The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

————

Chapter 219: For a New Order (5)

Late at night, Silica visited the room and conversed with Princess Arin, who suddenly disappeared.

Naturally, the palace was in chaos.

However, with a significant number of nobles still residing in the palace and fortress, the royal family didn’t want this unfortunate incident to spread, especially since they had another major issue at hand.

“So, let me get this straight. When you sensed a strange atmosphere and opened the door, they were already gone, and an unidentified black smoke was rising and disappearing?”

“Yes! It’s undoubtedly the work of Mist, the followers of the black fog! They have taken the princess…!”

“It’s kind of funny to hear, isn’t it? Why does it seem like just a little smoke is connected to the mist?”

Princess Violet’s piercing question left Ressimus dumbfounded.

Didn’t Princess Violet still not know what happened to Arin in Aquiel with Cyan?

In such a situation, she blurted out that it seemed like Mist’s doing.

Ressimus realized her mistake, and her expression quickly turned grave.

“Calm down, Your Highness,”

Aschel intervened, dissipating the tense atmosphere.

“Right now, shouldn’t we focus on finding the missing Princess Arin?”

“Yes! She couldn’t have gone far, so we need to organize a search party quickly to find her!”

Aschel stated that finding the missing Arin was the priority.

With Ressimus agreeing, an inexplicable discomfort began to settle on Violet’s face.

“Alright, you go outside for now.”

“Excuse me?”

Ressimus, thinking he misheard, asked again.

“I said, get out of my sight now! We need to strategize! There will be uproar across Sevellinus if it’s spread that the princess was abducted from the palace!”

Violet exploded in anger, glaring at Ressimus.

Aschel calmed her down in Ressimus’s place.

“Would you please wait outside for a moment? We need some time to discuss.”

Discussion in such urgent circumstances?

But with Ressimus lacking the strength, she had to suppress her emotions and retreat.

Ressimus left the room, leaving Aschel alone with Violet, who raised her head and asked,

“Aschel, did you know that woman Silica was related to Mist?”

“We’re not sure yet, are we?”

“We’ve been together for 7 years. Do you think I haven’t noticed your change in expression when that knight errant mentioned Mist? I knew then! You already knew from the beginning!”

Aschel remained silent without denying it.

“Why did you hide the truth from me all this time?”

“Would it suffice if I said I missed the right timing?”

“Missed the right timing? Is that your excuse now?”

Violet laughed bitterly, unable to comprehend.

“Aschel, from 7 years ago when I accepted your proposal in Velias, I followed every word you and Boris said. I complied with everything, from renovating the shelter to create a secret workspace, to clandestinely raising a woman who appeared out of nowhere called Mia. I even turned a blind eye when you advocated suspicion towards that detestable Arin because you said presenting her face would declare a new order! Why? Because you both suggested it!”

Violet finally erupted, releasing all her pent-up frustration.

Despite that, her boiling anger couldn’t be quenched, and she continued to gnaw on her lips.

“You said it yourself. Strengthening the power of light is about trust and solidarity. Where can we find trust between us when you keep hiding everything?”

Despite Violet’s continued probing, Aschel remained silent as ever.

“Where is Boris in all of this?”

She mentioned Boris, who was currently absent.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Do I have to go to the shelter myself to check?”

Aschel glanced at her with a disdainful look before slowly walking over to Arin’s desk.

Soon, he found a letter placed on the desk and furrowed his brow.

“I’ll ask just this once.”

“Go ahead.”

“Why did you try to kill Princess Arin?”

Violet’s arrogant demeanor faltered as she stood with her arms crossed.

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb. Didn’t you plan to kill her when the Day of Revelation comes in a week?”

“Why are you hesitating with such nonsense?”

Violet’s denial was accompanied by a startled jump.

In response, Aschel handed her the letter placed on the desk.

“It seems Boris already knew. Princess Violet, it seems you planned to kill Princess Arin when the Day of Revelation arrives. That’s why Princess Arin hastily sent this message.”

Snatching the letter quickly, Violet checked its contents with her own eyes.

She couldn’t even control her expression in the face of undeniable facts.

“You may not believe it, but I already knew that Princess Violet had such plans.”

“…!”

“I allowed it despite knowing. Because I understood the princess’s intentions. I only intended to dissuade her before she acted.”

“Do you think I’ll believe that?”

Violet showed a skeptical response.

“Even if the princess doesn’t believe it, the fact remains that I am telling the truth.”

