The Emperor and the imperial knights’ behavior was not an act—not in the slightest. They had no idea that Davin had heard their entire conversation.
‘…Could the Emperor be in league with the culprits?’
The image of the Emperor’s pale face as he looked at Anise resurfaced in Davin’s mind.
In truth, Davin had never suspected the Emperor before he accused Anise of staging everything earlier that day.
Even when Anise, having lost her memories, showed signs of distrusting the Emperor, Davin had always thought differently.
There had been a deep bond between the Emperor and Anise, nurtured since childhood. And if the Emperor truly wanted Anise dead, there would have been no need to resort to such convoluted methods—to poisoning, assassins, and schemes.
He could have simply ordered the Imperial Knights to kill her. If justification were needed, he could easily have turned one of the countless malicious petitions the nobles regularly submitted against Anise into a “truth.”
The momentary suspicion—that the Emperor might be allied with the enemy—had faded again after Davin overheard the knights’ conversation. Personally, Davin disliked the man, but he was still the Emperor. If he was not in league with the culprits, then keeping him on their side was advantageous for Anise. And now, perhaps, the Emperor might finally listen to what Anise had to say.
‘…Let’s put fleeing on hold.’
Frowning, Davin looked down at the wound on Anise’s neck. If they were to show her to others, it would be better not to heal it any further. He could erase the injury cleanly if he wanted to—but being unable to do so left a bad taste in his mouth.
For the same reason, the fact that Anise’s left arm had healed perfectly was also a problem. People had seen it pierced clean through. With a sigh, Davin drew the dagger at his side.
He took out the first-aid kit, applied medicine to Anise’s neck, and carefully placed gauze over the wound. Then he deliberately cut his own arm again with the dagger, treated it, and wrapped it in bandages.
Just as he finished, a startled voice sounded as someone tried to open the bedroom door.
“Wait—why is this door…?”
When the door didn’t budge, the person began pounding on it roughly.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Count! Are you in there?!”
It was Joshua, an imperial knight.
Davin stood up, removed the longsword bracing the door, slid it back into its scabbard at his waist, and opened the door.
Click.
Apparently expecting Davin to point a sword at him, Joshua stood there with both hands raised in surrender. When he saw that Davin had not drawn his blade, he lowered his hands and asked,
“Are you all right, Count?”
“…Fortunately, the wound wasn’t deep. I administered first aid myself.”
Joshua, who had seen blood gush from Anise’s neck, must have been bracing for the worst. At Davin’s words, he let out a deep sigh of relief.
“A physician has arrived from the palace. His Majesty wishes for Count Anise to be seen by his personal doctor.”
Davin pressed his lips together and stared silently at Joshua. Taking it as wariness, Joshua hurriedly added,
“Isn’t it most important that the injured count be treated by a professional? His Majesty has also said he will personally oversee the treatment.”
Hearing the Emperor’s words relayed, Davin barely suppressed a scoff.
He could have believed us sooner. If the Emperor hadn’t shouted at that moment, Anise wouldn’t have ended up like this.
And yet, Davin understood why the Emperor had shouted. Ever since long ago, whenever Davin and Anise seemed even slightly close, the Emperor had bristled.
Forcing down the roiling anger in his chest, Davin replied to Joshua in a calm voice.
“Very well. Please escort them in.”
“Yes, sir. Ah, and the intruders who infiltrated the estate have all been dealt with! We’ve called in additional imperial knights to secure the perimeter, so you may rest easy now.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Joshua smiled at Davin’s thanks and hurried off somewhere. Davin watched his retreating figure for a moment before closing the door again.
Anise lay quietly asleep on the bed. Reassured by the steady rhythm of her breathing, Davin placed a hand on her forehead to check for fever. Perhaps because he had poured so much holy power into her, despite the potentially fatal injury, Anise’s condition was entirely stable.
Soon, the sound of many footsteps converged toward the bedroom. A deep, authoritative voice rang out from beyond the door.
“His Majesty the Emperor enters.”
The door opened, and the Emperor—his complexion ashen—entered with the medical staff. At the sight of Anise lying in bed, the Emperor approached with a face tight with tension.
“…Is Anise all right?”
“Yes. Fortunately, the wound was not deep.”
Davin answered while lowering his gaze, concealing the coldness in his eyes.
Though the Emperor could see that Davin had personally treated Anise, he made no comment. Under normal circumstances, he would have reprimanded him for touching a count’s body without permission, for overstepping his bounds. But he must have acknowledged the urgency of the situation.
From the beginning, keeping the strikingly handsome Davin as her guard had been a weakness for Anise.
The nobles had repeatedly spread baseless rumors about Anise—the Emperor’s fiancée—and her guard knight. The Emperor had always been sensitive to those rumors, even pressuring Anise to dismiss Davin and send him away from the estate.
“Just write him a recommendation and send him off.”
Yet Anise, insisting that the problem lay with those who fabricated such rumors about a perfectly innocent relationship, endured the Emperor’s reproaches and stubbornly stood by Davin.
That was, until she learned the truth Davin had been hiding from her.
After confirming with his own eyes that Anise was not in immediate danger, the Emperor gestured to the physician he had brought. The Emperor’s personal doctor and nurses quickly surrounded Anise.
Davin watched them closely, on guard, but the medical staff examined Anise without any suspicious behavior, and the treatment soon concluded.
“Fortunately, the cut is shallow, and the first aid was appropriate. There was no exposure to poison, no fever, and no sign of severe infection. Regularly changing the bandages should suffice. We’ll prepare painkillers and topical medicine.”
Relieved that Anise’s condition was not serious, the Emperor’s physician smiled brightly. Only then did the Emperor nod, his expression easing.
“Good work.”
The physician then examined Davin’s arm. Seeing how cleanly the penetrating wound had been treated, he expressed admiration for Davin’s response. The Emperor sat down on a chair beside Anise’s bed and let out a long breath of relief. He placed his hand over hers, clasping it gently.
“Whew… Thank goodness. Truly, thank goodness…”
“There is a chance a fever may develop later, so I will leave someone to keep watch over the count. With that, I shall take my leave, Your Majesty.”
After bowing respectfully, the Emperor’s physician exited the bedroom, leaving behind two nurses.
“……”
Silence settled over the room. After staring at Anise for a long while, the Emperor finally spoke.
“…This has been going on since the second?”
At his question, Davin turned his gaze from the nurses he had been monitoring and looked at the Emperor.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“…Do you have any idea who might be trying to kill Anise?”
So now you’re finally listening. Davin gave a bitter smile before answering.
“Until now, we’ve been too focused on defense to properly investigate who is behind it.”
“Did Anise mention anyone she suspects?”
“She did not seem to have any suspicions either.”
Having lost her memories, Anise had no capacity to guess the culprit. And since she did not wish the Emperor to know about her memory loss, Davin did not mention it.
“I see.”
The Emperor’s eyes burned with fury toward the unseen enemy. Then he spoke with firm resolve.
“This place is too dangerous. We must move Anise to the imperial palace immediately.”
