WMEEM Ch 28

The Monster Aiding the Black-Winged Emperor

I felt the blade press deeper against my neck, slicing slightly as blood trickled down. It didn't bring real pain. It was hardly comparable to the wound Raff had inflicted on my arm before he fled.

Terkan glanced briefly at my neck and remained completely still. As the chilling aura around him grew even colder, the man holding me tightened his grip.

[Intruder] "Fall back!"

At the repeated threat, Terkan finally took a step—not backward, but forward toward me.

He pulled black leather gloves from his pocket and slipped them onto his hands.

[Terkan] "Choose. Will you die in agony with your limbs torn apart, or die comfortably with your breath cut short in a single stroke?"

The man flinched at Terkan's flat tone. Shouting or venting fury might have been less terrifying, but his completely emotionless voice made me hold my breath as well.

Was Terkan really this kind of person?

In an instant, it felt as if even the air around us would freeze over. And then there was the faint smile on his lips. In a situation like this, such a stunning smile looked cruel.

[Intruder] "Y-You were the monster aiding the Black-Winged Emperor."

The man had been composed until now, but he suddenly began to tremble, his shudders passing right into my body.

He called Terkan a monster. What kind of person was Terkan to others if he could inspire this much terror?

The Terkan I knew was certainly no villain, but I suddenly realized how many sides of him were still completely unknown to me.

[Terkan] "If you figured out that much, I appreciate your intelligence network. Ah, sneaking into the imperial palace deserves praise as well."

[Intruder] "I didn't get in on my own power alone. His Majesty has already departed."

[Terkan] "Is that so? The day I meet him will come soon enough."

Terkan took another step forward. A moment later, he took one more. With every step he took, the man holding me trembled more violently, completely consumed by sheer terror.

Holding a blade to my neck had given him confidence, but calling Terkan a monster with his own lips changed everything.

[Intruder] "I refuse to die at the hands of a monster."

The man pulled the blade away from my neck and backed away. My body, paralyzed only moments before, regained movement that very instant.

[Intruder] "Argh!"

A thick jet of blood suddenly burst from the man's mouth.

Did Terkan do that? No, he stood completely still. Killing a man with a mere glance was impossible unless he possessed some unknown magic.

The man collapsed forward and died with his eyes wide open. Lifeless eyes, blood foaming at his mouth, and a face twisted in agony.

I turned my head away, unable to look, while Terkan watched the dead man without any expression.

[Terkan] "Pity."

His voice carried genuine disappointment, as if losing the chance to kill the man with his own hands had robbed him of entertainment.

[Celeste] "Terkan, did you do that?"

I asked just in case, despite my doubts…..

[Terkan] "I did nothing."

He held up his gloved hands.

[Celeste] "Then why did he die?"

[Terkan] "The man was hiding poison in his mouth."

[Celeste] "Did you see the poison?"

[Terkan] "It was obvious. No one left behind in this place could expect to escape alive."

[Celeste] "You mean he came here prepared to die?"

He pulled off the gloves he no longer needed and slipped them back into his pocket.

[Terkan] "Indeed. If discovered, he was only a pawn meant to buy time until his master escaped safely. His death was decided the moment they planned this operation."

Stunned disbelief washed over me. Sacrificing human lives just to threaten me was typical of Raff's madness.

People died for their lords all the time, but this was too much. Even though he had threatened me, I couldn't help feeling pity for the dead man.

[Terkan] "The early blizzard bothered me, and it seems this incident was the reason why."

[Celeste] "You speak as if you expected this."

[Terkan] "This weather is ideal for exploiting chaos. I stayed alert, sensed a strange aura, and followed it. Fortunately, I arrived in time."

Terkan nudged the dead man with his boot and frowned. He turned away from the corpse, stepped up to my side, and examined my bleeding arm.

[Terkan] "The wound is quite deep. Does it not hurt?"

[Celeste] "It hurts."

[Terkan] "That is hardly the face of a person in pain."

[Celeste] "Should I cry over a minor scratch?"

The fact that Raff had snuck into the palace was far more shocking to me. Getting hurt at his hands was something I was already used to.

Terkan dropped to one knee before me. He tore a strip from the hem of my gown and bound my bleeding arm tightly.

[Celeste] "Ouch!"

When a small gasp of pain escaped my lips, he immediately loosened the knot. His eyes softened, looking completely different from a moment before.

[Terkan] "You shouldn't call something like this a minor scratch. Understood?"

