“No. Nooo……. Are we truly allowed to leave things like this? Is no one else worried?!”

When the man with pale brown hair the color of linden bark, loosely tied behind his head, suddenly shouted, the knights gathered around the Prince’s coffin clicked their tongues in unison.

“There he goes again with his chronic worrying. How can he not last even an hour?”

“Who knows? Someone knock Vernon unconscious.”

“Sir Vernon’s bones and muscles are absurdly sturdy despite how he looks. We could not knock him out even if we tried.”

“True…….”

Ignoring the way his comrades treated him like a madman, Vernon tugged at his hair and gave voice to his anxiety.

“No, is everyone truly all right with this? D*mn it, what are we going to do if His Highness never wakes up……?!”

“Vernon!”

Taylor Monterol, the captain of the Prince’s personal guard, raised his voice in warning, and Vernon swiftly clapped both hands over his mouth.

His startled expression lasted only a moment.

Letting his shoulders droop, he stared down at the Prince lying inside the coffin and grumbled resentfully.

“How can I not be worried? I do not know about anything else, but I have no idea whether we can trust that woman—Erow, Merow, or whatever her name is. What on earth did His Highness see in a woman like her……?”

“She is an apothecary whom His Highness carefully sought out in the Western Continent. He investigated everything before making this decision. It seems you do not trust His Highness.”

“That is not what I meant……!”

“If you trust His Highness, close your mouth and remain still.”

In response to Taylor’s sharp reprimand, Vernon opened and closed his mouth in disgruntled silence before slumping to the floor beneath the prince’s coffin.

His lips were still pursed as if he wanted to complain, but at least the anxiety had faded from his face.

He looked as pitiful as a puppy scolded by its owner, yet no one offered him any comfort.

After all, everyone had endured more than enough of Vernon’s antics over the past two days.

The previous night, he had insisted on opening the coffin to check that the prince was still alive, and it had taken three knights to restrain him. Then, at dawn, he repeatedly woke Taylor, claiming that they might have miscalculated how long the drug would take to wear off.

It was indeed ironic that someone so restless and frivolous could also be such a skilled knight.

Taylor suppressed a sigh and looked away from Vernon towards the third prince, Carden Rubert, who lay in the enormous white coffin as though he were dead.

Dressed in pure white burial robes and surrounded by lilies symbolizing the imperial family, the prince looked perfectly at home in the snow-white coffin. This suited the title he despised so much — ‘the Greatest Beauty in the Empire’ — remarkably well.

Golden hair framed his bloodless face in neat waves.

With his usual fiery temperament now entirely dormant, he truly resembled a mythical prince who had fallen into an eternal slumber.

However, the moment he awoke from that deathlike sleep and opened his mouth, he would cease to be ‘the Greatest Beauty in the Empire’ and become ‘the Greatest Madman in the Empire’ instead.

‘……What a dreadful thought. I should remove those lilies before His Highness awakens.’

The mere thought of the prince looking around and sarcastically asking if they had mistaken him for a princess from a neighboring kingdom made Taylor’s head throb.

Rubbing his eyes wearily, he glanced through the window and spotted a suspicious group crossing the corridor.

‘Is that…… the Empress?’

And behind her—

A familiar face appeared between the folds of a black dress.

‘The Princess Consort?’

But how could the Empress be escorting the Princess Consort when she was supposed to be imprisoned in the tower?

Even the Empress could not simply release a Princess Consort who had attempted to assassinate a member of the Imperial Family. It would not have been easy, even for the Emperor.

Moreover, the Emperor himself was closely monitoring the situation.

After all, according to the official account, his beloved son had been poisoned to death overnight.

Taylor’s eyes narrowed.

He had an ominous feeling.

‘I thought the Empress would dispose of the Princess Consort inside the tower…….’

The Empress believed that troublesome loose ends should simply be cut away, no matter how much time and effort had been invested in tidying them up.

Therefore, when Taylor heard that the Empress had entered the tower the previous night, he assumed that the Princess Consort would finally die.

Once she was dead, the matter would be settled.

The Princess Consort, who had poisoned the Prince, would take her own life, unable to endure the guilt. Meanwhile, the Empress, who had put her in that position, would also find herself in a difficult situation.

Just as Taylor believed that the first objective of this dangerous farce would be accomplished without incident, an unexpected variable appeared.

And that was not all.

The Empress’s expression was far too composed for someone facing a crisis.

‘……What on earth happened inside that tower?’

It did not take long for Taylor’s apprehension to take shape.

“Stand aside. His Imperial Majesty has ordered us to bring him His Highness’s coffin.”

The Emperor’s imperial guards had arrived without warning and demanded the Prince’s coffin.

***

“D*mn it, what is happening? Why are they suddenly taking His Highness’s coffin……?!”

“Shh. Be quiet. For now, we must observe the situation. The rest of you must not act rashly and give the Empress anything she can use against us.”

The Prince’s personal guards hurried after the coffin, which had been taken from them without warning.

According to tradition, when a member of the imperial family died, their coffin was placed at the highest point in the imperial chapel for seven days.

This period was known as the ‘Period of Grace’, during which people waited in the belief that those blessed with divine blood might be resurrected.

Of course, few people still wholeheartedly believed the legend.

