episode_0148

“Right now, what in the world are you doing!”

The furious voice of Albrith that filled the Alchemy Room.

Ernst, with an emotionless face, faced Albrith with a calm voice.

“You arrived earlier than expected, Albrith of Vearn.”

Despite his calm voice, Ernst was visibly flustered.

Why had this man appeared here now? Surely, breaking through the walls of the Imperial Palace couldn’t have been easy.

What Ernst overlooked was the cunning of Vearn’s Chancellor.

Vearn’s Chancellor, Obert, was responsible for the western part of the Empire and was a pillar of the Empire.

While an ordinary noble might not know, he was one of the top figures in the Empire. For someone of his stature, the importance of the national bird in such a situation was already ingrained in his mind.

Ernst had thought of the Chancellor as an old man only good for fighting, never imagining that he would organize a special unit to search for the Princess and the national bird.

Therefore, it was unexpected for his son, Albrith, to appear before him at this moment.

Unlike Ernst, as Albrith entered the Alchemy Room of the White Lily Palace, his gaze was not on the thin man in front of him but on the woman sitting beside him.

“Princess!”

The Princess, Dominique, who was lying on the cold marble floor, did not look well.

Her once lush and luxurious dark hair was now disheveled and dirty. The torn dress and the bare feet stained red underneath indicated how roughly the uncouth man had treated the Princess.

Yet, her golden eyes did not waver in front of Ernst.

His hand tightened around the longsword. Albrith slowly approached Ernst and the Princess, followed by men in black robes who emerged to block Albrith’s path.

With the situation having escalated to this point, Ernst had no choice but to change his objective.

Drawing a dagger from his waist, Ernst headed towards the fallen Princess. Dominique tried to evade him, taking a step back.

“You, scoundrel! How dare you approach the Princess like that!”

Albrith, whose body reacted before his mind, may have grown up in the capital, but he also inherited the blood of Vearn.

Albrith leaped forward, striking the ground. Vearn’s knights swung their swords at the black-robed figures blocking their master’s path.

Ernst sneered. The battle between Vearn’s knights and the shadows had begun, but he paid no attention.

“The Queen and the Prince have already drunk the poison, so the bloodline of Galatea now belongs to only you and Yulian.”

He had already taken care of Yulian. He had secretly planted assassins prepared in advance at the Duke of Balati, and among his shadows, the most skilled one would not miss the opportunity.

So, if he took the Princess’s life, all this would come to an end. Although the original plan had deviated slightly, the rightful bloodline of Galatea would come to an end in this world. Ernst took a step towards revenge, approaching the Princess.

“Whether you like it or not, you will meet your family, so the road ahead may not be as lonely as you think.”

At the end of his revenge, Ernst finally revealed his hidden emotions. His face, with a crazed smile and upturned corners of his mouth, was endlessly eerie.

Though it wasn’t the desired outcome, the princess was now in his hands.

However.

“K-Krak!”

A groan escaped Ernst’s lips. In that moment, Dominic bit into Ernst’s arm. Taking advantage of that brief moment, Dominic moved his body with all his might to escape from Ernst.

But even so, it was within Ernst’s palm.

He was more adept at memorization than close combat.

Ernst refined his stance once more, and a dagger emerged from his hand. The sharp blade of the dagger traced a straight line towards the slender princess’s heart.

And by the time the princess realized it, it was already too late.

“Your Highness!”

At the man’s voice, Dominic turned towards him. Closing her eyes tightly, she nestled herself in the warm embrace.

Albrith, who held Dominic in his arms, stood in front of Ernst to block his revenge. A dagger thrown by Ernst was embedded in Albrith’s left arm guard, and the brown leather began to darken.

“I thought you were just a quiet gentleman sitting at the desk.”

Frustrated by being thwarted in his revenge until the end, Ernst clenched his teeth and grasped the dagger at his waist.

Albrith carefully held Dominic in his arms and stood her behind him. Pushing the dizzying pain into his throat, Albrith raised the sword with his right hand only. It was too difficult to use the left arm with two daggers stuck in it.

And from behind him, the princess murmured his name through her trembling lips.

“Ah, Albrith!”

With the sword pointed at Ernst, Albrith glanced back at the princess behind him.

“Are you hurt anywhere, Your Highness?”

“Rather than me, it’s you. Your arm!”

“Don’t worry. I am also a servant of Beorn. Such wounds are nothing-”

Seizing the moment, the dagger came in.

Albrith swung his longsword diagonally towards the straight dagger. The dagger aimed at Albrith’s heart lost its trajectory, falling to the ground.

“Don’t act like a cowardly woman from afar, come and face me directly.”

Bouncing the longsword up and down, Albrith taunted Ernst.

“Ha, boasting even though you can’t use your left arm. Hah!”

And Ernst’s response was cut short.

Suddenly, the broad blade of the bastard sword pierced through his flesh, rising from his emaciated chest. The dagger he held fell to the marble floor, and his dark eyes, trembling, turned towards the crimson blade rising above his chest.

With a thud, Ernst spat out red blood.

Struggling, but with his chest pierced by the huge blade of the bastard sword, there was nothing he could do.

Beside his hazy dark eyes, Knight Commander Everett leaned forward to look at Albrith.

“Milord! Are you alright?”

Seeing this, Albrith wiped away his boastful expression and collapsed to the ground. The princess approached him and embraced him. Her once pristine dress was now beginning to soak up the crimson blood.

“Ah, Albrith!”

“Attend to milord’s wounds immediately!”

In the midst of the chaotic atmosphere, the blue eyes calmly scanned the surroundings. Those wearing black robes were already sprawled on the ground. The white marble floor of the Alhyun Chamber was stained red with their blood.

#

As the commotion in the palace subsided slightly,

Yulrian called Christian, who was guarding the main gate of the mansion, into the study.

“What’s the matter, Yulrian.”

Looking at his long-time friend who still treated him stiffly, Yulrian smiled brightly.

“Christian, I want you to go to the palace.”

Leaving the mansion and going to the palace. Christian was taken aback by the sudden request.

“The palace?”

“The western army seems to be heading in that direction. It seems that Ernst alone may not be enough to stop the change of power.”

As important as the palace is right now, the heir of Baern is being held captive in Valatie.

“Are you going to be okay?”

Finally, a voice filled with concern flowed out of Christian’s mouth. It seemed that Yulrian’s face was not in good condition these days, as he couldn’t even sleep properly.

“Don’t worry. What’s important right now is not here, but the palace.”

Not only his face, but Yulrian’s attitude, which had always been cold, had also changed, and he was treating Christian a bit more like before.

Ah… Ernst, Yulrian. What are you both thinking right now?

Understanding the smile on Yulrian’s face after a long time, Christian nodded. The smile was quite welcoming, as he was not only a friend but also his lord.

After Christian left the study,

Yulrian also left the darkened study and ordered the butler to bring the heir to the front entrance of the first floor.

Now it was time to prepare for the finale of all this.