After tying the knot carefully, he cupped my face in both of his hands. His eyes demanded an answer, so I gave him one without hesitation.

[Celeste] "Very well."

He pulled out a handkerchief and pressed it against the cut on my neck.

[Celeste] "It is only a small cut."

[Terkan] "I believe I warned you before that your neck is a vulnerable spot."

Moments I had shared with him flashed through my mind unbidden, along with the vivid memory of his touch.

Feeling too self-conscious to meet his eyes, I looked away toward the wall.

Terkan folded the handkerchief and tied it securely around my neck. He stepped back and looked at me.

[Terkan] "Now then. Who was the fool who dared to sneak into the imperial palace and wound you? Was it the Emperor of Calyx, or his agent?"

[Celeste] "How... did you know?"

Neither the dead man nor I had spoken Raff's name, yet Terkan had figured it out instantly.

[Terkan] "Putting the clues together makes the answer obvious."

He spoke as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

[Celeste] "Can we confront Raff about this? Can't we turn this into leverage against him?"

[Terkan] "No. That is impossible. If that man had survived, perhaps, but we have no proof. Even if he were alive, Raff would deny it, and we would be powerless."

[Celeste] "So if Raff comes back, I have to sit here and take it like I did today?"

[Terkan] "I will tighten security even more and search for traitors. Bringing you to this location without Eli knowing means someone inside the palace is working for Calyx."

Remembering the new maid, I told Terkan about her. I also mentioned the sudden headache that had started as soon as I returned to my room.

Everything was connected.

---

When we arrived at my bedchamber, Terkan tested the air and ordered the maids to open every window right away.

Although the blizzard was still howling outside, conditions were better than this morning, and the window frames no longer rattled violently.

According to Terkan, someone had secretly burned a special incense in my bedroom and reception room that caused headaches. A scent ordinary people couldn't detect. He guessed that someone had been burning it quietly since yesterday evening.

I was supposed to lose consciousness by dawn, but because I spent last night in Batizo's bedchamber, their plan failed, forcing them to send the maid with poisoned tea instead.

After the room was aired out and the physician treated me, the maid who served the tea was brought in tied up. She had been crying nonstop, and her face and eyes were red and swollen.

I had hoped the young maid was innocent, but her tear-stained face was undeniable proof that she knew what she was doing.

Terkan interrogated the maid.

[Terkan] "Tell us who gave you orders. That is the only way you and your family will survive."

[Dello] "I have committed a terrible crime! Even if you execute me, I have no defense! But please spare my family! My mother and sister know nothing about this!"

Although I felt angry at the maid, listening to her sobbing was hard to bear.

Remembering how terrified she was while serving the tea, I sat down in front of her. She had been shaking non-stop and had stopped herself halfway through speaking.

[Celeste] "You hesitated when I drank the tea, did you not?"

Her eyes widened like a frightened rabbit, and heavy tears streamed down her cheeks.

[Celeste] "You wanted to warn me not to drink it. Was I mistaken?"

[Dello] "Waaah! I am so sorry! I am so sorry!"

As it turned out, the maid had been blackmailed. She was not a spy for Calyx from the start. She was only a new trainee, and someone had approached her during the chaos of the blizzard to threaten her family.

Even though she refused at first, the blackmailer knew her home address, her mother, and her sick sister. She was so young that terror took over, and saying no felt impossible.

The imperial palace was intimidating enough on its own, and her terror at being dragged into something so dark was plain to see.

The true villain was not this child. It was Raff.

[Celeste] "Terkan, send her home."

I sat back down in my chair.

[Terkan] "Your Highness, even if she was blackmailed, a crime still requires proper punishment."

[Celeste] "She is still young."

[Terkan] "She is old enough to know right from wrong. We need to investigate further to confirm if she was truly forced into this."

[Celeste] "Terkan."

I spoke his name quietly, making it clear that I didn't want an investigation. Terkan looked like he wanted to argue, but he gave in and dismissed the maid.

Once everyone left the room and only the two of us remained, he sat down across from me.

[Celeste] "Why? Are you going to tell me that royalty shouldn't forgive people so easily?"

I cut him off before he could speak.

[Terkan] "I was going to tell you not to put complete trust in strangers. Sometimes, suspicion is necessary."

[Celeste] "True. But if I were a suspicious person, I would never have listened to a stranger and come to Kellinev in the first place."

