“The commander of the Imperial Army was a man who was prudent enough to forsake his penchant for aggressive strategies and target the defense. There’s no way that kind of person would laugh at the crazy idea of starving to death together. If you try to block the supply line, the Imperial Army will immediately descend from the plateau and return to the fortress. The fight itself won’t take place, but the goal of driving out the Imperial Army can be achieved.”
I spoke, one sentence after another, and glanced at him.
Garou curled his hand with cover with mesh gloves and knocked the White King over to the side.
“…Checkmate.”
A happy smile appeared on his face.
“Congratulations, Lilietta. You won.”
“…But I didn’t kill anybody?”
“I told you to win, I didn’t tell you to kill.”
He picked up a fallen chess horse and threw it at me like it’s a reward.
“In battle, achieving strategic goals is far more important than killing a lot. If you achieve that, you can call it victory.”
The crown prince, whom I met again after a year, looked as excited as a child in a playground.
Belatedly, I patted my chest and rested my sweaty body on the backrest.
“I’m not a commander, and what I’ve learned from you won’t be of any use…”
“No, it will come in handy someday.”
Garou declared as if it was natural and set up a chess piece. Suddenly, he asked Benny playfully.
“Benimus, would you like to try it too? If it were you, what would you do, huh?”
Benny tilted his head.
Actually, I heard that he only silently obeyed orders during the war to retake the Western Continent.
“Garou, don’t bother Ben…”
“I don’t understand the planning itself.”
It was an outrageous statement.
“Hmm, why?”
Garou pushed the chessboard like he was prompting Benny to try moving the horse.
Benny stared at the map and turned his hand into a demon’s.
A slimy liquid swayed over a white chess piece bearing the imperial insignia.
“Operation is necessary only for the weak.”
Bam!
Benny slammed his hand. It happened so quickly that I couldn’t even scream.
The chess piece carved out of marble shattered shapelessly.
“If you have the power to overwhelm the situation, use it.”
Benny said so and returned his hand to human form.
White powder was scattered all the way to the outside of the table.
“…I can protect the princess. With my own strength.”
Silence passed for a moment.
Benny looked back at me without apologizing for ruining the crown prince’s toy.
“Aren’t you thirsty? Princess.”
“…Huh?”
“I’ll ask people to bring you the tea.”
Benny got up and rang the bell for the servant.
After a while, he went out into the hallway and instructed the maids who had arrived just in time to get tea.
Closing the door while talking was probably a consideration so that others wouldn’t find out about Garou.
“It’s hard to keep in check…”
Garou sniggered and put his feet on the low table. Pointed heels rosed towards the ceiling.
“I am not trying to take you away from Benimus. I want you to include me in your relationship.”
“Do you know that Benny and I are getting married tomorrow?”
“I know, that’s why you have to have dreams that fit into your means.”
Garou spoke with infinite ease.
“There’s no way a monster like me can monopolize you, right?”
Even if he tried to make a heartfelt confession with a smile, to be honest, it all sounded like a joke.
“Garou, stop talking nonsense and tell me the reason you came to me.”
I frowned and folded my arms.
Garou’s golden eyes widened as if he could not understand what I was saying.
“I told you, I missed you.”
“You don’t have the nature to take risks just for that reason.”
The crown prince was famous for living in romance and dying in romance.
I thought so too until I actually knew him.
‘Not at all.’
Garou was like a firework.
When it exploded, it would emit indiscriminate light, but when you know what it was, the substance would only be a thoroughly improved gunpowder.
“…Haha.”
As if I hit the nail on the head, Garou sunk deep in the sofa and wiggled his feet.
He mumbled like a passing horse.
“My mother’s movements are suspicious.”
“…Her Majesty the Emperor?”
Without realizing it, I lowered my voice.
“There is no exact reason, it’s just my feeling.”
Garou stretched out and put on his disheveled dress again.
“I just want you to know.”
“…Okay.”
I pondered and tilted my head.
“Why do you come and tell me about it? You should pass it on to the contact person.”
“There is a traitor within the rebels.”
I looked around, startled by his casual words.
“W-What?”
“Otherwise, it makes no sense for my mother to narrow her siege to this extent.”
Garou straightened his black wig and placed his index finger on the corner of his mouth.
“I haven’t told anyone yet. You can choose who to tell, Lilietta.”
“A-Are you sure about this information?”
“If anything happens on my mother’s side, I will be the first to be eliminated.”
