143.

“Where exactly are we going?”

“Don’t worry. We’re almost there.”

Each time the exchange repeated, and as the man boldly advanced deeper into the palace grounds, Owen grew increasingly suspicious. The man seemed to know every corner of the imperial fortress intimately—not just the pathways, but also precisely when and how the knights and servants moved. For instance, so far they hadn’t encountered a single servant, let alone a knight. Suspicion began to creep up steadily.

Yet the hostage Owen held was Rosetta. And so, whether the man was human, demon, or monster, he was ready to join hands with him. Just as he had, long ago, when he believed Rosetta had completely… vanished.

“Here. This is it.”

And when Owen finally came to a complete stop…

“You’re insane.”

Cardier had no choice but to admit the man was utterly out of his mind. After all, the place where he stood was right before the private palace bestowed by the Emperor upon his beloved Imperial Princess. Beyond the iron gate lay the infamous garden forbidden to men.

The vulgar rumors surrounding the Imperial Princess because of this garden were beyond description. The public claimed she despised men, and after she began wearing trousers, whispers spread that she wished to become a man herself. In any case, one conclusion was clear: this was a place no one dared trespass, and must not trespass.

“Go on, climb over.”

“You’re truly mad.”

Cardier looked him up and down without hiding his contempt. But Owen wore an utterly shameless expression, as if this were the most natural thing in the world.

“Your wife is imprisoned in a place we cannot enter. Only the imperial family knows of its existence, let alone access it.”

“How could you possibly—”

“I guarantee it. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Anyway, at worst, entering here risks only our eyesight. But if we enter and exit the secret passage without imperial accompaniment, it won’t be our eyes that are gouged out—it’ll be our entire house torn from the Empire.”

It seemed Owen was convinced Rosetta was being held in a space used by the imperial family—the so-called ‘secret passage,’ half-legendary in nature. And Owen wasn’t wrong in what he said. Still, no matter how desperate the situation, forcibly intruding upon another’s private domain felt deeply wrong. Yet the tension between reason and morality was resolved surprisingly easily. Just then, a savior appeared.

“Marquis Montrosa? And next to you… the Marquis Conchester’s steward?”

A woman in slightly relaxed muslin attire, who had just descended into the garden, spotted them from afar and raised her voice. She took a robe from her attendant standing beside her, draped it over her shoulders, and approached with a stern expression.

“What on earth is going on here?”

“Your Highness, I have urgent matters to—”

“We request immediate access to the imperial family’s secret passage.”

Unlike Owen, who was about to elaborate in detail, Cardier’s direct demand caused the Imperial Princess to widen her eyes in surprise. Owen jabbed Cardier sharply in the ribs with his elbow. The Imperial Princess, eyes still wide, glanced around her surroundings.

“First… come inside before anyone sees you.”

A side door, which they hadn’t even noticed existed, swung open, and they were immediately ushered by the Imperial Princess into her office. Cardier noticed the number of maids residing within the private palace had significantly decreased. Soon, the door was firmly shut. The Imperial Princess perched herself on the large desk in the office and went straight to the point.

“I promise I will hear your request—if you answer my questions truthfully.”

She continued, raising a finger.

“First question: how did you manage to reach here without being seen by the Crown Princess?”

The question was sharp. Cardier involuntarily glanced at Owen’s face—after all, he had been wondering the same thing. Owen, pale and trembling, bit his lips tightly and prostrated himself before the Imperial Princess.

“I confess my grave fault. Until just a few months ago, I was working for that woman. She believed I was still her loyal subordinate, so extracting internal patrol information wasn’t difficult.”

“Why did you follow her?”

“At first, mere curiosity. Then… I mistakenly believed the sorcery she practiced was a ‘miracle.’”

What a fool. Cardier muttered a curse under his breath. The Imperial Princess seemed to have the same thought—the faintest trace of contempt flickered across her expression.

“Very well. Second question: Montrosa’s Vice Admiral entered the capital yesterday, so that’s plausible—but how are you still fully conscious?”

“That’s actually something I’d like to ask Your Highness.”

Owen’s impudent reply earned a scoff from the Imperial Princess.

“Are you questioning me now?”

“My apologies. But that woman can easily change her appearance, so…”

Waving off Owen’s lengthy excuses, the Imperial Princess gestured with her hand for him to stop. Then she lifted the bracelet on her wrist. Made of red rowan wood, the bracelet looked plain and shabby—unfit for someone of her status.

