“I’ve gotten tired of listing every suspicious person now.”
The maids, who had belatedly grasped the situation, let out blood-curdling screams.
The soldiers who had been standing back hurriedly brought a stretcher.
“We apologize, Your Majesty. We’ll take care of this quickly!”
They took the man, who had stopped moving, out of the glass greenhouse.
The Emperor frowned slightly upon seeing this.
“Breathe. It’s over now.”
“That… That person… died right in front of me. How… How could this happen?”
It was my first time witnessing someone die.
And it wasn’t an accidental death—it was a clear case of murder.
It was so horrifying that I couldn’t express it.
It felt like the blood in my body was frozen, swirling around uncontrollably.
The Emperor responded to me in a detached voice.
“Humans die easily, you know?”
“But this…”
His gaze suddenly turned cold, and from the twisted corners of his lips, cruel words slipped out.
“If you’re so distressed and concerned, the next time an assassin comes, why don’t you offer your neck instead of mine? That should solve it.”
The Emperor’s expression made it clear he was displeased, and I had no response to that.
After a moment, the Emperor turned sharply.
“Tea time ends here. I’ll leave first.”
As he disappeared from my sight, the tension that had been tightening around me loosened a bit.
However, from somewhere, I thought I heard the sickening sound of a neck breaking.
I clasped my hands tightly together, trying to hide that I was shaking.
Noticing my unease, Perry tilted her head.
“Is it really that shocking for someone to die?”
“Perry, aren’t you… not bothered by it at all?”
“I grew up in a place where people died every day, so it’s not that surprising to me.”
Then, she added casually,
“Plus, it’s better to kill someone and survive than to die, right?”
“Well… that’s true, but…”
I didn’t wish for the Emperor to die.
However, seeing someone, who had been perfectly alive just moments ago, die with just a gesture from him—it was difficult to maintain my composure.
Noticing my continued gloom, Perry suddenly changed the subject.
“By the way, there’s a training hall for the Imperial Knights nearby.”
“The Imperial Knights’ training hall? Does that mean Deputy Commander Reddit, Sir Veratri, and Sir Walton are there?”
“Probably? Unless they’re out on a mission, they should be there. Or, if you’re free, we could go check it out.”
I wanted to share the good news that I had received a temporary pardon.
It was highly likely they already knew, but saying it out loud felt different.
Besides, being around loud, bustling people would surely help erase the lingering traces of blood and dread.
“Alright, let’s go!”
I followed Perry toward the Imperial Knights’ training hall.
It was similar to the one the Emperor and I had visited at midnight, but it was far grander and larger.
“Wow…”
What caught my eye were people in the distance, either practicing swordsmanship or running around the training hall.
Among them, I spotted a familiar face.
“Deputy Commander Reddit…!”
He turned around with wide eyes when he heard my voice.
As I ran toward him, he greeted me warmly.
“Well, if it isn’t the famous figure from Hamilton!”
“How have you been?”
“Oh, you know, I’ve been doing so well that it’s a problem. I heard you got a temporary pardon from the Emperor?”
“Seems like you knew already. I came to tell you about it personally. I’m also grateful for the trust you’ve shown in me, Deputy Commander Reddit.”
“No need to thank me. All I did was say a few words.”
Talking with him made me feel much calmer.
However, the events from earlier kept resurfacing in my mind.
Noticing the change in my expression, Deputy Commander Reddit looked at me with concern.
“Why do you look like that?”
“Huh?”
“Your face says there’s something wrong. If my daughter looked like that, it would be a sure sign of trouble.”
I guess that’s what a father’s instinct feels like.
I hesitated for a moment before cautiously speaking up.
“Well, today, I saw someone die right in front of me. Of course, the person had bad intentions when they approached me, but it was still… shocking.”
“An assassin? Who sent them?”
“I’m not sure. I was having tea with the Emperor in the rose garden when they suddenly attacked.”
He shook his head in exasperation.
“How tiresome. Don’t they ever get tired of it? It’s about time they stopped sending them.”
“Has this happened often?”
“It’s been going on since the Crown Prince days. Well, thanks to that, I’m immune to most poisons now.”
I recalled the words the Emperor had said when we first met.
“Sadly, I’ve become immune to most poisons.”
So, after enduring all those attacks as a child, he must’ve become immune.
Thinking about it, I understood his anger more.
But still, the Emperor’s words kept pricking at my heart.
“If you’re so concerned and upset, next time an assassin comes, offer your neck instead of mine. That should work.”
I fidgeted with my fingers and glanced at Deputy Commander Reddit, hoping he wouldn’t think it was a foolish question.
“To survive, do I really have to kill someone?”
“Why? Did the Emperor say that?”
When I nodded, Deputy Commander Reddit fell into thought.
“Well, on the battlefield, that’s perfectly normal. One wrong decision, and your life could be taken in an instant.”
“What if I’m not ready to kill?”
“If you’re ready to kill someone from the start, that’s a little odd, don’t you think?”
“…Is that so?”
“You should never take life lightly. Even if you kill to survive, you’ll carry the weight of that life with you.”
Then Deputy Commander Reddit looked at me and said,
“What I want to say is, don’t make it too complicated. You’ll find the answer slowly.”
Indeed, Deputy Commander Reddit seemed like a true adult.
My heart, still tangled like a knot, felt a bit lighter than before.
“Thank you for your words. Even though I know I’m being foolish… it’s hard for me to harden my heart, and I was feeling frustrated.”
“Don’t rush it. The Emperor probably didn’t mean to hurt you with those words.”
Looking at the Emperor, who usually spoke cruelly, I wasn’t so sure about that.
My skeptical gaze must have been evident, and Deputy Commander Reddit laughed.
“He’s a bit twisted, but he’s not a bad person. If he really was, all these crazy knights here would have left long ago.”
Now that I thought about it, the Imperial Knights were a strange bunch.
The few who were training normally in the hall were outnumbered by those doing bizarre things.
“Come on, try harder! You’re part of the Imperial Knights, and this is all you can do? Huh? Try to come at me like you’re going to kill me!”
Sir Veratri was tossing knights into the air like sheets of paper, catching and throwing them again.
The people who had already been thrown lay in a pile around him.
“Ugh…! Can you tone it down a bit? You crazy guy!”
From a distance, Sir Chris seemed to have become quite fond of the arrows he had been practicing with, hitting the bullseye each time now, unlike before when he was missing.
‘Next time we bet, I might not see Sir Walton…’
Thinking that, I looked for Sir Walton.
He was standing at the far end, alone, eyes closed, holding his sword.
He seemed to be meditating.
It was strange, seeing him so still; I was used to seeing a sword used in motion.
“That’s true. They all look like they’re not taking orders from anyone.”
“I agree. They’re all oddballs. But each of them owes something to the Emperor.”
“Owes something?”
“Yeah, I do too.”
I was very curious about what “owing something” meant, but I wasn’t sure if it was okay to ask something so personal.
I glanced at him hesitantly before gathering the courage to speak.
“Can I ask what that means? If it makes you uncomfortable, you don’t have to answer.”
“It’s no big deal.”
He smiled, acting like it was no big deal, and his voice was calm.
“Back when I was on the battlefield, I received word that my daughter was in critical condition.”
“…Your daughter?”
“Leaving the unit would be considered suicidal, but I couldn’t leave without saying goodbye to my daughter. So, I tried to sneak away from the unit, and that’s when I ran into the then-Crown Prince, the Emperor.”