The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

At the end of the west side on the 3rd floor of the Great Chamber in the imperial palace.

Airen couldn’t take her eyes off the mirror, her face tense with nervousness.

Her silver hair was neatly brushed down.

Her skin had turned pale white, evenly coated with powder.

And on her lips, a white rouge made from dried lily petals was applied to brighten their natural color.

Anyone could tell that she had put effort into her beauty, unlike her usual self.

Thirteen years old.

A time of growth when secondary sexual characteristics were developing rapidly.

It was a period of change when, along with physical development, a girl would start to take a genuine interest in beauty.

Although she had attended the banquet every year, she had never been as concerned with her makeup as she was today.

It was as if she was trying to look good for someone.

“How do I look, Resimus? Do I look okay?”

“You look beautiful, Princess! You are the most beautiful princess I have ever seen. You can stop preparing now!”

“No, I’ll prepare a little longer!”

Then why even ask in the first place.

The same situation had been repeating for hours, causing Resimus and the other maids of the princess to sigh in frustration.

Of course, this place is the imperial palace, where the emperor and the royal family reside.

Nevertheless, why was Resimus here?

The answer was simple.

Because Princess Airen wanted it.

Their relationship was clearly that of master and servant.

In terms of their relationship, Airen could take her anywhere she wished.

Initially, there was much opposition within the palace due to her being a commoner.

However, there has never been a father who could refuse the earnest plea of his youngest daughter.

With the emperor himself recognizing and permitting their relationship, Resimus was able to continue living in the palace with the princess.

“Being too extravagant can actually be harmful, you know? Given Lord Cyan’s personality, he might not like something too flashy.”

Princess Airen shouted in surprise.

“What are you talking about! I’m not dressing up to look good for Cyan!”

“You should make excuses that make sense, Princess! Especially after you sent the invitation yourself.”

“Oh, no, that, I mean… I really didn’t expect him to come!”

Her face was already flushed red like a girl feeling the emotions of her first love.

“I just felt sorry that Cyan was staying at the academy even during the holidays… I wondered if he had ever been to such an event, so I just…”

Despite the plausible excuse, Resimus was not convinced.

It had been long since she realized that Airen liked Cyan.

She could only feel pity for the princess, who was fidgeting and restless by herself.

-Knock knock

A knock sounded from the door.

Given the situation, it must have been the guards in the corridor.

However, Airen continued to focus solely on the mirror, paying no heed.

Consequently, one of the maids approached the door to check.

“Princess Airen, someone from Prince Luinel has come!”

“Hm?”

Her head turned in an instant, blinking in surprise as if she had misheard.

“From, from Brother Luinel?”

“Yes! It seems to be Prince Luinel’s personal maid, what should we do?”

It was an unfamiliar situation that had never occurred before.

The First Prince, who usually did not spare her a glance, had unexpectedly sent someone.

Airen’s eyes were visibly shaken by the surprise.

“Let- let them in…!”

Given that it was not appropriate to turn away the prince’s maid lightly, they decided to let her in.

Upon entering the room, the maid immediately smiled brightly at the sight of Airen.

“Goodness, Princess Airen! You are so beautiful! You look just like a young goddess!”

Anyone with a bit of sense could tell that it was nothing but flattery.

Airen knew that as well.

“Tha- thanks for the kind words… But what brings you here?”

“I’ve come to deliver this!”

The maid extended a small jewel box onto the table where the princess was sitting.

“Prince Luinel asked me to give this to you, saying it would suit you well!”

“Brother sent a gift?”

“Yes! Please, open it!”

Airen carefully opened the golden jewel box.

Everyone who saw the gift inside couldn’t help but marvel.

“Wow…!”

It was a luxurious pendant, densely inlaid with small jewels.

At the center, a red stone, whether a ruby or garnet, caught everyone’s attention.

“It’s- it’s so beautiful… Am I really allowed to have this?”

“Of course! It’s as if the jewel has found its rightful owner. Try it on!”

Following her suggestion, Airen put on the pendant.

“How does it look?”

Everyone in the room spared no compliments.

“It suits you perfectly, Princess! Surely, Lord Cyan will think highly of it too!”

“Tha- that would be great! If it’s with this, then Cyan might… Wait a minute! I’m not trying to show it off to Cyan!”

Airen’s face flushed red once again.

The jewel of the pendant she wore also shimmered red as it caught the light.

* * *

In the Grand Hall, the largest space within the imperial palace, dozens of chandeliers hung above, illuminating the many nobles gathered for the banquet.

It was decided to first assess the number of people inside the hall.

There were about 60 attendees.

The number of knights guarding them was double that, around 120.

Including the maids and other attendants, there were approximately 300 people present.

Among them, including myself, there were about 10 members of the Mist who had infiltrated.

The rest must be waiting around the palace.

As expected, it’s a place I’m not accustomed to.

With personages of great renown from across the continent gathered, their pretensions reached the extreme.

How they could don such masks of laughter and smiles, concealing themselves, was a stealth technique that could rival the secret arts of the Mist.

[You seem very busy with your eyes. Looking for someone?]

