Chapter 137
‘Let’s just die.’
He immediately understood that what she meant was to feign death.
Euphen couldn’t answer right away.
‘If we pretend to be dead, the danger would lessen.’
But they couldn’t live like that forever.
They could hide all their lives under the guise of death, but that wasn’t what she wanted.
She had taken his hand because her goal was to seize the throne, and Eshar wasn’t the type to just give up.
“Of course, that’s a good method too.”
He let out a quiet sigh.
If they hid themselves like that, it would become harder to build a faction, and there would be many disadvantages.
He didn’t think she’d have suggested it without considering all that, but even so, it wasn’t something he could easily agree to.
“It’ll only get harder.”
“I know. But it’ll be safer, won’t it?”
At those words, Euphen gave a faint laugh.
“That’s unexpected, Eshar. I didn’t think you were the kind of person who valued safety.”
He had thought she was the type to jump straight into danger if the stakes were high enough.
Hadn’t she brought up the topic of the throne the moment she learned that she was his Guide?
Of course, by that point their enemies’ interference had already begun, so there wasn’t much of a choice left. But even if it hadn’t, Eshar would’ve tried to persuade him all the same.
“Even in a gamble, one must at least keep their life intact.”
“…”
“Otherwise, winning the pot wouldn’t mean much, would it?”
“Did one assassination threat make you realize a lot?”
The woman shrugged her shoulders.
“It just made me realize again that this really is a matter of life and death.”
A wry smile escaped his lips.
She had surely known from the start how dangerous this was, but now that she had seen a tangible ‘threat’, it must have hit differently.
‘Well. I was the same.’
He had lived quietly for so long that no one had ever tried to kill him.
Who would bother killing a worthless prince?
But after getting involved with Eshar, and after someone truly attempted to assassinate him, Euphen came to understand the danger.
Until then, he had thought that no one even paid attention to him.
Only then did he truly grasp what it meant to hold the title of an ‘Imperial Prince’.
“You’re an Esper, Euphen, so even if you’re threatened, you’ll manage somehow. But I’m not.”
He gave a small nod.
“There’s always the option of hiring guards, but people who move for money can’t be fully trusted. There’ll always be a hole somewhere.”
“Even lifelong aides betray their masters. Those who move for money would be easier to sway.”
Euphen answered bitterly.
Who could it have been?
He didn’t have that many close aides to begin with.
Each and every one of them seemed suspicious, yet wasn’t.
‘They must have wanted this.’
It was clear that the plan was to make him suspect everyone around him.
With no way to identify the culprit immediately, he’d be forced into isolation, unable to trust anyone nearby.
He didn’t want to fall into that pattern, but the reality of it still left a sour taste.
“Even if I start learning self-defense now, there’s no way I could face a trained assassin. So I decided that simply avoiding them would be the best option.”
“Feigning death would spare you from assassination threats, but it’ll also distance you from the throne.”
“As long as I reach the goal in the end, it doesn’t matter if the path takes a little longer.”
Indeed, she wasn’t the type to give up just because she’d been threatened.
That, at least, he liked about her.
Not in the sense of romantic affection, but because it made her reliable.
If she had shown even a hint of retreat, he had been ready to suggest hiding away under the guise of death. But instead, she only looked calmer, her eyes gleaming with resolve.
‘Looks like she’s quite angry.’
He could even sense her determination to repay the attack in kind.
Euphen brushed his hair back and let out a light breath.
“Do you have a plan?”
“It’s not perfect yet.”
Eshar gave a faint smile.
“So, what will you do? Die, or fight back as you are?”
At her question, which sounded almost like a demand for a decision, Euphen pressed his lips together.
“The plan is to gather evidence to bring down the enemy, isn’t it?”
“You know me well.”
“What are the chances?”
She smiled as if finding his question amusing.
“I don’t play games I’ll lose.”
It was a declaration of confidence.
Euphen met the woman’s eyes.
They gleamed with a shade of blue slightly different from his own.
“So it won’t end with simply hiding, then.”
“Would you rather I lie still and play dead?”
“No.”
Euphen shrugged.
Even if they were to fake their deaths, it was better to keep moving.
After all, they couldn’t stop their march toward the throne, and the more time he had to think, the more his thoughts drifted toward Lynette.
“So, where, and how do you plan to die?”
He asked quietly.
Eshar lowered her voice and replied in a whisper.
***
‘It was the right decision to take a break.’
Lynette let out a sigh and pulled the blanket up higher.
She wasn’t as badly hurt as the last time she’d encountered assassins, but she must have been startled, because she felt chilled to the bone.
Remembering the previous incident, Sillian had checked on her that morning, and as if he’d expected it, brought her medicine.
After eating some diluted soup and taking the medicine, she slept soundly for a while, and when she woke up, her condition had improved a little.
She blinked as she shifted her aching body.
‘I wonder if His Highness is all right.’
She hadn’t said it to Sillian, but she was certain now that they had been trying to kill her.
Wasn’t the first arrow aimed straight at her?
Of course, Sillian had shielded Lynette, but the first shot had clearly been meant for her.
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