WMT | Chapter 23

The nobles of Summer headed to the royal castle after receiving invitations.

The sender was Prince Wissmia. He said he prepared a party to express his gratitude to those who attended the wedding.

‘It’s definitely not a letter written by the prince himself.’

The nobles had their suspicions—because they knew Prince Wissmia.

The prince had a lover, one who was famous even in other countries. That fame came from an attempted elopement…

The prince, who had failed to escape, was confined to the royal castle, while his lover, Count Morre, was banned from entering its grounds.

Count Morre was an exceptional knight. After all, no one would entrust the defense of the capital to someone unworthy. Known for his unwavering loyalty and bravery, the knight had recently attempted something drastic to reclaim his beloved.

He had planned to assassinate the duke—at a royal banquet.

Naturally, such a plan was doomed to fail.

In the chaos that followed the failed assassination, Prince Wissmia was married off to the duke. Needless to say, the prince’s will had nothing to do with the arrangement.

Prince Wissmia had a delicate nature. At the wedding, the nobles were on edge, anxious that he might faint in the middle of the ceremony.

It wouldn’t have been surprising if that prince spent every night in tears, longing for his lost lover.

All in all, it was a tumultuous wedding.

Duke Akazel conquered Summer and married its heir, seizing the kingdom for himself. The wedding had been rushed, with no proper reception held afterward.

This party was, in essence, a substitute for that missing reception.

In terms of significance, it was a gathering where the new ruler of the kingdom—the duke—would receive formal greetings from the nobles.

Since the prince, surely consumed by sorrow, wouldn’t be in his right mind at the party, the nobles knew they only needed to catch the duke’s eye.

Of course, even if the prince had been in his right mind, the nobles wouldn’t have gone out of their way to please him.

“I wonder if he even attended. He’s known to be in poor health and often misses parties.”

“Surely he wouldn’t miss a party he hosted himself?”

The nobles chatted as they waited for the host.

Prince Wissmia entered with the duke. The noisy party hall fell silent for a moment.

The duke offered his arm to the prince. The nobles thought the prince looked more pitiful than usual as he entered holding that arm.

The duke was tall and had a large build. His sun-tanned skin had a healthy glow. Standing next to him, the prince seemed even paler and smaller.

While the duke received greetings from the people, the prince remained silent, observing the surroundings with a watchful gaze.

The nobles didn’t pay much attention. Prince Wissmia wasn’t a sociable person. It wasn’t the first time he spent time at a party just passing the time. It wasn’t surprising at all.

However, if the nobles had paid a little more attention, they might have noticed something else. Like the fact that knights were approaching those whom the prince’s gaze landed on.

Bang!

Suddenly, the doors of the banquet hall closed.

“What’s going on?”

As the nobles looked around, the prince spoke.

“Baron Hover, Baron Clanet, Count Lad.”

Knights seized those who were named.

“What…?”

“Your Highness, what is this?”

“You are under arrest for the attempted assassination of His Grace the Duke.”

The knights twisted their arms behind their backs and bound them.

“…?”

“Don’t touch me! Your Highness! What is the meaning of this?”

“This is absurd…”

They struggled, trying not to be taken away.

The surrounding nobles screamed and backed away. It was a move to avoid getting involved.

“You can’t oppress people like this without evidence! Hey, let go!”

“Where is His Majesty? Where is His Majesty?”

“His Majesty is deeply saddened by this incident and is resting. He entrusted the punishment to me, so you need not worry.”

The prince showed the king’s seal and then put it back in his pocket. He approached the bound nobles.

“Count Morre mentioned your names. It’s shameless for those who should be locked up in the investigation room to appear in such a good place.”

“Count Morre? That, that can’t be…”

Baron Hover was flustered. Cold sweat ran down his back.

They didn’t even know who the attackers mentioned by the Palatine king were. But did the attackers know them?

But they couldn’t admit it.

“It’s a lie! Let me see the count! I’m innocent!”

“I don’t know what grudge led to this slander…”

“Innocent?”

The prince asked back. Baron Hover thought he should cling to this soft-hearted prince.

“Y-Yes! Of course.”

“If I were you, I wouldn’t.”

The prince spoke without expression.

Baron Hover forced himself to kneel and looked up at him with his head on the floor.

‘Was Prince Wissmia always like this?’

The prince wasn’t someone who possessed dignity or sternness. The same was true for King Jeremiah, so the nobles of Summer never felt tense dealing with the royalty.

