TPOP 93

Chapter 93

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***

It was a young attendant dressed smartly. He was trusted by the chief steward and was acquainted with Arnold. He whispered quietly to Arnold.

"I have something to discuss with you privately, my lord. It concerns the maid."

"The maid? Miss Diana?"

"Yes. To prevent further confusion, Lady Emile, the head maid, instructed that only you be informed."

Arnold and the knights of the guard had been ordered by their lord to prioritize protecting the maid's safety above all else. During the late emperor's funeral rites, nothing concerning the maid should disturb their lord's composure. She was more than just a maid; she was the woman most likely to become his consort within the year.

"Step aside for a moment. I'll send someone to the main palace to verify. You men wait here for now."

Arnold left his men behind and moved to the side of the main gate. The young attendant quietly followed him. Arnold turned around, keeping a respectful distance.

"No ears are listening. What news do you have about the maid? Could there be some problem with the lady's health…?"

A cold blade flashed in the moonlight. Arnold instinctively sensed danger and jerked his body away. A searing pain spread across his side.

The dagger the attendant had drawn tore into the flesh of his flank, sinking shallowly. Arnold narrowly avoided a fatal wound, clenched his jaw, and seized the servant's throat. There was no need for further questions. A spy. Must kill—.

"Gah!"

The wound, barely a half-inch deep, burned like fire. Damn it, paralysis poison.

The instant Arnold's grip weakened, the attendant kicked him in the stomach. Seizing the opening, a guard who had approached from behind drew his sword and struck Arnold's neck.

Blood spurted along the downward swing of the blade. The loyal knight's pupils dilated wildly.

No. Not like this. He couldn't die so futilely. He hadn't yet seen his lord ascend the throne.

Moreover, the Crown Prince had few knights he could fully trust. Because His Highness deemed them unnecessary.

But if this happened, those who would protect him…

"Dispose of him quietly. There are many escort knights. Their numbers are too great to confront head-on. Enter the building as stealthily as possible."

The attendant's hushed voice faded into the distance. Arnold's body collapsed heavily to the ground.

Guards hid the heavy corpse in the bushes. The attendant, sheathing the dagger coated in deadly poison, gestured toward the palace building.

"The painting room door is open. All the important paintings have been packed; you can transport them as is."

"And the maid?"

"She's in the Crown Prince's bedroom. Knights guard the entrance, but there aren't many inside. If you just cut them down, capturing her should be easy. It's only been a month since her miscarriage, so she shouldn't put up much resistance. Go up immediately."

The assassins disguised as guards moved without delay. The palace servants watched them with anxious glances. They split into two groups again, heading for the painting room and the bedroom respectively.

But someone leaping down from the third floor blocked the assassins.

"What are you doing? The knights were ordered by His Highness to guard the perimeter outside!"

Lonok, the palace steward, shouted, veins bulging in his neck.

"No one may enter the palace grounds without the Crown Prince's permission. His Highness specifically ordered that only those he personally brings may be stationed inside!"

"The paintings in the gallery and the maid Diana are to be moved to the Duke of Christen's residence. It is His Highness the Duke's command."

"If such an order had been given, His Highness would have informed me first. I will verify this immediately. Wait here."

"You talk too much when every moment counts."

Just as the guard muttered irritably, a hot sensation spread across Lunok's abdomen.

Lunok stared blankly, his gaze dropping. The hilt of a dagger protruded from his belly. The knight had plunged the dagger into his stomach and now pulled it out.

Kulok. The moment Lunok vomited a clot of blood back up his throat, the bloodied dagger slashed horizontally across his throat. A spray of blood erupted from Lunok's Adam's apple and abdomen.

The steward's body, tilted like a fallen log, collapsed with a thud. Merciless military boots trampled over Lunok's back as they stormed into the bedroom.

The Crown Prince's inner chambers were neatly arranged. The assassin swiftly pulled back the canopy draped over the bed.

The bed was empty.

