Chapter 237: Storming the Imperial Palace
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 237: Storming the Imperial Palace
At the same time, in front of the Imperial Annex.
Perel was doing his best to hold Tiern back.
“Move. I’m going in right now.”
Tiern and the 9th Knight Division had already drawn their swords, leveling them at the Imperial Knights guarding the entrance. The Imperial Knights, confused and caught off guard, were locked in a tense standoff with the 9th.
Perel blocked Tiern just as he was about to charge inside.
“If Her Highness the Consort were truly in danger, she would have activated her ring immediately.”
“She felt threatened enough to press the necklace, didn’t she?!”
“It might not have been Her Highness who pressed it!”
At those words, Tiern’s handsome brow furrowed deeply.
“Doesn’t this seem strange to you?” Perel lowered his voice. “Even for an annex, the Emperor is inside. Why are there only two knights guarding the entrance?”
Tiern’s mind raced. What if the annex had been left empty on purpose? What if it was a trap designed to lure the Blenheim knights inside?
Once they crossed that threshold, the excuse of “the necklace was pressed” might not hold up. A single misjudgment by Tiern and the division could lead to Blenheim being charged with treason.
“We can’t just stand here and do nothing,” Tiern hissed through gritted teeth.
What if Her Highness really was in a life-threatening situation? Tiern already had a history of failing to protect her twice. He could not allow himself to repeat the same mistake a third time.
Finally, Tiern reached up and unfastened his cloak, which bore the crest of the Blenheim family.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m not going in as a knight of Blenheim. I’m going in as Tiern Vieri.”
“Wait, Sir Tiern!”
“This is my own rogue action. If anything happens, pretend you don’t know me.”
Just as Tiern was about to take a resolute step forward—
“Wait, Sir Tiern! Stop!” Perel grabbed him firmly.
“Let go of me.”
“Look over there!”
Perel forced the struggling Tiern to turn around.
“…Commander?”
Tiern’s eyes widened. His lord, who was supposed to be in the North, was marching toward the annex at the head of dozens of knights.
“I-Intruders!”
The Imperial Knights at the entrance shouted in panic, but Tiern and the 9th Knight Division were faster. Before the guards could even react, they were suppressed by the 9th.
Even as he watched the Grand Duke approach, Perel couldn’t believe his eyes.
The Commander came to the Imperial Palace himself…!
Not only that, but he was accompanied by a mage and three full knight divisions. Including the 9th Division already present, nearly half of the Blenheim Knights had been mobilized. It was a force more than capable of seizing the palace.
Wait, why is she here…?
Perel narrowed his eyes at the figure following beside his lord: the Imperial Crown Princess. Or rather, “following” might not be the right word. She was practically sprinting to keep up with the Grand Duke’s long, rapid strides.
Without slowing down for a second, the Grand Duke marched straight into the annex.
“She went inside with only her maid.”
Tiern, Perel, and the other knights hurried after him.
“The dining hall is this way!” the Crown Princess shouted, acting as their guide. “Grand Duke, you better not forget that I’m the one who opened the Gate for you!”
His Lord didn’t even give her a glance.
“Opening a Gate by force is straight-up treason! I took a massive risk for you…”
Despite being treated like a common peddler, the Crown Princess didn’t seem to care.
“You have to invest in the Expo, okay? Promise me!”
The Crown Princess isn’t exactly normal either, Perel thought, sighing as he ran.
The few Imperial Knights stationed along the corridors were quickly neutralized by the Blenheim knights. Finally, the Crown Princess pointed toward a set of ornate doors at the very end of a wide hallway.
“There! That’s the banquet hall.”
However, the Grand Duke stopped mid-hallway in front of a smaller door with an elegant handle.
* * *
Inside, the Empress was growing somewhat bored.
“The Northern knights are slower than I expected,” she murmured coldly. “Or perhaps they lack loyalty.”
Considerable time had passed, yet no one had arrived. If the knights had moved the moment the necklace was pressed, they should have burst into the room by now.
Did they realize it was a trap?
If so, that was actually for the best. If more time passed, the Emperor would grow suspicious and send his own people, forcing the Empress to wrap things up.
Cecilia was still being held by the Empress’s maids.
