.jpg)
Her legs wobbled with each step, and her eyes stared blankly into the air, devoid of focus.
The palace staff watched the scene, whispering loudly.
"What on earth is going on? Why is Her Majesty the Empress being dragged away by the knights?"
"I heard that Her Majesty the Empress ordered the assassination of Princess Peony."
"What? That's impossible… Didn't Her Majesty the Empress cherish Princess Peony very much?"
"It was all an act!"
"She pretended to be so benevolent and elegant, but she was committing such terrible acts behind the scenes? Tsk, tsk."
The rumors spread like wildfire. Now, there was hardly anyone in the Imperial Palace who didn't know about her misdeeds.
Ayla watched the scene, a smirk playing on her lips.
Thanks to Darian's surprisingly quick actions, things were going smoothly.
Not long after meeting him, she was granted an audience with the Emperor.
"You must tell me everything truthfully and without lies."
The Emperor's eyes were bloodshot, as if he hadn't slept. However, his gaze was sharper than ever.
"Tell me everything you know about the maid Lona. There's been a report that she poisoned Peony."
"...Yes, I'm sorry to say, but it's true."
She had already thoroughly prepared what she would say to the Emperor.
Ayla took a small bottle from her pocket and presented it to the Emperor.
"This is the medicine that the maid Lona has been giving to Princess Peony. If you have it investigated, it will quickly become clear that it is poison."
The Emperor's expression froze coldly at her confident words. He took the bottle of medicine in question and asked with a dark face.
"Does Peony know about this?"
Ayla nodded without hesitation.
"Yes, I made her stop taking it as soon as I heard about the symptoms. Fortunately, Princess Peony's condition has improved noticeably since she stopped taking the medicine."
"But why didn't Peony say a word to me?"
"I think she was worried that this would cause a major conflict in the Imperial Family."
"That young one..."
The Emperor sniffled, as if he was struggling to hold back tears.
"Looking back, Peony's health started to recover after she started attending the academy. To think that it was all thanks to you..."
The Emperor finally realized why Peony had suddenly become healthy.
He ran a hand through his hair and let out a rough sigh.
He was grateful and ashamed that she had solved a problem that even he, her father, had been unaware of.
"Thank you for telling me the truth. To dare to do such a thing to my daughter behind my back."
The Emperor continued, his voice trembling as he struggled to contain his rising emotions.
"I will make sure that this matter is thoroughly investigated. And Ayla, I owe you a great debt. I will be sure to repay this favor someday."
The events that followed proceeded swiftly. The Emperor immediately summoned Sarah, Peony's personal physician.
"You know very well what kind of medicine this is, don't you?"
As the Emperor handed her the bottle, Sarah's face turned pale in an instant.
There was no need for interrogation.
She bowed her head and immediately began to confess everything.
"P, please spare me, Your Majesty! I was threatened by Her Majesty the Empress, so I had no choice!"
Thus, Peony's attending physician, as well as those who helped with the preparation of the medicine, were all dragged away.
Ayla also told the Emperor everything about the conversation between the unidentified Mage and Lona, without hiding anything.
Unfortunately, the food that Lona had given to the maids at dawn had already been cleared away, so no evidence could be found.
After a while, Ayla was jolted out of her deep thoughts.
Because the procession of those being taken away was getting closer.
The Empress, walking unsteadily like a person whose soul had left her body, slowly turned her head.
Unfortunately, her eyes met Ayla's at that moment.
The Empress's pupils shook violently, and her extinguished eyes quickly regained their vitality.
"You!"
A shrill scream erupted.
"How dare you show your face in front of me?"
The knights quickly blocked the Empress, but she brushed off their hands and moved forward, as if drawing strength from somewhere.
"It's all your doing! You threatened Darian, didn't you?"
People expressed their bewilderment at the Empress's behavior.
"W, what's wrong? Why is she acting like that?"
"Why is she getting angry at Blanche Duchess for no reason?"
However, the Empress paid no attention to the reactions of others.
Rather, she revealed her intense anger and shouted even more sharply.
"If it weren't for you...! If that were the case, this wouldn't have happened!"
Taking advantage of the loosened ropes, the Empress, who was screaming, took out an ornament that was stuck in her hair with one hand.
And charged straight at Ayla.
The tip of the ornament in the Empress's hand gleamed menacingly.
"Kyaa!"
"D, dangerous!"
People screamed and began to scatter in all directions.
But the Empress ignored everyone else and blindly rushed only towards Ayla.
The situation happened so quickly that the knights didn't even have time to react.
"Die! How dare you make me look like this?"
Soon after, the sharp part of the ornament was aimed at her neck. It was a gesture filled with murderous intent that anyone could see.
Ayla sighed and recited a spell in her mind.
'It's too late to avoid it anyway.'
It was the moment her shield was about to activate.
A young man naturally stepped forward and quickly grabbed the Empress's wrist.
"Ugh...!"
The Empress gritted her teeth and tried to shake off his hand, but she was no match for the man's strength.
Only then did the knights belatedly rush over and grab the Empress's body.
"What are you doing!?"
"The more you do this, the more severe the punishment will be. Come with us quietly!"
The Empress struggled until the end, but soon lost her will and ran out of strength.
Then, the black-haired young man slowly approached her and reached out his hand.
And uttered in a cold voice.
"Just stay asleep."
A white light flashed from his fingertips, and the Empress's eyes soon lost focus.
She collapsed powerlessly to the floor like a doll with its strings cut.
"W, what on earth...!"
"Who are you?"
The knights looked up at the young man in confusion, but he turned around without answering.
Then, with his yellow eyes narrowed, he strode towards Ayla.
Because of his noticeably increased height, Ayla had to tilt her head back to look up at him.
"Piyo, I told you to stay put and not interfere."
Then, the young man called Piyo replied in a monotone voice.
"It was a dangerous situation, so I couldn't help it."
Meanwhile, the people watching this scene began to murmur again.
"Oh my gosh, did you see her running at Blanche Duchess just now?"
"It's so scary. It would have been a disaster if it weren't for that young man."
"But who is he anyway? I've never seen his face before."
The knights fidgeted and bowed to Ayla.
"I'm sorry, Blanche Duchess. We didn't know she would act this violently. It's our fault."
Ayla nodded with a stiff expression.
"It's okay, nothing happened."
After confirming that the procession was moving again, she turned her gaze to the side.
Piyo was silently looking down at Ayla without moving. There was no emotion in his yellow eyes.
"...Piyo, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"
At the worried question, Piyo nodded silently. His expression was indifferent, as if even answering was a bother.
Ayla immediately looked around. Perhaps because of the commotion earlier, people's attention was focused on her and Piyo.
"Let's move to another place for now. There are too many eyes watching."
Ayla took the young man and quickly moved away, avoiding the gazes of the crowd.
Before long, the two arrived in front of Peony's palace, where there were few people.
Only then did Ayla stop and turn to look at Piyo.
'I expected people wouldn't recognize him, but.'
Ayla slowly scanned Piyo's completely changed appearance with unfamiliar eyes.
.jpg)