Even if a dead person truly came back to life, it wouldn’t be as shocking as this.
“Carlyle, you were definitely dead…!”
The Emperor hurriedly closed his mouth. The incident of his murder was still being treated as top secret under Silica law.
Even though it was just a rumor, some nobles in the banquet hall were still murmuring.
Regardless, it was a matter the Emperor shouldn’t publicly mention.
“Carlyle, weren’t you dead?”
Only after asking did the emperor realize how stupid his question sounded.
“Well…”
However, Duke Carlyle responded without a hint of laughter.
“Did you… deceive me and the imperial family?”
The Emperor then decided it was okay for him to be angry.
Whether it was a misunderstanding or not, the overly calm attitude of Duke Carlyle was somewhat infuriating.
“Stay calm, Your Majesty.”
“Do I look calm right now? Why such a lie!”
Duke Carlyle spoke calmly.
“If you’re going to punish me for my wrongdoing, I’ll accept it later. But for now, dealing with the traitor should be the priority.”
“Tr…traitor?”
Lennox Carlyle glanced at Marquis Guinness, who was still staring at him as if he were a ghost.
“You should know, Your Majesty. Counterfeiting money is a grave crime akin to treason.”
“…And?”
“And among the items that nobles are allowed to produce and trade freely, there’s only one that’s equivalent to money.”
“Ah, I know that. It’s the mana stone, isn’t it?”
While answering, the Emperor seemed a bit proud. Mana stones were the only item treated as equivalent to currency.
“Yes. Then, the one who falsely claimed the existence of a non-existent mana stone mine to defraud investments from the imperial family and other houses”
Duke Carlyle signaled the waiting imperial guards.
“Shouldn’t they also be punished for treason?”
“Well, yes? But why are you telling me this…”
“Captain of the guard, take him away.”
The captain instinctively grabbed Marquis Guinness, then hesitated, wondering if it was right to follow the order of the Duke rather than the Emperor.
But the Emperor didn’t have time to scold the captain’s hesitation.
“You can’t mean… Marquis Guinness, you?!”
The Emperor was lost in the recent conversation.
“It’s not true, Your Majesty! This is an absurd frame-up! Let me go!”
Marquis Guinness resisted fiercely, but Duke Carlyle calmly replied.
“Then, we should send someone to the south to investigate. Please allow the dispatch of an inspector, Your Majesty.”
“…Permission granted. Send an inspector to the south immediately!”
“What’s going on?!”
“Marquis Guinness!”
Not only the nobles, but the imperial family also invested in the southern mana stone mine of the Guinness family.
The wedding atmosphere was ruined, and Marquis Guinness was surrounded by angry people.
Ignoring them, Lennox went straight out of the banquet hall.
“Your Majesty!”
Outside, the Duke’s secretary, Elliot, quickly followed.
“Where’s Juliet?”
“…Sir Milan and Sir Jude have gone to get her. They’ll escape the Duke’s residence soon.”
“Good.”
“What on earth…”
The loyal secretary looked at his master in disbelief.
Elliot wondered why he had staged such an event, deceiving the Emperor and other nobles. The Duke seemed completely unbothered, given that he had faked his own death.
Whether it was Juliet asking to be dead for just one day or Duke Carlyle agreeing to such a request, both seemed out of their minds.
Elliot glanced disdainfully at a silver dove-shaped trinket Carlyle was fiddling with, an item he always carried like a talisman.
“I loved you very much a long time ago.”
Lennox murmured as he gently kissed the dove’s wing.
“I’d die for you no matter how many more times.”
Anyone hearing this would think the same. They now understood the story of the king who was so enamored that he almost ruined the country.
“…I hope you have a plan for that too, Your Highness!”
The secretary grumbled.
“Look at that!”
A group of armed knights was approaching. They were soldiers from the Guinness family.
“Duke!”
It seemed the Emperor inside had seen the same thing, as he burst out of the door.
“What do we do now, Duke!”
“Take the Empress and retreat inside.”
Seeing the approaching soldiers from the Guinness family, Duke Carlyle leisurely drew his sword and spoke in a bland tone as if suggesting a walk. He was prepared for the Marquis to call in the privat soldiers.
The guests, who had gathered for the wedding, panicked when surrounded by the soldiers.
“Should we take the Marquis as a hostage?”
“A waste of time. Just lock the doors and wait for reinforcements.”
“…Understood!”
The Emperor, despite his old age, acted swiftly.
“Let’s go, Empress!”
Following the Duke’s advice, the Emperor quickly retreated inside with the Empress. Other panicking nobles followed them.
Marquis Guinness’s men tried to chase the Emperor for a moment but were blocked by the Duke’s knights.
Thud!
And before their eyes, they saw the sight of the Marquis riding a horse, escaping from the palace.
