“The assassination failed.” The shadow in the dark broke the eerie silence.
“The Duchess was smarter than I thought. And the martial arts skills of the Duke are also not to be overlooked. It surpasses the level of the Imperial Knights.”
“...And as time went by, it only sharpened.”
He harped on that statement distressfully, to the extent that his anxiety transmitted to the other party.
“He could not be hurt in the slightest bit.”
” He cornered a medium-sized monster by himself. Even without the strength of the mercenaries or the knights, he was able to subdue it without a single wound.”
“…Indeed, he is no different than a monster himself.”
The sound of his teeth grinding echoed in the darkness. After a long silence, he spoke again.
“Get out of the duke’s house and hide for a while.”
“I didn’t get caught. I could stay blended in there a little bit more.”
“Do you really think the Duke did not notice your existence?”
“...Pardon me?”
Then a deep sigh sounded. The voice of the man’s superior, which seemed to have calmed down a little, once again rang out from the dark.
“He deliberately sent you back alive. To warn me. To show off his potential ability, what he is capable of.”
“I am sure that is not the case. It must be because I….”
“Don’t be conceited. You must never underestimate the Duke. For now, do not go back to the Grand Duchy. Take cover and wait for my order.”
The shadow bit his lips at the gloomy voice. It turned out; it was not because he was excellent; rather, the Duke let him return on purpose.
I will not admit it.
But on the outside, he bowed his head and stepped back, pretending to agree with everything the other party said.
“I will obey your orders, Your Majesty the Emperor.”
With those last words left, the shadow completely disappeared.
Left alone in the darkness, the Emperor buried his face in his hands and sunk into deep thought.
How can I get rid of the young Duke?
Darkness gradually engulfed him.
♔♔♔
“It’s not the first time, but are you that nervous?”
As Irene’s face hardened in front of the small annexe, Noel asked with a little chuckle voice. At his question, Irene slowly nodded.
Because today, whether Noel would succeed to the Grand Duchy or not would finally be decided.
About three days have passed since she returned to the Grand Duke’s residence from Kreisen. While she was recovering from the accumulated fatigue and restoring her physical strength, a letter came. It notified them that they would resume the adjourned meeting.
Because of this, the two had to stand in front of this conference hall again. Irene had a hard time controlling her pounding heart. Knowing that this was his first and last chance, she was even more nervous and trembling.
Seeing Irene’s nervous state, Noel smiled quietly then promptly grabbed her hand. Startled, Irene turned to look at him, eyes filled with surprise.
“If that’s the case, this might help relieve some tension,” Noel said, looking straight ahead.
“Ah…”
Irene stared blankly at their entwined hands.
I think I feel more relaxed now.
Her heart, which had been palpitating from anxiety since earlier, changed to giving off rhythmic beats. She had even noticed Noel’s contact.
“… thanks to you, I’m less tense now.”
Then again, she felt like an idiot for being so anxious. After all, things had already taken place and could not be undone, so what difference would it make if she stood here shaking like this?
Irene smiled brightly at Noel, who brought her to this enlightenment.
“Thank you.”
“…no problem.”
Noel stared at her, still for a moment, his clasp on Irene’s hand tightened a little, and just like that, they went inside.
The hallway was bright, but no one was seen coming or going along their way. No one was allowed to enter except for the nobles who participated in complementing the meeting. Noel and Irene were the only people walking down the hallway.
Irene looked straight ahead as she walked and slightly lowered her gaze.
Her wrist and Noel’s were crossed. To be precise, the part where their pulse was beating was touching. She could not even feel its slightest movement, but she got nervous for no reason. Nonetheless, Irene focused on walking forward again. It would be disrespectful to Noel to have such personal thoughts before an important event.
With that in mind, Irene struggled to prevent her nerves from going in the wrong direction. But unbeknownst to Irene...
Noel was no different as he was bothered by the same thing and tried hard to pretend he was not.
“The Duke, Noel Kristen and the Duchess, Irene Kristen, are here.”
When the two arrived, the chamberlain announced their names in front of the meeting hall. And with a smile, he opened the door.
“I wish you good results.”
“Thank you.”