Chapter 171
“This place is dangerous. Please return to the Fraus house for now.”
Killian said, wrapping his handkerchief around Sophia’s blood-soaked hand.
“Killian, I can help…”
“You’ve done enough.”
Killian gave Sophia a brief kiss on her forehead. Although he wanted to see her safely back to the Fraus house, hunting the monsters was more urgent.
“I’ll come to Fraus after it’s over.”
He gently pushed Sophia’s back and picked up his arrows. Then, he rejoined the other knights.
Screams, shouts, and cries mixed with the rain and flames in the air.
Sophia bit her lip as she watched the people fighting fiercely against the monsters.
‘I know. Staying here would only get in the way.’
She couldn’t shoot an arrow properly or wield a sword effectively.
Staying here would only increase Killian’s worries.
She might even get caught up in the monsters’ attacks and cause trouble for others. This wasn’t the place for her.
‘I need to find something I can do.’
Sophia looked up at the rain-soaked sky.
The heavy rain showed no signs of stopping.
‘In the original story, the flood caused great damage on top of the monster attacks.’
Thanks to Estelle, the monster problem was resolved, but recovering from both the flood and monster damage took a long time.
This worsened the public’s sentiment, leading to Killian’s successful rebellion.
‘But Killian isn’t rebelling anymore.’
Killian only wanted to uncover and correct the truth. He hoped no more sacrifices would occur.
‘While everyone is focused on the monsters, I must protect the civilians.’
Sophia clenched her fist.
Calming the citizens terrified by the monsters and minimizing the flood damage around the river were urgent matters.
The knights were busy fighting the monsters at the palace, leaving the ordinary people unsure of what to do.
‘Killian told me to return to the Fraus house, but…’
She couldn’t just stay cooped up at home in this situation.
The Fraus merchants had brought leather and were preparing sandbags and boats for evacuation.
Sophia turned her steps toward the people trembling outside the palace. However, just as she was about to leave,
“Ugh!”
Someone covered her mouth. Shocked, Sophia struggled, but she couldn’t break free from the strong grip.
“You are too careless in enemy territory, my lady.”
The sleeve of the person holding her had the emblem of Orhelin.
* * *
“Ugh…!”
Sophia was thrown to the ground by the rough hands.
The rope binding her wrists hurt as if they were about to snap.
She struggled to get up with her restrained body and finally kneeled.
When she looked up, she saw Empress Beatrice.
“Well done.”
Beatrice praised the Orhelin knight who had captured Sophia.
They were at the top of the palace bell tower.
Outside the stained glass exit, fierce rain and wind raged.
Through the open arches of the bell tower, dark clouds and the flapping wings of monsters could be seen, along with the sounds of monsters’ cries and soldiers’ shouts from far below.
“Must you really go this far, Your Majesty?”
Sophia asked, seeing Beatrice sitting peacefully, seemingly uninterested in the battle below.
Was killing her the priority in this situation?
While everyone was uniting to fight for the safety of the empire, did she really have to take advantage of the chaos to harm people?
“Do you have no affection for the empire at all?”
Beatrice’s eyes narrowed unpleasantly at Sophia’s look of disgust.
“How could that be? I am here because of the empire.”
“With the downpour and monsters running wild, is my life really that important to you right now?”
“The rain cannot be stopped, and the knights are dealing with the monsters. So, I am focusing on you.”
Beatrice saw her role as overseeing and deploying people appropriately, not fighting directly.
Therefore, she didn’t find it strange to be dealing with Sophia at this moment.
But from Sophia’s perspective, it was different.
“If the rain cannot be stopped, we should act to prevent flood damage. If the knights are fighting the monsters, we should find ways to support them…!”
There were so many urgent matters at hand, yet she was being pursued like this.
Sophia had believed that Beatrice would at least use her abilities for the good of the empire.
From what she’d heard of a few years ago, Beatrice was indeed a wise and outstanding empress, strategist, and ruler.
It was a pity she was not the emperor.
But as the issue of her illegitimate child began to surface, her judgement became clouded and her vision narrowed.
She got so caught up in one problem that she couldn’t see anything else.
Consequently, she committed consecutive sins and mistakes, driven by anxiety and impatience.
Beatrice chuckled at Sophia’s accusatory words.
“Sure, blame me. But think about why you are saying this to me.”
There was a relaxed smile on Beatrice’s lips.
“Helping people to prevent flood damage, supporting the knights, and commanding them… Those are necessary, but shouldn’t that responsibility first lie with the emperor?”
Beatrice’s voice was laced with sarcasm.
Where was the emperor who should be leading this situation?
The moment the monsters appeared, he fled to safety with his guards.
Mikhail and Killian were commanding the battlefield against the monsters, while the rain continued to pour.
“What is His Majesty the Emperor doing?”
“…”
Sophia had no words to counter Beatrice’s point.
Seeing Sophia unable to respond, Beatrice approached her.
She lifted Sophia’s chin with her long, white fingers to make her look at her.
“I used to adore you, Sophia.”
Her elegant lips formed a voice filled with faked pity, caressing Sophia’s ears.
“Embarrassingly, I once even considered pairing you with Mikhail instead of Killian.”
Beatrice’s fingers played with Sophia’s rain-soaked brown hair.
“But.”
“Ugh…!”
Beatrice suddenly grabbed Sophia’s hair, forcing her head back to look up.
“After all, I cannot tolerate the daughter of that woman.”
Beatrice threw Sophia’s head down, making her fall to the ground again.
“Bind her to the pillar and call for Killian. Ensure Mikhail doesn’t find out.”
Beatrice ordered the knight beside her.
Killian, too, would be a threat if left alive. Given the current chaos, a few more deaths wouldn’t be suspicious.
* * *
“Hah, hah…”
“Damn it, there are so many.”
“Is it possible for rare species to come in such a swarm…!”
The once beautiful garden was now stained with blood and mud.
The bodies of dead monsters piled up, and arrows and spears, still burning, were scattered around, drenched in rain.
They had figured out the monsters’ weaknesses, but the knights had also suffered significant losses.
“Is this finally over?”
The last monster fell to the ground with a heavy thud.
Water splashed from the pooled rain, but the monsters’ cries had completely ceased, leaving an eerie silence.
Confirming that the last monster was down, Killian assessed the situation of the soldiers.
There were injuries, but fortunately, no fatalities.
However, many were exhausted from fighting the monsters in the rain, collapsing to the ground in pain.
“Move the injured inside and light fires.”
They had fought with fire, but the rain had chilled many to the bone.
Their soaked clothes and armour felt much heavier, and the muddy ground seemed to pull them down more than usual.
Mikhail, Ian, and Estelle also tended to the soldiers, organising the aftermath.
‘…Sophia must have returned safely.’
Killian thought as he moved the injured under a roof. He regretted not escorting her himself.
At that moment, a soldier approached him.
Seeing the unfamiliar soldier, Killian helped an injured soldier to the fire and then looked at the newcomer warily.
“What is it?”
The soldier quietly handed him a note. Killian shook the rain from his hands and took the note, unfolding it.
[Attend your fiancée’s funeral.]
A brief obituary for Sophia from the daily paper was attached to the note. The obituary had today’s date for her funeral, but the time had been erased.
Killian instantly recognised who had sent the note.
“…You are to come alone and quietly. If not, the funeral time will be moved up.”
The soldier conveyed the message. Killian’s teeth ground together audibly.
