Thwack!
The dagger embedded in the tree trembled violently in its handle from the sheer force.
If Darcor hadn't yanked Elena's waist toward him, her slender neck would have been pierced clean through.
Elena stood frozen, unable to even breathe.
'His Majesty... saved me?'
The tyrant who had regarded her like a mere insect.
The enemy who had ruined her family and claimed her by force.
As Elena's pupils shook like there was an earthquake,
Darcor had already leaped onto the tree from which the dagger had flown.
'Ah, seriously. What a pain.'
Darcor's brow furrowed deeply.
He had just wanted to enjoy a peaceful stroll for once.
Who was this lunatic throwing knives in the palace courtyard in broad daylight?
He scratched the back of his neck irritably and opened his mouth.
"Hey."
"...!"
The eyes of the assassin in the black mask widened in horror.
A veteran from the empire's top assassination organization, Ether.
He prided himself on his stealth skills, unmatched by any.
Yet this tyrant, rumored to be dim-witted and lazy, had spotted him in the blink of an eye.
'The intel was wrong... He's no incompetent tyrant!'
Sensing death instinctively, the assassin drew a dagger from his bosom and swung it desperately.
Shing!
The sharp blade lunged for Darcor's throat with frantic speed, but
to Darcor, the movements appeared in slow motion.
"Slow."
Feeling boredom that nearly made him yawn, Darcor reached out a hand.
Clang!
The metallic ring of bare flesh deflecting the dagger's edge echoed out.
The assassin's wrist twisted with a snap, sending the blade flying into the air.
"Gah!"
Before the assassin could scream fully, Darcor's massive hand clamped over his face.
"Hate noisy things."
Darcor's red eyes gleamed coldly.
"Guh...!"
Crunch.
With a gruesome sound, the assassin's body plummeted from the branch.
The man who had tried to kill the empress hadn't even twitched a finger before slamming into the ground.
'Is that fool really the incompetent emperor I knew?'
Elena, witnessing the unbelievable scene from below the tree, couldn't close her mouth.
The emperor's silhouette stood against the dazzling sunlight.
An unfamiliar emotion swirled in her chest.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Thud.
Darcor lightly dropped to the ground.
The assassin sprawled on the dirt was already dead.
His neck twisted at an unnatural angle, lifeless eyes staring blankly at the sky.
Ding.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[System: Murder completed.] [Target: Villain (C-grade)] [Madness Level slightly decreases. (30% → 10%)] [Headache disappears and mind clears.]
"Phew..."
Darcor rolled his stiff neck side to side with a crackle,
and the throbbing in his head cleared up like it had been washed away.
A refreshing rush, like clogged veins suddenly unblocking.
'Talk about perfect timing. The effects were just starting to wear off.'
With a satisfied expression, he brushed the dirt from his hands.
As the situation wrapped up, Darcor turned his gaze back to Elena.
She was still sitting there, unable to shake off the shock.
Her face pale white, shoulders trembling faintly.
Darcor strode toward her.
"...!"
Elena instinctively flinched and shrank back.
Swish swish.
Darcor silently pulled a handkerchief from his bosom
and indifferently wiped the bloodstains from his hand.
After roughly cleaning his hands, Darcor looked at her and spoke flatly.
"Any injuries?"
A short, dry question.
Elena blankly looked up at Darcor.
"Pardon? Ah... Y-Your Majesty, you saved me..."
"Just answer. Hurt anywhere?"
Darcor's brow narrowed slightly.
His tone laced with irritation.
Elena hurriedly shook her head.
"N-No... I'm not hurt."
"Good."
Darcor muttered as he stuffed the handkerchief into his pocket.
"Don't get hurt. It'd be a hassle."
He meant it.
'If you get hurt, the nobles will swarm like bees again. Already noisy enough without you collapsing too.'
That was Darcor's honest sentiment.
Forgetting for a moment that if the original story's heroine got hurt or died, the plot would derail—that was secondary.
He'd have to deal immediately with diplomatic fallout and a barrage of noble petitions.
But to Elena, equipped with the romance fantasy novel heroine filter,
his words rang entirely differently.
Thump. Thump thump.
Elena's heart began pounding wildly.
'Don't get hurt?'
She blankly stared at the emperor's retreating back.
A gruff, cold tone.
Yet he was worried for her.
'Could it be...'
Pieces of the puzzle started clicking in Elena's mind.
The reason the emperor had kept his distance and treated her coldly all this time
might not have been hatred after all.
'Was he deliberately acting indifferent to protect me from his enemies? So no one would realize I was his weakness?'
If he'd been putting on that thorough act of disinterest to prepare for threats like today's assassin?
Then his actions just now made perfect sense.
Rushing to her side the moment she was in danger, revealing his true feelings.
