Upon arriving at the mansion, I immediately summoned the knights.
As expected of the prestigious Rigmond family, the caliber of the knights was high.
Most were of intermediate level or higher, and advanced knights were common.
The only flaw was the absence of a Sword Master, but…
‘I am here.’
Yet, they were to be annihilated overnight.
No matter how strong they were, they couldn’t compare to the Empire’s finest troops, the Obsidian Knights.
However, their loyalty surpassed even that of the Obsidian Knights, and naturally, it was directed towards Ilia.
I didn’t give them any detailed explanations.
I simply commanded them to lay down their lives for their lord, for the Duke.
“…We will obey your command.”
Those who had served Rigmond since the previous Duke’s time, those who had pledged their loyalty to Ilia in war, and those who had become knights through generations—most of them knelt.
They didn’t look at me.
Their heads were bowed towards the sky, towards the sun.
A sacrifice for their lord.
They were paying their final respects to their master.
The knights began to prepare for battle.
They sharpened their swords, donned their armor, and covered their faces with helmets.
If the symbol of the Obsidian Knights was black, Rigmond’s was white.
Their armor and swords gleamed with a pure white light.
I stood at the forefront.
Though only nominally, as the husband of the family head and the only one who had fought alongside Ilia on the battlefield, there was no opposition.
The sun began to shine brightly on the world, and as if to celebrate this, a trumpet sounded from somewhere.
“…They’re here.”
At my words, several knights nodded.
“Have all the household members been evacuated?”
At my question, Vice-Captain Alex answered.
“All household members have been evacuated except for Head Butler Sebastian.”
“Sebastian is still here?”
At my question, Alex frowned, looking troubled.
“Well… it seems he fled during the night.”
“…What?”
“His room is completely empty. It seems…”
Alex trailed off.
I could guess what he was trying to say.
“Sigh… I never thought Sebastian would be a spy.”
Sebastian.
He was the head butler, leading the servants of the Rigmond household.
His graying hair, showing his middle age, indicated how long he had been with the Rigmond family.
‘He had been with the family since the time of the previous Duke Rigmond. I never suspected him, but to think it would come to this…’
He had been with the Rigmond family longer than Ilia, longer than anyone in the mansion.
No one could have guessed that he would turn out to be a spy.
“What shall we do?”
At Alex’s question, I sighed and said,
“There’s no point in thinking about it now.”
He had already leaked the information, and as a result, the Obsidian Knights had arrived at Rigmond.
There was no time or need to discuss his punishment now.
“Understood. What about the speech?”
“There’s no need. They’ve already made their resolve.”
The sound of hooves grew closer.
Soon, their figures became visible as they approached.
‘…Something feels off.’
The black uniforms and horses, symbols of the Obsidian Knights, were clearly visible.
The problem was that there seemed to be fewer than ten of them.
“…I need to go see.”
At my words, Alex looked at me with worried eyes, but I ignored him and rode closer to them.
“What brings you to Rigmond?”
It was a formal question.
The people before me were all familiar, and the one at the front was none other than my brother.
“…By the Emperor’s command.”
The situation began to change rapidly.
My brother slowly unrolled a golden parchment and began to read.
“Duke Rigmond has rebelled against the Emperor, the ruler of this continent. Therefore, the execution of Duke Rigmond and the revocation of the Rigmond family’s title are hereby ordered. However, considering Duke Rigmond’s confession, the punishment of the household members shall be reduced to demotion to commoner status.”
“…Wha, what…?”
Ilia had confessed.
In return, the knights, the household members, and I were spared.
“…Brother.”
I glared at my brother, ready to draw my sword at any moment.
My brother looked at me with sad eyes.
“This is not my doing. Nor is it Raila’s choice.”
It sounded as if Ilia had confessed on her own.
“…Why, how…”
I turned my head to look at my right wrist.
The knight’s oath mark, which should have been shining pure white, was gradually turning a dark red.
It was a kind of warning that my lord was in mortal danger.
