Chapter 151

Fortunately, things turned out to be easier than expected.

The Capital Guards, under the orders of the Duke, raided the villages near the capital.

However, they were all arrested by the Guards Division who had been waiting in advance.

Around the same time, some gunmen attacked Seibel’s carriage, but Seibel was not there.

Instead, the Lanberg Knights who were in hiding repulsed them, captured them all, and brought them to the Imperial Palace.

It was all done in one night.

It happened a little more than a day after Astelle’s meeting with the Duke of Reston.

Astelle was at Kaizen’s side and received a report on the situation.

“Everything went smoothly.”

After receiving Lyndon’s report, Kaizen nodded with satisfaction.

Lyndon answered confidently, “We also arrested Baron Markburn, who sent orders to the guards, and the commander who recruited them.”

“Arrest all other nobles involved. How dare they attack my knights in my absence.”

Kaizen’s voice was filled with anger. He seems to intend to take this opportunity to get rid of all those who betrayed him.

The nobles thought that the emperor was dying. Or at least, after hearing that he was stricken with a fatal disease, they sided with the Duke of Reston.

“What about Duke Reston?” Kaizen asked after a brief pause.

His gaze flashed past Astelle.

Lyndon also looked into Astelle’s eyes and answered, “Sir Serbel was sent to the Duke’s mansion. I told him to bring only the Duke quietly.”

Officially, this will be treated as an attempt by the nobles to raid the Knights during the emperor’s illness.

Kaizen was planning to deal with the Duke of Reston as little as possible. Even if his name came out of the mouths of other nobles, he was going to make it look like he was unexpectedly involved.

It was not very impossible.

Few people know the details of the poisoning attempt. Most people know that the Emperor was just lying sick from exhaustion, just as Astelle announced.

“Yeah, well done.”

Astelle, who sat quietly and listened to their conversation, asked Kaizen after Lyndon closed the door and left.

“You didn’t tell Sir Vellian?”

“You didn’t explain the situation to him either.”

“That… … .”

Astelle paused for a moment.

‘It’s because I can’t trust Vellian.’

Velian is loyal to the Emperor, but he is also on the side of the new nobles. He also is openly wary of Astelle, the daughter of the Reston family.

Kaizen seems to understand everything she was thinking.

“You don’t need to reveal what you’ve been hiding. There’s no need for him to know all the details.”

Looking back, Kaizen also seemed to think of Vellian as just a secretary doing his job.

Astelle got up from her seat and walked over to him.

“How are you feeling now?”

It’s been a little over two days since Kaizen woke up.

The herbs supposed to be imported from the South have not yet arrived.

Even though the poison would still remain in his body, Kaizen did not stop for a moment and took care of the work that had been delayed.

“I’m okay. Now you look more tired than me,” Kaizen said a little worriedly.

Instead of answering him, Astelle only smiled.

“Theor will be delighted to know that Your Majesty is awake.”

Kaizen was staying in her bedroom as if he was still sick.

She hasn’t told Theor – who is also in the Empress Palace – that he has recovered.

“He must have been very worried.”

“Yeah, he cried when he saw Your Majesty and wished you a speedy recovery.”

“Oh, my… … .”

Kaizen frowned worriedly.

Astelle pondered for a moment whether she should tell him that Theor called him Dad. But she decided not to say it.

‘It will be better for him to hear it in person.’

If Theor meets him and calls him ‘dad’, Kaizen will be happy to receive such an unexpected gift.

“Are you sure you’re all right?” Kaizen asked carefully.

Astelle understood the meaning of his words.

‘This time I really have to get rid of my father.’

He was worried about Astelle.

Astelle replied calmly, “I don’t care.”

Although she talked about the death of her biological father, she felt no sorrow. On the other hand, she felt bitter.

“I have no regrets at all. If things went wrong or he didn’t need me anymore, he would have killed me too.”

* * *

The Duke of Reston was drinking tea in his study.

‘It should be fine by now.’

He sent someone the day before to check Seibel’s location and spy on the town where the knights were hiding.

As he heard, Seibel secretly brought in more knights and hid some of them near the capital.

Everything was just as Astelle said.

‘What a cunning young man.’

The Duke of Reston immediately sent his men to get rid of Seibel.

He passed the responsibility of attacking the knights waiting near the capital to another nobleman, a relative of Viscount Bürgen, who was the former Minister of Home Affairs before Fritz took over.

He had connections among the commanders of the Capital Guards, so he was able to get some soldiers out in such an emergency.

This was possible because Fritz took over in the position of Minister of Home Affairs not long after and he had not changed the commanders of the Capital Guards during that time.

On the other hand, he left the raids on Serbel to his own men.

Although he also sent knights from other families, he could not give official orders to the knights belonging to the duke family, so he had to entrust it to his men, who acted like his own limbs.

‘I feel strangely anxious.’

