On the way to Astria’s room.
Sena tilted his head at the eerily quiet atmosphere of the corridor.
“Is she still sleeping?”
He thought it was unlikely that the golden one would be this quiet in the morning.
Moreover, there had been no sign of a maid in this luxurious mansion for a while now.
However, the sunlight streaming through the window was warm, and he resumed walking, thinking nothing of it.
Honestly, he was a bit worried. What would he say if asked where he had been yesterday?
If caught? He would try to hide it, but he had never succeeded in keeping a lie hidden before.
‘Ugh, just in case, I should think of some excuses.’
That was all he could do anyway.
He was almost at Astria’s room when it happened.
“Ahhhh—!”
He stopped in his tracks at the sharp scream.
‘Upstairs.’
His body moved before he could think.
Sena headed quickly to the third floor.
The very top floor. The baron’s room.
As soon as he got up there, he saw the maids standing with panicked faces.
“What’s going on?”
“Well, um.”
A shattered teacup on the floor.
A maid sitting nearby, trembling and pointing somewhere with a shaky hand.
“Th-the baron.”
“Move aside, please.”
Pushing through the crowd, Sena entered the room and was met with a shocking scene.
The baron, eyes open, bleeding.
The bedroom already soaked with blood.
“Priest, please use your healing arts!”
Even before the panicked knight who arrived first finished his plea, Sena was already moving.
‘This is a dangerous amount of blood loss. But…’
If there was even a breath left, he could heal.
As he summoned his divine power and checked the baron’s breathing, he realized.
“…!”
“How is he?!”
Sena bit his lip.
No miracle could revive someone who was already dead.
“He’s already passed away.”
**
Sylvia, who had been sitting blankly for a while, snapped back to her senses at the sound of the scream.
“R-right. I need to get dressed.”
Even while putting on her unfamiliar ceremonial robes, Sylvia was not fully herself.
The events of last night kept replaying in her mind.
Hot air. Rough breaths. Soft skin. The first-time sensations. Pleasure.
Her face flushed as if on fire.
‘I-I did it with Senior.’
It still didn’t feel real.
It was like walking on water in a dream.
Sena was a fascinating person.
He seemed to give his heart to everyone, yet to no one.
During their academy days, how many noble ladies had tried to court Sena?
Everyone wanted him, but no one could claim him.
Though he appeared harmless and gentle, he had a surprisingly firm side.
He always walked around with a smiling face, but he would never do anything he disliked, no matter what.
‘What should I do? I think I like him twice as much now.’
Sylvia placed her hand on her chest, feeling her heart pound.
A smile crept onto her face.
‘So, I can have moments like this too.’
A past event came to mind. One day, a lady from their class had returned after spending quite a night.
-‘Lily, is it true? You spent your first night with Young Master Oliver…’
-‘How was it?! Does it hurt? Tell us!’
-‘It wasn’t as painful as I thought. How should I put it? It felt like the whole world was blooming with flowers…’
Back then, she dismissed it as nonsense.
The world blooming with flowers?
That’s just because you’re a typical noblewoman with your head in the clouds.
Even if it were true, such a moment would never come to her as a knight. And even if it did, she would push it away.
But-.
“Maybe I should change my hairstyle today?”
Blushing, Sylvia fiddled with her hair.
Right now, her mind was filled with vibrant flowers.
Just like that noblewoman had described.
“And, well, it’s properly attached. Quite a large… yes.”
One thing was certain, Sylvia would never forget what happened last night, not even in death.
While she was basking in happiness-
She blinked at the sharp scream from above.
“That’s not the direction where Senior went.”
She had no interest in anything that didn’t involve Sena.
Above all, she didn’t sense any hostile presence.
It was probably just a maid breaking a dish.
Thinking it was nothing, she opened the door.
“This, this is.”
Sylvia hastily turned her head.
It was as if a hot wind had suddenly hit her face.
A dense, familiar killing intent.
It was Astria’s aura.
‘Did she find out?’
Her heart sank.
Stealing her superior’s man was not something to be taken lightly.
Sylvia broke out in a cold sweat and ran.
“You arrived just in time, Miss Sylvia.”
Astria was standing by the window.
Lucia and Ellie stood tensely at the door.