"Your Majesty..."
Elena's cheeks flushed pink.
She clutched her chest with trembling hands.
A faint halo seemed to shine from the back of the man she'd mistaken for a tyrant.
Of course, Darcor was merely pondering what to have for lunch.
"Your Majesty!"
A urgent shout broke the silence.
Edel was rushing over from afar, leading dozens of Royal Guard soldiers.
Her blue hair whipping as she ran, she glanced back and forth between the corpse on the ground and Darcor.
Her eyes narrowed.
'...'
Edel silently cursed him with her glare.
'At it again? In broad daylight? With all these eyes around, you commit murder here?'
Darcor shamelessly shrugged.
"A bug latched on during my walk. Cleaned it up."
"Haa..."
Edel let out a deep sigh, pressing her temple
and issuing orders to the Royal Guard.
"Secure the body and control the scene. Prioritize His Majesty and Her Majesty's safety."
"Yes, understood."
As the Royal Guard moved with crisp efficiency, Edel approached Darcor
and whispered lowly in a small voice.
"I said I'd accompany you. Things like this happen when you go alone."
"Can't relax if you're tagging along. You'd just nag."
"Is that something for His Majesty to say?"
"Quiet. Just handle the cleanup."
Their bickering looked less like lord and vassal
and more like old friends bound by deep trust.
A natural rapport conveyed through glances alone.
And watching them, Elena's eyes darkened subtly.
'....'
An inexplicable displeasure crept over the thrill she'd felt moments ago.
The emperor and his Escort Knight.
Something existed between them that she couldn't insert herself into.
'Lady Edel... His Majesty's sole confidante.'
Elena bit her lip hard.
She was the empress, yet knew nothing of her husband,
while Edel seemed to share the emperor's secrets.
'Why does that woman treat His Majesty so casually? Why does he make that face for her?'
Elena gripped her skirt tightly, glaring at Edel.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Imperial office.
Darcor looked down at the items on the desk.
Possessions recovered by Edel from the assassin.
A dagger etched with a peculiar emblem, an untraceable poison vial.
And a note scrawled with ciphered text.
"Your Majesty, shall I call the decryption team?"
"No need. Takes too long."
At Edel's question, Darcor lightly shook his head
and extended a hand over the note.
A blue hologram, visible only to him, unfolded in the air.
Ding.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Attempting item information analysis...]
Ding ding!
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Item information analysis successful!] [Target: Ether's secret missive] [Grade: B] [Content: At noon where the red rose blooms, carry out the deed. Collect remainder from the northern wolf upon success.] [Analysis: Paper quality is high-grade parchment circulated by the southern Alman Merchant Guild.] [Related parties: Daroa Empire's spy network and imperial collaborator Count Felix.]
Darcor's lips curled into a sinister grin.
"Count Felix, huh."
A familiar name.
A villainous side character from the original novel, colluding with the enemy nation to plunge the empire into chaos.
A rat daring to brandish a knife in his front yard?
Darcor shook his head with a tsk.
"Lost all sense of fear."
"Pardon? Did you uncover something?"
Edel asked with a puzzled look.
"Daring to interrupt my rest and splatter blood in the garden?"
Darcor's eyes blazed red once more.
"Edel."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Take care of tonight too."
Darcor lightly tapped the desk with a finger.
"Hunt's on."
The empire's night deepened in thick darkness.
The splendid palace lights winked out, deep silence descending.
But for the emperor's bedroom, the real action was just beginning.
Swish.
Darcor casually shed his ornate imperial robes,
changing into a skin-tight black assassin suit and mask.
"I'll be off."
"Take care. Retreat immediately if it's dangerous."
Leaving Edel's worried nagging behind, Darcor flung the window wide.
Whoosh.
Cold night wind brushed his cheek.
Without hesitation, he leaped out.
Fwosh!
Darcor kicked off the palace roof, soaring into the night sky.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The tallest spire of Count Felix's mansion.
A black shadow landed silently.
Below, a lavish banquet raged on.
Under the brilliant chandelier lights, the party hurtled toward its peak.
The traitors selling out their nation clinked wine glasses, laughing merrily—who knew what amused them so.
Darcor's eyes sank cold.
Ding!
📜 NEW QUEST 📜
[Execute the Traitors]
🎁 Reward: Madness Level greatly reduced, passive skill activated. Dawn Step proficiency increased.
His lips curved upward.
'Perfect.'
Relieve stress, lower Madness Level, level up a skill.
No sweeter reward existed.
"Knock knock. Mind opening the door?"
Darcor teetered precariously on the roof's edge, politely waving at his prey.
Of course, no answer came.
"Express train to hell. Delivery."
Darcor's body blurred like mist, vanishing in an instant.