Retanda did not return to the duchy he governed but remained in the capital of the Lazent Empire.

Though kept quiet both internally and externally, Petro’s health was steadily deteriorating, making it impossible for him to leave his post easily.

Should anything happen, he needed to be near Crown Prince Shusain to respond immediately.

‘Marquis Dante boasted he alone could be trusted, so why is there still no substantial news from him?’

Retanda was among those most enraged upon hearing of the recent deaths of Lazent citizens.

True to his combative nature, he had always advocated for a hardline stance whenever conflicts arose with the Kalua Empire.

Now that assassins from the Kalua Empire had infiltrated the very capital of the Lazent Empire and committed slaughter, he could not tolerate it.

‘I’d love to march straight into the Kalua Empire and wipe them out… but I must hold back until His Highness Crown Prince inherits the throne.’

Shusain was the legitimate heir, born to Emperor Petro and Empress Laila. Of course, he had the fatal flaws of a timid personality and frail health.

Until Dekain, the illegitimate son, appeared, Petro had only two sons—Shusain and Seiji—leaving few options.

In truth, Retanda thought passing the throne to the second prince, Seiji, wouldn’t be terrible—but it wasn’t as simple as he wished.

First, Empress Laila would never stand idly by, and Emperor Petro himself opposed a bastard inheriting the throne.

Petro was not born of Empress Kysandra.

Thus, many ministers whispered behind his back, pointing fingers and calling him unqualified.

Having endured such humiliation, Petro desired only that his successor inherit legitimate authority—and only that path could weaken Kysandra’s influence.

Ultimately, Retanda obeyed his elder brother Petro’s will and supported Shusain as the next emperor.

But that path, too, was fraught with difficulty. Shusain was not only sickly but also far too weak-willed—frankly, he showed no qualities befitting an emperor.

That wasn’t to say the second prince, Seiji, was any better. Born to Chabi, he was extravagant and narrow-minded.

Naturally, transferring imperial authority involved tangled webs of political interests.

After long deliberation, Petro and Retanda decided to stake everything on Shusain.

Though imperfect, he was the best choice available to them.

‘This decision was made carefully with His Majesty—I will never regret it. I’ll simply remove every obstacle blocking His Highness Crown Prince’s path.’

The noble faction opposing the frail Shusain was formidable, so they could not afford to relax until the throne was fully secured.

Retanda had stationed the military forces of his duchy in preparation for the worst-case scenario—which was why he couldn’t recklessly advance into the Kalua Empire.

‘If, as Marquis Dante claimed, we can politically bury Lady Brellof, we might completely crush Prince Dekain’s momentum.’

The势力 of Dekain, once dismissed as a bastard, was growing steadily. Judging him a future threat, Retanda intended to cut him down at the root.

For now, he was waiting, expecting David to bury Tanashia regarding the deaths of the Lazent citizens.

Just as Retanda was lost in such thoughts, anticipating good news—

Knock knock. A subordinate burst in, breathless, following an urgent knock.

“My lord, disaster has struck!”

“What is it?”

Internally, Retanda hoped David had finally delivered good results.

But that hope crumbled miserably as he saw the newspaper his subordinate handed him.

“Take a look at this. We obtained tomorrow’s edition ahead of time.”

“This… this…!”

Retanda’s hands trembled violently as he gripped the newspaper.

It was unbelievable.

What could David, leader of the Imperial faction, possibly lack that he’d commit such an act?

As Retanda read further about Reiana’s atrocities detailed in the article, he spoke in a deeply somber voice.

“Is all this content factually accurate?”

“Yes. We judge it contains no falsehoods.”

“Damn it!”

Retanda crumpled the newspaper violently. He was too furious to contain himself.

If this newspaper report was true, he wanted to seize David and tear him apart immediately.

Daring to leak information to the Kalua Empire—unforgivable.

But that was merely Retanda’s personal emotion. David’s fall as leader of the Imperial faction meant Shusain’s supporting势力 would also weaken.

Whether he liked David or not, this was a time when he had no choice but to protect him.

“No newspaper would publish such an article independently without outside influence. Who’s behind the attack on the Dante family?”

“The Empress Dowager.”

“Damn old hag. Should’ve died quietly in her old age, yet she keeps interfering till the end.”

Retanda held no fondness for Kysandra—memories of her tormenting his mother, Davane, filled his mind.

Determined not to remain idle, Retanda strode forward decisively.

“I must have an audience with His Majesty. By any means necessary, Marquis Dante must not be made to bear responsibility. This is a crisis for the entire Imperial faction.”

Though he longed to sever David’s head, to safely crown Shusain as emperor, he had to endure—for now.

Just as Retanda was hastening down the corridor with a displeased expression—

Tatata-tak!

Another subordinate sprinted toward him, face flushed crimson from frantic running.

“My lord! Urgent dispatch from the royal palace!”

“What now?”

Retanda replied irritably. His mind was already overwhelmed—what fresh trouble could have arisen?

“The… the Emperor His Majesty… has passed away.”

Upon hearing his subordinate’s report, Retanda froze rigidly from sheer shock.

“…What?”

Fearless Retanda, stunned by Petro’s death, found his thoughts completely halted.

Naturally, Petro’s face—pale with illness—floated into his mind.

‘…My elder brother is gone.’

They had been loving brothers. Petro’s death shattered Retanda’s heart—but he couldn’t afford to lose his composure.

With a dark, grim expression, he looked at his subordinate and asked,

“Where is His Highness the Crown Prince now?”

The struggle for the throne would now begin.

The most critical task was securing Shusain’s safety.

The banquet hosted by Kysandra was canceled.

Many noble ladies and young noblewomen who had attended immediately returned to their families upon hearing of Petro’s death.

