Chapter 27
“Isaac, you heard that, didn’t you?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
At Charlize’s command, Sir Isaac, captain of the royal knights, rushed over. He bowed respectfully to both the princess and the Tower Master, then looked between them.
“Can we determine when His Highness the Crown Prince was attacked?”
Charlize turned her gaze to Achilles. His face was calm, unreadable, as he replied.
“This isn’t an ordinary poison—it’s a curse. There’s no incubation period. Once it enters the body, the damage appears immediately.”
Isaac’s expression tensed at those words. The Crown Prince had collapsed not long after Ralph had caused a scene, when the guards had formed a protective circle around him.
One of the guards…
It must have happened while everyone was distracted by the commotion caused by the low-ranking noble. During that moment, a royal guard had touched the Crown Prince—that’s when it happened.
Isaac’s eyes shifted toward the guards still near the Emperor, Empress, and Oscar. He knew them all. He had fought with them, trained them—many of them had once served under his command.
His gaze scanned each face like a blade, searching for the enemy hiding in plain sight. And then—his breath caught.
One of them…
Was missing.
Earlier—
When the guard had wrapped his arm around the Crown Prince protectively, Oscar had flinched at a sharp, stinging sensation and looked up at him. That moment should have been unforgettable. The guard had started backing away the instant he saw the Tower Master casting magic.
Oscar wasn’t supposed to survive. He was supposed to die from the curse. But instead, he coughed it up—he lived.
Using that brief moment of confusion, the guard slipped out of the hall, claiming he had gone to call for the royal physician. But by then, others had already been sent.
Why… why is this happening to me?
If Oscar had just died, no one would have suspected a thing. There would have been no evidence, no reason to investigate him. He thought this was unfair. He had only given in to temptation once—and that mistake was dragging his entire life into ruin.
I won’t be the only one to fall for this.
He resented them all. Countess Lisette, his superior, her husband—the man who gave him orders—and everyone else involved in this scheme.
Just days ago, he had been a knight admired by many. A member of the prestigious Royal Guard. The Crown Prince’s personal protector. When he walked past in his shining armor, other knights would look at him with admiration—or envy.
Now? He was nothing more than a traitor who tried to murder the prince. He found himself wondering which would’ve been better—being executed for treason, or being quietly eliminated after his affair with his superior’s wife was exposed.
His father would never forgive him if he found out about the affair. That much was certain.
Our family’s name… it’ll all be over.
And he no longer cared. Whether his downfall dragged his family with him—it didn’t matter. He was the one about to die.
He blamed his father for all of it. If the man hadn’t been so rigid, so obsessed with honor, he never would’ve taken on something as reckless as assassinating the Crown Prince.
He lectures me about discipline while he keeps a mistress of his own!
His father had warned him to behave until marriage. “After you’re married,” he had said, “you can do what you like.” So, in order to avoid trouble, he began a secret affair with a married woman instead. How was he supposed to know she’d be his superior’s wife?
It can’t end like this. I just need to get out of the palace—then…
“Where are you off to in such a rush?”
A man in black-trimmed armor blocked his path. The moment the fleeing knight recognized the uniform of the Emperor’s personal guard commander, his face went pale.
“I was ordered to escort the court mage, sir!”
“That message has already been sent. There’s no need for you to go.”
The commander took a heavy step toward him. The guard stepped back instinctively, only to realize—he was already surrounded. Other knights in similar armor had closed in from all sides.
He was trapped.
Once a proud member of the Crown Prince’s personal guard, he now stood drenched in cold sweat, frantically searching for a way out—but there was none.
With the culprit identified, the rest of the nobles were questioned briefly and released. The higher-ranking nobles were prioritized first—the royal family was questioned before anyone else, followed by the duke houses. Viscount Valter of House Bianchi was among them and was cleared after answering just a few routine questions.
He hadn’t even gone near the Crown Prince during the incident. Some might still harbor suspicion, but no concrete evidence existed.
Because of the situation, Duke Bianchi, Valter’s father, took a separate carriage to meet with other nobles. On the way back, the only one who rode with Valter was the Duchess—his mother.
She sat in silence, her gloved hands resting on her lap. Duchess Bianchi avoided Valter’s gaze, clearly unwilling to meet his eyes. He watched her quietly, his stare soft but unwavering.
“Why won’t you speak, Mother?”
“You… No, it’s nothing.”
