Chapter 69: Sacrifice

Our plans were tailored with the emperor alive in mind. After all, the purpose of this operation was to delay his death while the princess marches to the capital with an army to subdue her brother.

Supposedly, that is.

Now, His Majesty is nothing but a corpse.

Which means that everything we had planned up to this point would be utterly void and useless.

Unfortunately, our faction didn't have much time to prepare for a countermeasure. This situation was truly unforeseen, so I lost my composure.

That's why the first thing I did was to return to the grand duke's chambers, as he's my only ally here.

And I instantly regretted that decision.

When I barged into his quarters unannounced, Alistair had a guest, and it wasn't just anyone.

A man with a robust stature, seated across the grand duke with his arms folded. His red eyes were gleaming in enjoyment, like a predator watching his helpless prey in front of him.

It was none other than the crown prince.

More than that, there were three imperial guards inside, all of them pointing their swords at Grand Duke Averill who stayed still on his spot, unfazed.

As soon as I entered the room, all of them turned their heads to me. I lowered my face out of reflex, hoping that the despot prince didn't recognize me.

A lamb who walked into the lion's den.

That's what I was.

"A lowly maid dares to interrupt my teatime with a dear friend?" Prince Dion told me, domineering.

Teatime? Your dear friend is surrounded by guards with several blades on his neck. This ain't teatime.

I cleared my throat and spoke in a shrill tone, intentionally changing my voice. "My deepest apologies, Y-Your Highness! I didn't mean to..."

"No matter," The crown prince nonchalantly waved his hand. "What do you have there?"

He was eyeing the tray on my hands.

I flinched. "It's the lunch prepared for His Grace."

"Food? I see," His face brightened. "Of course, my friend must be famished. Bring it here, woman."

Shit. As much as possible, I didn't want to move any closer in fear that he might recognize me.

I was just about to take a step forward when Grand Duke Averill broke his silence tensely.

"Stop messing around, Dion." Alistair muttered grimly. "You never mix food and blood. That's disrespectful to the ones who serve our meals."

Prince Dion chuckled. "You and your odd ideals,"

"I have no appetite." He insisted, eyeing me. "Get out. Also, tell the servants not to disturb us here."

My heart clenched. I knew exactly what he was trying to do. Alistair was doing his best to send me away while Prince Dion has yet to see my face.

I hesitantly followed his order. However, after taking only a few steps, the crown prince spoke in an icy tone... enough to send shivers to my spine.

"I told you to serve the food, didn't I?" Prince Dion remarked coldly. "Between a prince and a grand duke, who are you supposed to be following?"

With that, I was left with no choice but to comply.

I kept my head lowered as I served the meal on the table. Alistair, on the other hand, looked visibly upset from his seat. Even so, he didn't move an inch, not even throwing me a glance.

"Why do you look so upset, Al?" The crown prince asked rather fondly. "If anything, you should be relieved. After all, I agree wholeheartedly that food and blood aren't supposed to be mixed."

Grand Duke Averill clenched his jaw in response.

"This luncheon means that I want to negotiate instead of resorting to violence." Prince Dion crossed his legs. "So tell me, my dear friend."

The two of them stared intently at each other.

"What did my sister promise you?"

"What makes you think that I'm in cahoots with the princess?" Alistair calmly shot back at him.

"Well, you have been going in and out of her camp, haven't you?" The regal prince replied.

"You're the one who sent me there, Dion!" His Grace erupted into rage, evidently defensive.

"Yes, because I knew you would betray me." His Highness retorted. "You just needed an opportunity. Why? Because you resent me."

I held my breath. I wanted to leave the room, but you're not allowed to move in the presence of the crown prince without his permission so I couldn't.

"You loathe me for killing that lover of yours, don't you?" Prince Dion laughed. "You insist that I was bewitched by Ingrid, but take a look at yourself."

I bit my lower lip so hard that it bled.

"You're the one who's drunk from a dead love."

Alistair looked so defeated. When I saw that stupid expression on him, I also caught a glimpse of his broken and fragile heart. He was deeply affected.

"Anyway, I simply knew that you were going to switch sides sooner or later." His Highness said indifferently. "Your plan was to delay my father's death until Odette arrives with reinforcements, right?"

Alistair glared at him. "What nonsense!"

"You can deny it all you want, but I already know everything." The crown prince eyed the meal on the table. "That's the emperor's meal, isn't it?"

The grand duke flinched on his spot.

"If you are truly not colluding with Odette, then prove it to me." His Highness pointed the teacup then smirked. "Drink that tea for me, Alistair."

