‘Arrogant…..’

The Crown Prince clenched his fist tightly.

Despite being younger and technically a subject, Dante had never once been respectful to the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince quietly gritted his teeth.

‘That illegitimate child.’

The Emperor shook his head with a sigh.

“Then I shall take my leave first. As I age, my heart grows weaker… Good work, Duke. I’ll be waiting for your report.”

“I will remain here.”

The Crown Prince raised his chin.

“Since we’re executing the leader of the rebellion, either Father or I should oversee it.”

“Do as you please.”

Dante replied with disinterested eyes as he approached the prisoner and removed his gag.

The prisoner, now able to speak, glared at Dante while gasping roughly.

“K-kill me. I have nothing more to say.”

“But I have things to hear.”

Dante said as he lightly twirled the dagger he had drawn.

“Tell me who’s behind this.”

“…!”

The prisoner’s eyes widened as if about to tear. Dante spoke again.

“Who ordered the assassination of Eduardo Lopez?”

“I said I have nothing more to say… Urgh!”

In an instant, the cold blade of the dagger hovered over the prisoner’s Adam’s apple.

Shuddering at the chilling sensation, the prisoner glared at Dante with murderous intent.

“Just kill me, you filthy murderer! You human butcher!”

Though they had both bloodied their hands, unlike himself who had the justification of putting the rightful Emperor on the throne, that man was said to kill people for fun.

Rumors were rampant that he voluntarily rushed to battlefields against barbarians, which no nobleman would support due to the extreme danger, simply because he wanted to see more bloodshed.

“To someone like you who kills for pleasure, I have not a single word to− Gahk.”

The prisoner swallowed hard as a knife was thrust between his thighs.

Kigik. The knife made a chilling sound as it scraped against the metal chair.

“As you said, I’m used to slaughtering people.”

Dante warned in a low voice, gripping the knife handle.

“I know exactly where to stab to make you spill your secrets while squealing in delight.”

Kigik, kiiiik… The knife slowly advanced further between the prisoner’s thighs.

“Hii, hiik…!”

Desperate terror filled the prisoner’s eyes.

He was wrong.

He would not be able to leave this room alive. At least not in human form.

“Tell me who’s behind this.”

Dante commanded quietly.

The prisoner’s eyes shook as if an earthquake had struck.

The fear clearly etched upon them. Yet despite this, the prisoner only trembled with tightly sealed lips, refusing to open them.

As if an even greater terror existed beyond.

‘What is it?’

Dante furrowed his brow. The trembling eyes feared something other than himself.

But in the end, nothing takes precedence over the fear right before one’s eyes. Just as Dante gripped the knife tightly−

“I-I’ll talk!”

The prisoner, staring in terror at the knife buried to the hilt between his legs, squeezed his eyes shut and shouted.

He gave up faster than expected. Quite weak-willed for a ringleader.

Of course, this was fortunate for Dante. His red gaze glanced at the clock.

About twenty minutes had passed since he left Ariana.

The prisoner opened his mouth, shaking miserably.

“Th-the culprit is, Fe…”

At that moment, Dante whirled around.

And simultaneously, thwack.

A throwing star that flew from the direction Dante turned toward pierced the prisoner’s Adam’s apple.

“Kuluk, kek…!”

The prisoner’s eyes widened as he coughed up blood a few times before quickly expiring.

“Wh-what is this?! Chase them! There’s an intruder!”

The captain of the Imperial Knights, who had been watching, cried out in shock as he summoned the soldiers.

Dante brushed the blood off his clothes with an unpleasant expression. The assassin’s presence was already rapidly fading away.

“Th-the culprit is, Fe…”

The last words the prisoner was about to utter.

Dante could easily guess what came after.

‘Ferzen Lopez.’

The son-in-law of the Lopez family, and Ariana’s biological father.

He had suspected that man was behind this.

According to the investigation, a week before the Lopez father and daughter died in a ‘carriage accident,’ there was a huge uproar at the Lopez estate.

It was revealed that Ferzen Lopez had been having an affair and even had a daughter with his mistress.

At that time, Eduardo Lopez had reportedly flown into a rare rage, insisting on an immediate divorce.

