My Sweet Deceiver - Chapter 79

Meanwhile, it was when Elliot was breathing a sigh of relief as the protests had entered a lull.

 

The unexpected incident started in a back alley bar in the capital. A man claiming to be a vault keeper from Herzan appeared.

 

He said that he was secretly in charge of King Valloise’s treasury in Herzan. Surprisingly, the size of the King’s private wealth amounted to several years’ budget for the country. The exact amount was not disclosed, but there was a pile of gold in the vault.

 

He said that he wanted the King’s punishment to set the world right, and joined the Republican protests.

 

Claims were made that a man claiming to be a vault keeper from Herzan was kicked out for trying to steal the King’s private property, but he quickly disappeared. In an instant, he was treated as a hero who would save Valloise.

 

The news immediately reached Tehez’s palace.

 

Ellie ran into her office and shouted.

 

“There is His Highness’s safe in Herzan, and it’s full of gold! Only what has been discovered now is enough for tens of billions!”

 

“What about Jacques? Has there been any news from him, who sent an investigation to Herzan?”

 

Tehez answered while touching her bloodshot eyes. Her voice was noticeably locked. She hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in the past two weeks.

 

‘And still he…’

 

Tehez shook her head lightly to distract her thoughts. Every time her head shook, it felt like the world was shaking.

 

Danielle answered as he rummaged through the papers.

 

“We have lost contact since our last correspondence. They said that the ferry from Herzan was being delayed because of the storm.”

 

Tehez clenched her fists.

 

Ellie added with her worried expression.

 

“This is a story from a bar in Lubern. It might ignite more protests.”

 

“Is this a believable story? Where is the source?”

 

“It came out of his own mouth. They say he joined the protesters.”

 

“First, secure that man. I need to check whether it is true or not.”

 

“Okay. All right.”

 

Danielle answered.

 

“And let’s watch the progress. As of now…”

 

Tehez curtailed her words. There was nothing she could do as of now. In the room where everyone had retreated, Tehez pondered. She hoped that his words were nothing more than bluffing.

 

Knowing that the King has so much personal wealth, who could easily accept such a King? No one would.

 

A King who had tens of billions of gold coins, which commoners cannot get even if they work all their lives. But if the protest escalated, it was the King, not her, who would stop it. And the King will try to suppress it by force as before.

 

Tehez felt nervous seeing the situation in the capital city, like a burst dam. She didn’t feel too good about the things that kept happening beyond her abilities.

 

At dawn the next day, the west gate of the palace was set on fire. Protesters armed with guns and knives had crossed the walls of the palace. All of this happened in just two weeks.

 

“Princess!”

 

At the sound of calling her anxiously, Tehez immediately woke up. In fact, she didn’t even sleep at all.

 

“The rebels have entered the palace! Get out of here quickly!”

 

Tehez was clutching the secret map, given to her by Richard.

 

“What about the Prince?”

 

“The rebels went straight to the main palace! You must evacuate at this moment!”

 

Her escort knight Yarol and Danielle pushed her with impatient expressions.

 

Tehez couldn’t meet him and kept hesitating because he had to run away.

 

‘That’s pathetic. I only wasted time.’

 

Tehez blamed herself.

 

She couldn’t ask what was important to him, and couldn’t explain that the rumours were untrue. If she knew it was going to be like this, she would have gone to see him.

 

“Come on! Princess!”

 

Danielle stamped on her foot. Tehez had to move now.

 

“I know the secret passage. Come this way.”

 

Tehez led Danielle and Yarol and began to walk familiarly. The map given by Richard was already familiar and memorized. But she didn’t expect to use it so quickly.

 

‘Did my older brothers know?’

 

Tehez descended into the basement of the palace. There were wine cellars, warehouses, and some vacancies underground. In the days when there were many courtiers, courtiers lived underground. However, as the number of manpower decreased over the years, only empty rooms that no one used in the basement increased.

 

With her familiar steps, she opened the door to one of the empty rooms. It was a simple room with only one wooden bed and one closet. When Tehez opened the closet door, old clothes were hanging there. As she pushed through the clothes, a small door came out.

 

When she pulled the doorknob open, it was tight as if it hadn’t been opened for a long time.

 

“I will open it.”

 

Yarol, who had been standing behind her, stepped forward. As the knight pulled with force, the door opened with a groaning sound. When she opened the door, a cold, damp wind blew in. As Yarol jumped down the aisle, Tehez saw an aisle small enough for one person to pass through.

 

“I will take the lead.”

 

Yarol started walking in front of Danielle and Tehez. In the dark passageway, Yarol was relying solely on the light of the small lamp.

 

“How did you know about this passage? It seems to have been unused for quite some time.”

 

“I had to look at the royal map, so I kept an eye on it.”

 

Tehez refrained from telling Yarol the exact details.

 

Since she found out that there was someone who leaked Flamingo’s inside information, she couldn’t completely trust others, even if she was an aide working at her palace. Everyone was suspicious.

 

“You did very well.”

 

Yarol added.

