, like Raihan’s, looked as though he had lost weight.