“Are you alright, Marquis?”
Having been rescued by his subordinates, Marquis Guiness hesitated for a moment, but the moment he drew his sword against the Emperor, he had no choice.
After all, if they couldn’t kill Duke Carlyle today, capturing the Emperor would be just as pointless.
Moreover, the sight of the Duke effortlessly escaping the temple alone was too tempting to ignore.
“Should we chase the Duke?”
Feeling as if he had no choice, the Marquis ordered:
“Damn it, deal with the Duke first!”
Of course, both the speaker and the listener felt that the word ‘deal’ sounded quite preposterous.
But they had no choice.
The steed of Duke Carlyle headed towards the outskirts of the capital, pushing aside Marquis Guinness’s subordinates.
It seemed as if he had a predetermined destination in mind.
“Catch him!”
Duke Carlyle, who had been galloping for a while, finally halted at the ruins of an abandoned temple on the outskirts.
As the Duke stood still atop his horse, looking back at them, the soldiers who had followed also stopped at a certain distance.
With their overwhelming numerical advantage, the subordinates of Marquis Guinness became arrogant.
“Ha! Even a Swordmaster is no big deal, is he?”
The Marquis’s subordinates sneered sinisterly.
“Did you choose this as your grave?”
“An abandoned temple. Quite the noble taste, befitting the Duke!”
Despite the provocations, Lennox calmly surveyed his surroundings.
“Yes, this seems appropriate.”
The soft voice of Duke Carlyle was strangely clear without raising its volume.
And in the next moment, a sword appeared in his hand.
Having seen the legendary blade of the Duke, the subordinates momentarily flinched. The entire sword, including the blade that suddenly appeared out of thin air without even a scabbard, was pitch black..
For a moment, Lennox lost himself in an unexpected appreciation.
During the months he desperately tried to win Juliet’s affection by bringing her to the southernmost point and holding her under the pretense of a contract, Lennox realized that the refined hobbies and things Juliet might like didn’t suit him.
He probably would never get used to them.
But he had something to offer her.
At least he was confident he could keep one promise with her.
“Because someone got angry.”
“…?”
“She told me to promise not to kill anyone in front of others.”
Lennox smirked.
“But it’s fine here since there’s no one to watch.”
The Marquis’s subordinates, blinking, realized the meaning of his words a beat too late.
“Master!”
As Lennox wiped the blood from his blade onto the robes of a fallen soldier and looked up,
“Are you alright?”
A group of knights was rushing towards them. Leading them was a dark-skinned man.
It was Hadin, a close confidant of the duke.
“You came early.”
Lennox responded coldly.
The situation at the abandoned temple was swiftly resolved. From the start, Marquis Guiness, who lacked the necessary forces for a rebellion, should have concentrated on either getting the Emperor out of the palace or killing the Duke of Carlyle.
However, being overly cautious, the Duke hesitated, splitting his limited forces, leading to their defeat.
“I’m glad you’re safe.”
Hadin sighed in relief, but Lennox noticed blood on his arm.
“You went to the palace?”
“Yes, I’ve captured the Marquis alive.”
Hadin reported calmly.
Knowing that the Marquis’s soldiers had gone after the Duke, Hadin decided that capturing Marquis Guiness, who was surrounding the imperial palace, was a priority.
Ultimately, the knights of the Duke’s house captured Marquis Guiness and rescued the Emperor’s party before coming to their master.
The Duke’s earlier tease about them being early was because of this. And their master didn’t reprimand their unilateral decision.
“What about Juliet?”
“She’s still at the Duke’s residence. Sir Milan and Sir Jude are with her, so we should hear from them soon.”
“That’s unpredictable.”
Lennox stood up, seeming deep in thought.
“Are you going there yourself?”
As Hadin asked, he suddenly realized where they were.
Exactly 7 years ago in the summer, it was right at this temple ruin where they found a blood-soaked woman.
“I said I’d go get her.”
With a blunt reply, Lennox casually wiped his bloodied hands.
It was a one-sided promise, but anyway, Lennox had said that to Juliet. Even if Juliet didn’t care, he intended to keep it.
“Then, I’ll escort you to the Duke’s residence.”
Hadin nodded and started walking.
In truth, even though the appointed time had passed, there was no communication from the knights who went to the Duke’s residence, making Hadin somewhat anxious.
Clang!
But before Hadin could take more than a few steps, a strange noise was heard from behind.
Turning around, Hadin was shocked.
“Master?”
With his sword plunged into the ground, Duke Carlyle was kneeling halfway.
“Damn it.”
Lennox felt a sudden dizziness and a ringing in his ears.
Staggering, he relied on his sword to stay upright.
It was then that a slender black panther appeared before him.
“Master!”
The shouts of Hadin and the other knights seemed to fall on deaf ears, not reaching Lennox.