 

“The other day, Your Highness ordered me to take responsibility for the safety of the Princess. I will keep the Princess safe even at the cost of my life.”

 

“The Prince?”

 

Tehez asked. Yarol said calmly.

 

“Yes. It has been like months now. And then, Your Highness bestowed me with a new pistol.”

 

Yarol touched the bump under her coat. It looked like a gun. Yarol muffled her voice as if trying to ease Tehez’s tension.

 

“It’s an automatic pistol. You can shoot seven shots. I practiced a lot at the shooting range because I had to pull it in advance to shoot quickly. Your Highness has given me excellent instruction.”

 

“Does it mean that he knows shooting?”

 

Obviously, he didn’t enjoy hunting. How many years ago was it? It was when the King held a hunting festival. He sat by Tehez’s side until the hunt was over, using his injured leg as an excuse. Tehez also heard him mutter in a low voice that it was barbaric. So it was hard to imagine that he was good at handling guns.

 

“Yes. He is a great marksman. Didn’t you know? Even in the middle of a busy schedule, he doesn’t neglect training. In terms of his shooting skills alone, he will be in the top five of Valloise.”

 

Yarol’s words conveyed her admiration for Dennis.

 

Tehez murmured.

 

“…I didn’t know. Really, I didn’t know.”

 

“I see.”

 

The conversation that had been going on for a while was cut off.

 

Tehez unconsciously touched the locket around her neck. Her thoughts flew and reached him.

 

‘What is he doing now? Could he have been hurt?’

 

Tehez tried to wake up her frozen brain and thought rationally. Even rebels will not be able to kill the King immediately because they will have the requirements they want. The same goes for the Prince. His life is safe, at least until the rebel demands are met. She had to believe that.

 

Tehez clenched both of her fists.

 

The more he walked down the dark road, the more she felt uneasy.

 

She tried to keep her mind off her sinister thoughts.

 

The little aisle was winding endlessly. She had been moving for over an hour in her small stride. Tehez, wearing thin indoor shoes, became increasingly cold. She packed a thick coat for fear of cold weather, but couldn’t pack strong shoes separately. Yarol looked worried at her, as she seemed to be walking slower and slower.

 

“Are you having a hard time?”

 

“It’s not a problem. I’ll walk without a break until I get to the exit.”

 

“Do you know what’s at the end of this aisle?”

 

“On the map, it is presumed to be a common residential area.”

 

How many more times did they walk without speaking? A small door was caught at the end of the field of view.

 

“I see an exit, Princess. I will go out first and take a look.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Yarol returned five minutes later and beckoned her. As she came out of the exit, as expected, she saw houses in a quiet commoner neighbourhood.

 

“Now, where do we go from here?”

 

“Follow me.”

 

Tehez went to the house Richard had told him about. It was a small house where commoners lived in one room with a kitchen and an attic. There was a knock on the door and a woman with a familiar face greeted her. She was a maid who worked at Ingeliger’s mansion.

 

“Please come in.”

 

The maid greeted her without surprise. She seemed to have expected Tehez to come her way. As Tehez and her party entered, the maid locked the thick wooden door with a layered padlock.

 

Tehez pulled out a chair from the table and sat down, letting out a big sigh.

 

That was her first thought.

 

‘I’m alive. I didn’t want to die.’

 

She looked around her. The place where the window had been had been nailed, and a fire was burning in the small fireplace. The maid put her stack of firewood in her fireplace and asked Tehez.

 

“Would you like to eat first?”

 

Tehez shook her head.

 

“A hot tea, please. What about my brothers?”

 

Tehez first asked if her family was alive or dead. The maid bowed her head and replied.

 

“The Marquis has gone to the palace, and the young masters are safely in the mansion.”

 

“Young masters?”

 

“The second young master’s departure date was the day after tomorrow, so he is still in the Marquis’ residence.”

 

“Ah.”

 

Tehez completely forgot that Max had said he was leaving Valloise in two weeks.

 

“Is the Marquis at the palace at this hour?”

 

“His Highness summoned all the ministers to the palace and hurriedly entered the palace.”

 

“Your Highness? Did he not call the head of the capital’s defence?”

 

“Yes. That’s right.”

 

If that’s the case, there was a good chance the King was already under the hands of the rebels.

 

If he thought of suppressing the rebels by force, he would be the first to summon the head of the capital’s defence.

 

Tehez looked at the horse car in front of her.

 

It was early morning, so there was no sense of reality at all. It felt like she was lost in a dream.

 

As she sat idly by, Danielle spoke to Tehez.

 

“Princess. How about getting some rest? Your complexion is bad.”

 

“I will stand guard, so rest in peace, Princess.”

 

Yarol was looking at her with a worried face.

 

“Okay. How can I get in touch with my brothers?”

 

“The Marquis has agreed to send a wagon when the day comes.”

 

“Okay. Got it. Then I’ll go to my room and rest for a while. You guys get some rest too.”

 

“Yes, Princess.”

 

Upon entering the room, Tehez closed the door and sat down on the floor as if collapsing.

 

(To be continued in the next episode)

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