Tap, tap, tap. Water flowed from the bathroom. He immediately flung open the bathroom door, but it too was empty.

Moisture rose from the bathtub, not yet dry.

"She escaped."

The moment he grasped the situation, the man yanked open the window curtains. A palm-sized section of the forest was visible through the glass. The sky was thick with dark clouds.

A flash of lightning struck the black forest. A brilliant white bolt instantly lit up the view. Then, plop, a small raindrop tapped the glass. The scattered drops quickly turned into a heavy downpour.

A storm was approaching.

***

Thunder shook the eardrums. It was mere seconds after the flash of lightning. Soon, the fierce sound of rain pounded the entire world.

"The weather..."

The Duke muttered anxiously, gazing out the window.

"It seems a storm is coming."

An untimely death meant scheduling the planned coronation ceremony would be difficult. As if waiting for this moment, the new emperor ordered the funeral rites to be drastically scaled back.

"Finish it within three days. He lived a full life. Why hold such a grand funeral?"

"I cannot guarantee it, but I will proceed as swiftly as possible."

According to custom, when an emperor passed away at night, the coffin containing the body was placed in the imperial chapel, where the imperial family would stay up all night.

The funeral rites began the following day. On the fifth day, a carriage bearing the coffin would circle the capital, Riporsa, while a memorial ceremony was held. Afterward, the coffin was interred in the crypt beneath the Imperial Chapel, where the late emperor would rest eternally.

Throughout this process, the emperor's children were required to remain at their posts, guarding the coffin.

"What about Eisen?"

"We haven't sent word, but he must already know. He's staying at Espiang, so even if he leaves immediately for the capital, he won't arrive until tomorrow afternoon. For now, please change your clothes and proceed to the chapel."

Another bolt of lightning struck. Felix's face lit up momentarily. The rain fell harder and harder.

Rain.

Rain….

The humidity rose as if by magic. Everything was damp and clammy.

While the attendants dressed him in black mourning clothes, Felix fixed his eyes only on the rain-drenched scene outside the window. This rain wouldn't stop soon. The sky was thickly covered with dark clouds.

"Where is Diana?"

"The child is likely at the palace. It's late, so she must be asleep."

"Check. Right now."

"I'll send word to Emile."

"And bring her to the church tomorrow morning."

"Pardon?"

Hugo couldn't hide his bewilderment as he questioned.

"To the church? What? Why that child…?"

"It's better if I take her myself."

The maid would already be deep within that dark forest. Hugo, who hadn't expected he couldn't even wait a day to find the maid, bit down hard on the inside of his lip.

"Only royalty and priests of the church may reside in the chapel, Your Highness."

"Do I look like I don't know that?"

It was the first time since Diana had been by his side that such heavy rain had poured down. Felix waved away the servant approaching with a glass of dark liquor and moved toward the window. An almost animalistic instinct drove him.

He roughly flung open the window, streaked with thick rain, and the wind and rain immediately rushed inside. Felix wiped the rainwater from his cheek with the back of his hand. Within an hour, the world had turned so hazy white that he could barely make out his surroundings. Dark clouds obscured the sky, blocking out even the faintest moonlight.

This must be the kind of weather Diana adored. She might want to go outside and let the rain soak her completely. The image of her splashing through puddles like a child made his lips curve into a gentle smile.

Diana likes….

She likes…

Water.

The faint smile on Felix's lips slowly faded. From the moment the raindrops began falling, an inexplicable, strange sense of unease had been nagging at his nerves.

Hugo urged him on.

"I will check on the maid's safety. Please hurry to the chapel first. The nobles are entering the palace."

A servant who had quickly approached draped a cloak of the same color over his black ceremonial robe. Felix slowly fastened the brooch at the cloak's collar. The brooch, too, was black quartz, as required by etiquette.

Felix turned his head away from the hazy window. Behind his shoulders, as he strode out the door, the black cloak billowed dramatically.