Stepmothers Are Not Always Evil

Chapter 95 “A self-made play? What do you mean, is it?”The first words came out of the unexpected words. Helios sighed in confusion and opened his mouth.“Your Majesty must have set this up.”“You mean, he’s the one who let the beasts loose in the hunting grounds?”“Yes.”It was a confident answer, but I couldn’t quite understand it.“It’s unbelievable. Why would Your Majesty give such an order? If it goes wrong, he could endanger himself.”“I thought so too at first, but apparently there are too many suspicious circumstances.”“Suspicious?”“Wherever Your Majesty goes, the Imperial Knights are strictly guarded. Especially in hunting grounds, there is a high possibility that dangerous things will happen, so the boundaries are stricter.”“Yes.”“Besides, the Empress, the Prince and Princesses accompanied him on this outing, I’m sure they’re even more prepared.”I nodded, convinced.“But it doesn’t make any sense to say that no one knew until the monster infiltrated the hunting grounds and attacked His Majesty. If the monster wasn’t teleported, there should have been a witness.”“Maybe the monster only moved at night, right?”“It’s still the same. I don’t know where the monster came from, but to enter that hunting ground, you have to go through a checkpoint. They said they had never seen anything like a monster at the checkpoint.”As Helios said, if a monster had appeared at the checkpoint guarded by 24-hour guards, there would have been no commotion.That means someone passed the checkpoint while hiding a monster…“The principle is to unconditionally check bulky objects when passing through the checkpoint, but if you have His Majesty’s pass, you can pass without getting checked.”“……”It’s hard to believe, but it’s definitely a reasonable guess.“So the Imperial Knights also went through a three-month pay cut without any reprimand?”“Well. Responsibility for failing to guard His Majesty is a very light punishment.”I thought it was strange that the Emperor, who took great care of himself and his family, was about to lose his life, but quietly moved on as if it was nothing special.“Then, His Majesty’s attitude was also unpredictable. The cry of the monster was clear, but His Majesty was not wary at al.”“It may have been because he didn’t know, or you may have misunderstood.”“A person who enjoys hunting like His Majesty mistaken the cry of a monster with the cry of a prey. He didn’t avoid it on purpose.”“You knew that, and yet you still faced the monster?”“I didn’t realize it that day, but I’ve been thinking about it lately, and I’ve been wondering about a lot of strange things, but today it seems clear.”Helios looked down at the decorations he had received from the Grand Duchess.Me too, but I can’t even imagine how he’d feel, so I bit my lip and Helios continued.“And… Do you remember what Sirius Peterson said when he asked about the characteristics of a monster?”What did he say to Sirius?“You mean the fluid is blue, the fangs are long and the reaction is slow?”“Yeah, that.”He asked me with a bitter smile.“The reaction was surprisingly slow. Even when an easy target like Escal is in front of it. Why?”“… Because of courage?”“Hah.”Helios lightly tapped my forehead in response to the joke.“It couldn’t see well. That’s why it hesitated even after seeing Escal.”“The monsters couldn’t see well?”“Um, are you trying to point something out?”He asked.I’m not the kind of person who would say something like that without meaning, so I was immersed in thought.An evil-eyed monster that the Emperor took to the hunting grounds to perform his own play.It was clear what that fact was pointing to.“The monster in Duke Eaton’s Magic Stone Mine….”“Right. Those who live in caves have bad eyesight.”Helios made a clear conclusion.Confused, I squeezed out a voice that didn’t come out well.“You mean Your Majesty is still in contact with the Duke of Eaton?”“I don’t know. But I don’t think that’s it.”“He used the monsters that inhabit the Duke Eaton’s magic crystal mine.”“Maybe someone else helped. If Duke Eaton had acted himself, Dustin would have already reported.”“You mean it has nothing to do with the Duke of Eaton?”“I think yes. He offered to deal with Anthony Eaton if he promised me he would become Prince Frederick’s guardian.”I did not understand, so I raised my voice.