Ch.5252. Even Crazy Women Have Their Own Brand of Crazy

“Knight Jawill Wilson of the Alphonse family, I stand before Her Imperial Highness Etherian Silonia, the First Princess of the Empire.”

I placed my palm on my chest and respectfully knelt on one knee.

A suffocating tension.

It felt distinctly different from when I met Princess Sirin.

“Your etiquette is impressive for a knight from a frontier family.”

“You flatter me.”

“Enough with the cumbersome greetings. Take a seat.”

“Then I shall do so, pardon me.”

She then turned her gaze to the butler who had entered the room with me.

“Welsran, bring us some tea.”

“As you wish.”

Oliver remained standing awkwardly after Welsran left.

Etherian smiled at him.

“Would you mind giving us some space?”

Butler Oliver’s face was completely stiff.

Probably because I hadn’t yet asked him to keep quiet about meeting Princess Sirin at Ebis territory.

Being perceptive enough to understand this, I nodded slightly at Oliver to assure him not to worry.

“Ah… then I shall withdraw.”

Only then did Oliver the butler back away from his position, seemingly somewhat relieved.

Once again, the heavy atmosphere pressed down on my head.

Princess Etherian.

In some ways, she’s a tragic character.

In the original work, there were quite a few scenes where she appeared to admire the protagonist, Serion Raikeus.

Some readers claimed it was more about “possessiveness” rather than “love,” fearing she might lose to her younger sister Sirin, but I believed it was the former.

She seemed like a character the author had poured affection into, deliberately creating conflicting opinions about her.

I lifted my head slightly.

Seeing her up close, perhaps because she was a character from the original work, her three-dimensionality felt more distinct.

Deep double eyelids and slightly full lips.

Despite exuding a sexy aura, she never came across as frivolous.

Moreover, her eyes, which completely concealed her thoughts, were quite appealing to me.

Is she crazy too, you ask?

There are different kinds of crazy.

In the original work, I could understand Luna’s transformation into a murderous ghost seeking revenge after losing her parents.

I too wouldn’t forgive those who drove my parents to suicide if I were in her position.

However, once her “Blood Massacre” activated, she didn’t hesitate to kill people who had no connection to her.

I couldn’t understand why she was one of the protagonist’s companions.

But.

Princess Etherian was different.

When she was young, her uncle, whom she followed like an older brother, was killed due to succession politics.

She witnessed it directly.

And it was her own father who committed the murder…

How traumatized must she have been at such a young age?

That’s why she matured despite not being much older than Princess Sirin.

To survive in this hellish imperial family.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Without realizing it, I must have gazed at her with sympathetic eyes, as Etherian, seated in her chair, gave me a puzzled expression.

I hastily lowered my head.

“Ah, I was so captivated by Your Highness’s beauty that I lost myself. I apologize.”

“…You tell lies so naturally.”

“How could I possibly lie in your esteemed presence?”

Creeeeak—

With perfect timing, a fragrant cup of tea was placed on the table.

After Welsran the butler left the room, Princess Etherian continued.

“I heard you encountered assassins on your way here?”

“Yes, if it weren’t for Sir Edrick, I would have been in grave danger.”

“I was told you deserved most of the credit.”

“The other knights were simply being too modest.”

“Hmm, is that so? May I ask you one more thing?”

It felt like an interrogation, constricting my breathing, but I tried hard to hide my flustered expression.

“What would Your Highness like to know?”

“Why did Butler Oliver visit your room instead of Selden Alphonse’s?”

It was a question that hit the mark.

The idea of inviting Selden Alphonse to the imperial palace in the first place likely came from Butler Oliver.

Probably to create confusion in Princess Etherian’s predictions.

Therefore.

He must have drawn up the plan based on Selden Alphonse’s childhood connection to the imperial palace.

If only Jawill Wilson had been invited to the imperial palace, it would certainly have seemed suspicious.

“He asked me several questions.”

“Questions?”

“Questions about Master Selden Alphonse, whom I serve.”

“What kind of questions?”

I straightened my back while seated in the chair.

“He wanted to hear from my perspective, as someone close to the young master, whether the rumors about him being a good-for-nothing were true.”

“And what did you answer?”

“I said that while I couldn’t deny he had made mistakes in the past, since Baron Byron sent him into exile, he has been reflecting and striving to become a better person.”

It was a plausible explanation.

If Princess Sirin had summoned Selden Alphonse, it would be natural for her to ask such questions to the knight accompanying him out of curiosity.

