Duke 124

CHAPTER 124

***

Translator: Rae

[“There's nothing to worry about. As long as you move exactly as I’ve planned, we can stop Duke Russet’s scheme without causing any significant casualties.”]

[“Is that truly possible?”]

[“Would I have any reason to lie?”]

[“Then let me hear this plan of yours.”]

What the Duke of Deimos proposed was astonishingly meticulous and tightly constructed.

Impressed, Rolland had offered to carry out the plan by himself—but the Duke rejected him at once.

[“You are too upright for this task, Captain of the Guard. And your age is a factor as well. That is why I intend to change the target. One trustworthy subordinate will suffice.”]

As soon as the duke departed, Rolland fell into deep thought, then secretly summoned Kane, the subordinate closest to him and the one he trusted most.

After hearing the plan, Kane did not hesitate for even a moment before offering himself as bait for the sake of the Empire.

From the very next day, the plan moved forward without a hitch.

Kane deliberately caused a fight with civilians, and Rolland used that incident as justification to demote him to a common soldier.

Kane’s drinking and descent into gambling were all part of the plan. And now, the fruits of every one of those efforts were unfolding before their eyes.

‘As long as a young man like Duke Deimos stands beside His Majesty the Emperor, the Empire’s future looks bright.’

A hopeful smile touched Roland’s lips as he watched soldiers inside and outside the walls being subdued simultaneously.

***

‘Haa…’

Standing before the doors of the chapel, Elysia lowered her gaze and mentally took a deep breath. Not from nerves, but to suppress the irritation boiling up inside her.

There was no ordeal worse than carrying out a betrothal ceremony with a man she despised to her core.

Yet she could endure it, because this farce would soon be over.

Iker had promised her as much.

‘Everyone will make it. Har, Helios, the knights. So trust Iker and the others, and do what I need to do.’

Her role now was to act as naturally as possible, so that no one would notice anything amiss.

Composing her expression, Elysia gave a subtle nod to the attendant standing beside the door.

“Marquess Camellia is entering!”

At the attendant’s booming announcement, she stepped forward toward the splendid and cruel stage that would mark the climax of a long battle.

The moment Elysia entered the chapel, she sensed countless gazes pierce into her.

‘Quite the crowd. It’s seems like they have gathered every noble in the Empire.’

That was her first thought as she took in the scene of the chapel.

The chapel, said to hold over two hundred people, was packed to the point where seats were scarce.

‘Evacuating everyone won’t be easy at this rate.’

Concern stained Alicia’s violet eyes.

Though Nocturne had prepared evacuation routes and procedures at Iker’s instruction, handling this many people would not be simple.

‘Surely Duke Russet wouldn’t go so far as to kill nobles who have nothing to do with this.’

While thinking it wouldn’t come to such a worst-case scenario, Elysia’s brow knit slightly as her eyes met Dustin’s, standing at the dais.

As if convinced that both the Empire and she herself were about to fall into his hands, he wore a confident, anticipatory smile that she found utterly repulsive.

‘That lunatic, maybe a splash of cold water would knock some sense into him.’

Mentally clicking her tongue at what she deemed a hopeless piece of human refuse, Alicia stepped forward in time with the music flowing from the music box.

Everything was exactly the same as during the rehearsal—except for her pace.

‘They scolded me for walking too slowly back then.’

A faint, unseen twist adorned Alicia’s lips as she recalled the rehearsal.

She remembered how she’d been showered with nagging from the Imperial Consort after walking too quickly, eager to get it over with.

‘She did offer advice, after all. I should follow it. Whose words were they, if not hers?’

Nodding to herself, Alicia slowed her steps even more.

She had wanted to finish it as fast as possible during rehearsal, but now, reaching the dais sooner would only put her at a disadvantage.

She caught sight of Dustin’s dark brows arching in irritation, but she paid it no mind.

What could he do, no matter how impatient he felt? He couldn’t very well rush out and drag her forward in front of so many witnesses.

‘Let’s stall. I’m a turtle. I’m a turtle.’

Lowering her gaze and ignoring Dustin’s glare, Elysia’s deliberately slowed her pace even further.

***

Watching Alicia approach the dais at an unhurried pace, Iker allowed a faint, unseen smile to appear on his lips.

Whispers rippled through the hall at her leisurely entrance, but to him, the pace was deeply satisfying.

