Chapter 15. Throw it away? I never even had it in the first place.
“Ah, what a coincidence. Just when I was in trouble.”
A deep, low-pitched voice emerged from the shadows.
From the darkness of the late night, a black silhouette stood upright.
“I seem to have lost my way.”
Under the faint light of the lantern, a man stepped into view.
The first thing that caught my attention was his crimson-red hair, as if stained with blood.
A man whose overall features were sharp yet elegant.
His teal-gray eyes, filled with the chill of moonlight, stared at me.
The intensity of his gaze felt like a predator sizing up its prey.
He examined me with an obsessive gaze, then drew a faint curve on his lips.
“Hey, where’s the exit to this place?”
“……”
I couldn’t say a word.
Hey? Was he calling me?
For a moment, I looked around, wondering if he was addressing someone else, but there was no one else nearby.
“This palace is needlessly complicated. If you don’t mind, could you guide me out?”
I stared at him, flustered.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“Could it be… you can’t hear me?”
…Was he drunk?
Currently, many nobles were inside the palace, preparing to enjoy tomorrow’s banquet.
The red-haired man seemed like one of those indulging in revelry after entering the palace.
Yet despite his disheveled demeanor, his attire was anything but ordinary.
An overcoat adorned with crimson embroidery and extravagant decorations.
Unlike the clean-cut imperial style, his outfit exuded a wild, carefree flair.
I suddenly remembered hearing about foreign dignitaries visiting the palace.
This man must be one of them.
Still, he appeared heavily intoxicated.
His lack of decorum aside, his attire was scandalously improper.
His loosely undone buttons left his firm chest partially exposed.
I didn’t know where to direct my eyes.
Better to ignore him.
Feigning ignorance, I walked away with an indifferent expression.
“Where are you going? Damn, can you really not hear me? This is inconvenient.”
His lazy voice followed me, and before I knew it, he began trailing behind.
Why was he following me?
Feeling uneasy, I quickened my pace.
Yet the sound of his footsteps didn’t fade away.
“Hey, can you really not hear me?”
His rough question cut through the quiet.
A chill of unease ran through me.
A quiet night. An isolated path.
Footsteps closing in behind me.
The thought of a hand suddenly grabbing me, starting something sinister, sent shivers down my spine.
I should have brought some maids with me.
I regretted coming out alone.
What should I do?
At that moment, I spotted a small building with a green roof at the corner of the path.
It was a guard post where knights and soldiers rested.
I rushed over, flung the door open, and shouted.
“Help me!”
“Pardon?”
“What’s going on, Your Majesty?”
The knights resting inside turned to me, startled by my urgent cry.
It seemed to be a shift change, as four knights were gathered inside the cramped post.
Pointing outside, I urgently explained, “There’s a suspicious person out there.”
Hearing my words, their expressions turned grim.
“A suspicious person?”
“Unbelievable! Inside the palace grounds, no less…”
The knights grabbed their weapons and rushed outside.
“Hm?”
Surrounded by knights, the man looked puzzled.
Regaining my composure, I turned to face him.
On this bright, cloudless moonlit night.
The man stood under the bluish glow of the moonlight.
Still dressed improperly.
But this time, it wasn’t his outfit that caught my eye, but his red hair.
Under the bluish moonlight, his deep crimson hair shimmered with a mysterious glow.
“What’s going on here?”
The red-haired man looked baffled.
Looking between me and the knights surrounding him, he suddenly smiled, as if realizing something.
“Ah, were you all planning to guide me out?”
Seeing the knights, he lightly tilted the corners of his lips upward as he spoke.
The knights’ only response was a cold glare.
“Enough nonsense. Identify yourself!”
“Get on the ground this instant!”
Without hesitation, the knights drew their swords, their cold steel pointed at his neck.
“Heh.”
The man glanced down indifferently at the blades aimed at him.
“This is an unexpected development.”
His gaze shifted back to the knights.
In his eyes, I caught a strange flicker.
‘This man…’
My chest tightened in realization.
Was he seriously not going to surrender?
“What if I refuse?”
His languid voice turned provocative.
“He’s a suspicious individual!”
“Get down!”
“Subdue him!”
The agitated knights charged at the red-haired man.
But not a single blade grazed him.
With restrained movements, he avoided every attack effortlessly.
Thud. Whack. Crash.
“Ugh!”
“Argh!”
Amidst the dull thuds, groans of pain echoed.
‘…What just happened?’
I thought the knights and the man were about to clash, but in the blink of an eye, it was over.
In the dim moonlight, only the vivid crimson of his hair stood out.
A red as deep as blood.
That sight brought a man to mind.
A figure who destroyed fountains and dyed his hair red with the blood of his enemies.
Their demeanor and aura were entirely different, yet…
Why was I suddenly reminded of someone completely unrelated?
“The palace has a rather unique way of welcoming its guests.”
The calm voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
“Today has been an amusing day in many ways.”
Under the moonlight, the red-haired man was still staring at me with a mysterious smile.
At his feet lay four knights, groaning weakly, unable even to cry out in pain.
Dusting off his hands with a light clap, the man turned his head.
His piercing gray eyes, tinted with blue, captured my attention.
