Emilia couldn’t say a word.

It was already shocking that he introduced her as his replacement, but to think that person was Christina? She became increasingly certain that Alessandro might have planned to disguise her as a dead person here.

Christina was as motionless as a dead person. Her face was covered in black dust, and her burst lips were not just cracked but swollen.

Her quiet, closed-eyed appearance looked so much like a dead person that it was increasingly chilling.

“…Is she alright? Has she lost consciousness?”

“She’s lost consciousness. Forever.”

It was a spine-chilling statement. Alessandro’s face, looking down at Christina as if it were nothing, still had a vile smile on it.

“You said you were planning to return to the palace. But why.”

“I need to return in one piece, but you can’t. Troublesome things would cling to you.”

Alessandro threw the black cloth back over Christina as if tossing it, then turned his body sideways. Emilia’s gaze continued to follow him as he walked towards the window.

“When we return, you can just live quietly in my separate quarters. Without any worries.”

Despite the extremely serious situation, Alessandro looked far too happy. He even seemed relaxed, as if he undoubtedly believed things would proceed as he had planned.

Emilia quietly stared at Alessandro’s back as he slightly parted the curtain with a stiff face. She couldn’t just stay still like this. It seemed pointless to exchange more words with him.

And she felt a desire to twist the plans of that mortal enemy even a little bit.

Her hands tied behind her back had already been secretly wriggling to get free, so now she started trying with her feet as well.

Alessandro’s eyes, which had been looking out the window as if waiting for someone, widened as if pleased.

Knock knock.

Soon after, a knocking sound was heard. Alessandro rushed to the door without hesitation and unlocked the padlock.

“You came quickly. When should we return?”

Alessandro asked without even giving the black-masked person a chance to enter. It was a question based on the assumption that Enrico had naturally accepted his threat.

Emilia realized that this moment, with Alessandro’s back turned, was her last chance.

So even though her wrists were scratched and burning pain surged through her skin, she gritted her teeth and struggled to remove the rope binding her wrists.

“I apologize. The knights will soon storm this place.”

“What?”

Emilia’s eyes widened in surprise. She was so shocked that she momentarily stopped moving her hands, and blankly stared at the large-bodied black-masked person blocking the doorway.

“Duke Enrico Michele rejected the proposal. And it seems he has figured out this location.”

“How dare… How dare he reject my proposal?”

“…I apologize.”

“He doesn’t care if that woman dies?”

Alessandro pointed his finger at Emilia, his eyes bulging.

“He said nothing about that.”

“Then what about my throne? The things I should enjoy!”

“…”

“This is treason. How dare he not only stab me in the back but also kick away the chance I graciously offered?”

Who exactly stabbed whom in the back? Like someone who enjoyed murder without reason, he acted as if he had lost all logic and reason long ago.

The black-masked person watched Alessandro’s solo tantrum impassively, as if unsurprised, then suddenly walked towards Emilia.

“Then what should we do with this woman?”

The black-masked person asked while gripping the back of the chair Emilia was tied to, as if they had become one. While doing so, he secretly lowered his hand and carefully placed a very small knife in Emilia’s hand.

‘Why this all of a sudden?’

Emilia glanced at the black-masked person, but his eyes never left Alessandro. Alessandro, who was hitting the wall and screaming, seemed to have no time to pay attention to her.

The black-masked person didn’t stop at giving her the knife, but began to fiddle with the knot of the rope binding her.

‘Is he really helping me escape? Why?’

Though it was an incomprehensible situation, questioning it was a problem for later.

Emilia slightly raised her arms behind her to allow him to untie the rope on her hands more quickly. Then she was startled when Alessandro suddenly turned around.

“But…”

Her throat felt parched. Emilia repeatedly swallowed dryly as she examined Alessandro’s face.

“Did I guess wrong? I was sure he cared about you…”

Unlike someone who had been excited just moments ago, Alessandro calmly tilted his head and looked Emilia up and down with a composed expression.

Then, as if annoyed, he irritably ruffled his hair before breaking into an empty laugh like someone who had given up on something.

It was impossible to grasp Alessandro’s emotional changes as he went from anger to laughter, and now his eyes were gradually emptying like a dead fish.

“Well, if that’s the case, there’s nothing we can do.”

For now, Emilia bowed her head deeply, like someone shocked by the current situation.

“Look, Emilia. That bastard doesn’t value you. Let’s leave everything behind and go with me. Think of it as a fresh start.”

The approaching footsteps stopped just in front of her. Alessandro whispered in a sickeningly sweet voice, as if soothing an angry lover.

As he continued speaking as if he understood everything, Emilia just laughed bitterly to herself.

