WMT | Chapter 7

The man who entered was definitely not a Royal Guard Knight.

“Your Highness! You’re safe. The last time I saw you, it was so heartbreaking, and there was no word from the royal castle, so I was just worried sick. Oh…?”

The man’s eyes widened. He had just noticed the bloody water in the basin.

“Who are you?”

“Your Highness! Is that your blood? They said you woke up safely! It’s my fault. I couldn’t protect you…”

The man cried out in anguish. Wiss thought he knew who this was.

There was only one person who would worry so much about Wissmia’s health.

‘Is this guy the lover?’

As soon as he made the judgment, Wiss grabbed the man’s collar.

“How did you get in here?”

“Your Highness?”

“Weren’t you banned from entering the royal castle? Who let you in here?”

“I came through the secret passage you told me about… Why are you doing this? You resent me. I understand. You can hit me and blame me.”

‘Oh, really?’

Wiss immediately clenched his fist and punched the man in the jaw.

“Ugh!”

“You crazy fool. You ran off with the prince during a war? And you call yourself the capital defense force?”

“W-wait, Your Highness…”

The man, his jaw rattled, lost his balance and fell.

There were plenty of places to hit on a fallen opponent. Wiss kicked him in the stomach with all his might.

Thud!

“…”

Though his anger subsided a bit, his ankle felt strange.

Wiss had a bad feeling and stopped kicking. When he touched his ankle, pain shot up.

‘Is it broken?’

Was this body made of glass? Even a child would be sturdier than this.

Wiss gritted his teeth and examined his ankle. It didn’t seem to be fractured.

In the meantime, the man got up and hugged Wiss.

“Someone as delicate as Your Highness wouldn’t do this… You’re really angry. Please don’t be angry, Your Highness. I didn’t abandon you. How could I leave you?”

“Let go.”

“No, Your Highness. I can’t let go now. No matter how harshly you treat me, I won’t leave. You can resent me. But please don’t tell me to go. Your sweet voice tears my heart apart.”

‘What nonsense.’

Wiss considered really tearing this guy’s chest apart but gave up.

‘I can’t increase my weaknesses here.’

This is a castle occupied by the Palatine army. Even if Wiss could secretly dispose of a body, he couldn’t hide the fact that this guy had infiltrated the castle.

Anyway, it seemed like he was a noble, not some vagrant under a bridge. If a noble disappears, people will look for him.

‘I have to quietly send him out without anyone noticing.’

Wiss suppressed his anger.

“If you don’t want to hear it, just leave.”

“What are you saying… There’s no way I wouldn’t want to hear your voice, Your Highness. Please don’t be too angry. I was also in burning agony while you were gone.”

‘Then burn to death.’

Wiss looked at the man with cold eyes.

“While reflecting on why we couldn’t be happy… I realized. My resolve was too weak. I’ve decided to do anything to get you back.”

The man spoke passionately. Wiss realized there was something odd about his tone.

“Anything?”

“Yes. I know why you’re treating me so harshly. His Majesty plans to send you to Duke Akazel. To that ruthless conqueror who trampled the kingdom… You couldn’t resist. I won’t blame you even if you smiled at the duke.”

The man took Wiss’s hand. Wiss decided to see what he would do.

“I’ll stop the marriage. You just wait for me without any worries.”

“How?”

The man looked around and leaned toward Wiss.

“You know my family has a crystal ball.”

A crystal ball, isn’t that something everyone has?

“I received contact from a surprising figure through the crystal ball. They promised to support us. Duke Akazel won’t be able to defend against it… At that time, even His Majesty Jeremiah won’t be able to oppose us. Until we meet again, please take care of yourself.”

As noise came from outside, the man’s tone became urgent. He kissed Wiss’s hand and quickly slipped out through the passage.

Wiss wiped his hands in the bloody water and rubbed them with a handkerchief, lost in thought.

Duke Akazel won’t be able to defend… Isn’t the term “defend” usually used to describe “defense against an attack”?

A surprising figure preparing an attack that the duke can’t defend against?

There’s only one person.

The King of Palatine.