“How can a person called the Emperor risk his life to gamble like that?”“Well, it’s a gamble worth trying. Because I was by his side and the knights were not far away.”If the Emperor had been injured, Helios, who was beside him, would not have been able to avoid responsibility, and Prince Frederick’s position would have risen at once, so it was a gamble worth taking.But it was still unacceptable.“Aren’t he crazy? Otherwise, he could die!”“It wouldn’t have been bad for Your Majesty to fly a noble that was difficult to handle.”“Hah…”Anger erupted at the crude and mean scheme.Helios gently stroked my face as I clenched fists trembled in excitement.“Don’t get excited. It’s okay because we knew first.”He put his lips to my cheek, telling me to calm down. I bit my lip and looked down at the Emperor’s letter and medals.“So he was planning to use this to get rid of you or recruit you through this job.”“Hmm. I’m lucky to be alive, aren’t I?”He laughed jokingly. I couldn’t help but laugh.“Then the Grand Duchess did this too…?”“She wouldn’t know, she’s not a good liar.”Thank goodness.Of course, it’s dangerous to trust completely, but if you have to suspect even Grand Duchess Crawford, things will get more complicated.“So what are you going to do with this medal?”“There is no reason to refuse.”It was an answer that broke my expectations that he would decline of course.“You want to keep it?”“Keep it. Your Majesty doesn’t seem to know the true value of this medal.”Helios smiled coldly. ***** “How is it going?”With a thud, Harriet Tuffman shoved the back door into the office. The letter the Marquis Melks was reading hastily hid in a drawer.“Didn’t I tell you not to come until I called you? What if you get caught?”“I am frustrated because there is no news.”“The knights are investigating the source of the monster, so please wait patiently.”“What else does that mean? Duke Anthemion—”“He was hurt, but I heard that his life is not in danger.”“Shit!”Harriet spit and slammed, he struck the wall with the hilt of her sword. Marquis Melks clicked his tongue to calm him.“You know it’s not easy, don’t you, and that’s why you’ve been putting up all these silly threats?”“That’s because I’m alone, isn’t this case different?”“Well, wait and see, I’m sure good news will come soon.”Harriet Tuffman looked at the Marquis in disbelief.The Marquis waved his hand towards him as if he had been pushed back a lot.“Get out of here, boy. If it’s found out I’m with you, we’ll both be in trouble.”“…….”“I’ll call you when the news comes.”“… You have to tell me right away.”“Of course. Just get out of here.”At the urging of the Marquis, Harriet reluctantly left the office.Waiting for the door to close, Marquis Melks locked the doorknob and took out the letter again.It was a letter from the Emperor a few weeks ago. To Marquis Melks
I don’t know if your health is okay in this hot weather.The last time I treated the Marquis, there are many eyes to see and ears to hear in the Imperial Palace, so don’t be too upset.I have a big problem ahead of Frederick’s coronation to the Crown Prince, so I’m sending you a letter asking for help.As you know, Frederick is still young and inexperienced, so I would like someone with dignity like the Marquis to take care of him.I do not know why the Marquis has fallen out with the Duke of Anthemion, but as a grown man, I hope you will show some kindness.Isn’t the Marquis Escal’s maternal grandfather? Blood is thicker than water, so if Escal marries a Princess and inherits the Duke of Anthemion, he will not pretend to be ignorant of the Marquis.If the Marquis helps me, I’ll try to convince the Duke of Anthemion.If you are willing to accept my offer, find the person who delivered this letter. Then he will tell you what to do.I hope you read the letter and burn it.
Hastings R. It was a story that could not be passed on in vain.Of course, as the Emperor said, he had no intention of reconciling with Helios.What reconciliation is possible with the things that ruined his daughter?But Escal is different. Escal is now six years old, so he had 10 more years to legally reach the age of majority.If Helios and Lenia disappear in it, the orphaned Escal and Dukedom will fall into his hands.‘And my daughter will be relieved too.’For that, he could do anything.Marquis Melks smiled meaningfully and looked at where Harriet Tuffman had stood.