Midnight Pursuit
“The thing you love most?”
“Yes.”
Taking a hostage of what the other party cherished most was the very foundation of blackmail. Nothing hurt quite like losing what one held dearest in the world.
Edwin gave me a puzzled look at my words, then his shoulders slumped.
“Hmm. I suppose. But I doubt the King of Adamant has any such weakness…”
Outwardly, that might seem true. He was the sort of man who looked as though no blade could ever reach him.
Yet every human had a weak point—something that, if struck, would cause pain or even a fatal wound. Just as Ian had once been mine.
“Everyone has a weakness. The question is only how well they hide it.”
I offered Edwin the best advice I could give.
“Observe him closely. No matter how carefully concealed, a weakness will eventually show itself.”
“Understood.”
There was no confidence in Edwin’s reply. He still wore that gloomy expression.
It seemed there was more troubling him than just Kaiden.
“Is something else the matter, Your Highness?”
“Hm? Ah, well…”
Edwin’s gaze drifted to the ornate ceremonial sword resting beside his bed—the blade he would use to perform the sword dance before the Emperor.
“The sword dance. Can I really manage it alone?”
The dance required perfect coordination between two people. Yet Lloyd had stormed out after the very first lesson and had never once practiced with Edwin since.
“Even so, stepping onto the stage without ever matching steps with Prince Lloyd feels…”
I reached out and lightly tousled Edwin’s hair, heavy with worry.
“It will be fine.”
According to the sword dance instructor, Lloyd had been practicing with fierce determination as well. He would hardly want to disgrace himself before the Emperor and the foreign envoys.
“After all, Your Highness has already memorized every one of the Second Prince’s movements.”
The sword dance was, in its own way, a performance. Coordination mattered, but if one side could dominate and guide the other, failure could still be avoided.
“You have done everything within your power. There is no need to worry so much.”
“But if I make a mistake that day…”
“There is no point fretting over something that has not happened.”
I placed a hand on Edwin’s shoulder, his expression still uncertain.
“And you will succeed. I will vouch for it.”
“Truly?”
“Yes. I told you before, did I not?”
Edwin was steadily growing stronger. Watching his body change day by day was enough to draw admiration. A child’s growth was terrifying in its speed.
“You are strong, Your Highness. And talented.”
“N-no, I am not particularly…”
Edwin still grew awkward at praise. His blue eyes darted left and right, unsure what to do.
‘Only a few months ago he was spouting nonsense about how, as a prince, he did not need to bathe.’
Seeing him this humble now, it seemed he had matured a little.
“If it still troubles you, I will ask Sir Jake to arrange a practice session between the two princes. It should not be difficult to set up.”
The sword dance instructor would also prefer the two princes to coordinate before the performance.
“There is still time before the banquet, after all.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
I bowed my head toward Edwin, whose face had brightened at once.
“Then please rest. The Eastern Continent’s envoy delegation arrives tomorrow. You will be exhausted.”
The delegation was large. Edwin would likely be kept busy from dawn simply receiving their greetings.
“All right. Sleep well, Rachel.”
Only then did Edwin burrow into his blankets, his worries seemingly gone. I waited until he had fallen asleep before leaving the room.
Click.
As I headed quietly toward my own room, a sound drifted up from the stairs below.
It was Kaiden.
‘Has he been with Jerome until this hour?’
I paused at the railing and watched him in silence.
“I greet Your Majesty the King. You have returned!”
At that moment, Catherine hurried across the lobby toward him.
“I heard from the attendant sent by Duke Crowner that you would be late. Have you eaten? Shall I prepare something?”
“No need. I have already dined.”
Kaiden glanced at Catherine as she took his outer coat.
“And your health?”
“Pardon?”
“Are you feeling well?”
“Ah, yes! Thanks to your concern, I have fully recovered.”
“Good. Health comes first, so do not overexert yourself.”
Catherine gave an awkward laugh, perhaps pricked by the lie she had told. Kaiden smiled kindly at her in return.
“The next time I have a request for you, tell me in advance if you are unwell.”
The casual remark carried a strangely sharp edge. Just as Catherine bowed her head in confusion, he added,
“Also, I wish to sleep soundly tonight, so allow no one into my chambers until after breakfast tomorrow.”
Why would the man who once claimed he could only sleep with someone beside him say such a thing?
‘…There is something behind this.’
In that instant, a rational suspicion bloomed in the corner of my mind. Kaiden Ram was surely hiding some unknown intention.
* * *
It was still before dawn.
Lying in bed, I opened my eyes reflexively.
‘Movement.’
Someone inside the Prince’s Palace was heading outward.
‘Three presences… no, four.’
I rose and approached the window. Pulling the curtain aside, I saw shadows silently scaling the outer wall.
‘Those are…’
In the faint moonlight, their figures became clear. They were knights from the Adamant Kingdom.
‘Hmm.’
I narrowed my eyes. One of them moved with a painfully familiar grace.
‘Kaiden Ram.’
The young king was leading three subordinates out of the Prince’s Palace in secret.
‘What if someone notices?’
Kaiden’s actions were no different from moving his troops without the Emperor’s permission. If discovered, it could spark not a minor diplomatic incident, but war.
‘What on earth is he thinking, doing something so reckless in the middle of the night?’
The reason behind the King of Adamant’s strange behavior did not matter to me. What concerned me was that, as a guest of the Third Prince’s Palace, any displeasure he caused the Emperor might also affect Edwin and Emilia.
Swish.
I quickly donned a dark cloak, pulled the hood over my head, and leapt from the window. Silently, I ran and clung to the top of the wall where the knights had disappeared.
Kaiden and his party had already mounted horses waiting beyond the wall.
‘Damn it.’
They had prepared thoroughly. They had planned to leave the Prince’s Palace from the start.
‘This is absurd. What could possibly require such measures?’
I glared after the retreating figures, then dropped from the wall.
‘I will follow.’
Since things had come to this, I might as well discover why Kaiden felt the need to sneak out of the Imperial Palace. If I could find any leverage tonight, it would surely prove useful later.
I clenched my teeth and tracked their trail.
‘It has been a while since I last did this.’
Assassins had always pursued mounted targets on foot alone, ensuring the quarry never sensed they were being followed.
“Hah… hah…”
I sprinted at full speed in the direction of the hoofbeats. In my previous body, this distance would not have tired me, but Rachel’s body was far from robust.
‘Even though I have trained every single day since waking up here, this is all I can manage. I should have built up more stamina.’
Even as I scolded myself, I kept running. Fortunately, I caught sight of the Adamant knights before my legs gave out.
‘This place…’
I frowned and surveyed the surroundings. The trail had led me to the bank of an unnamed river.
Swish, swish.
Reeds along the shore swayed violently in the cold night wind. A chilling sense of déjà vu rose from deep in my gut, and cold sweat trickled down my spine.
Whoosh—thud.
At that moment, a dagger flew past and embedded itself near my feet. It had been thrown by Kaiden, standing in the distance.
“……”
He was staring straight at the spot where I hid.
“Your Majesty, what is it?”
One of the knights voiced his confusion at the sudden action. Kaiden gave no reply. He simply continued to watch the place where I crouched in silence.