“…Will you go to the capital?”
“…Yes.”
“Let’s go together. After all, I am the captain of the Obsidian Knights. I can at least offer some help.”
“…Thank you.”
My brother and I immediately rode off, and within a few hours, we reached the Empire’s capital.
By then, the mark had turned completely dark red, with no trace of white left.
We headed straight for the imperial palace.
For some reason, the streets of the capital were bustling, but we had no time to pay attention.
We didn’t even hear it.
We just rode with all our might.
“What business brings you… Ah, it’s the members of the Seligard family. The Emperor is waiting for you.”
The palace gatekeeper let us in as if it were the most natural thing.
He even guided us to where the Emperor was.
The fact that the Emperor was waiting for me gave me a faint sense of unease, but I pushed it aside.
Meeting the Emperor was the priority.
The Emperor was leisurely drinking tea in the palace garden.
He saw us and smiled, showing his gums.
“You arrived sooner than expected.”
I didn’t even pretend to listen to the Emperor’s words and drew my sword.
“Ilia, where is Ilia?”
The Emperor didn’t even blink, even though I had drawn my sword.
It was natural; he was a master too.
“Take it easy. Duke Rigmond will be here soon, so sit down and have some tea.”
As he said this, he poured tea into two empty cups.
“Please, sit.”
My brother sat down at the Emperor’s words, but I couldn’t.
Seeing this, my brother said,
“It’s best to listen to the Emperor now.”
“…Understood.”
I reluctantly sat down but didn’t accept the Emperor’s tea.
There was no telling what he might have put in it.
“Pity, it’s rare tea from the eastern continent.”
“…When will Ilia arrive?”
At my question, the Emperor smiled and said,
“I didn’t expect you to come so quickly, so the preparations aren’t quite ready. She should be here by now…”
Before the Emperor could finish, a maid entered the garden.
“Y-Your Majesty, everything is prepared as you instructed.”
The maid was trembling strangely.
At her appearance, the Emperor’s smile twisted.
“Don’t tremble. What will people think of me?”
In an instant, a sword strike passed, and all that remained was a body cut in half, slowly collapsing.
“Haha, my apologies. I can’t stand imperfections in my palace.”
The Emperor rang a bell on the table, and a new maid immediately entered the garden.
“Clean this up. Ah, and polish that thoroughly before giving it to me.”
The maid didn’t tremble.
No, she tried not to tremble.
Even as she bit her lip until it bled and her nails dug into her palms, the maid tried not to tremble and silently cleaned the bloodstained garden.
I watched the scene with gritted teeth.
He was even more cruel than I had imagined.
After the garden was cleaned, the maid wiped down a blood-covered box.
Each time the maid wiped the box, the contents inside clattered, making noise.
I didn’t know what it was, but for some reason, a sense of unease washed over me.
“That should do. You may go now.”
The Emperor, with a disturbing smile, took the box from the maid and sent her away.
“Aren’t you curious what this is?”
The Emperor turned the box over in his hands as he spoke.
“I’m not… curious.”
“You should be.”
In an instant, the Emperor’s gaze changed.
The cold, emotionless eyes I had seen at the wedding were now staring at me, but the Emperor soon averted his gaze.
“Open it.”
The Emperor pushed the box towards me, and I found myself holding it.
The box was sticky.
It smelled faintly of blood, as if it had seeped into the box.
It was an utterly unpleasant object.
“Why so hesitant? Open it quickly.”
“…I was going to open it anyway.”
I slowly gripped the lid of the box and began to open it.
And when I saw its contents, I couldn’t hold back the overwhelming nausea and vomited everything inside me.
“Do you like my gift?”
The Emperor laughed as if he found the situation immensely enjoyable.
It was.
Yes, it was a head.
A woman’s head, with white hair so beautiful and blue eyes so mysterious.
The one I had loved so dearly was now staring at me, reduced to just a head.
“Ah… ahh…”
This must be a dream.
It had to be.