Of course, I had been desperate back then, grasping at anything that felt like hope.

[Terkan] "Then please be cautious from now on."

He didn't push the matter any further, and I had no desire to keep arguing either.

He handed me a glass of water along with the medicine left by the physician.

[Terkan] "Painkillers and something to help you sleep."

The pain in my arm was growing worse. Cleaning the wound was manageable, but the throbbing ache afterward always bothered me.

[Celeste] "Why medicine for sleep?"

[Terkan] "Because getting deep sleep will help you heal."

Between my lack of sleep and breathing in those toxic fumes, I really did need to rest.

[Terkan] "Also, the engagement ceremony must be postponed."

I had been thinking about that too.

My arm was hurt, and an intruder sneaking into the palace was a major security threat. Since someone on the inside knew about Batizo's health, finding the traitor was the top priority.

[Celeste] "That makes sense, does it not?"

Since Batizo was not feeling well either, delaying the ceremony felt like the right decision.

[Terkan] "I will inform His Majesty. Please get some rest."

He reached for the doorknob, then stopped and turned back to look at me.

[Terkan] "What do you mean to the Emperor of Calyx, Your Highness?"

[Celeste] "Well, I would like to know that myself."

[Terkan] "So you don't know either. I asked because his hatred for you goes far beyond anything normal."

With those words, he left.

What I meant to Raff was a complete mystery to me. Today was no exception.

Raff had spent a fortune just to find me. Even with powerful Spacetime Mages and sorcerers helping him, sneaking into the imperial palace was an enormous risk for him to take. Yet he didn't even want to kill me enough to justify taking such a risk.

If he wanted to murder me, he had plenty of chances, but he held back. Just like he did in Calyx. Or rather, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Was threatening me really worth risking his own life?

Ah, my head hurts.

A mystery I had not solved in over ten years was not going to be unravelled today. Sleeping was much better than spending another second thinking about Raff.

I tried hard to push Raff's name out of my mind, closed my eyes, and waited for sleep to come.

---

Summoned by the Emperor, Terkan went to Batizo's bedchamber.

He had recovered some of his strength and was leaning back against the headboard, smoking a cigarette. When Batizo smoked, it meant he was in a terrible mood.

Terkan quietly made a cup of tea on his own and set it on the nightstand beside the bed.

After staying silent for a long time, Batizo picked up the teacup with his free hand.

[Batizo] "Are the preparations for the engagement moving along smoothly?"

[Terkan] "Yes, Your Majesty. However, something happened to Her Highness today."

[Batizo] "What happened?"

He paused for a moment before bringing the teacup to his lips.

[Terkan] "An intruder entered the imperial palace."

[Batizo] "An intruder? What kind of nonsense is this?"

[Terkan] "The intruder was accompanied by exceptionally skilled Spacetime Mages and sorcerers."

He set the teacup down and stared at him with a sharp, angry gaze.

[Batizo] "Skilled or not, what were you doing?"

Stopping intruders was Terkan's job. The problem was that these enemies had power far beyond normal limits.

[Batizo] "Did I not tell you to hire sorcerers?"

[Terkan] "Stationing sorcerers inside the palace is too dangerous."

[Batizo] "Keeping them outside the palace is just as dangerous, as today clearly proved."

[Terkan] "I will improve my own abilities immediately."

[Batizo] "Enough. I know how hard you work. So who was the intruder? Did he reach the Princess's room?"

Terkan explained in detail how Celeste was taken, who the intruder was, and the wound she had received.

Batizo looked calm while listening, but he was furious inside. He crushed his cigarette out roughly and drank his tea to calm himself down.

[Batizo] "The Emperor of Calyx has lost his mind. Sneaking into my kingdom, of all places."

[Terkan] "Indeed. He must know what consequences are coming. The wound on Her Highness' arm was clearly made on purpose as well."

[Batizo] "How is the Princess?"

[Terkan] "She claims she is fine, but she was shaken by the encounter. Because of that, I suggest we postpone the engagement ceremony."

Batizo finished his tea at his suggestion and leaned back. Sitting up again, he reached for another cigarette and lit it. A clear sign that he was still angry.

[Terkan] "Also, holding the engagement ceremony on that specific day makes me uneasy."

[Batizo] "Why? What makes you uneasy?"

[Terkan] "Your Majesty, if..."

Before Terkan could finish, Batizo waved his hand.

[Batizo] "No. Proceed as planned. I like that day."

---

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