Approaching the anxious gazes of the two, the Empress Dowager simply ordered the expulsion of the sinner from the palace. Two meetings, two testimonies. He had gathered all the clues he could collect. Now, all that remained was to deduce Cloe’s whereabouts by combining the gathered information.

‘He did not let the witness go without consequences and did not miss any other clues.’

There must be a reason for Cedric or his accomplice not to eliminate the witness. It couldn’t be because they didn’t want to escalate the situation significantly. The existence of a witness poses a risk of ruining their plans.

Ultimately, there must be some other reason.

‘It seems to be a message telling me to find and come to him.’

Then, the next thing to find out was the time given to him.

‘They won’t hold on to Cloe for too long. There must be a set deadline.’

As he contemplated, he suddenly looked at the calendar.

Four days.
Come to think of it, his birthday was just around the corner.

Every year, Cedric sent Kun a birthday gift.

The year before last, it was a painting depicting the tragedy of the former Emperor and Empress, who were no longer in the world, mocking the tragic day. Last year, it was a letter of tired curses.

Considering his track record, this incident was likely orchestrated to coincide with this year’s birthday gift.

With his chin resting on his hand, he pondered for a while and finally rang the bell.

Shortly after, Winter, who had been waiting outside, rushed in quickly. He immediately took a stance as if he had been waiting for the moment to support his lord.

“Winter, in the name of Fried, summon the Imperial Knights of the palace.”

At the same time, Kun also stood up. Gripping the helmet on the table in his hand, he expressed his determination with a resolute voice.

“Our goal is to retrieve the missing Empress.”

⭐⭐⭐

The forest was much darker than Cloe had anticipated. The soothing sound of crickets occasionally heard from outside disappeared, and silence engulfed her.

For her, who had no tools to rely on, the darkness was an eerie presence. She couldn’t grasp her location or the surroundings in a state of complete uncertainty.

As she cautiously walked, holding onto the trees, a sinister howl echoed in the forest.

“…An animal.”

It was the sound of an animal suffering from hunger.
Suddenly, Cloe was startled. Several pairs of footsteps crowded around her. They seemed like creatures with densely packed legs, too numerous to be human.

For her, who couldn’t see what was in front of her, it was the worst situation. She was in a vague and fearful state, not knowing how close the beasts were or when they would attack.

Growl.

Soon, it loomed in front of her. The rough, beastly roar, faithful to instinct, targeting flesh.

Unable to make a sound, Cloe remained frozen in fear.

Something touched Cloe’s back as she silently retreated, having killed even the sound.

It was smaller than a tree, much larger than a beast…

“Did you come out to breathe in the dawn air, Empress?”

“…”

“Or perhaps, were you attempting to escape?”

As if it were a human’s body.

⭐⭐⭐

“Let go of me!”

Subdued, Cloe was moved with his shoulder. Despite struggling, thrashing, and using all her might to escape, she ended up back in the cabin.

Cedric, having pinned her to the ground, pushed her head up.

“Did you think you could escape, Empress?”

“…”

“Did you really think I wouldn’t know you were trying to escape? Unless you’re foolish, you wouldn’t leave my residence after placing the hostage. You’ve just fallen into my trap.”

Smirking, Cedric opened his mouth wide with a sinister smile.
“To give despair once again to the Empress who saw hope, thinking she would survive! Yes, just like me!”

Afterward, Cedric continued to mock Cloe for a while. He insisted that, unlike Callis, as long as she dedicated her life to this plan, no matter what happened, she would go to hell with him.

“Three days, Empress. In three days, you’ll become an unforgettable birthday gift for him. A corpse with an unrecognizable form! I’ll mark him with a brand. So, until then, quietly await death.”

Cruelly taunting, Cedric soon left the cabin with light footsteps.

Cloe, lying blankly on the floor, twitched for a moment.

‘Despair?’

When she realized that she, who thought she would survive and saw hope, had fallen into Cedric’s trap.

Cloe indeed felt disappointed and disheartened, just as Cedric had intended.

‘When I despair, it’s only at the moment of death.’

However, it was only momentary.

Cloe, aware that Cedric wasn’t around, immediately got up.

Seeing her not resisting despite being trapped in the cabin again, Cedric seemed to think that Cloe had given up everything. He allowed her to enjoy freedom for the last three days, loosening all the constraints.

For Cloe, this meant an opportunity to quickly challenge the next plan.
‘Cedric clearly hinted that he would kill me in three days. So, I need to escape three days ago. Whether I manage to get out on my own or someone comes to rescue me…’

In reality, Cloe knew well. Escaping on her own was impossible.

If she ran recklessly like today, the chances of being captured on the road were high. Moreover, what if she encountered him in the village after going down?

‘Kun…’

The most realistic option was to wait for Kun or his knights to come and rescue her.

If that reckless man has to run all over the empire to track down Cloe, he would.

However, that was also relative. It was almost impossible for them to find Cloe’s whereabouts without clues within three days.

‘I need to somehow let them know I’m here.’

Therefore, to increase that slim chance even a little, Cloe had to help them.

For example, she could somehow inform them of her location.

As she roamed the surroundings, looking for something useful, a certain object caught her eye.

‘Paper.’

The calendar and notebook on the table would serve as an ignition source for Cedric’s arson.