Episode 67. The Emperor's Sword
It was morning. Sunlight streamed into the study of the Valois estate. Martha was organizing documents. Work had piled up again today. Checking the progress of the hot spring construction, the reply from Otto Bremer regarding the waterway design, and the final contract paperwork for Mr. Becker.
However, she couldn't concentrate on the papers. Things she had heard yesterday in the Crown Prince's room kept swirling in her head.
"I opened my eyes, and you were there."
Of course. She had been pushed into that room by the Empress and locked inside; it just so happened that she was there at the very moment he woke up. Why did he look at me with tears welling up, attaching so much meaning to that? I can't believe it.
Martha quickly erased that thought and turned the pages. This was not the time for such thoughts. His Highness the Crown Prince was injured, the Empress was highly likely to be behind it, and nothing had been resolved yet.
Just then, Maxim opened the study door.
"Princess, Prince Leon has arrived."
Martha put down the documents. Leon was standing in the reception room. He hadn't sat and waited. He was standing. He was standing by the window looking out at the garden when he turned around, presumably upon hearing Martha enter. He was dressed differently than usual today. It was attire prepared with a visit to the Imperial Palace in mind. He was neat and dignified. The sternly tailored Imperial Army uniform suited him well.
As Martha took her seat, she said.
"Are you going to the Imperial Palace today?"
"Yes. I must have an audience with His Majesty the Emperor."
"And Edward, too?"
"We have agreed to go together."
Martha looked at Leon. Leon's gaze was different from usual. His face was expressionless, yet within that blankness, there was something hardened. It was the look of someone who already knew what would be discussed at the Imperial Palace today. Martha asked.
"How is His Highness the Crown Prince's condition? Has he improved?"
"They said he has a slight fever but is stable. He is conscious."
"Is he still in bed?"
"No, he has now gotten up and is moving around."
"That is a relief."
"...His Highness the Crown Prince. You must have been very worried."
"Rather than that, since I saw it with my own eyes while he was lying there... I am relieved to hear that he has shaken it off and gotten up."
"I heard he is getting much better day by day."
Martha thought as she listened. It is a relief that he recovered quickly. She also recalled walking down the hallway after leaving the Crown Prince's room last night. It felt like my mother's doing. That voice lingered in her ears. It was the voice of a sick person, yet it was an unwavering voice.
Leon said.
"The Princess must stay at the mansion today."
Martha looked at Leon.
"I was planning to go to the Imperial Palace."
"Not today."
"Why?"
"It is not appropriate for the Princess of Valois to be present at an audience with His Majesty the Emperor. And..."
Leon paused briefly before continuing.
"The Imperial Palace will be chaotic today. The Princess must not be inside."
"... Should I wait outside the Imperial Palace?"
"I think the wait will be too long today. Not today."
Martha looked at Leon. Leon's gaze did not waver. It was a voice of worry that had come out. It was concern, not an order. Martha thought for a moment and then spoke.
"Understood."
"Have a safe trip. And be careful."
Leon accepted her words without saying a word. But something passed through his eyes. Briefly, very briefly. And then it vanished. Leon left the reception room.
Watching his retreating figure, Martha thought. What position would that man stand in today?
It was the Imperial Palace office. Emperor Heinrich Moncler was sitting by the window. As Leon and Edward entered, they bowed. His Majesty the Emperor raised his head. His face was different from usual. He was always solemn and calm, but today the area under his eyes was dark. It seemed he had not slept well last night.
However, this did not make him look weak. On the contrary, it looked heavier. It was the face of someone who had sat on the throne for a long time and had truly resolved to face something.
Leon began his report. He had summarized the situation at the hunting grounds. The direction of the arrows, the positions of the soldiers, and how His Highness the Crown Prince had defended them. It was a method of reporting that was precise, without any embellishments, yet completely thorough.
His Imperial Majesty remained silent as he listened to the report. He looked out the window, then at the table. His gaze did not rest on one spot. It was the look of a man deep in thought.
After Edward finished his report, the office fell silent. His Imperial Majesty spoke.
"My son took an arrow in place of his father."
The words were brief, yet heavy. He was not spoken as an Emperor. He was spoken as a father. It was the voice of a man who had sat on the throne for decades, enduring countless events, speaking for the first time from the position of a father.
Hearing those words, Leon bowed his head even deeper. Edward froze. The office remained silent for a while. His Imperial Majesty spoke again.
"We must catch the culprit. And also something behind him."
What was behind him? All three people present knew where those words referred. Yet, His Imperial Majesty did not say it directly. There were things known without words. His Imperial Majesty looked at Leon. His gaze was different. It was the look of someone entrusted with a task.
His Imperial Majesty's eyes, having observed people for a long time, scanned Leon. He was young. He was twenty-three. Yet, those eyes were not young. They were the eyes of someone who had seen much and endured much.
His Imperial Majesty spoke.
"Leon Ashford."
Leon bowed his head and said.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"I entrust you with full authority to investigate this case. I appoint you as a Special Inspector directly under the Emperor. I grant you the authority to act in my name, anywhere inside or outside the Imperial Palace."
Edward froze at that moment. It was extremely rare for His Imperial Majesty to personally appoint a Special Inspector. It was a rare occurrence in the history of the Imperial Family. That single remark encapsulated exactly how His Imperial Majesty viewed this incident.
Leon knelt and said.
"I will obey your command."
His Imperial Majesty looked down at Leon and said.
"Go all the way to the end. Go and find the true answer I seek."