Duchess Bianchi’s thoughts returned to the moment that madman Ralph caused a scene. When he died so grotesquely, every noble in the room had turned to stare at them.
It had been brutal—and revolting. She felt certain that someone had used the chaos to disgrace House Bianchi and her son.
People won’t forget the curse from today.
And now, this incident would stain their proud family name. It would follow them like mud clinging to their heels—an ugly blemish trailing behind the name of House Bianchi. Duchess Bianchi hoped desperately that someone would step in and do something. If not, it would be her family that bore all the shame.
Then, as if on cue, the Crown Prince vomited blood.
It seemed like coincidence to everyone else. But not to her. In that moment of crisis, she hadn’t looked to her husband—she had looked at her son. An instinctive response, a mother checking that her child was safe.
Her son had been watching the Crown Prince, his eyes gleaming. His expression had been one of surprise—but she knew it was false.
Why did you pretend to be surprised, my son?
Duchess Bianchi tried to dismiss the thought. After all, the Crown Prince’s death wouldn’t bring any benefit to House Bianchi.
The one who benefits from this…
“The Tower Master. It must have been him who harmed His Highness.”
She spoke carefully, and Valter turned to look at her with a strange expression.
“And why do you think that?”
“Because he’s the one set to marry Her Highness, the Princess.”
If the Crown Prince had been attacked, it made sense to suspect someone else with a claim to the throne. That was a natural line of thinking. But no one had suspected the princess—because everyone knew how close she and the Crown Prince were.
Besides, she had followed the Emperor’s orders without complaint. She’d agreed to marry the Tower Master and leave the capital to live in the Mage Tower. Since she hadn’t resisted, most nobles assumed she was innocent.
But the Tower Master… he was a recent addition to the nobility. Some had been strongly opposed to how suddenly he was given a title. And now, with his engagement to the princess, he was about to be named Grand Duke. Many thought that was going too far.
“He saved the Crown Prince,” Valter said. “We have to acknowledge that.”
“Or maybe he only saved him because he already knew the source of the curse. Who knows what his true motives are?”
Valter watched his mother, whose frown deepened, clearly dissatisfied with his answer. He didn’t react. Things hadn’t gone according to plan—but he wasn’t worried. There was little chance the investigation would lead back to him.
Now that the Crown Prince had survived, those involved in the attack had already begun cutting ties. Most of the people in his organization didn’t even know who gave the order.
So…
Neither I nor the family will be in danger.
What frustrated him was the fact that every move he had made to trap Lize had now been wasted.
The Empress was thinking about the Tower Master.
She remembered the exact moment he’d unleashed his power to save the Crown Prince. Until then, she hadn’t liked him. But after witnessing that scene, her thoughts began to shift.
Why can’t he just stay in the capital? If he does, I won’t have to send my sweet Lize so far away.
“Your Majesty,” she said softly. “We must keep him here in the capital.”
In their private quarters now, the Emperor was giving orders to the attendants, telling them to bring cold water and drinks. At her words, he paused and turned to look at her.
“Him? Who do you mean?”
“The Tower Master. I was wrong before. He’s someone the Imperial family must hold on to.”
The Emperor sat down with a heavy look on his face. He understood what she was thinking—he had once wanted the same thing.
But that desire was dangerous.
“He’s marrying our daughter. That’s enough to ensure his loyalty.”
As if that settled it, he gently patted her hand while sitting beside her. But the Empress pulled her hand away with a slight scowl.
“How can you be so sure something like today won’t happen again? He has to stay in the palace!”
Her voice had sharpened. The Emperor looked troubled and let out a long sigh. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the attendants from the room.
When the doors finally closed and the room fell quiet, the Emperor looked at her seriously.
“My Empress… he’s far more dangerous than you think. If I had the power to bind him here, I would have long ago given him a title and secured him with politics. But I had to offer even our daughter’s hand in marriage just to gain his cooperation. Do you understand why?”
“You’re saying… he’s truly that dangerous?”
In the Empress’s eyes, the Tower Master was powerful, yes—but not beyond the strength of the Empire’s military. Her husband and son were both Sword masters. The Imperial Knights held even more of them.
Surely, if they used their full force, they could overpower even the Tower. Why be afraid of one man?
“He’s dangerous because he has no desire for power. If he did… it would be even worse. I’ve never met a man more dangerous than him.”