‘Is he crazy?’

He should have caught the man. But he couldn’t just shout and call him back. Was there any need to announce an intruder?

Wiss didn’t even know the man’s name.

Instead, he called for the guard.

“Did you see someone leave here?”

“Who left?”

“…”

Could this guard even do his job? Wiss was doubtful.

“The person who claimed to be my lover just visited.”

“What? How did that person… Did you call for him, Your Highness?”

‘If I called for him, why would I tell you?’

Wiss held back a sigh.

“Why do you think I said this?”

“I don’t know?”

“That person knows the secret passage. Go and catch him.”

As soon as Wiss made the Summer Castle his royal castle, he memorized all the secret passages of the castle.

He hadn’t stayed in the Summer Castle for long, but he didn’t plan to live on the battlefield forever.

‘Though that’s how it turned out.’

There was an emergency escape secret passage in the prince’s palace.

The man came and went from the prince’s palace without anyone noticing. Unless he could teleport, he must have entered through that passage.

In other words, someone told the man about the secret passage that only royalty should know…

The “secret door” Wissmia mentioned must be that.

“Where is it?”

“Search the warehouse in the east forest of the prince’s palace.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The guard quickly ran out but returned empty-handed. Wiss wasn’t disappointed.

His lover is a noble. The guard said he must have gone down to his estate, but he was still in the capital. Where would a noble stay if not in his house in the capital?

“Go to my lover’s residence and tell him not to act rashly. No, I should see him myself. What’s his name?”

“Uh, Your Highness… Could you at least pretend your head doesn’t hurt…”

Wiss looked at the guard.

“Don’t argue with questions. Follow orders without complaint. If you disobey again, you’re fired.”

To Wiss, this knight was more useful for gathering information than as a guard.

But the guard wasn’t particularly well-informed, and if he could be replaced with a taciturn servant, that would be better. If he was someone Wiss had to keep by his side and use, he needed to correct his behavior now.

Wiss’s adjutant, who was like his hands and feet, was a taciturn and reliable person.

Though he eventually betrayed him.

The guard wasn’t entirely clueless. He quickly recalled his master’s question and answered.

“Count Morre.”

“Not a viscount?”

“Yes, a count. I understand he inherited the title and wealth at a relatively young age.”

A high-ranking noble, isn’t he?

With such a title, he must have held a significant position in the capital defense force. And this guy ran away with the prince during a war?

‘I should have hit him more.’

Anyway, the King of Palatine’s selection was excellent.

The guy, furious about having his lover taken by the duke, was even a noble with a reputable name. If someone like a count stood up to “defeat the invader,” there would be quite a few people who would join him.

In this case, the invader is Duke Akazel.

‘No way?’

Wiss frowned. He had formed a hypothesis about why the King of Palatine encouraged the marriage between the duke and the Summer royal family.

Suppose Wissmia married the duke. Naturally, the duke would inherit the Summer throne.

In that state, what happens if he’s killed by a rebellion of the Summer kingdom’s people?

First, all of the duke’s assets would be inherited by Wissmia.

If there are no children, the spouse inherits everything.

But Duke Akazel is also a royal of Palatine.

The Summer kingdom, having lost the war, swore loyalty and friendship to Palatine.

The moment the duke is killed, it would be as if the Summer kingdom rebelled against Palatine.

The traitor’s assets are confiscated by the state. In other words, they go into the King of Palatine’s pocket.

In this case, the King of Palatine would confiscate Wissmia’s assets.

The King of Palatine could swallow the Summer kingdom’s territory and the duke’s private assets without lifting a finger.

‘The King of Palatine pushed his brother into a dead end as soon as he ascended the throne.’

It’s clear that these brothers aren’t on friendly terms.

If they’re so eager to kill each other…

‘The older brother is for sure.’

The problem was that Wiss was also tied to the younger brother, whom the older brother wanted to kill.

If Count Morre believed in the King of Palatine’s promise and started a rebellion, the Summer kingdom would bear the brunt of the damage.

Wiss had to stop the King of Palatine’s schemes at all costs.