Chapter 91
“There is something you must do immediately.“
Lecan’s guards recalled their lord’s command.
“Find Leyesha and put her to sleep. Remember this clearly: Leyesha, the chief maid of the Empress Dowager. She’ll be working in the chambers nearby even now.”
In the urgent chaos of rebellion, there was no time to question or argue. The knights obeyed immediately and infiltrated the Empress Dowager’s palace first. Above all, this was the very first order personally given by the soon-to-be-crowned new emperor. They dared not raise their heads or even glimpse his face.
‘He looked extremely urgent.’
Following his lord’s orders, the knight soon found the woman dressed in a crimson-collared maid’s uniform. From his grasp, he took out a vial of paralysis incense. Though he sensed the presence of shadowy guards protecting Leyesha nearby, he had no time or patience to deal with them.
The knight opened the vial’s lid. The escaping fragrance was dangerous, but he tried not to be affected as he rolled it inside.
***
When I was deeply focused on my duties, I was oblivious to the movement around me. So when I suddenly noticed something was off, I was already beginning to become paralyzed.
‘Paralysis incense?’
I wanted to take out the antidote magic item I kept in the drawer, but my hands wouldn’t move. They trembled too much to even grasp the drawer handle and kept slipping away. I couldn’t control my body. My eyes instinctively darted toward the window. Flames were spreading.
From far away, I felt a tremor so strong I wondered why I hadn’t sensed it before. Rising smoke and red pillars seemed to appear beyond the distant walls surrounding the Imperial City. Suddenly, even my facial muscles stiffened so much that I couldn’t swallow the saliva pooling in my mouth.
‘Is this a rebellion?’
It was a rebellion.
‘By Lecan?’
Only Lecan would dare to do such a thing.
‘Is this country doomed?’
Probably today.
‘I have to get to Teiles II. No, I have to leave.’
My body stiffened. Even my heart froze. I couldn’t breathe, and my vision blurred. I was about to lose consciousness. Darkness. I desperately tried to rouse my thoughts. That déjà vu from the day my family was wiped out wrapped around me like a cold shroud. Goosebumps broke out; my whole body trembled.
Yet, even in this crisis, my thoughts remained sharp and rapid as arrows. I was always someone who perceived reality clearly.
‘Lecan said he didn’t like being called a traitor.’
That was a lie.
‘Did you really believe him?’
I did believe him. And… Lecan had asked me to trust him.
It felt like I had been hit over the head. The betrayal made the back of my head numb.
‘No, that’s not it.’
Stupid Winter, pathetic Winter. Did you really not see it coming? Or was it that you wanted to pretend not to know because it was easier? Because you wanted to avoid the petty guilt you’d feel after killing Lecan. You were the one who guessed this would happen before anyone else, yet you’ve been turning a blind eye all along. Can you really say you didn’t know?
The innocent smile the Courtesan wore when she said he trusted me — I always thought her naive and pure. Even when she could be as sharp as a blade, her desires were so obvious that she was almost innocent in a way.
She loved me, hated me, was proud of me, wary of me, worried about me, doubted me. She was someone I couldn’t hate. Someone I wanted to hold in my arms no matter what she desired. Someone I wanted to hear praise from.
Mother.
Ah, what have I done?
‘Is everyone going to die? Just like that, all of a sudden?’
The Courtesan was never my protector.
‘Perhaps I had unconsciously replaced my mother’s presence with the Courtesan’s.’
You’re dragging everyone toward death. Your entire family will perish. Because of your foolishness, you will lose everything.
‘Will you be the only one left alive this time, too?’
No, I won’t allow it…
My thoughts stopped there. My consciousness was forcibly severed.
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