“More like, there are many I need to observe.”

[The words of that puppet seem to be bothering you, aren’t they?]

It would be a lie to say they aren’t.

At this point, I don’t believe Kellin deliberately lied to me.

There must be some basis for him to have conveyed such words.

The assassination of Luna Rainriver.

To eliminate her amidst all these people?

Is the First Prince already preparing for war with the Kingdom of Garam?

This was definitely not something that happened in my previous life.

Whether it was an attempt that was thwarted or a new plan in this life due to changes in the flow of events, there are still many questions.

It seems I need to investigate further…

“It’s not good to have such a sullen face at a banquet.”

I immediately turned my head at the familiar voice that came from behind.

Crimson red hair with luxuriously styled long waves.

A blood-red silk dress that accentuated her slim waist and ample chest.

A very seductive appearance that distinctly showed an adult’s maturity.

“The dress suits you well, Instructor Silica.”

I smiled and complimented her appearance.

“Your eyes are quite mischievous. Be careful with where you look, or you might be misunderstood.”

She skillfully swirled the wine glass in her hand, savoring its taste naturally.

[Ha…!]

Kaeram let out a disdainful chuckle at her appearance.

The clan leader seemed to notice Kaeram’s reaction and smiled defiantly.

Silica Nigriti.

An academic instructor at the Royal Academy and the leader of the Mist.

However, there’s another title she has not mentioned yet.

She is the eldest daughter of the Nigriti family, a noble house of esteemed scholars within the empire.

While holding a noble title, most of its members are scholars devoted to research, recognized across the continent as distinguished intellectuals.

Thus, in truth, she too was a noble.

That’s why she was here at this banquet, just like me, attending in the capacity of a noble.

In fact, she was the person I was most at ease with in this place.

But, like other nobles, I had no time to exchange pleasantries behind a mask of smiles.

Turning my gaze away, I murmured to her quietly.

‘I’ll get straight to the point since we’re short on time.’

“…?”

‘The purification operation. Please postpone it a bit.’

‘Why?’

It was somewhat abrupt telepathy, but the clan leader responded without showing any sign.

‘The First Prince is attempting to assassinate Luna Rainriver.’

“…!?”

Her pupils shook slightly.

‘Are you certain?’

‘It’s fifty-fifty. I too don’t have solid evidence yet, hence I intend to investigate this matter from now. Until then, please postpone the purification operation.’

Without a moment’s hesitation, the clan leader gave her answer.

‘Alright. But I can’t give you much time. Just one hour from now. If you don’t come up with an answer by then, it’ll be troublesome. Can you do it?’

‘That’s more than enough.’

‘You don’t have to push yourself, Cyan. If you’re really unsure, we can hold off on the purification operation.’

‘That’s not an option. For your sake as well, it’s necessary to deal with Drenian today, isn’t it?’

‘What do you mean by that?’

‘The engagement ceremony with Drenian Nephelis is not far off, is it?’

Her furrowed brow was proof enough of her surprise.

“Where did you hear that?”

“Shouldn’t a disciple know about his teacher’s future?”

I shrugged nonchalantly and smiled wryly.

“Well then, I’ll see you again in a bit, Instructor Silica.”

As I hastened away from there, I could feel the fiery gaze of the clan leader on me.

I’m going to get an earful after this is over.

But that’s a problem for later, I’ll think about it then.

Exiting the hall and heading into the corridor, Brian was there waiting for me.

“Where’s Nana?”

“She’s in the guest room. She said herself she wouldn’t step out, so she should be fine.”

I hope she keeps to her word.

“What do you think from what you’ve seen?”

“Nothing suspicious so far. At least, outside the hall where I was waiting, I didn’t detect any unusual movement or murderous intent.”

After all, with so many eyes here, it’s not like someone would broadcast their intent to kill with an aura of murderous intent.

“I still can’t believe it. To think someone in the royal family is planning an assassination…”

“Keep your voice down. There are many ears here.”

Brian hastily covered his mouth.

“For now, I’ll go around and check things out. If anything happens, send a signal immediately. Try not to attract attention.”

“Understood.”

-Clomp, clomp

The sound of unfamiliar footsteps approached from around the corner of the corridor.

Brian and I immediately stopped our conversation.

The footsteps were light, not heavy, and seemed clumsy rather than refined, suggesting they belonged to a busy maid rather than a noble.

We silently waited for the owner of the footsteps to pass.

“…!”

Upon seeing a well-dressed noble’s son and a knight, the maid quickly bowed her head without a chance to see our faces.

She didn’t wear the uniform of the palace maids, suggesting she was someone’s personal maid.

Just as we were silently waiting for her to pass,

The maid suddenly backpedaled and stopped again in front of us.

As if drawn by a familiar aura, we stared at each other’s faces for about 2 seconds.

Then, as if it had been planned, our eyes sparkled simultaneously.

“My lord?”

My already cluttered mind felt even more tangled.

Why is she here, of all places, in the palace?

My one and only personal maid from two years ago, Emily, with her bold gaze unchanged.

(To be continued)