RETURN OF THE FEMALE KNIGHT

145. The New Emperor

Namgil's current place of stay was at the very edge of the Imperial Palace. It had been assigned to him by Gongyoo, and even then the tensions between the two brothers was evident. Ophelia hadn't been concerned about Namgil's whereabouts as she focused on the power struggle with Jungkook. Now that she required his help, however, she needed to seek him out immediately. She wished she didn't have to stake her life on him, but there was no time for regrets.

'Grand Duke Lunen cannot refuse my request. He has supported Mingyu until now, and if he turns me away, he will lose a valuable ally.'

Ophelia nodded reassuringly to herself, remembering the respect that Namgil had always shown to her. No matter how much she considered it, Namgil was the only one she could depend on now.

Finally, Ophelia and Mingyu arrived at the building Namgil was staying. Fortunately, Soojin seemed to be familiar with the geography of the place, as she had worked in the palace for many years. The three discreetly maneuvered their way through the chaos of the fighting and reached their destination.

Soojin went up to the guard stationed outside Namgil's quarters and whispered to him.

"Tell him Her Majesty is here."

The knight glanced at Ophelia and Mingyu standing behind Soojin. Ophelia's face grew hot at the callous behavior of the knight. She was used to standing in the center of attention in splendid appearance, but she suddenly felt a sense of embarrassment at wearing such ragged clothes. Usually when people looked at her, it was either one of two emotions—fear or awe.

Now the guard was looking at her as if she were something trivial, and for the first time in Ophelia's life, she learned what it was like to be unimportant.

"Wait here. I'll report it to the Lord and let him know."

Not so long ago, the knight would have let Ophelia inside first and then would go to Namgil. Now, however, the knight left them waiting there.

Ophelia clenched here teeth in anger. She could not stand such disrespect. Power was a terrifying force; she had soared to great heights as empress, but then overnight she had become not much more than a fugitive.

The knight reappeared and spoke in a curt tone to Ophelia.

"The Grand Duke has allowed you to come inside."

Soojin smiled in approval then turned to Ophelia.

"Thank goodness. Please enter, Your Majesty."

"...Yes."

Ophelia walked inside, the servant outfit she was wearing somehow making her feel smaller. Mingyu silently followed behind her with a terrified look.

When the door opened, the first thing one noticed was Namgil seated proudly at the head of a table. That position was normally reserved for Ophelia. However, Namgil did not show any signs of giving up his seat to her.

'So it's like this...!'

Ophelia inwardly seethed with fury, but she could not critique Namgil's disrespectful behavior when she was the one coming to ask him for help. She schooled her features as much as possible, then spoke in an unassuming voice.

"It's good to see you again, Grand Duke Lunen."

"...I'm in a very bad mood. Tell me what you came for."

Ophelia flushed. Never had Namgil acted so arrogantly towards her before, but she was unable to voice her displeasure. She was in a more disadvantageous position before him. For the first time, she realized what it was like to be at the mercy of another person.