“You’re telling me that someone drew this and ran away in 7 minutes? Even carrying a bucket of paint would have been noticeable! Are you saying there were no suspicious individuals, or that you just didn’t notice them?”
As Latil’s voice suddenly raised, the soldiers flinched and lowered their eyes. The words ‘useless idiots’ nearly slipped out of Latil’s mouth, but she barely managed to hold them back.
Instead of berating the soldiers further, Latil composed her breath and signaled them to return to their original positions. The soldiers, albeit anxious, returned to their ranks.
“Knight Commander.”
As the soldiers left, Latil called for Sonnaught. Due to her unusual tone, Sonnaught came forward with a serious expression.
“Yes.”
“Determine the accountability of the related individuals.”
Latil didn’t even use honorifics with Sonnaught as she usually would. It was a silent signal to not mix personal emotions in this investigation and to carry it out properly.
“Yes.”
At that moment, the soldier who first discovered the scene hesitantly raised his hand.
“Your Majesty… It’s not just the symbol. There was also this letter envelope lying nearby.”
As Latil swiftly turned her head to look, the soldier momentarily retreated out of surprise. Realizing his mistake a moment later, he quickly stepped forward again and handed her the letter with both hands.
Latil quickly skimmed the letter, checking the front and back. The letter did not contain the sender or recipient.
‘Did the culprit leave this behind?’
Thinking she should take it for now, Latil collected the letter and gave an order.
“Commander of the Guards!”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Follow me.”
[This is the time separator]As soon as Latil entered her office, she gave an order without even sitting down.
“We must find out who did this. This incident is a blasphemy against the royal family. It is disrespect towards the late emperor, an unfortunate event. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Caught by surprise, the Commander of the Guards could only bow in response from the doorway where he had stopped.
“How dare they…”
Latil clenched her fist in anger, unable to calm her nerves. Thinking about the disrespect to her late father who didn’t pass away peacefully only fanned her rage.
However, Latil soon regained her rationality. Now was not the time to give into anger. She had to find the culprit first.
Latil gestured for the stillstanding Commander of the Guards to come closer. As he approached, she immediately threw a question at him.
“Commander of the Guards. What do you think?”
“Pardon?”
“Do you think this incident is related to the assassin who killed the emperor?”
“Well… Your Majesty, there is something I need to tell you.”
“Speak.”
“It’s about the symbol drawn in black paint. It looks like a symbol used by an assassin group. I’m not certain, but…”
Latil, taken aback by the Commander’s words, quickly questioned him.
“An assassin group? Which assassin group are you talking about?”
The Commander replied with a troubled expression.
“I’m not sure. The pattern is similar to one I’ve seen, so we need to investigate further…”
“It’s a symbol used by the Black Forest.”
The one who interjected was Sonnaught. Surprised by Sonnaught’s interruption, Latil turned to him and asked.
“Do you know about it, Knight Sonnaught?”
“Yes.”
Sonnaught replied calmly.
“It’s a wellknown assassin group.”
“Wellknown? I’ve never heard of them.”
“Even if they are famous, they are still assassins. Even if they are wellknown, it’s amongst themselves, so it’s natural for you not to know.”
“How did you know that?” Latil was momentarily puzzled, but she soon folded up that question. Somehow, he must have known. The important thing now was not Sonnaught.
Sonnaught continued speaking.
“Besides their skills, every time they solve a case and leave, they always leave that unique mark of theirs, which makes them even more famous.”
“So, the fact that such a group went to Abamama’s tomb and left such a mark means that there’s a high possibility they were the ones who assassinated Abamama.”
“Yes. I guess that’s probably the case. But what’s strange is…”
“Why did they engrave the pattern after so much time had passed. Right?”
“Yes.”
“Then, it could be the work of the Black Forest, or not. Since the symbol isn’t a complicated picture, anyone could draw it. If they wanted to pin it on the Black Forest, they could easily leave it.”
“Yes. That’s also my thought.”
“…….”
Latil crossed her arms and thought for a moment before asking Sonnaught again.
“Sonnaught. Has this happened before?”
“What do you mean?”
“Has there been a previous instance where someone else misused the mark of the Black Forest?”
“Yes. There were a few times.”
“Did the Black Forest just let it go? Leaving a mark like this means they want to brag about their crimes. Those guys have strong pride, right? They would hate being impersonated.”
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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