“You did well. If you hadn’t killed them, I would have been the one to suffer.”

“Is it really well done?”

Shade didn’t shake off his doubt.

Though his face was expressionless, his slightly downturned eyebrows made him look lonely or sulky.

Douglas and Owen each spoke a word.

“Isn’t Shade’s duty to protect you, Your Highness? He performed the task, not killing someone. Well done.”

“Lord Nettleton is right. If it weren’t for Shade, all of us would have died. You did really well. Thank you.”

Only then did Shade seem relieved.
Franz suddenly felt that Shade seemed like a younger boy than himself.

“Is he twenty already? He looks too young to receive a knighthood. His stealth skills are impressive… What is Shade’s true identity?”

While deeply lost in thought, Douglas offered advice to Franz.

“It might be good to inquire about it promptly, Your Highness.”

“The guys involved in the crown prince’s assassination seem sloppy. Where’s an assassin who flees just because a comrade died? The numbers are too few as well.”

Staring at the corpses, Franz stroked his chin.

Douglas also looked suspicious.

“They might have aimed for Your Highness.”

“Only one person, other than us, would have noticed that I have the seal.”

“Who is it?”

“My Chief Minister, Cares.”

At the mention of Cares, Douglas’s complexion changed.

Owen also swallowed hard.

“Isn’t he an acknowledged loyalist of Her Majesty?”

“He’s a loyalist to Her Majesty, but whether he is to me… ”

Franz replied with a bitter tone.

“If they noticed that I have the seal, they would have been surprised later. But whether I carry the seal with me or keep it elsewhere, even my Chief Minister doesn’t know. Would they send assassins to snatch the seal that may or may not exist? It’s strange.”

“If it’s the Chief Minister, who is known for his thorough personality, it’s even more suspicious.”

Douglas nodded.

Owen asked again, “Does this imply there’s someone behind them?”

“It’s possible. Or it may not be.”

“Hmm…”

“Maybe they tested me? To see who I meet and what I plan. Or who guards me.”

“Have you seen someone losing their life?”

Owen frowned.

The blood flowing from the corpse dripped onto his shoe sole.

Franz murmured in a low voice, “It doesn’t seem to end with just one time. It’s going to get more complicated.”

How can I summon Nikolai’s beast?

Arkanso replied, “The beast is hidden in Your Majesty’s subconscious. He will reveal himself only when he is starving. When the time is ripe, use the eyes of Morasinsia.”

He firmly secured a small leather crossbody bag.

Inside the bag were the eyes of Morasinsia and a piece of ice.

Until now, I have tested the first elixir on several people.

There were individual differences, but only two people showed no red stains.

“Nikolai and Susan. Susan could only see green smoke. Nikolai had nothing visible. I thought he was empty, but I don’t know if something was blocking the view.”

Curiosity, fear, and tension clawed and passed through the stomach.

Nikolai led me through the dark streets without hesitation.

Passing the common graveyard of the aristocrats, he turned into a path covered with bushes.

As the temple’s bell tower was not visible, I started to feel uneasy.

An unknown insect buzzed, making a buzzing sound.

Nikolai remained silent.

The grip on the hand that caught me tightened slightly.
“Where are you going? It’s so dark like this.”

The only thing illuminating our path was the full moon.

Anyone who has walked on a night road without lights would know.

The moonlight is brighter than expected.

But for someone like me, accustomed to the LED fluorescent lamps and the bright lights of the city, the moonlight was not much of a comfort.

It was even more so in the middle of an unnamed forest.

“I have something to show you.”

Nikolai’s deep voice broke the silence.

“What is it?”

“You’ll find out soon. Be careful not to fall.”

He went into a crevice between rocks.

It was a narrow path that required shrugging shoulders and twisting the body to pass through.

Between wet stones, damp moss, and the smell of decaying leaves, a sweet fragrance was mixed.

A space opened up through the crevice between the rocks.

“Wow…!”

I sighed unconsciously.

It was because a huge flower field, appearing as if a white carpet had been laid out, came into view.

The field, surrounded by rock screens, was filled with densely packed small white flowers.

It looked as if the flowers were emitting light by themselves, bathed in the light of the full moon.

Sitting down, I deeply breathed in the fragrance.

“I never expected to find a flower field like this. How did you know about this place?”

Intoxicated by the gentle fragrance, I looked up at Nikolai.

While bathed in moonlight, he asked.

“Do you also like flowers?”

The pain was so sharp that it almost dulled the beauty of the flowers.

The mysterious atmosphere of the night also dissipated.

The gratitude for bringing me to this flower field disappeared without a trace.

Because he couldn’t possibly like flowers without knowing the fragrance.

“Did Lady Laila also like flowers?”

Why did only blunt words come out?

It’s already in the past.

The past has no power, and Laila has left this world.

An inexplicable sadness messed with my mind.

The fact that he brought me to a place filled with memories of Laila stabbed my heart.

“You’re just a substitute for her.”

It felt like he was saying it in that way.

“Let’s go back.”

I understand that I seem capricious and irritable.

But it didn’t go the way I wanted.

If only he would get hurt a little too, would that be too selfish?

“Elizabeth.”

Nikolai grabbed my hand.

It was still warm, but I could no longer bear it.

“Let go. I want to be alone.”

I tried to pull my hand away and lost my balance.

Holding onto his clothes when I fell, or putting my knees down, was never intentional.

“Oops…!”