Astria, with veins visible on her forehead, looked extremely angry.
She stretched her hand into the air. A silver sword appeared.
It was Sylvia’s sword. Since she had to pretend to be a priest, Sena had hidden it in a dimensional pocket.
Astria grabbed the sword by the blade and threw it in front of Sylvia.
Bang!
The sword, still in its scabbard, struck the ground at Sylvia’s feet.
“Duke Kairos’s betrayal has been confirmed as of this moment. Playtime is over. Draw that sword and slay the enemies of the Empire.”
Sylvia instantly eradicated the happy feelings within her and knelt on one knee.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Where is Sena?”
“Senior went to see Your Majesty first…”
“Dame Sylvia.”
The room’s atmosphere grew heavier.
Astria’s eyes blazed with a clear, intense color.
“Did you not detect any threats approaching the mansion last night?”
“…”
Sylvia always spread her magic lightly around her.
It was a basic practice for any knight of a certain level, but Sylvia’s magic detection was unparalleled.
She never missed even the slightest hint of anything. Whatever it was.
But last night, Sylvia had withdrawn her magic.
She had been preoccupied with something else.
Swoosh!
Sylvia’s hair fluttered.
A shallow cut appeared on her cheek.
Astria was pointing her sword at her.
“There is only one person allowed to treat this journey as a mere game. And that person is not you, is it?”
Sylvia could offer no excuses.
“You should prepare to face punishment.”
Astria spoke with eyes ablaze.
“Yes.”
Just then, the door burst open with the sound of hurried footsteps.
It was a knight guarding the mansion.
“You need to come and see this!”
**
Sena was kneeling on one knee, praying.
Ellie and Lucia were also kneeling behind him, offering their prayers.
In front of them were three corpses.
The corpse of Baron Bernard.
And his wife’s corpse.
The most shocking was the cold body of a young child on the far right, presumably their son.
Astria summarized the situation calmly.
“The entire Bernard family has been slaughtered.”
“…”
Sylvia couldn’t lift her head.
She bit her lip hard and clenched her fists.
‘What am I doing?’
Half of the world in flowers?
She had failed to do what she needed to do, driven by her own desires.
If she hadn’t withdrawn her magic, this would not have happened.
She could have identified and stopped the intruders.
She could have prevented their deaths.
So, it was as if Sylvia herself had killed them.
“Your Majesty.”
Having finished his prayer, Sena stood up.
Surprisingly, Sena looked calm.
Even though he had seen the child’s body, he seemed unfazed, as if he were used to it.
“What level of knight would be capable of such an act?”
“They must have considerable skill. To kill three people without causing any commotion, they would need to be at least in the top 10.”
Astria rubbed her eyes, still not fully awake.
“No matter how distracted she was, if a knight lower in rank had shown intent to kill, she would have noticed.”
When her name was mentioned, Sylvia spoke in a small voice.
“I’m… sorry.”
“…”
“It’s my fault.”
Tears welled up in Sylvia’s lowered eyes.
Sena quietly approached and wiped away her tears.
Sylvia’s eyes widened.
“It’s not your fault.”
Sena gently stroked Sylvia’s cheek with a faint smile.
“No one here is to blame. The only evil one is the murderer who killed these people. Don’t mistake that.”
Sylvia stared blankly at Sena.
At that moment, he seemed like an angel.
But Sena’s heart was far from peaceful.
‘I can’t forgive this.’
Sena never harbored ill feelings toward anyone.
He believed that such negative emotions were useless and brought no benefit.
He could forgive any mistake.
But this time was different.
For the first time, Sena felt the emotion of anger.
‘The child wasn’t even five years old.’
The cause of death was excessive bleeding.
Unlike the baron, there were signs of resistance.
That meant the child had felt significant pain before dying.
The expression on the child’s face was twisted.
There were clear tear streaks, even without looking closely.
‘I will find them and make them pay for their sins.’
Sena resolved to find the culprit, even if it took up the little time he had.
He couldn’t let this matter slide.
“If they are within the top 10, there won’t be many suspects.”
Astria found Sena’s angered face intriguing.
‘So, this gentle furball can get angry too.’
It was a look that pleased Astria quite a bit.