However, Baron Hover felt frozen to the core facing Prince Wissmia. The prince felt like an opponent he couldn’t defy.

“I-I don’t know what Your Highness is talking about. I have been loyal to His Majesty. How can you do this to someone who served in diplomacy for over ten years in a distant foreign country?”

But he couldn’t just offer his neck willingly. Baron Hover whimpered. Since he genuinely felt like crying, his voice trembled more than enough.

“To oppress someone who served as a diplomat for the country…”

“Isn’t Your Highness mistaken?”

The surrounding nobles were agitated. Baron Hover had been a diplomat dispatched to Palatine.

Being a diplomatic official required ability, but it was also something one couldn’t do without the determination to endure over ten years of harsh life abroad.

How unfair it must be to oppress such a person as a traitor?

Sensing the atmosphere, Baron Hover raised his head. But before he could plead his innocence, the prince asked first.

“Is that so? Was receiving a bribe from your diplomat friend a month ago also an act of loyalty?”

Baron Hover was at a loss for words.

“How did you…”

He realized his mistake and shut his mouth. His heart sank to the ground.

“You spent a long time in Palatine. It seems you made many good friends. Even friends who crossed the border during the war. Did that person say they’d help you? Did they tell you to sell your loyalty for money before the winner of this war was decided? Since when have you been serving two masters?”

“N-No, Your Highness! That’s not true! Two masters? Betrayal? What power do I have to do such things? I was just…”

Baron Hover was startled and tried to make excuses. He really had nothing to do with the war!

It was true that the Palatine king gave him a gift through an old acquaintance, but that was after King Jeremiah had surrendered.

What the Palatine king wanted in return for the gift was also unrelated to the war.

So he… said the duke would die.

“Are you telling me to attack the duke? Isn’t he a great knight? There’s no way such a thing would succeed!”

“King Riendell doesn’t demand such unreasonable things. Someone else is prepared to kill the duke. The baron just needs to handle one easy but important task.”

The Palatine king’s instructions were indeed not difficult.

All the baron had to do was help manage the chaos that would follow. When the Palatine king made a generous offer to Summer, he just needed to cast a vote in agreement…

But could he say such things?

The duke stood beside the prince with a cold face. He was undoubtedly the continent’s greatest knight. If he uttered something like ‘I only agreed to help after the duke’s death,’ the baron’s head would be cut off immediately.

The prince looked down at Baron Hover and asked.

“Are you saying you didn’t receive a bribe? Are you saying Count Morre risked his life to lie?”

“N-No, that’s not it…”

“Or are you saying the person you met wasn’t a spy from Palatine?”

The baron desperately racked his brain. If he admitted it here, he would be punished for treason!

“Y-Yes! That’s right! A spy? That’s absurd, Your Highness. My diplomat friend came to help me, knowing my difficult situation. Please investigate the timing of his visit again. You’ll see the timing doesn’t match! I also met him only after both countries promised peace!”

“When exactly did that person visit?”

“Right after the war ended! He couldn’t move, knowing I was struggling, but as soon as he judged the danger had subsided, he came.”

The baron scrambled to make excuses. If he didn’t disguise the Palatine king’s envoy as a close friend, he’d be beheaded.

“A grateful friend indeed.”

“Yes, that’s right! Truly, I can’t help but be thankful…”

The prince spoke without expression.

“So you attacked the duke for that grateful friend.”

“Excuse me?”

“Now that we know the motive, we can hear the rest in the interrogation room. Take him away.”

“…Y-Your Highness! Your Highness! No! Please spare me!”

The knights dragged Baron Hover away. Baron Clanet and Count Lad, who had been listening and supporting his excuses, belatedly tried to claim their innocence.

“Your Highness, it’s not us! We have nothing to do with Baron Hover…”

“Let go of me! Do you know who I am? Ugh…”

Their cries echoed through the party hall as they were dragged away.

“A diplomat claiming not to know the significance of attacking the duke now that both countries are at peace won’t make excuses.”

The prince said this and then turned to the duke.

“Your Grace can rest assured now. I will not forgive those vermin who tried to harm you and disrupt the peace between our countries.”

His tone was gentle, different from before. The content of his words was also kind, as if trying to reassure his lover.

The nobles attending the party were dumbfounded, staring at the scene.

Of course, those two were indeed a married couple…