By then, it was mostly regarded as an ancient mourning custom for a deceased member of the imperial family.

Nevertheless, a centuries-old tradition had to be upheld, regardless of whether anyone still believed in its origins.

Above all, it was forbidden to disturb the body of a deceased imperial family member during the ‘Period of Grace’. If the dead returned to life, they had to be able to reclaim their physical body intact.

Prince Carden intended to exploit that very legend.

If a miracle dismissed as mere tradition for centuries were to unfold before their very eyes…

It would not only silence the long-standing doubts surrounding Carden’s legitimacy as the son of an imperial consort, it would also turn Carden himself into a living legend.

After all, who would dare deny the divine blood of a man who had returned from the dead?

“I will become Emperor, Taylor. And I will be an exceptionally powerful one.”

Carden did not smile as he spoke. Instead, he delivered those words with a chilling calmness, as though he were describing a future that was already destined to unfold.

The plan was designed to disgrace the Princess Consort, who clung to him like a leech, as well as the Empress herself.

And yet…!

Grinding his teeth, Taylor followed the imperial guards into the First Audience Chamber, where the Emperor awaited them.

Dozens of candelabras blazed beneath the lofty ceiling, illuminating the imperial family’s grandeur.

Ministers and high-ranking nobles, who had already heard the news, stood in orderly rows along both sides of the chamber. Every pair of eyes followed the snow-white coffin.

Seated upon the magnificent imperial throne, the Emperor also watched the coffin approach. Grief still marked his haggard face.

Thud.

The prince’s coffin, made of white pine, was placed in the center of the audience chamber.

“……Carden.”

The Emperor slowly approached the coffin, murmuring his son’s name in a somber voice.

“Carden……!”

Tears streamed from the Emperor’s anguished eyes.

Unconcerned by the countless subjects watching him, the Emperor openly broke down in tears.

His hand, still remarkably pale despite his age, clutched the garments of his son lying amid the lilies.

“This father…… failed to protect you.”

Even the officials surrounding him bowed their heads with solemn expressions at his quiet lament.

The Emperor’s tears lingered in the majestic audience chamber for a while.

Taylor observed the scene impassively.

It was the grief of a father over the loss of his son.

At least, that was how it appeared to everyone gathered there.

After composing himself, the Emperor returned to his seat with the support of an aide.

A flash of anger crossed his face, but he quickly erased all traces of it and turned to the Empress.

“Just this once, Empress. I expect you to keep your promise.”

“……Yes, Your Majesty.”

A promise?

What promise?

Taylor and the Prince’s personal guards all exchanged questioning glances, but none of them could make sense of the situation.

In the meantime, the Empress descended the steps and issued a loud command, seemingly conscious of everyone watching.

“Princess Consort, step forward.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The Princess Consort emerged obediently from behind the Empress. Her expression was far too composed for someone who had been imprisoned in the tower.

The moment Taylor saw her, his unease intensified.

“You claimed before me that you did not poison the Prince. You also boldly declared that you would personally prove it. Have I said anything incorrect?”

“Her Majesty’s words are true. I did not poison His Highness. I intend to prove that here today and clear myself of all suspicion.”

……This is madness.

“What on earth is going on?”

The personal guards, who were watching from behind, stiffened in unison.

Attempting to assassinate a member of the imperial family was a grave crime, punishable by immediate execution.

According to the plan, the Princess Consort was due to be beheaded within three days at the latest.

Once she was dead and Carden had somehow been brought back to life, the Empress would be disgraced for personally choosing a Princess Consort who had tried to murder the Emperor.

They merely had to make it through today without incident. Yet now, she suddenly intended to prove her innocence!

‘Something has gone wrong.’

Sensing danger, Taylor hurriedly stepped forward, knelt, and spoke.

“Your Majesty, I am Taylor Monterol of the Golden Lion Order, His Highness’s personal guard. Please grant me permission to speak.”

The Emperor nodded with an air of solemn grief.

“Permission granted.”

“The Princess Consort was arrested at the scene of the poisoning of His Highness. Suggesting that she is innocent is preposterous! To prevent further injustice being done to His Highness, I implore you, Your Majesty, to behead the criminal here and now!”

As Taylor demanded her immediate execution, the Empress suddenly raised her voice.

“Silence! How dare you demand the execution of a member of the imperial family for a crime that has not yet been proven!”

“But Your Majesty, how could the Princess Consort possibly prove her innocence? Poison was found in a teacup that had contained none until the two of them took tea together. Of the two people who drank from it, one died and the other survived. Is the culprit not obvious?”

“It is the Princess Consort who will present the proof, not you and your presumptuous mouth.”

After rebuking him coldly, the Empress turned toward the Princess Consort.

Having waited patiently, Mokyeong stepped forward and spoke calmly.

“Thank you for granting me the opportunity to speak, Your Majesty.”

Mokyeong paused briefly.

As she slowly surveyed the people gathered in the First Audience Chamber, she felt countless pairs of eyes on her, expressing everything from mild curiosity to blatant loathing and contempt.

It seemed as though virtually everyone was looking at her as though she were a convicted criminal.

The corners of Mokyeong’s lips lifted ever so slightly.

Good.

Only when the odds were this overwhelming would proving them all wrong be truly satisfying.