“The ranking system does not encompass all the forces within the Empire. There are those who are not included in the ranks.”
“Who might that be?”
“The Church, for example.”
“The Church wouldn’t do such a thing.”
Lucia spoke, her tone full of displeasure.
“That’s correct. The Church doesn’t need to resort to such methods.”
Sena agreed with this view.
However, it wasn’t because the Church was a benevolent organization.
It was because they could kill openly without fear of repercussion.
“There’s one more.”
Astria’s eyebrows twitched.
“Duke Kairos.”
“Aren’t they also knights of the Empire?”
“Duke Kairos is allowed to maintain a private army. He has a knightly order comparable to the Teutonic Knights.”
“Is Your Majesty suspicious of Duke Granz?”
“That’s not it.”
Astria cast a cold glance at the corpses.
“A knight is a knight, even when corrupt.”
When a knight kills a person, he does not aim for the heart.
This is partly because the hearts of enemies on the battlefield are protected by thick chain mail.
But more importantly, it’s to ensure a swift death with minimal suffering.
A knight of such skill would find it difficult to abandon the habit of beheading.
“In any case, the Bernard family is finished.”
Astria shook her head.
“Perhaps it’s for the best. Despite their wealth, they cast a shadow over their subjects.”
Sena looked sternly at Astria.
“Your Majesty.”
“This case will be handled by the deployment of the Imperial Knights. For now, let the knights of the Bernard territory take charge. They need to avenge their lord.”
Astria yawned lazily and turned around.
“I refuse.”
“What?”
“If a force has knights within the top ten ranks, they must have a specific target. We can’t wait for the knight order to be dispatched. The damage will increase.”
“You’re right. Good insight, Sena.”
Astria smiled faintly.
Sena placed his hand over his chest.
“Then…”
“However.”
But Astria’s face quickly turned cold.
“That is not something for you, as the physician, to worry about. Miss Sylvia.”
“Yes.”
“We’re returning to the palace.”
Sena’s eyes widened.
“What?”
Astria smiled wryly at Sena.
“Hasn’t this been a rather enjoyable diversion?”
“…Diversion?”
“I merely took a canary from its cage because it seemed pitiful to keep it locked up. Now that we know the outside air isn’t good, it’s time to return home.”
“What… What are you talking about?”
Astria frowned as if annoyed by a disobedient puppy.
“Silence.”
“You… you gave me permission! To go treat my grandfather!”
“Yes, I did.”
“Then…!”
Astria slowly walked toward Sena.
“But you showed no urgency.”
“T-That’s just my nature…”
“You’re the one who flips out and challenges the Empress when a stranger is sick. If your family were ill, you would’ve bitten me and ridden a wyvern to get there as quickly as possible.”
Sena realized he had made a huge mistake.
Astria was an empress.
She had an innate talent for reading people’s hearts.
“Let me ask you something, Sena. Is this journey purely for your grandfather’s treatment?”
A tremendous pressure bore down on him.
‘But I didn’t lie.’
Sena shouted, filled with frustration.
“It’s true! Really, I never lied!”
“Is that so? This journey was purely for your grandfather’s treatment?”
Sena broke into a cold sweat.
Of course, it wasn’t solely for that reason.
The most important thing was that he wanted to return to his hometown and spend the rest of his life there.
But Astria had no way of knowing this.
He nodded slowly.
“Yes, it’s true. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Seria…”
Astria’s smile deepened.
She wrapped her hand around Sena’s neck and whispered.
“That’s a lie.”
“…!”
“I’ve already conceded a lot to you. I played along when you wanted to have fun, and I refrained from killing when you asked me not to. I even participated in this ridiculous charade. Now it’s your turn. I want only one thing from you. Obedience. Then, who knows? Maybe I’ll let you out of your cage again, just like this time.”
As Sena tried to respond, Astria struck his neck.
Sena collapsed, unconscious. Astria picked him up.
She spoke monotonously to the shocked Sylvia.
“Miss Sylvia. When we return to the palace, summon the knights of the Teutonic Order immediately. We are going to erase the Duchy of Kairos from the map.”
Sylvia stood frozen for a moment, unable to move.
She now acutely remembered who had truly been by their side all this time.