It was not a simple command. It meant that His Imperial Majesty knew just how far they had to go. Where the end was. Who stood at that end. It was all contained within, even though it was not explicitly stated.
Leon bowed his head and said.
"I will go all the way."
They left the office. The hallway was quiet. Leon walked ahead, and Edward followed beside him. They walked side by side without a word. Only the sound of their footsteps echoed on the marble floor. Edward spoke first.
"Young Master."
Leon maintained his pace and looked at Edward. Edward looked straight ahead and said.
"I know it is not an easy path."
Even where the end is heading.
"I suppose you are prepared, but if things get tough anytime, I will be there to support you."
It was a brief remark. Yet, it held so much meaning. It was spoken as the heir to the House of Valois, as Martha's older brother, and simply as someone who wanted to walk beside Leon. Leon looked at Edward and nodded.
"Thank you, Brother."
Edward froze for a moment before letting out a smirk.
Leon looked straight ahead again and walked. The two walked side by side down the corridor. It was an interrogation room within the Imperial Palace. The window was small. The afternoon sunlight was streaming in diagonally, but it could not fully illuminate the room. A single table, two chairs. That was all. A soldier sat in a chair. He was a man who appeared to be in his mid-twenties. He had a good physique. The build of a trained man.
However, that physique was useless now. His entire body revealed that he was being held captive. His face was pale. His eyes were darting anxiously. They were eyes constantly conscious of something. He looked toward the door, then at the table, then at his own hands.
As Leon entered. He sat down in the chair opposite. The interrogation room grew quieter. Leon looked at the soldier. His gaze was cold. It was expressionless, yet within that blankness lay something solid. It was an unwavering look. It was a look that said he would obtain what was absolutely necessary right here. However, the first thing Leon said was different from what he expected.
"Do you have a family?"
The soldier froze.
"I heard you have a wife and two children. And I know where they are."
The soldier's eyes wavered. The hand resting on his knee clenched tightly. Leon placed his hand on the table and continued speaking. His voice was low and quiet. That voice showed that these words were not a threat.
"I can protect that family. Right now. However, for that to happen, you must speak."
The soldier looked at Leon. Their eyes met. Something wavered in the soldier's eyes. It was a look weighing whether he could be trusted. It was a look attempting to read whether the person sitting before him was speaking sincerely.
Silence fell. Leon waited in that silence. He did not rush him. He was giving the soldier time to make his own decision. Leon spoke again.
"I know where your family is right now. They are holding them captive over there. To keep you from speaking."
The soldier's face hardened.
"I will bring your family first. To a safe place. Then you can speak."
The soldier looked at Leon. He could see the intensity of his gaze shifting. It was a process in which fear was gradually transforming into something else. The inability to believe and the desire to believe were fighting within those eyes. Leon said.
"I am a Special Inspector directly under His Imperial Majesty. I act in His Majesty's name."
The soldier looked at Leon and slowly nodded. It had taken two hours to move the soldier's family to safety. It was a scene where Leon was informing the soldier of this fact. Upon hearing that his family was safe, the soldier's face changed. It was the first time he looked completely relaxed. Something moist welled up in the corners of his eyes and then vanished.
The soldier began to speak. That he had received orders. From whom? In what way? Leaving Edward beside him, who was taking notes as he listened, Leon asked one thing.
"Did you receive the order directly, or was there someone in between?"
The soldier hesitated for a moment and said.
"I don't know exactly. The person who gave me the order is also someone of infinitely high status to me."
"Who?"
"The Captain of the Guard."
That name fell into the interrogation room. Leon's expression did not change. However, his eyes did change. Very subtly. It was the look of someone who had found what they were searching for. Edward stopped the pen he was using to take notes. Edward and Leon's eyes met. There were no words. Yet, much was exchanged within that brief glance.
As Leon rose from his seat, he spoke to the soldier.
"Good job."
The soldier bowed his head. As Leon left the interrogation room, he spoke softly to Edward.
"I will apprehend the Captain of the Guard."
Walking beside Leon, Edward said,
"When?"
"Tonight."
Edward nodded. The two walked down the hallway. Their pace was quick. It was the pace of people who still had much work to do.
It was the ducal estate of Valois. Martha waited, poring over documents all evening. She needed to hear what had happened at the Imperial Palace today. But there was no contact. Lucy waited beside her, holding her notebook. Maxim changed the tea twice. As evening deepened, Maxim came into the study.
"Princess, a letter has arrived from Young Master Edward."
Martha took the letter and tore it open. It was a short one.
Young Master Leon has been appointed Special Inspector. He is set to go capture the Captain of the Guard tonight.
Martha set the letter down and looked out the window. It was night. The garden was shrouded in darkness. Special Inspector Leon could now act in the name of the Emperor. Martha thought to herself, "Once tonight passes, the tables will turn."
Lucy quietly took out a notebook beside Martha. Martha spoke.
"Lucy."
"Yes."
"I think we will have to stay up late tonight."
Lucy nodded, clutching the notebook.
[Lucy's Secret Shock Journal - Episode 67]
They say that today, Young Master Leon became a Special Inspector directly under His Majesty the Emperor. I don't know exactly what a Special Inspector is, but I know it is a tremendous position.
Young Master Edward wrote just one line in the letter, but that single line felt heavy. It is said that His Majesty the Emperor told Prince Leon to see it through to the end without fail. It was not written where the end was. There are things we know without them being written down.
They say he is going to capture the Captain of the Guard tonight. The Princess said she would likely have to stay awake until late tonight.
I will stay awake too.
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