Should I just bow my head to the Empress to get Cecilia released quickly? I wondered, weighing my options.
“It’s far too quiet. If this takes much longer, His Majesty will come looking for us,” the Empress noted with irritation. She gestured to a servant. “Go outside and see what the situation is.”
The servant bowed and approached the door. Just as he reached it—
With a violent crash, the door to the drawing room was blown inward. The maids shrieked in terror.
I looked up sharply.
The first thing I saw was raven-black hair. Then, a massive, mountain-like physique that seemed to make the spacious drawing room feel cramped in an instant. Long legs carried him inside with purposeful strides.
As he brushed his hair back, his strikingly handsome features were revealed, capturing my gaze. There couldn’t possibly be two men that beautiful in the Empire.
It was such an unbelievable sight that I blinked several times before a name finally escaped my lips.
“Loik…?”
Upon finding me, Loik clutched his chest and let out a heavy sigh of relief.
Loik came here himself? All the way from the North?
— “If you are ever in danger, press the necklace first. I will come for you immediately.”
Only then did the words he’d spoken while putting the necklace on me come back to me.
I thought he was just saying that.
Simultaneously, the Blenheim knights flooded into the room.
“Eek! Her Majesty the Empress!”
As the maids scattered in a panic, the knights used their arms instead of their swords to herd them toward the walls. I saw the Empress, her face frozen in shock, and Tiern, who stood firmly in front of her. I also saw Perel helping Cecilia to her feet.
But all that chaotic scenery was soon eclipsed by the overwhelming presence of the man walking toward me.
Standing before me, Loik reached out with a trembling hand to gently cup my cheek. Only then did the tension leave my shoulders, and I leaned my face into his firm, warm palm.
Loik closed his eyes tight and pulled me carefully into his embrace.
“I was worried.”
I am so glad you are safe.
His irregular, thumping heartbeat echoed against me. As his warmth enveloped me completely, a wave of relief washed over my entire body.
I tilted my head up slightly so only Loik could see me.
“Loik, I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“The necklace… I didn’t press it because I was in actual danger…”
Before I could finish, Loik spoke softly.
“You did well.”
His large hand gently patted my back.
“But if this causes a misunderstanding…”
Loik had brought a small army with him. As it stood, it was the perfect setup for the treason charges the Empress had wanted.
“On that note…” Loik whispered into my ear, his voice low. “Does my wife have any desire to become the Emperor?”
His eyes gleamed with an ominous light.
“Annette, you are exceptionally talented at managing everything. If you want the Empire, since we’re already here…!”
“No! Absolutely not!” I hissed back with firm finality.
How could he say something so terrifying so casually? I just wanted to live a long, peaceful life. The thought of managing a territory this large was a nightmare.
Loik let out a relaxed smile.
Wait, that look in his eyes just now… he wasn’t joking, was he?
The Empress and her maids watched the Grand Ducal couple with their mouths agape. Though they couldn’t hear the conversation, the atmosphere between them was overflowing with affection. It was impossible to believe this was a political marriage.
The Empress clenched her fists so hard her nails dug into her palms.
Was the Grand Duke always that imposing?
“Imposing” didn’t even begin to describe his towering, authoritative presence. To anyone’s eyes, the Grand Duke possessed the dignity of a sovereign. A dry sense of crisis rose in her throat.
Is it even possible to bring the Grand Duke to my side?
She had lowered her guard because she felt confident that if she could tame the Grand Duchess, the husband would follow. But taming the Grand Duchess seemed impossible, and the Grand Duke was clearly not a man who would dwell in another’s shadow.
Actually, this is better.
She hadn’t dreamed he would storm the palace himself, but now that he had, it was better to cut him down entirely.
If I can’t make him mine, I’ll make sure he can never side with the Crown Princess.
Executing the Grand Duke for treason might be difficult, but she could certainly place him under house arrest or confine him to the North for the foreseeable future. An opportunity like this would never come again.
“Grand Duke and knights, drop your weapons!”
Finally, Duke Kyle and the Imperial Knights appeared in the drawing room. Behind Duke Kyle, who held his sword high, the Emperor appeared, unable to hide his bewilderment.
“Grand Duke Blenheim. I believe this requires a very thorough explanation.”