Lenev pointed out several individuals from among the many people in the hall.
“Those are the Emperor’s secret guards, aren’t they?”
Dhan didn’t answer, but he couldn’t hide his flushed expression.
“It seemed odd for them to roam around the hall so conspicuously, avoiding drawing attention.”
“……You’ve already noticed.”
“Am I the one they are watching? Right?”
Though the question was speculative, Dhan, after a momentary blink, put on a serious face.
“Would you care to explain how you reached that conclusion?”
“The fact is… I have enemies who might seek revenge. The palace gates are wide open today due to the Emperor’s birthday. So, today would be an opportune moment.”
Dhan hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“Then it’s a good thing we’re talking. I recommend staying in a conspicuous location.”
“……”
Upon Lenev’s intense gaze, Dhan spoke again.
“We’re investigating some suspicious circumstances, but we haven’t yet fully grasped the adversary’s plan.”
He seemed reluctant to worry Lenev without certainty.
“I appreciate your honesty, Lord Dhan.”
Dhan sighed softly.
“I must also inform His Majesty as soon as possible.”
Lenev glanced around the hall and soon found Ikar engaged in conversation with the nobles.
“Your Majesty, there’s something urgent to report.”
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Ikar excused himself from the nobles and left them. The three immediately moved to a room near the hall.
As Dhan explained the situation to Ikar, his brow furrowed.
“Although I assume you would handle it wisely, I thought it best to inform you. Emperor’s birthday, palace infiltration, black coin.”
An anonymous letter that arrived before Ikar not long ago had a somewhat familiar handwriting.
Ikar had been a mercenary up until he became emperor. It seemed that he had been targeted due to connections from those days.
Even among the same mercenary group, factions were bound to be formed.
In the language of mercenaries, a “black coin” was a euphemism for heinous crimes like murder and kidnapping.
When assigning such tasks, they kept things anonymous. Neither the client nor the executing mercenary would know each other’s identity.
This way, if the mission failed, the identity of the client would remain undisclosed.
This method had almost tripped up Ikar. If it weren’t for an anonymous tipster.
Because one could not identify who was attempting to harm whom.
It was even unclear whether the target was male or female, or whether the intent was murder or kidnapping.
However, the anonymous tipster left a hint about the target by drawing a small dove.
The dove was a symbol of peace recognized throughout the continent, leading him to conclude that the target was one of the invited dignitaries.
Ikar put all his effort into security, more than ever, especially for the safety of Renev, one of the four dignitaries. Of course, without letting it show.
The requester, noticing the strict security, might postpone the operation.
That would be more troublesome, so he intended to catch the perpetrator right before the crime today.
“Who is trying to harm Her Grace?”
“Sorry, I can’t tell you that.”
Ikar’s eyes narrowed further at Renev’s response.
“Why?”
Ikar asked, but Renev looked away, her lips tightly sealed.
She couldn’t say that Ashika was trying to harm her.
Just by sending each other gifts, Ikar would have noticed the tension between Renev and Ashika.
While it could be dismissed as female rivalry, this time was different.
Ikar would dig deeper into the relationship between Renev and Ashika, and Renev could see no way to explain it.
In a past life, she had been the empress, and Ashika was the concubine of her former husband, the emperor.
Who would believe such a tale?
Therefore, Renev chose to keep her lips sealed. Fortunately, Ikar did not press further.
“At least we have some progress. We’ve identified the target.”
Dehan broke the heavy silence and spoke. Ikar nodded lightly, agreeing, and kept his mouth shut, lost in thought.
Once again breaking the silence, Renev spoke up.
“May I borrow Your Majesty’s secret guards for a moment?”
Ikar’s eyes narrowed.
“Do you intend to act as bait?”
Male lead is a Love-Obsessed Merman
When he discovers she has gone, he risks everything to pursue her on land, enduring agonizing pain to transform his tail into human legs…
One-line summary: Male lead chases female lead. The male lead’s love is a bit sick, an invincible love brain.
Synopsis
During a voyage at sea, Jiang Yang accidentally captures a merman.
Servant: I heard that mermen are fierce and brutal.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman obediently rubbing her palm like a puppy: “You call this fierce and brutal?”
Servant: I heard that mermen have no human nature.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman with wet puppy eyes, obsessively calling her ‘A Yang’ like a childish infant: “You call this having no human nature?”
With great difficulty, she releases the merman back into the sea and returns to shore.
Who would have thought that in less than half a month, the merman, who should have been freely wandering in the South China Sea, would shed his scales, endure the pain of losing his tail, transform into human legs, and come ashore to find her?
He kneels at her feet, rubbing her palm, with merman tears rolling down: “A Yang, don’t abandon me.”
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