As a commoner, Ferzen would have had to give up all the privileges he enjoyed as a nobleman if divorced. He must have desperately wanted to prevent the divorce at all costs.

However, unable to persuade Eduardo, he ultimately took the lives of his father-in-law and wife before the divorce could happen…

That was as far as Dante’s deduction went.

‘So that wasn’t all.’

Dante slowly turned around.

There was an accomplice hiding in this Imperial Palace.

“Wh-what on earth is going on?! Damn it, what’s happened to the palace security?!”

The Crown Prince was raging, berating the knights.

“M-master.”

Rio approached with a bewildered face.

“What should we do? Will you pursue them?”

Though the knights were likely already in pursuit, given Dante’s personality, there was a possibility he would move personally.

“No.”

Dante said as he removed his bloodstained coat.

“We’re returning to Ariana.”

* * *

“The Duchess has gone to view the art exhibition.”

Dante turned his head towards the east corridor.

The arts festival held at the Imperial Palace on Founding Day was largely divided into two parts.

The music festival. And the art exhibition.

Unlike the music festival which began at sunset, the art exhibition was open from daytime.

As such, the east corridor of the main palace where the art exhibition was held was bustling with people.

Rio looked around, thinking.

‘Still, we should be able to find our master quickly.’

After all, he had an appearance that stood out anywhere.

Knowing that an assassin had infiltrated, he was worried about Ariana being alone.

Of course, strictly speaking, she wasn’t ‘alone’.

The guard forces hidden throughout the palace would be protecting her flawlessly.

If something had happened to Ariana, a report would have come in long ago.

Even while thinking this, Rio felt his heart growing anxious as he swiveled his head around.

Soon, Rio’s gaze stopped at one spot.

‘Why are so many people gathered there?’

He found it strange that one section of the corridor was particularly crowded with people.

“…are you?”

“I’ll say it again, I…”

He could hear the voices of a man and woman going back and forth. Judging by the somewhat agitated tone, it seemed a minor conflict had occurred.

What’s going on?

Rio stood on his tiptoes slightly. Thanks to his height advantage over others, he could see clearly into the crowd with just a small lift of his heels.

Rio’s eyes widened as he peered inside.

Standing at the center of the commotion was the master he had been anxiously searching for, Ariana.

* * *

Ariana’s purpose in visiting the art exhibition was simple.

It was because the painting that Princess Katarina was submitting this year would be sold for an incredible price three years later.

She wanted to see it in advance. Even better if she could purchase it.

‘Though I’m not sure if Her Highness will be willing to sell it to me.’

That day, the princess had left with a bright red face and hadn’t shown herself to Ariana since.

But from what she heard, it seemed the princess had looked into ways to annul the marriage.

It appeared she hadn’t completely given up on her first love.

‘In that case, she probably doesn’t have good feelings toward me either.’

In any case, now was the perfect time to appreciate the princess’s painting.

Once the sun began to set and the music festival started, it was expected to become quite noisy.

‘It was a lyrical landscape painting.’

The painting the princess was submitting this year was a serene landscape that brought peace just by looking at it.

As she looked around the corridor, picturing the soothing green that would ease her eyes, she heard a small commotion in the distance.

“Your Highness! H-how could you paint such a sensual and obscene picture?!”

Ariana turned her head toward the direction of the sound and slightly widened her eyes.

Princess Katarina was biting the inside of her cheek in embarrassment.

‘What’s wrong with them? These stuffy old men!’

While the Empire did not treat women’s art seriously, they at least showed superficial respect when it came to someone of princess status.

As such, Katarina’s painting was unveiled with quite a bit of attention.

But the moment the attendant pulled back the cloth covering the painting.

“Oh my goodness.”

“What in the…”

The two nobles standing at the very front gasped in shock and began to murmur.

The work Katarina submitted this year was a painting depicting a couple tenderly kissing.

“Your Highness! H-how could you paint such a sensual and obscene picture?!”

Count Horace, who had been hailed as the musical genius of the Empire for nearly a decade and was expected to be the first to inherit the title of music master since Eduardo Lopez, frowned deeply as he spoke.