Latil checked her watch. It was one in the morning. Usually, she would be asleep at this time, but she was already wide awake.

“Bring me my clothes.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

After instructing the maid to bring her clothes, Latil spoke to the chief servant.

“Let’s go there now.”

Even though Latil usually emphasized mobility in her work attire, she dressed lighter than usual and walked straight to the prison.

As Latil entered the underground prison, two guards lit the way from either side. Were they happy because they could soon reveal the emperor’s assassin? Latil felt that they were worried but also enjoying the situation.

However, Latil, who had ordered this, felt numb. It wasn’t long since she had heard that someone had taken advantage of the chaos to visit the prison.

“Your Majesty? Is your ear hurting?”

“Huh?”

“You keep touching your ear……”

“Ah, no.”

Only when asked by Serneut did Latil realize that she had been absentmindedly touching the spot where the cold hand had brushed against her in her sleep. Her attention was constantly diverted elsewhere. It seemed she had subconsciously remembered that incident.

‘Was I pressed by the scissors?’

Even a normal person, no, even a trained person, couldn’t have escaped from the room in a few seconds. So it must have been that there was no one……

‘Just in case, I should close the window from now on.’

Meanwhile.

Before they knew it, they had arrived at the underground 2nd floor prison where the prisoner was locked up. The criminal was caught in the same place and in the same condition as yesterday.

Latil looked down at him. The captured criminal seemed confused and surprised that he had been caught so easily.

“Did you have a good trip?”

When Latil bent slightly at the waist to meet his eyes and smiled, the criminal’s face finally distorted.

“Could it be……”

“Yeah. I intentionally let you go.”

“!”

“You left immediately, didn’t you?”

The criminal, who seemed to have not expected this at all, made a strange sound as if he was choked and then relieved. He looked wronged in many ways. Quite amusing.

“Why would you confess to a crime you didn’t commit?”

As Latil scolded him with a click of her tongue, the assassin bit his lower lip.

“I’m pretty sure you’re not the real culprit. Reason one. You ‘confessed’ but ran away at the first opportunity. Reason two. Your escape skills are a mess. Reason three. Your martial arts skills are poor for an emperor’s assassin. I won’t touch on other characterrelated issues.”

As Latil listed the reasons, the assassin looked up at her with a face that looked as if his soul had almost escaped.

Latil, with her hand in her pocket, approached him and looked down at him with a suggestion.

“Why did you confess to someone else’s crime? Start from there.”

“…….”

“I don’t like seeing blood or anything, mister. Just be honest. Were you threatened into confessing? If so, I can help you.”

When Latil asked with the kind smile she had shown before executing Prince Tela, both the chief servant and Knight Commander Serneut averted their eyes. They had already seen what would follow that smile.

But the assassin, who didn’t know this, looked up at Latil with trembling lips. Latil tried her best to appear merciful.

Finally, the assassin, who had been hesitating for a long time, slowly opened his mouth.

“Tela.”

But before he could finish speaking, he suddenly threw his head back and a massive amount of blood spewed from his mouth.

Usually, when someone bleeds, the blood drips downward. But the blood he spewed spurted upwards like a fountain, staining the ceiling before finally falling to the floor. Startled cries broke out from all sides.

“Your Majesty!”

Sonnaught quickly spread out his cloak to cover Latil.

The blood fountain didn’t last long. The man who had created such a grotesque scene swayed as though all the blood in his body had been drained, convulsing one last time with blood froth around his mouth.

Latil, grimacing, approached the offender. The knights tried to stop her, but Latil brushed them aside and came right up to the culprit.

The assassin’s eyes were completely rolled back, and a dreadful gurgling sound came from his throat.

“Praise… the lord…”

The imposter assassin, who had been mumbling even with blood froth in his mouth, eventually dropped his head as if his life had left him.

“It’s a curse, a curse!”

One of the knights cried out in terror. The other knights didn’t say anything, but the situation looked similar. Some were moving their lips quickly, praying without making a sound.

“Call a priest. Don’t touch the body, just in case.”

Latil, looking down at the dead assassin, gave her orders. The knights scattered and Sonnaught, whose cloak was drenched with blood, asked.

“You should clean up just in case, Your Majesty.”

When Latil appeared here and there, bloodstained, the maidservants were in chaos. Still, Latil was in a much better situation.

The steward and the other knights were a complete mess. Especially Sonnaught, who had given his outer garment to Latil, was frightening to look at, so drenched in blood.

As the maidservants and servants looked at him with stiff faces, Sonnaught gave an awkward smile and said goodbye to Latil.

“Please rest easy, Your Majesty. I will now take my leave.”

“Sonnaught. Wait.”

But Latil stopped Sonnaught who was trying to leave.

“Yes. What is it?”

Sonnaught turned his head in confusion. Latil pointed to her room with her finger.

“Go take a bath.”

“!”

“Where do you think you’re going, looking like that? You’ll be arrested as soon as you step outside.”

As Latil said this with a smile, Sonnaught glanced at his outerwear that had completely changed color from the blood, and reluctantly nodded, entering the room.

“Your Majesty should bathe first.”

“I didn’t get much on me. I do need to wash up for my peace of mind, but you go first.”

As Latil waved her hand and pointed to the bathroom, Sonnaught hesitated again, as if he wasn’t sure if he should.

But as drops of blood fell from Sonnaught onto the carpet, the expressions of the maidservants darkened, so Sonnaught quickly entered the bathroom without any more hesitation.

Meanwhile, Latil, sitting on the armchair, went over the words left by the culprit before he died. Tella… the Lord.

Why did the culprit say Tella’s name? Could the culprit be Tella? What are the chances?

‘No way.’

Latil shook her head at the possibility that Tella could have survived and spread this curse. That’s ridiculous. He was beheaded.

‘Ah! Perhaps Tella’s supporters assassinated the former Emperor?’

For now, this was the most likely possibility.

‘Yeah. Maybe this whole confession play was orchestrated by Tella’s supporters. If they can’t accept me as Emperor.’

This was also a high possibility. Latil clenched her teeth at the feeling of her face cooling. Even in death, her stepbrother was incredibly annoying.

Then, the bathroom door creaked open.

“Are you done bathing?”

So, is it my turn now? Latil turned her head without thinking, and then jumped up from the bed in surprise.

Sonnaught was standing there hesitantly, wrapped in just a towel around his waist.

“Why are you coming out naked!”

Latil’s question, which meant ‘are you crazy’, was answered by Sonnaught in a voice as calm as he could muster.

“I don’t have any clothes to change into.”

But unlike his calm voice, his ears and neck were all red.

“Ah.”