The Cat Who Weeps in the Dark - Chapter 73

He kept her by his side out of interest, but ultimately, she was just a substitute. And she was a woman whose true identity he didn’t even know.

He hadn’t pressed her about it because he’d promised not to, but he’d never forgotten that fact.

Even if it was “body chemistry,” it was still affection. She was too dangerous a woman to give that to.

Helion wasn’t a sentimental person. He had no intention of attaching old-fashioned meaning to a kiss.

But the unintentional impulse was unpleasant. Even though he seemed to live as he pleased, he operated under strict self-control. It felt as if that control had unexpectedly gone awry.

The timing, especially, was bad. Right now, he had too many other things to worry about besides that woman.

The Emperor and Empress, along with Ahyul, who all desire his death, would be gathered in one place. In such a situation, why would he need to increase what he had to control?

That’s why he sent the woman away. The moment he realized what he was about to do, alarm bells rang in his head.

It was a warning from his instincts. He didn’t know the exact meaning, but it was clear that they shouldn’t be together any longer.

Pausing their “arrangement” was for the same reason.

Helion decided to put thoughts of the woman aside until after the delegation’s visit. For now, it was better for her to remain just one of his guards.

He took a final drag, then gathered the papers and held them to the cigar. The fire at the tip of the cigar caught the paper.

Thus, the guard detail he had planned for today became information existing only in his mind.

Helion had refused the Empress’s command to submit the guard list. In response, the Empress had limited the number of guards.

Her reason was that too many guards might make the delegation feel threatened.

‘Who is threatening whom?’

There was nothing funnier than an aggressor being scared of the victim.

He was only permitted two guards. Naturally, other high-ranking knights were supposed to be assigned, but they weren’t as trustworthy as the Royal Guard.

Helion burned the papers for security. Even with only two guards, it would be troublesome if the list or their positions were exposed.

The Empress would use all sorts of wealth and power to suborn the guards. She might even set traps in blind spots of their deployment.

As evidenced by her meticulous efforts, the Empress had staked everything on this delegation’s visit.

There was a reason why the Emperor and Empress kept trying to drag the Kingdom into his death.

Because if the Kingdom were excluded from the list of suspects, they themselves would become the primary suspects for the murder.

Everyone in the Empire knew that their relationship with Helion was strained. If Helion died, the imperial citizens would believe they had murdered their first son to place their second son on the throne.

The Emperor and Empress wanted to leave no blemish on Damian’s ascension. Therefore, they needed the Kingdom’s existence to take the fall in their stead.

From Ahyul’s perspective, it wasn’t a bad deal either. Kill one prince, and a vast sum of money pours in.

It didn’t matter if a war broke out. It was the common people who would suffer, not him.

In fact, it might even be a good thing. The Kingdom was on the verge of civil unrest. Exhausted by poverty and hunger, the Kingdom’s people, despite being brainwashed, couldn’t help but doubt Ahyul’s qualifications.

If a war broke out at such a time, he could redirect the anger aimed at him outward. Create a common enemy, and turn the blade pointed inward, outward.

‘The biggest problem is the welcome banquet.’

The Emperor had entrusted Helion with meeting and seeing off the delegation. It wasn’t for any ulterior motive; it was to humiliate him.