The instant the curiosity in his gaze disappeared, he said:
“You…”
Before I realized it, he had stepped closer, standing right in front of me.
His hot breath was so close that I could feel it.
In his sharp teal-gray eyes, my frightened reflection was visible.
Thump, thump.
My heart pounded quickly.
What was going to happen now?
Revenge? Retribution?
Was he going to accuse me of trapping him?
Should I reveal my identity as the Empress? But would that even ensure my safety?
What if he used it as an excuse to draw his sword instead?
I couldn’t forget how assassins had infiltrated the palace not long ago.
As my mind spiraled with all the worst possibilities…
“What’s this?”
Looking down at me, he smirked and said:
“You could have spoken properly, couldn’t you?”
***
Under the gentle moonlight.
I walked calmly down the path.
And trailing behind me were quiet footsteps.
The situation was eerily similar to before I reached the guard post.
The reason for this absurd situation was simple.
The knights, who had rushed out at my request to subdue the rogue, were instead all defeated by him.
Fortunately, the outcome wasn’t as dire as I feared.
Though the situation had taken a rather odd turn.
I glanced back cautiously.
The red-haired man walking behind me met my gaze.
“What? Is there a problem?”
A problem, huh…
The fact that I was still guiding this mysterious stranger through the palace?
“Judging by your attire, you don’t seem to be from the Empire. Where are you from?”
He gave a curt reply to my question.
“The Kingdom of Kalus.”
Kalus?
I remembered Countess Chloe mentioning that it was the most important name on the guest list.
“You don’t seem like an ordinary person.”
“Of course not. If the Kalus royal family didn’t know me, I’d be a spy.”
His jest made me chuckle faintly.
“You’re quite confident, aren’t you?”
“Not really. I get scolded by Momo sometimes for not showing enough pride.”
Momo?
Probably a nanny or caretaker who looks after him.
“If you’re from Kalus, you must be an important guest. How did you end up lost without an escort?”
“Well, I ended up drinking too much.”
“And that led you to randomly ask someone for directions? What if I were someone important in the palace?”
“For example?”
“Like the Empress, perhaps?”
I asked teasingly.
He hesitated briefly before bursting into laughter.
My brows furrowed unconsciously.
“What’s so funny?”
“At first, I thought you couldn’t speak. Now it turns out you not only talk but also joke.”
“Are you saying my statement was a joke?”
“You can’t be serious, right?”
…I was serious.
I really am the Empress.
“An Empress, walking around alone in plain clothes, late at night, without an escort? How does that make sense?”
It’s a long story, but it’s true.
“If you’re really the Empress, why not summon others right now?”
He looked at me intently.
Should I really call someone?
After a brief internal debate, I shook my head.
“No need.”
“Why? Why not?”
“Calling people would just result in more injuries.”
Dealing with this man would require someone like the Knight Commander.
I didn’t want more people to get hurt unnecessarily.
And…
I stole a glance at the red-haired man and continued.
“You don’t seem like a bad person.”
“I’m not a bad person?”
He leaned closer, his question almost a whisper.
“You saw me knock out those knights, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“And yet you think I’m not bad?”
“You stopped at knocking them out.”
“…What?”
Surprised by my response, his eyes flickered.
“That’s your reasoning?”
“Yes. That’s all.”
I nodded firmly.
Honestly, I didn’t have another reason.
Simply because he didn’t kill the knights?
Although he was rude and could easily have taken my life, I didn’t find him terrifying.
“Really?”
He bent down slightly, meeting my eyes.
His gemstone-like eyes seemed to pull me into their depths.
As he observed me quietly, he suddenly smiled.
“You’re amusing.”
…What about me is amusing?
I stared at him, puzzled.
What an odd person.
Let’s just guide him quickly and get away.
Thankfully, we soon reached a fork in the road. From here, I vaguely recognized the path.
“If you take this route, you’ll reach the guest accommodations.”
“Already? Are you abandoning me?”
Abandoning you?
I never took you in the first place…
“Now, please be on your way.”
“Well…”
Staring at me, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“I don’t think I can part ways so easily.”
“Why not?”
“I’m worried about you.”
He chuckled softly before continuing.
“You’re my savior now. If you encounter someone with bad intentions after we part and get hurt, I wouldn’t feel at ease.”
“That’s unnecessary worry.”
“You saw how weak those knights were. With people like that guarding the palace, how can I not be concerned?”
“Have you considered that being with you makes me feel even less safe?”
“Don’t worry. Like you said, I’m not that bad of a person.”
Despite my repeated objections, he showed no sign of relenting.
What should I do?
I couldn’t return to the Empress’ Palace with this drunken fool.
As I pondered my options, a quiet voice interrupted.
“So, here you are.”
A hand emerged from the darkness, gently pulling me back.
I found myself being shielded by a tall man.
In his eyes, I saw my startled reflection.
“Sir Leonard?”
“I’ve been looking for you.”
His breathing was heavier than usual, as if he had been running.
His calm gaze shifted to the red-haired stranger.
“Is that him? The one who dared act rudely toward the Empress?”
Leonard’s blue eyes burned with fierce intensity.
—
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