“So what? Ultimately, we both have hidden truths. Anyway, now that Arin’s role is over, shouldn’t we dispose of the useless waste quickly? What’s the problem with that?”

Suddenly cornered, Violet began to defend herself, claiming she had done nothing wrong.

“Don’t delude yourself, Aschel. The reason I agreed to be your person is because you truly saw and understood me.”

When her anger subsided, Violet smiled again.

“So, don’t hide anything from me. That way, I can also give you everything without hiding. You understand, right?”

Aschel looked down at her with a blank expression.

“I can’t have you taken away from me by Boris, Arin, or anyone else! It’s unacceptable for those bastards to know what I don’t know! The person who should be closest to you is me! Do you understand?”

“…”

Aschel remained silent, gazing at her with an indifferent look.

“Spreading such unpleasant truths will only cause unnecessary chaos, so let’s wait until the Day of Revelation. We must ensure that it doesn’t spread to other nobles.”

“I will do so.”

It was a reluctant response.

Violet turned and left the room.

As her footsteps gradually faded away, Aschel didn’t even bother to look at her, seemingly indifferent.

Instead,

“Taking her alive instead of killing her must have a reason.”

He was more interested in the Mist who kidnapped Arin.

* * *

Returning to her room, Violet, still not having calmed down, breathed heavily, gripping the edge of her desk.

“Someone bring me a glass of water!”

Instantly, as she yelled towards the door, it swung open, and a knight in armor entered, handing her the glass.

“…?”

As Violet reached for the glass, her face stiffened momentarily.

Though she had called for “anyone,” it was typically a servant, not a knight, who would fetch water.

It wasn’t an issue that he was a knight, but unauthorized men were strictly forbidden from entering the princess’s chambers.

Yet, the knight standing before her was unmistakably male.

“Wha- What is this?”

Anyone could tell he was a male knight, and a very familiar one at that.

*Clang!*

Suddenly dropping the glass, Violet unknowingly stepped back.

It was an emotion she hadn’t felt in a long time, if ever.

He was the man who first instilled fear and dread in her, the man who was the greatest obstacle to the new order she sought to establish.

“Yet you seem to remember me quite well.”

Removing his helmet, the knight revealed his face, smiling at the reunion.

He was Cyan Vert, the youngest son of Duke Vert, and Aschel’s brother.

“Wh- What are you doing here?”

“Wasn’t it foreseen that I would come someday? As someone who is my brother’s person and opposes both me and the Mist to establish a new order, it’s only natural for me to appear before the princess, don’t you think?”

Violet shook her head, wanting to deny the situation, but nothing changed.

She attempted to regain her composure and hastily call other knights outside, but,

“…!”

He was smiling so leisurely as if he was telling her to go ahead and call them.

There was a feeling that it would be futile to call them anyway.

This only made her more anxious.

Suddenly, she lifted her skirt and drew the dagger she had tucked into her thigh holster.

Then, she swung the dagger towards Cyan’s neck.

*Thunk!*

It wasn’t an amateurish move, but a very precise and practiced one, as if she had performed it hundreds, even thousands of times.

However, for Cyan, who had already parried tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of blows, it was an impossible strike.

He made a pitiful expression before turning his gaze to the golden light emanating from the blade.

“Didn’t you say the power of the Holy Sword grows stronger with the people’s faith?”

These were Aschel’s words to the nobles during the council.

Although it had been a brilliant speech that captivated everyone’s attention at the time, to those who knew the truth, it was nothing more than a futile attempt to act.

“What do you intend to do with me?”

She barely managed to control her trembling voice as she asked.

“Killing me here won’t benefit you at all! It’s just a meaningless act!”

Cyan gently pushed his face closer to hers, despite her trembling fear.

“Rest assured, I didn’t come here to kill Princess. It was merely a detour to dispose of a forgotten doll I had left behind for a while. It turned out to be quite useful, so I regretted it.”

In his hand, a black mana sphere had already formed.

“I’ve come to create a new doll now that I’ve discarded the old one.”

“That’s nonsense! A doll? Why would I be your… hmph!?”

Violet attempted to refuse, but Cyan mercilessly pushed the mana sphere into her mouth.

“Consider yourself lucky, Princess.”

“…..”

“Unlike Kellen, I’m not creating a new persona. I’m simply revealing the honest personality hidden within you.”

With mana already spreading throughout her body, Violet couldn’t hear Cyan’s voice anymore.

She simply closed her eyes slowly, accepting the darkness of mana seeping into her, savoring it as it flowed into her being.

————