Reiana, humiliated, was no exception. Originally intending to use the banquet to topple her and the Dante family, a far more urgent matter had now arisen.

Emperor Petro had died.

Immediate countermeasures were required.

I hurried toward Ascan. He hadn’t attended the banquet but had been waiting nearby for me.

“Ascan!”

Ascan quickly approached me.

Judging by his expression, he already knew of Petro’s death.

“You heard the news too?”

“Yes. They say the Emperor has passed.”

“It’s all so sudden I’m still reeling… but first, we must secure Dekain’s safety and confirm the Crown Prince faction’s movements as quickly as possible.”

Though we couldn’t ignore Second Prince Seiji, who enjoyed noble support, Crown Prince Shusain was far more threatening.

Frail as he was, Shusain remained the legitimate heir—and naturally held first priority in succession upon the Emperor’s death.

Unless we somehow prevented Shusain from inheriting the throne, our chances were nonexistent.

Ascan spoke calmly.

“I’ve already mobilized all our royal guards who came with us to Lazent Empire and subordinates from the Parusa Guild. They’ll report the Crown Prince faction’s movements as soon as they learn anything.”

He’d completed necessary actions even before I spoke.

“As expected—you’re quick. Well done.”

“What about the Empress Dowager’s side?”

“She’s moving to seize the Imperial Palace. With the Emperor gone, the Empress Dowager is now the highest-ranking person in the palace.”

We didn’t know what situations might unfold. To gain any advantage, controlling the palace interior first was crucial.

Ascan spoke with a worried expression.

“Empress Laila won’t stand idly by.”

“I think so too. But Her Majesty the Empress Dowager seems to have a plan—let’s observe for now.”

Regarding the Lazent royal family, Kysandra knew far more than we did. And as outsiders, our ability to freely navigate the palace interior was limited.

For now, we could only pray fortune favored us and carefully observe the situation.

I gazed up at the pitch-black night sky, where not even starlight was visible, and murmured,

“…Tonight seems destined to be very, very long.”

Ascan nodded in agreement. Then he took my hand and began walking somewhere.

“During transitions of imperial power, anything can happen. Someone might target you—you must be careful.”

Come to think of it, before supporting Dekain, Ascan had experience in Kalua Empire making Helsion emperor.

Perhaps because he’d intervened in imperial succession struggles before, he showed no surprise or panic—only calmness, as if he knew exactly what to do.

“But where are we going?”

“It’s fortunate we’re inside the palace at this moment. So we must do what no one else can.”

“What no one else can do?”

“We’ll steal the Crown Prince’s seal while everyone’s distracted.”

“Why the seal?”

I didn’t know where Shusain was, but the Crown Prince’s seal was likely kept somewhere within his palace quarters.

Seeing my surprised reaction to this unexpected plan, Ascan explained,

“To forge a document stating he’s stepping down from the Crown Prince position.”

“…What? What?”

It was an idea I’d never considered.

Even if the forgery was later exposed, as long as it bore the Crown Prince’s seal, an investigation into the facts would be unavoidable.

That meant buying time, no matter what situation arose.

I looked up at Ascan with admiration.

“You’re a genius?”

At my words, Ascan smiled deeply. Then he gently kissed my forehead and said,

“That’s you.”

Thus, we hurriedly disguised ourselves as maids and servants and headed toward the Crown Prince’s palace.

Chaos reigned everywhere. The sudden news of Petro’s death left everyone in the palace dazed.

Thanks to that, no one regarded Ascan and me suspiciously.

With Ascan’s help, I vaulted over a tall wall. Evading guards’ eyes, we slipped unseen into the Crown Prince’s palace.

As if by prior agreement, we walked straight to the Crown Prince’s office.

The office we finally reached was extravagantly luxurious—clearly a space befitting a Crown Prince.

I began searching the large desk while Ascan examined the bookshelf on the opposite side.

‘Where could it be hidden?’

Since official documents were typically processed here, the seal should be nearby. Of course, it wouldn’t be stored without security.

Ascan and I meticulously searched the entire office, but found no trace of the Crown Prince’s seal.

Ascan frowned slightly and said,

“We’ll need another approach.”

“Wait a moment. Let me check if there’s any hidden compartment.”

Ascan looked curious about how I intended to find a secret space, but he obediently waited without asking directly.

His attitude radiated absolute trust in me.

Though it was a tense moment, I couldn’t help but smile.

Pushing aside my warm feelings, I seriously scanned the surroundings. Then I removed the necklace I was wearing and lit it with a match from the office.

The burning necklace wasn’t mere jewelry—it was one of several magical engineering weapons I’d crafted from special materials.

I preferred carrying weapons disguised as accessories—necklaces, earrings, bracelets—so I’d made many such items.

The necklace, made of fire-resistant material, produced only thick black smoke when lit.

I wafted that smoke into every corner and re-examined the office.

Quietly observing me, Ascan finally understood and said,

“Hidden spaces still allow airflow—so you’re using smoke to detect them?”

“Exactly. You figured it out instantly—as expected, you’re clever.”

“Says who.”

At that moment,

A strangely mismatched seam beneath the large desk caught my eye. The black smoke was disappearing into it.

I quickly extinguished the flame and tapped the hidden compartment beneath the desk.

Thump thump—the hollow sound was suspicious.

‘How do I open it?’

As I briefly hesitated, Ascan approached, felt the space with his hand, and casually smashed it apart.

I stared at him, astonished—he’d broken the desk with his bare hands. Inside, the Crown Prince’s seal was revealed.

“Found it!”

I cried out joyfully. Ascan laughed indulgently.

“See? What did I tell you?”

He pulled out the Crown Prince’s seal, handed it to me, and quietly added,

“The genius isn’t me—it’s you.”