Chapter 24
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Chapter 24
Lady Fron tilted her head with a puzzled expression.
This was a prison for members of the Royal Family—security would be airtight, so no one could simply waltz in.
'Well, it's none of my concern.'
But her straightforward nature meant she quickly dismissed the thought.
She would be taking her own life soon anyway, so what did the Imperial Palace's security matter?
'Jayden....'
Lady Fron closed her eyes and thought of her son one last time.
From the moment she entered the Imperial Palace as a knight of the Imperial Family, her life had never felt precious.
But thinking of her eight-year-old son, her heart ached.
Still, Lady Fron steeled herself.
'...This is for you as well.'
The Imperial Family's crisis was also Jayden's crisis.
After all, a birth mother like her would only ever be a liability to Jayden.
Jayden himself had always been ashamed of her as his biological mother....
By that logic, her death would be no loss to him.
'In any case, if I collapse and die here, at least His Majesty will know my innocence.'
Others might not, but the Emperor knew her well.
That was enough, she thought.
Still possessing her formidable martial prowess, she began to devise a plan methodically.
'When that guard turns his body to the side, I'll seize his sword.'
Lady Fron let out a languid yawn.
Only one guard assigned to her.
It felt almost like an insult.
'Idiots. Just because I wear a dress and walk around clumsily, they think the legendary Lady Fron can't manage this much? My name is still on the Imperial Knight roster.'
That was when it happened.
A silver-haired woman who had entered through the prison entrance earlier approached the guard cautiously.
"Um, excuse me...."
"Yes? What business do you have here?"
The guard turned his body to the side toward the woman's voice.
'Now! The opportunity came quickly.'
There was an iron bar between them, but that meant nothing to Lady Fron.
Just as Lady Fron moved swiftly to seize the guard's sword—
The woman cried out urgently.
"Activate!"
At the same moment, something sharp sliced across Lady Fron's arm.
Lady Fron flinched and reflexively pulled her arm back.
'...What is this....'
As a bright light flared, a mild sting registered.
It was barely more than a light prick—not even enough to draw a cry of pain. But she had failed to seize the guard's sword.
Fron stared blankly at the empty parchment fluttering down.
'A scroll?'
But she barely had time to process her surprise.
"Oh my...."
A gaunt woman with silver hair immediately dropped to her knees.
"Heavens, Your Majesty the Empress!"
The woman muttered in a dazed voice, as if her mind had left her body.
"I, I was just passing through on business, and when I saw someone trying to steal the guard's sword...."
Of course, the guard who had nearly lost his blade was equally shocked. Only now did he grasp what had happened.
The guard bowed frantically toward the woman, stammering his gratitude.
"Th, thank you! That was a close call!"
His voice trembled uncontrollably as it echoed through the prison.
He seemed too startled to collect himself.
"Ah, it seems Your Majesty the Empress was trying to kill me and escape!"
At those words, Fron let out an exasperated cry.
"Why would I waste my talent stabbing some pathetic weakling like you in the gut? I don't squander my skills like that!"
Regardless of what Fron said, the guard gasped and asked the woman.
"W, was it an attack scroll?"
"Yes.... I used it carelessly without realizing it was Your Majesty. What should I do?"
The woman who had been kneeling prostrated herself flat on the ground inside the prison.
And she added in a terrified voice.
"H, how dare I injure the Royal Family...."
Fron's arm stung only slightly. Moreover, the pain had already faded as if it had never happened.
She chuckled and waved her hand dismissively.
"Forget it. A scroll like that is worse than a mosquito bite. Just go on your way."
In truth, the attack scroll had little power and was merely a single sheet.
With no desire to press charges, Fron sprawled back down.
But the woman did not lift her bowed head.
"I'm truly sorry, Your Majesty...."
The first person to regain composure in this situation was the guard.
The guard asked the woman still prostrate before him.
"But why were you passing through here in the first place...."
"Ah."
The woman answered while still lying down.
"I am Namia Loapi from the Inventory Team of the Scroll Management Department."
The guard and Fron nodded simultaneously.
This woman Namia seemed to be a civil servant from some scroll department, which explained why she had used a scroll.
"I came to check the inventory of illumination scrolls in the prison, and then...."
Now it made sense why she had come to this heavily guarded prison reserved for the Royal Family.
In the darkness of the prison, it was the scrolls that provided light.
"Over there...."
I glanced up at the Guard, speaking softly.
"I'm terribly sorry, but could you please go to the Medical and Health Department and summon someone from the Emergency Team...?"
"Pardon? Me?"
"Emergency treatment might be necessary, after all."
Fron, utterly exasperated, remained sprawled on the ground and bellowed.
"An Emergency Team for this trifle? What kind of nonsense is this? Just get out of here and be on your way!"
Yet I continued muttering the same words, my expression oddly vacant.
"But what if something happens to the Empress? Please. My legs have gone weak—I simply cannot walk there myself."
Fron found the notion of my legs giving out over such a matter absurd and laughed heartily.
She seemed to think I was rather dim-witted and had lost my senses entirely.
The Guard shifted uncomfortably, unable to reach a decision himself.
"But I am a Guard, and I cannot leave this post for long. The Medical and Health Department tends to keep people occupied while explaining the situation."
"Ah, then!"
I, who had remained prostrate until that moment, suddenly spoke with rapid urgency.
"If you tell them that Namia Loapi from the Scroll Management Department's Inventory Team is calling her rival, a fellow named Luca Class will come running without needing any explanation of the situation."
"Excuse me?"
"In the meantime, I will guard this place."
"...You will?"
The Guard scrutinized me with an expression of profound doubt.
My gaunt frame belied the scrolls I began withdrawing carefully from my robes.
"Though my body is weak, I possess many attack scrolls...."
At those words, Fron burst into raucous laughter.
"Ha ha ha ha ha! That's right, that's right! That frail wretch couldn't harm a hair on my head, so you're absolutely correct! Ha ha ha ha! You'd make a better Guard than he would! Ha ha ha ha!"
With those words, Fron dealt a devastating blow to the pride of a Guard who had been selected precisely for his considerable swordsmanship.
In truth, that Guard was a knight of considerable renown even within the Knight Order.
Of course, he was no match for Fron, the supreme knight who had once served as protector of the Royal Family itself.
"If I had truly intended to escape, do you think you could have stopped me? Ha ha ha ha!"
Throughout all this, I continued to regard the Guard intently.
"Besides, there are many others watching at the Prison entrance, are there not?"
My brow furrowed slightly, as though urging a response.
The Guard mumbled helplessly, caught between two impossible choices.
"Still, for me to abandon this post...."
That was when it happened.
I suddenly spoke with a sharp, decisive tone, my words tumbling forth rapidly.
"According to Imperial Palace Civil Service Law, Article 29, Section 34, all civil servants must do their utmost to ensure the safety of the Royal Family. The Empress being confined here does not change her status as a member of the Royal Family. There is precedent from the emergency incident case of November 22nd of last year, which established that willful neglect can be considered a form of regicide. Should the Empress suffer serious injury as a result, you would not only be charged with regicide under Royal Family Law, Article 1, Section 4—resulting in your removal from office—but your family would also be brought in for questioning...."
The Guard answered before I could even finish speaking.
"I'll return at once."
Already imagining himself charged with regicide, he spoke with visible anxiety, his eyes darting nervously.
"So I should tell them that Namia Loapi from the Scroll Management Department's Inventory Team is calling for Luca Class, correct?"
"No. Don't mention Luca Class by name—just say 'rival' instead. As for the department, it is technically the Scroll Management Department, but... everyone will understand what you mean anyway, so you can just go ahead."
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