Chapter 70
A perfectly natural question—asking why someone had come to his home.
Solinor, still not sensing anything suspicious, answered confidently.
As with the other officials he had visited, he began with a proper introduction.
“You’re Sid, one of the budget department heads, correct? I’m Princess Muriela.”
Sid didn’t answer immediately. Solinor could read the emotion flashing in his eyes.
It was suspicion.
Understandable. After all, she hadn’t removed her disguise yet.
Solinor had Florina help remove her makeup using cleansing cotton.
When Muriela’s real face was revealed, the official’s expression changed.
He must’ve attended the recent royal event and recognized her, realizing she was telling the truth.
“Ah, Princess Muriela… I never imagined it was really you…”
It wasn’t the most polite thing to say to a royal, but clearly, he had blurted it out in shock.
Naturally, Solinor didn’t take offense over something like that.
After a moment of regaining his composure, Sid knelt respectfully before the princess and asked:
“Your Highness, what brings you to this humble home?”
It wasn’t an empty phrase—his house truly was modest. Hard to believe it belonged to a high-ranking official.
But perhaps that modesty was proof of his integrity.
Still, when interrogating someone, it’s best to come on strong first. Then soften once forgiveness is extended.
Whether negotiation or threat, you start by establishing dominance—and that begins with evidence.
Solinor pulled out a set of documents from his robes—concrete proof of Sid’s misconduct—and said:
“You’ve been working in the budget office for a long time, haven’t you? Thank you for your service.”
“Ah, thank you. And that document…? Is there a problem?”
Sid still seemed flustered by the princess’s sudden appearance.
And of course, Solinor was ready to exploit that weakness.
Pushing during moments of vulnerability was the basics of tactical pressure.
“If you’ve done so well, then why… why go down this road? It’s truly disappointing.”
A vague accusation, but it was meant to make him confess voluntarily.
The two officials from earlier couldn’t withstand this pressure and crumbled.
Of course, the imposing figure of Hamilton standing behind Muriela probably helped, too.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know what you mean…”
Sid took a step back, maintaining a defensive stance.
‘Oh? Trying to feign innocence now?’
To Solinor, that alone was as good as admitting guilt. He pressed harder.
“You’re hiding something, aren’t you? As a high-ranking official, what have you been doing all this time? Do you see this document? This is all evidence. I came here knowing everything, so don’t even think about denying it.”
Solinor even let his hand tremble slightly while holding the papers, enhancing the intimidation.
Surely, the man would confess now.
“Hmm…”
But Sid’s expression didn’t change. He said nothing as he took another step back.
Solinor, watching him, finally began to feel something was off.
‘Huh? Why does he look so confident? If he really were an honest official, wouldn’t he be ashamed by now?’
But then Sid said something completely unexpected.
“It’s earlier than planned, but we have no choice. Move now.”
“Huh? What are you—”
Before Solinor could finish, people poured out from the rooms on either side of the entrance.
Fortunately, Hamilton and Florina had already sensed that something was wrong—they weren’t unprepared.
“Your Highness, get back!”
With that shout, Hamilton threw his body into the narrow hallway leading to the living room, shielding Muriela behind him.
It was a quick, decisive move without a second of hesitation.
So that’s why the hallway had been so narrow—it was meant to trap people.
But now, Hamilton had turned that trap into a defense, protecting the princess.
And Sid was trapped there with them, meaning things hadn’t spiraled too far out of control yet.
Moreover, both Hamilton and Florina were no longer unarmed.
After the earlier scare at the entertainment district, they had realized how careless it was to go weaponless.
They had borrowed small blades from fellow agents.
Even the simplest weapon becomes formidable in the hands of a knight trained by the Royal Defense Corps.
And if you’re blocking a narrow passage that only allows one person through?
You can hold off dozens.
Florina wasn’t just a typical maid either.
Though not a front-line fighter, she had the training to guard VIPs—especially her current role: protecting the princess.
She drew her dagger and stepped in front of Muriela, pushing Sid back.
Solinor, of course, wasn’t oblivious. He quickly grasped the situation.
Whoever Sid really was, he wasn’t the person they’d expected.
He clearly harbored secrets far more sinister than anyone guessed.
If they could capture him and extract the truth—it would be a win.
Solinor hid behind Florina and gave her a quiet command.
“Can you take him down?”
“…I’ll give it a try.”
Florina gripped her dagger and slowly advanced toward Sid. But a smirk tugged at his lips.
“You’ve misunderstood something. Do you think I’d trap myself here without a backup plan?”
The moment he finished speaking, Sid opened the wardrobe behind him and threw himself inside.
Florina gasped and rushed after him, but the door slammed shut with a click before she could reach it.
A moment later, Sid reappeared behind the armed men facing off against Hamilton.
He had used a hidden passage. Florina tried to open it from her side but failed.
“Hahaha. Why don’t you surrender quietly? You have no way out.”
It was yet another crisis.
Earlier, things had resolved due to a misunderstanding, but this time it didn’t look like that at all.
Now they were completely surrounded by a larger number of armed assailants.
For the moment, no one dared approach the narrow corridor guarded by Hamilton.
But with no way to break through, their position was undeniably precarious.
If the enemy used ranged attacks—or worse, hurled fire or poison into the room—there would be no way to respond.
Hamilton and Florina began sweating coldly, sensing just how desperate the situation had become.
They themselves could handle danger, but Muriela’s safety was not guaranteed.
Worse yet, the enemy knew their identities, while they knew nothing of the other side.
That meant they had no meaningful bargaining chips either.
Yet Solinor remained calm. From behind Hamilton, he raised his voice and shouted at Sid and his men.
“Hey, do you even know what you’re doing? If you want to see tomorrow’s sun, open that path right now.”
Of course, there was no response. Instead, another call to surrender was returned.
Muriela had no intention of complying, so the standoff continued.
That’s when Sid began speaking again—this time to Hamilton and Florina.
“Dear me, it seems the young princess doesn’t care about the lives of her subordinates. Is that it? She’s royalty, so her life isn’t in danger? What about you two? Hand her over, and you’ll be richly rewarded.”
Neither Hamilton nor Florina replied. Sid kept talking.
“You don’t want to be called traitors, is that it? Well, this rotting country’s going to collapse soon anyway. Wouldn’t it be better to defect and live comfortably in another land?”
To be fair, Silbrenoa was a crumbling kingdom—any child on the street could tell you that.
With Eldric’s careless mismanagement, the chance of collapse was all too real.
But Hamilton and Florina had already seen hope—in the form of Princess Muriela.
‘If it’s Princess Muriela, she can save the kingdom.’
Even if it cost them their lives, they had no intention of handing her over.
The problem was, even if they sacrificed themselves, there was no guarantee Muriela would escape.
No matter how many escape routes they considered, every scenario ended with her capture.
“If you won’t answer, we’ll be forced to attack. Like I said earlier—give us the princess, and we’ll help you start a new life with status and wealth in our country. Decide quickly. Time’s running out.”
Though he didn’t name the country, it was now clear—they were foreign agents.
They must’ve mistaken Muriela’s visit as an attempt to expose them.
They likely thought their spy identities had been discovered.
Meanwhile, Solinor was already devising a way to get out of this dire situation.
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