Had she been the arrogant one? Why did she think Enrico would obviously choose her? Emilia stopped her hands that had been secretly moving behind her back and tried to calm her confused heart.

Though she didn’t know why the black-masked person was helping her, she was genuinely relieved that Enrico had rejected Alessandro’s threat disguised as a proposal.

After all, if he sacrificed himself for her again, she would have been consumed by self-loathing for the rest of her life.

“I’ll untie your feet first. I’ll consider untying your hands after seeing you follow me quietly. How about it?”

Emilia barely managed to nod, suppressing her desire to avoid the hand caressing her cheek.

“Good, you’ve thought well. Now it’s just you and me. I’ll definitely get revenge on that bastard for you.”

Who was getting revenge on whom, and who even wanted it? Alessandro, like someone in denial of reality, was intoxicated by his own tragedy.

“How dare he try to steal my position. Treason should be punished by death, but His Majesty the King and Queen are too soft-hearted, ugh!”

But suddenly he whirled around and blocked the scabbard swinging down at him. However, having defended reflexively, the state of the hand he used to block was not good.

“What, what are you doing?”

“I apologize.”

As Alessandro, his hand trembling violently, quickly rolled to the side to avoid the scabbard, the black-masked person spoke indifferently and drew his sword completely.

Terror and rage mingled on Alessandro’s face as he looked down at the gleaming blade.

“How dare you… How dare a mere dog try to bite its master?!”

Alessandro stepped back cautiously, clutching one arm.

“Even a dog knows its life is precious.”

“A bastard who knows life is precious dares to attack his master? Use that sword on your own heart right now-”

“Even as a shadow, I lived with the honor of protecting the royal family from behind.”

The calm voice cut off the sharp one.

“We received espionage training to be used as spies in other countries or for political issues of those we serve, not to join in private crimes when we applied to be shadows.”

“…!”

“But following Your Highness’s orders so far has been low-quality work only done by back-alley gangs. Kidnapping and violating powerless women. I had to keep following those crimes worse than beasts because you were the master.”

“What? After handling everything well until now, why bring up things that are already over? Shut up right now and stick that sword in your own throat!”

“So in the end, I want to remain human.”

Alessandro laughed in disbelief as he slowly moved to the side. Then, as if finding what he wanted, he reached towards the fireplace.

Click- The sharp sound of a gun being cocked hit their ears. Having found a gun so quickly, Alessandro was now aiming the muzzle at the black-masked person.

‘Now’s the time. I need to escape quickly.’

This ominous atmosphere could be considered a very precious opportunity, as all attention had left Emilia. She worked hard to loosen and remove the partially untied rope.

Having quickly undone the loosened rope and the ankle rope that Alessandro had started to untie, Emilia didn’t stand up immediately but briefly observed the situation.

Alessandro was laughing like a madman, his mouth stretched wide. Whether he was somewhat shocked at being bitten by his own dog, or his mind had snapped from reality not going his way at all.

In any case, as he was cackling lowly like someone out of his mind, he suddenly fired the gun.

Bang- With the gunshot echoing through the cabin, the black-masked person quickly dodged to the side. But blood dripped to the floor from where the bullet grazed his arm.

“Be careful this time. I’ll aim for your head.”

Alessandro laughed with his eyes and mouth wide open. But that laughter didn’t last long.

Bang! The gun muzzle that made his body flinch suddenly pointed at the ceiling as the black-masked person, who had approached so quickly, grabbed Alessandro’s wrist and twisted it sharply.

“Agh-! My hand! Right now, hiiik…”

It seemed the fight was turning into hand-to-hand combat, but it ended quickly.

The black-masked person straddled Alessandro, who had fallen backwards, and pressed the gun muzzle to his forehead. Alessandro’s face, which had been so composed earlier, instantly turned pale and was trembling.

“I didn’t come for revenge anyway. I decided to leave that to someone else.”

The black-masked person, who had been calmly looking down, suddenly stood up and shot Alessandro in the thigh.

“Uwaah! Ah, ah…”

“I’ll gladly accept my own punishment as well.”

The black-masked person approached the door while pocketing the gun. Emilia blinked at the situation that had been resolved so quickly, then startled at the gunshot she heard from outside not long after.

The sound of birds fluttering away and Alessandro’s screams of pain as he lay on the floor echoed all around.

“E-Emilia! Come here right now! Take me- ugh.”

Emilia hesitated as she started towards the door, then stopped. The root of all evil lay sprawled before her like a worm on the road.

It felt like a chance that would never come again if not now. Along with the blood spreading on the floor, oil was leaking from the broken lamp that had fallen from the table during the earlier scuffle.

Suddenly, everything around became deathly quiet, and the burning fireplace was reflected in her jade-colored eyes.