Instead of giving a confirmation once more, Garou stood up slowly.
“I came to see your face in case that happens. I’m glad it’s the way I remembered it.”
The man opened the window wide without notice. Snow fluttered in the sunlight and wet his dark skin.
“It’s a pity I couldn’t see the wedding dress. It would be really cute.”
Garou sat on the window sill. The voluminous dress swayed like waves in the wet wind.
“…I missed you.”
He mumbled what he had already said, as if he was going to leave forever.
“But you didn’t come to see me.”
He chuckled softly as he mumbled. And then he leaned his upper body back.
“At least once in a while, you…”
As soon as the man’s body disappeared from sight, his distant voice was scattered.
“I really wanted you to miss me.”
I hurried over and looked out the window where Garou fell.
Servants were passing casually, stepping on the marble tiles leading to the flower garden.
The crown prince was nowhere to be seen. He probably turned his body into a demon’s and left the place.
“Princess?”
Benny, who returned from ordering tea, looked at my face worriedly.
I said nothing and clenched the hand that had been holding the window sill.
Benny’s voice could not be heard.
A sentence that Garou had said lingered in my ears like an echo, blocking all sounds.
“There is a traitor within the rebels.”
***
The chapel at night was dark and quiet.
I sat in front of the Chapel of the God of Humanity and looked up at the statue.
The curly hair and shoulders that were wide like baobab trees were majestic.
I put my hands together, but the words of prayer did not come out.
The three siblings revered in the empire were no longer my gods.
I couldn’t help but rub my hands when I heard a low-pitched voice from the entrance of the chapel.
“You don’t seem to be able to sleep.”
I sat down and looked back.
Alan’s blue eyes shone under the stained glass in the pale moonlight.
“Is it because of the wedding?”
Alan slowly approached me. There were plenty of empty seats next to me, but he hesitated and eventually stopped, still standing.
“No, it’s not like that…”
As I shook my head, I felt a soft touch on my fingertips.
It was the cloak that Alan had lent me earlier. Come to think of it, I brought the cloak to put it back in front of Alan’s room.
“Umm, this.”
I grabbed the finely trimmed cloak with both hands and hurriedly presented it to Alan.
“Thank you for lending it to me. I washed it by hand.”
I sprang to my feet and lowered my head.
Although I was as polite as possible, Alan frowned as if something was unpleasant.
“Would it have been better to leave it in the laundry room? I’m sorry, I will…”
“Don’t ever think about getting your hands wet again.”
Alan spoke harshly and took the cloak from my hand.
“…I don’t think you came to the chapel to return my cloak.”
He was absolutely right. I sighed, looked up at Alan and said plainly.
“There is a traitor among the rebels.”
Since it was Alan, I had to let him know. All I wanted was to protect him.
Alan raised an eyebrow and murmured.
“…Is it Viscount Solfin?”
I was a little surprised at the words that came out without hesitation.
Even Viscount Solfin was Alan’s closest friend when he was a military commander, and he was more loyal to the Bauner family than anyone else.
“Is there anything suspicious about the Viscount?”
“After doing a background check, it was found that his wife recently frequently visits the Imperial Palace. It is possible that he is a spy of the imperial family.”
Apparently, Alan was aware of every move of every helper, including his trusted colleagues.
“I’ll exclude Viscount Solfin from the operation. I’ll put a tail on him, too.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. I was glad this issue was settled easier than I thought.
“…Two days left.”
Alan muttered.
As he said, the grand plan to assassinate the emperor and establish a new empire was only two days away.
The big event that I had prepared for four years was to take place the day after my wedding and the first day of the carnival.
‘On the pretext of the wedding, the rebel forces are placed in the right location, and they’ll attack by taking advantage of the fact that the imperial family’s attention is split due to the carnival…’
I reviewed the plan. Things were going smoothly. Except for the strange anxiety that constantly poked my stomach.
“I have something to tell you.”
Alan uttered as I pushed my anxiety back and forth.
“…Yes?”
Alan grabbed my wrist.
I couldn’t resist and opened my palm.
There were clearly visible marks of nail digging on the flat skin. It was a sign of clenching my fists and wrapping my head.
“It’s okay. It doesn’t hurt.”
“……”
Even though I laughed out loud, Alan didn’t let go of his grim expression.
He made eye contact with me and said lowly.
“When everything is done, leave the dukedom. And don’t come back.”
It was a bolt out of the blue.
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