By evening, the Duke of Reston felt a strange uneasiness creeping over him.

“No news yet?”

“No… … .”

By now, there must have been some news.

It’s normal for either side to have something to say, but it was strangely quiet on both sides.

After much deliberation, the Duke ordered his henchmen again. “Send someone and find out what’s going on.”

At that moment, a sharp sound of footsteps began to be heard from the hallway.

At first glance, many people seemed to have entered the mansion.

The Duke put down the teacup and got up.

“What’s going on?”

Suddenly the old butler opened the door and ran in. He hurriedly closed the door and shouted, “Duke, the emperor’s knights have arrived!”

“The emperor’s knights?”

Why do the emperor’s knights come here?

The Duke of Reston paused as soon as he heard it and froze on the spot.

Loud footsteps approached quickly.

Without a moment to escape, the door swung open and the young knights entered.

In front of him was a familiar person.

It was Seibel, the commander of the Lanberg Knights.

“Duke, I have come under orders from His Majesty the Emperor.”

The Duke was stunned by Seibel’s calm voice.

A few hours ago, people had been sent to attack him, but Serbel appeared in front of him unharmed.

What was more surprising than that, however, was the words “His Majesty’s Order” from Seibel’s mouth.

“The Emperor… … .” The Duke of Reston muttered blankly.

The Emperor is alive?

“His Majesty has ordered me to bring the Duke to the Imperial Palace right now,” Seibel gave the command with cold eyes.

The Duke listened to him with a puzzled look.

His henchman, who was by his side, tried to grab the sword, but the knights who followed Seibel were much faster.

In an instant, several blades were aimed at the two of them.

The Duke of Reston managed to come to his senses and asked, “… … is the emperor safe?”

“His Majesty has recovered his energy and is dealing with the overdue work in the Imperial Palace.”

“… … .”

The Duke of Reston understood the situation later.

‘Astelle deceived me.’

He instantly realized how all this had happened.

“That cunning girl… … .!”

“Duke, if you disrespect the Empress any further, you will not receive the least respect from me and my knights.” Seibel gave a stern warning.

It means that if he keeps saying that, he will be dragged away like an ordinary sinner.

The Duke shouted, “Is she out of her mind? If I become a traitor and die, the Crown Prince won’t be safe either.”

“You misunderstood something. His Majesty the Emperor has ordered punishment for the raids of the nobles on the Knights. This has nothing to do with treason. It also has nothing to do with the Duke.”

The Duke of Reston looked at him with a stupid look he didn’t usually show.

I don’t understand what the hell this is all about.

“Then what are you taking me for?”

“I will take you to the Imperial Palace for a while as a witness to this case.” Seibel gave a blatant answer without wavering an inch.

“Ha… … .”

The Duke of Reston finally realized what the Emperor and Astelle were trying to do with him.

The reason why Astelle persuaded them to attack the Knights.

‘She did this to cover up the attempt to poison the emperor.’

But by the time he realized it, it was already too late.

In all directions, the swords of the knights were pointed at him. He had nowhere to run.

* * *

It was not until the next morning that Astelle heard the news of the night before from Fritz, who had entered the Empress Palace to meet her.

“So where did they take our father?”

“For now, I heard that he was being held in an abandoned palace.”

The words ‘for now’ means that he doesn’t know what will happen in the future.

After last night, the palace became noisy again. It was because the nobles who participated in this work were brought in at once.

Kaizen returned to the Emperor Palace before dawn.

“Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived.”

Hannah knocked briefly on the door and entered with Theor.

Theor, who seemed still half-asleep, came to Astelle hugging his teddy bear.

“Theor. You woke up early.”

“Yes, Blynn woke me up. Hello, Uncle Fritz.”

“Crown Prince.”

Fritz erased his uneasy expression and smiled at Theor.

Theor, in Astelle’s arms, raised his head and asked, “Can I go to the bedroom today?”

The bedroom Theor was talking about was Astelle’s bedroom with Kaizen.

Theor asked if he could go to see Kaizen every morning. Astelle had stopped him several times, persuading him by saying His Majesty needed to rest because he was sick.

For the past two days, Kaizen had been awake, so she had to stop him even more. But today she doesn’t need to lie like that.

“His Majesty will come to see Theor today.”

“Really?”

“Yes. His Majesty left for work at dawn. He said he would come to see Theor in the morning.”

Kaizen said he would stop by for a while before breakfast.

There is still some time left until breakfast time, but after a while, Kaizen returned to the Empress Palace as if he had been waiting for it.

He found the two and entered the drawing room.

Kaizen, who came in with a slightly complicated expression, paused when he saw Theor in Astelle’s arms.

Kaizen smiled pleasantly as he reached out to Theor.

“Theor.”

Theor, who stood blankly for a moment as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing, ran to him belatedly.

* * *