It was a clear expression of just how much she loathed standing beside the Second Prince. And perhaps a deliberate attempt to buy time as well.

Had she entered at a normal pace, Iker thought he might have felt a tinge of disappointment.

Just then, a sharp killing intent brushed against him, and his dark brows twitched.

In the entire Empire, there was only one person who could summon him like this—Har Teske. And according to the original plan, Har should have been at Veramus’s hideout right now.

‘It seems the variable has emerged.’

As Iker rose from his seat, Rashian immediately asked,

“Has something happened?”

Knowing the betrothal ceremony today was not an ordinary one, tension was palpable in the prince’s eyes.

"It's no big deal. I'm just away because I have someone to meet for a while, so don't worry."

“Alright. Please go ahead.”

Rashian nodded and turned his attention back to the dais.

After signaling to the commander of the imperial knights to ensure the imperial family’s safety, Iker quietly slipped out of the chapel.

Following the sharp killing intent directed at him, he walked about twenty meters, then turned into the hallway on the left. There, Har and Joseph were waiting for him.

“That was faster than I expected. Something must have gone wrong, right?”

At Iker’s question, Har spoke with a grave expression.

“Veramus has been mostly dealt with. However, when we reached their hideout, the head of the First Division and forty operatives were missing.”

“So he siphoned them off after all.”

Seeing Iker remain completely unshaken, Joseph was the one who looked startled and asked quickly,

“Your Excellency… have you already anticipated this?”

“I thought Duke Russet might attempt something like that. Still, the number is larger than I expected.”

"How many did you anticipate?”

“They would have needed to slip in unnoticed, so I assumed around twenty.”

“Twenty…”

“He must have been anxious. He would know that moving that many increases the chance of being exposed, yet he still did it. It may be that those we planted won’t be quite enough.”

It had been a long time since events had strayed this far from Iker’s expectations. Perhaps not since the carriage accident involving the former Marquess and Marchioness of Camellia.

‘Back then, I didn’t react quickly enough.’

Pulled from his thoughts by Har’s next question, Iker refocused.

“Are there additional forces here besides the imperial knights?”

“Twenty. Agents drawn from the Investigation Bureau and the knight orders are disguised as guests. Ten imperial knights as well. With you two here, that makes over thirty-five. Handling three per person should be easy.”

"Joseph will take one.”

“Huh?”

“Joseph will handle the head of the First Division. I’ll take the rest.”

Knowing Joseph’s deep-seated grudge against the First Division, Iker immediately understood Har’s intent.

“Do as you wish. Veramus was entrusted to you from the start.”

At Iker’s response, relief lit up Joseph’s face. He’d been worried Iker might insist on taking the man alive.

Catching Joseph’s reaction out of the corner of his eye, Har spoke to Iker again.

“Then we’ll slip in unseen. Please return inside first, Your Excellency.”

“Very well. We’ll speak again later.”

Iker nodded and turned around.

As he retraced his steps, he took a pocket watch from his coat and checked the time.

‘The gate should be dealt with by now… and the knight orders must be clashing as we speak.’

Both matters were already beyond his direct involvement. All that remained was to see how they ended.

‘The numbers inside the sanctuary are a bit thin, but once I step in, it will be enough.’

Sliding the watch back into his coat, Iker continued on. Not a trace of fear for what lay ahead showed on his face.

***

Leading the charge on horseback, Dane glanced back.

Behind him followed the knight orders of twenty-two houses, including House of Russet’s knights. Their combined force approached eight hundred strong.

‘The Camellia knights and those of eight other houses are all here as well. That’s a relief.’

Not every noble house maintained a knight order as the cost of doing so was quite high.

Naturally, the houses of Deimos and Russet fielded the largest forces, followed by House of Camellia.

Perhaps because its head was a woman, House Camellia had invested heavily in cultivating its knights.

As a result, their numbers weren’t far off from those of a ducal house.

The unfortunate part was that, compared to the past, the current generation of their knights was weaker.

‘Charles believed they’re not extraordinary knights. Perhaps it’s due to the financial strain. Still, sheer numbers make them useful enough.’

Even setting combat strength aside, Dane felt reassured that every house had mobilized exactly as planned.

With forces of this size, even if Veramus had faltered, he felt confident they could still turn things around.

‘I need to reach His Excellency the Duke quickly. I must inform him about Veramus as well.

Just as Dane was about to spur his horse to increase speed, he suddenly doubted his own eyes.