My eyes twitched. He knows that it's poisoned.

"Dion!" Grand Duke Averill fumed.

"What?" He tilted his head innocently. "Guilty?"

At that moment, I knew then.

That Alistair wasn't the one in control here.

But as much as I pitied him for being cornered like this, I had to think hard on what to do right now.

"Hmm," Prince Dion crooned. "On the second thought, don't drink it. You might die from it."

The crown prince glanced over my direction.

"You there," I could feel him smiling. "Drink it."

In the end, Dion Alexandro von Solaris was the emperor's son, first in line to the throne, and his words almost hold the same weight as his father's.

If the crown prince commands a mere servant like me to eat mud, I'm expected to do what he wants.

So I need to do this.

When I reached for the cup of tea, however, a hand firmly held on my wrist and stopped me.

It was Alistair, whose hand trembled so much.

And he looked like he's about to explode anytime.

That's when I remembered.

I was sent here in accordance to the novel, which means that there's something I have to do in this scene, something that only I am capable of doing.

Right now, Grand Duke Averill is being suspected by the crown prince. If he's proven guilty, he'll be branded as a traitor who colluded with Princess Odette against her brother in the succession battle.

When that happens, even Her Highness won't be able to rise to the throne honorably. If she kills her brother, she will be no more than a tyrant then.

I see. I think I understand all of it now.

Princess, how evil of you... I thought to myself.

She knew. Princess Odette knew that the emperor would die on the first day we arrive. She never told us so that we'd be forced to act on our own.

A carte blanche that no one even asked.

I did think it's fishy. Why would Her Highness send a hitman like me to defend the emperor?

I was made to kill people, not to protect them.

Ellis would've done a better job than me.

But now it makes sense. The princess sent me here because there's someone who has to perish in this place, and also someone who has to do the killing.

The one who needs to die is the crown prince.

And the one who needs to kill him is me.

As soon as I came into that realization, I wasted no time and made my move. I seized the twin daggers hidden under my dress and swiped them against the unsuspecting prince, who had no time to react.

In an instant, I managed to slit his throat.

Blood squirted from his neck. Prince Dion fell on his knees, his face blanched. The imperial guards screamed in horror as they watched the crown prince bleed to death. I'd say he's got a minute left.

Amidst the chaos, Alistair stood dumbfounded.

He snapped back to reality when I thrusted my dagger on his shoulder down to his chest. He bellowed as the blade cut through his flesh.

As expected, Grand Duke Averill drew his sword instinctively and defended himself against me.

"No," His lips dithered. "What are you doing?"

I'm setting up the stage for you, Your Grace.

To make you a hero instead of a traitor.

If you manage to kill me now, you'll be branded as the hero who slayed the assassin that took the crown prince's life. You might be criticized for not being able to protect him, but at the very least, you won't be pointed as a traitor. So I need to hurt you.

I spared him no time and attacked once again.

As we traded blows with each other, the sound of blades clanging against one another filled the room. I could tell that Alistair didn't want to fight me, because he had a weak grip on the hilt of his sword and he hesitated with each swing he made.

We needed to put on a good show, so I fought him with my life on the line. It looks like Alistair wanted to respect that, so he did the same as me.

Don't get me wrong. This isn't me being a pushover.

In fact, I'm only willing to throw away my life like this because I'm convinced that I would wake up as Ellis after dying. That's very selfish of me, right?

Even so, I'm sure she'd understand. After all, I'm doing this for that crafty and sly master of hers.

Alistair swung his sword from below, sending my weapon upwards. I glanced over him then smiled.

"Do it."

Somehow, I had a feeling... that this would be the last time we'd ever see each other in this lifetime.

The memory of my first love leaves a bittersweet taste on my mouth, but it's an irreplaceable kind.

This story has been hard on the both of us. Even so, I want you to find happiness. If you can't find it, then I wish that you could at least find peace.

Should we ever meet again, I hope you won't remember me as someone who gave up on you.

In turn, I'll remember you ultimately as a man I once loved, not someone who broke my heart.

In that split second, tears streamed down on his cheeks as Grand Duke Averill swung his sword towards my neck. At the same time, I smiled and mouthed the words I've been meaning to say.

Thank you for loving someone like me.

---

Listening to Brave Shine by Aimer while writing this whole chapter. Made me tear up a bit lol.

Anyway, thank you for your kind comments from the previous chapter. Stay safe and healthy, too!

Yours Truly,

Aomine-san