Etherian seemed satisfied with my answer, as she smiled faintly and rose from her seat.

“How about taking a walk with me after you rest a bit?”

“…It would be my honor.”

“Then I’ll send Welsran for you shortly.”

With that, Etherian headed out of the room.

After she left, I remained alone, lost in thought.

‘Why does she want to go for a walk with me?’

She definitely smiled.

She hadn’t brought up anything that would upset me, and she had even resolved her doubts.

Was the walk request simply a gesture of gratitude?

The fatigue from the carriage journey weighed on my eyelids, but I fought off sleep as I tried to recall Etherian’s personality from the original work.

Haah…

Meanwhile, Jawill Wilson was probably sleeping without a care in the world.

Just as I was beginning to envy Jawill Wilson for the first time, Welsran entered the room.

I stepped outside to follow his guidance.

*

“Isn’t this outside the imperial palace?”

“Her Highness occasionally wishes to see the night sky outside the palace.”

Given this development, the likelihood that I was being led to a place for my assassination had increased.

But why?

I hadn’t done anything that would give the princess cause to find fault with me.

To be honest, I wasn’t afraid.

The skilled knights of the imperial palace would all be under Emperor Malius Silonia, so at most, there would only be one or two elite-level knights here.

If Princess Etherian was also present, I had enough skill to handle them all.

However.

If I were to deal with Princess Etherian here, the original story I knew, “The Youngest Son of the Brilliant Family,” would take a completely unexpected turn.

But if I eliminated everyone except her, what would happen?

She would hound me for the rest of my life.

Hoping such a situation wouldn’t arise, I continued walking.

“We’ve arrived.”

We reached a secluded forest outside the imperial palace.

A white iron structure with a transparent interior.

Inside were luxurious tables and chairs, and Princess Etherian was leisurely drinking tea there.

“Oh, you’re here?”

Guided by Butler Welsran, I paid my respects before sitting down in the chair opposite her.

Behind Princess Etherian stood a knight of at least elite rank.

The problem was another powerful presence hiding somewhere in this forest.

‘There’s another one much stronger than the elite-rank knight in front.’

I had expected this, but was I ultimately unable to escape a bloodbath?

At this rate, I might die without even seeing Sirin, who had invited me.

Well, what could I do?

It was the princess’s order, and a mere knight like me couldn’t refuse a walk.

After confirming that Welsran had left, I greeted her as casually as possible.

“Didn’t you say we would go for a walk?”

“For me, drinking tea in the forest is a walk. Isn’t the scenery lovely?”

Lovely, my foot.

Only the tea-drinking area was brightly lit with orange lamps; outside it was too dark to see properly. What scenery was she talking about?

Since I couldn’t argue in this situation, I went along with the atmosphere.

“Yes, perhaps because it’s near the imperial palace, the scenery is beautiful.”

For several minutes, Princess Etherian stared at me without saying a word.

Then, as if she had finished her thoughts, she spoke.

“I think it’s a waste for you to work under Selden Alphonse.”

“Well, it is a job since I receive a salary, but it’s work that can’t be done without loyalty to the family.”

“Loyalty to the family? Or loyalty to Selden Alphonse?”

“Both.”

“Then could that loyalty be directed toward me and the imperial palace?”

“…Pardon?”

Princess Etherian adjusted her posture without changing her expression.

“I’m not asking you to come to the imperial palace right away. There are things you need to do from your current position.”

She seems to want me to act as a spy.

So it’s come to this after all.

I should refuse, but the words wouldn’t come easily.

If I did, they might prevent me from leaving this place to silence me.

“I apologize. I have a promise with Young Master Selden.”

“You’re refusing outright?”

“Yes, I’m sorry.”

“Do you understand what I just said before answering?”

“I do.”

“And you understand what refusing means?”

“It means death, I suppose.”

Princess Etherian sighed briefly as she gazed at the night sky.

“I thought we understood each other quite well…”

“I apologize.”

As she rose, I heard the sound of the knight behind her drawing his sword from its scabbard.

I also prepared to counterattack to survive, regardless of whether it would ruin the original story.

But then.

“Kuh, kuheuk!”

A masked man appeared out of nowhere and instantly pierced the imperial knight’s chest with his sword.

Bewildered by what was happening, I looked at Princess Etherian.

She seemed equally surprised.

‘This presence is from that person earlier… they weren’t on the same side?’