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It was late evening when the nobles dispersed from the meeting. Elena stepped out before Carlisle did, and was breathing in the cool night air.

“Your Highness.”

A familiar voice stopped her in her tracks, and she looked backwards. It was her father, Alphord, whom she had not seen in a very long time.

“…Father.”

Even though she hadn’t encountered him on the battlefield, it was likely that he had been present in the fight. She looked at her father in surprise at the suddenness of the meeting. Alphord repeatedly closed and opened his mouth as he struggled to find the words to say.

“Now that you’re the princess, you should call me Lord Blaise, not ‘Father.’”

“Ah, I’m not used to it yet…”

Elena smiled awkwardly as her words trailed away. Although she cared deeply for her family, she was married now, and did not see her family’s faces as often as before. The last time she had seen her father, it was a brief encounter at the tournament, but she had kept her identity hidden.

“How have you been?”

“I’ve been well, nothing special. I came to find you to give you an answer to your letter.”

Elena remembered that she had written to her father about Mirabelle studying abroad.

“Do you mean about Mirabelle?”

“Yes.”

Elena then nodded, her face slightly tense. If Alphord opposed Mirabelle’s study abroad, she would have to think up an answer in response. However, Alphord’s reply was completely different from what she anticipated.

“As you have suggested, Your Highness, I thought better to send Mirabelle abroad for her safety until the Empire is stabilized.”

“That means…”

“Yes. When you were missing and confusion ensued, I quickly sent Mirabelle to the Freegrand Kingdom not long ago. She said she would write to you as soon as she got there. Now that I’ve come across you, I wanted to tell that to you.”

Elena didn’t think it would be easy to persuade her stubborn father, but so far the current confusion in the Ruford Empire seemed to work in her favor. An irresistible smile came to her lips.

“I regret not being able to say goodbye to Mirabelle, but I’m glad that she’s left to study abroad.”

“…”

Alphord did not reply. He still seemed uncertain about sending his youngest daughter away. However, Elena felt a little more relaxed now that her sister was safe, especially since she hadn’t dealt with Paveluc yet.

Elena’s mood lifted and she spoke.

“You made a wise decision. Not only for Mirabelle’s safety, but because it was what she wanted.”

“…Yes.”

Despite his affirmation, there was conflict in his eyes. He gazed at Elena with an enigmatic expression and ventured on carefully.

“However, Your Highness, I recently heard a strange story from the other nobles.”

“What do you mean?”

“Everyone says that you are an excellent fighter…what on earth do they mean?”

Elena blinked in surprise. If she thought about it, it was only natural that Alphord wanted to know.

At the moment, revealing her identity was a spontaneous decision so she could release the soldiers from the Crown Prince’s palace. Moreover, she had no reason to hesitate, as Ophelia had already found out about it.

Elena did not calculate this particular situation however. She looked uncharacteristically sheepish as she attempted to explain herself to her father.

“Well, since my mother was a knight, I wanted to learn sword fighting too. You know I once begged you for lessons when I was young.”

Alphord simply stood there and quietly listened. His blunt stare and stony expression only served to make Elena feel even more nervous.

“And so…I did everything in secret. I learned just by watching, so I’m not that good.”

“…So the rumor is exaggerated?”

“Yes, a little…I guess so.”

She desired to be recognized by Alphord, but she couldn’t reveal her true skills. There was a great difference between learning swordsmanship for self-defense and being good enough to kill a dozen enemies at once.

More importantly, Alphord, the head of the Fourth Order of Knights of the Imperial Family, would know that her current ability was not something one learned just by watching and practicing. In order to explain it properly, Elena would have to reveal everything about her previous life, something she was not prepared to do to him. She was scared how he might react to that.

“But I heard—”

As Alphord was about to speak, he was interrupted by Carlisle’s voice coming out of the meeting hall.

“My wife.”

At Carlisle’s call, Elena immediately turned her head.

“Yes, Your Highness. I’ll be right there.”

Elena rushed to make an excuse to avoid a difficult situation.

“I have to go now that my husband is calling me. I will see you again.”

“…Yes, Your Highness.”

He looked ready to say something else, but he didn’t stop Elena. She went to Carlisle’s side, leaving Alphord behind.

Carlisle, who was standing at a distance, recognized Alphord’s face, and he turned towards Elena.

“Ah, you were with Father-In-Law?”

“Yes. But for now, I just want to leave this place.”

Carlisle didn’t understand why, but he nodded and strode ahead. She fell into step beside him.

Alphord watched their backs retreat from a distance.

***

Paveluc left the palace with his servants from the Duchy of Lunen, but that didn’t mean his influence was completely gone. Batori had remained as a servant of the Crown Princess. In his hand was the last order Paveluc had left him.

[Kill the prince.]

It would be difficult to assassinate the man who would soon officially become emperor. If Batori succeeded, however, he was promised reward beyond his belief.

Batori stared intently at the paper, then placed it in his mouth and swallowed it so that no evidence remained.

“…It’s time to do my job.”

Though humble in appearance Batori was, he was a man of unparalleled ability. There were many reasons why he followed Paveluc, but the biggest was because he wanted to rebel. If the sky was changed, he could wash away his old identity. He recalled the words Paveluc had spoken to him.

— If you succeed, I will give you a position as great as a general.

To achieve the future that Batori wanted, he would start by monitoring Elena’s every move.

“I will be general…”

The smile on Batori’s lips broadened. It was a difficult task, but not impossible. All the members of the Blood Assassins that Paveluc had given to him long ago had secretly infiltrated the Imperial Palace. Batori had prepared for this very moment.

Carlisle’s assassination was both a dangerous mission and a golden opportunity.