“This is a sacred relic gifted to me by His Majesty the Emperor when I turned ten. He said it has the power to purify poisons that penetrate the body.”

With a bored expression, the Imperial Princess let out a sigh.

“If I take it off, I immediately feel dizzy. Are your doubts now settled?”

“Yes. Then it’s my turn to explain.”

Owen pulled a small pouch from within his clothes. Inside were several dried root-like fragments, each about the length of two fingertips. Cardier thought they resembled dried, severed human fingers. Owen picked one up and continued explaining.

“The poison spreading through the palace and the capital induces gradual loss of vitality and hallucinations upon prolonged exposure. These roots are the antidote.”

“Roots?”

“The roots of that flower in the garden. I don’t know its name, but it grows by feeding on human flesh.”

Silent shock rippled through the room. The Imperial Princess’s face first turned deathly pale, then flushed with rage the next moment.

“Human flesh?”

“Yes. She claimed her goal was to become a god. For that, she needs both the Marquis Montrosa’s wife’s body and that flower.”

The Imperial Princess seemed unable to decide which piece of sudden information shocked her most. Cardier clenched his fists, trembling with fury, and spat through gritted teeth.

“So you’re telling me my wife is trapped somewhere in one of these filthy passages?”

“Exactly. Unfortunately, she’s most likely imprisoned in one of the palace’s secret underground passages—perhaps even a hidden dungeon.”

“I understand what you’ve said.”

The Imperial Princess fell into brief thought.

“I’ve heard nothing of the Marquise’s disappearance. But…” She glanced sideways at Cardier. “If it weren’t the Marquis Conchester’s steward, but you saying this, I would have to believe it. However…”

“……”

“I myself cannot move freely. His Majesty has been unconscious for a long time, and every single letter I send outside the palace is monitored. The only ones not under the Crown Princess’s control are…”

Her pitiful gaze turned toward the maid standing by the wall.

“People like her.”

“Whatever you wish, I will carry out. If you command me to be your sword, I will be. If you tell me to bark, I will.”

“……”

“If it means I can get my wife back, what hardship could there be?”

The Imperial Princess widened her eyes in disbelief, as if fortune had unexpectedly fallen into her lap. Then, after a moment, she burst into loud laughter.

“If that’s your resolve, then good.”

She hopped down from the desk, immediately dipped a quill deeply into ink, and wrote a long letter on parchment. At the end, she stamped it with the royal seal and carefully sealed it with wax. Then she handed the letter to Cardier.

“I will guide you through the imperial secret passage. Once you find the Marquise, take this letter straight to General Duval. He’s stationed not far from the capital, along with my private troops. Deliver this to him.”

“Understood.”

“I’ll also issue a mobilization order to the private armies of the houses that support me. When the beacon fires are lit, they will respond.”

Owen’s eyes widened, and he interjected.

“But Your Highness, if His Majesty is truly unconscious, advancing an army into the capital will be seen as treason. And issuing a private army mobilization order? That’s the Emperor’s exclusive right…”

Owen reflexively recited the principle, but trailed off upon seeing the Imperial Princess’s bold smile. Truthfully, Owen was correct. Marching an army into the capital while the Emperor lay unconscious was indeed an act of treason. And even more so if the intent was to attack the Crown Prince and his consort?

If successful, the Imperial Princess would become Empress. But if they failed, history would record them merely as traitors. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Owen instinctively stepped back. But the Imperial Princess blocked his retreat just a moment faster. She opened her mouth with a gentle smile.

“I’ve always vowed never to live like my elder sister Adriana.”

It was well known that the Emperor regarded his daughters not as potential heirs, but as commodities to be sold at high price for national gain. Despite the Empress’s daughters possessing more complete bloodlines, the Crown Prince was the son born to this Empress. That was the calculation behind sending the first princess, Adriana, off to a foreign royal family.

“I don’t care how much national wealth that transaction brought. I simply can’t stand the idea of living day after day, as a woman, waiting only for marriage.”

“……”

“Before dawn breaks tomorrow.”

The Imperial Princess continued, her eyes sparkling. Her confidence was so absolute it felt almost prophetic.

“I will place the Emperor’s crown upon my own head.”

* * *

Buzz… buzz…

Rosetta pulled out from beneath her clothes, with trembling hands, the thick key she had kept hidden around her neck. Now it was hot, heavy, and vibrating faintly, as if resonating with something nearby. She swallowed hard.

“The Calypso Box is nearby. That’s certain.”