# 19
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“Killing one girl is as easy as drinking water!”
“We have even provided you with soldiers in case of any emergency!”
“Who are these people who protected the princess then?!”
If the mission had succeeded, they would have been able to divide Duke Ellimore's abundant wealth between them.
Of course, another bloody war would have broken out between them to seize the largest share, but in any case, they were not supposed to fail like this.
“This...”
Vadelmon furrowed his brow tightly.
This is exactly what he wanted to know.
How were they able to repel so many attackers?
Was Catherine Elmore able to anticipate this and prepare the troops?
If so, there must be one explanation.
“Isn't it obvious that one of us betrayed us and divulged the information?”
When Vadelmon announced his conclusion in a sharp voice, the room erupted in whispers and confusion.
“She must have given him something in return, otherwise how would he have survived that massacre?”
Objecting voices followed.
“It's impossible!”
But some of them began to become convinced and seethe with anger.
“How dare anyone do that?!”
Everyone's anger at Vadelmon, the leader of the conspiracy, turned into mutual suspicion between them.
“But as Count Vadelmon said, how would they have been prepared if the information had not been leaked beforehand?”
"Damn it! Who is the traitor?!"
Screams of anger and confusion began to rise.
Vadelmon crossed his chubby arms and moved his eyebrows fidgetingly.
These uess idiots of Elmore's followers... However, it would be a shame to break them up.
He needs to calm things down and plan the next step.
“Okay, stop arguing now...”
“Moreover, the family of the Duke of Elmore sent a message.”
But before he could finish, someone intervened with words that made Fadelmon's fingertips tremble.
"What did you say?"
“They said they would only pardon ten people if they confessed and surrendered quickly.”
Vadelmon's pupils suddenly twitched.
“Some of them are already gone! If the Count doesn’t come up with a plan now, we too will have to bow to Catherine Elmore!”
Now notice that some faces have disappeared.
Amid the chaos, one of them, who was looking around in fear, got up and left the hall.
Others soon followed.
Vadelmon was in shock, remembering what Lucia said one day after the dance with a pale face.
“Catherine...she has changed. Before she seemed like just a bad person, but now she has become cold and calculating. I have a bad feeling.”
He had mocked her words at the time.
Was she right?
* * *
At the same time, in the training hall of the government building, a mockingly smiling young noble from the Emperor Pavilion was staring at the man across from him holding a wooden sword.
The man across from him, also carrying a wooden sword, was Imperial Prince Ethius von Clyde.
“What a great honor it is to accept the challenge of a lowly person like me.”
When the noble said the words with his sarcasm, his friends behind him laughed maliciously.
"Lowish? Look at your clothes! Is that a mockery? Who's the lowly one here?"
Behind Etheus, who was dressed slower than a peasant, Caron was looking at his master with sad eyes and leaves stuck to his body.
It began when the nobleman, while walking in the garden, ordered him to climb a tall tree to reap its fruits.
Despite his unwillingness, Karon climbed the stairs.
While he was reaping the fruits, the nobleman and his friends removed the ladder and taunted him, telling him to jump.
But Etheus, who discovered the matter, rushed to him and pointed the sheath of his sword at the nobleman's neck.
Do you want to die?
In the end, the nobleman brought the ladder to take down Caron, but after his pride was wounded, he defied Aetias.
Even if he was a prince, threatening to sheath the sword was considered an insult to his family's honor.
'my lord . …’
Karon bit his lip in frustration and his clenched fist trembled.
A small noble challenging a prince was unbelievable, but Etheus was just an imperial puppet.
Injuring a member of the imperial family is a capital crime, but if the other party accepts the challenge, injuries in a formal duel are not considered a crime according to unwritten traditions between men.
“Hey, calm down!”
“He is the prince, after all! You might be punished if you go too far!”
Etheus heard the voices of the nobles giggling.
They all saw Ethios standing helplessly in his tattered clothes even at imperial occasions.
How could a weak prince raised on the emperor's crumbs have any skill? This was the prevailing idea among the young nobles.
However, his strict behavior as a prince aroused their baser instincts to trample on him.
“Okay, here I am!”
Confidently, the young noble gave the signal to attack, wishing to defeat Aetias with a single blow using the secret sword technique he had learned from his family.
He was among the best in his class at fencing, and worked in the government branch of the military, so he was confident.
“Hah!”
In a moment, he approached Itias and was about to hit him, but... …
Temple—!
He felt a strong blow to his forehead and saw the stars spinning before his eyes.
With an almost invisible sweep, Aetias delivered a stern blow to his chest.
Then he raised his sword and struck the opponent's shaking knee hard.
Crunch!
“Ah!”
A painful screaming sound rang out in the hall.
One second, two seconds, three seconds.
He fell to the ground, grabbed his leg and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Ah! My knees! My knees!"
Etheus looked at him with cold eyes as his knee bone was easily shattered.
As for the nobles who were laughing earlier, they stared at Etheos with shocked faces.
The puppet prince they thought was weak, had this amazing skill.
As the opponent's screams filled the place, Aetias turned coldly.
No one dared to stop him or even think about it.
"my lord."
Caron, who was covered in dirt, rushed after Etheus while saying.
“As I told you before, showing your true strength is dangerous...”
“The revolution is not just turning the world upside down.”
Etheus stopped suddenly, his voice cold.
“But to protect my people.”
When their gaze met, Karon leaned down.
“And you are one of them.”
At the age of five, his master could not protect anything.
Caron could not imagine the weight he carried in his chest.
"Sorry."
Then Etheus returned to walking, and Caron followed him.
“Plus, you know what my true strength is.”
"my lord."
The true power that Ethios had to hide, which made him worthy of being the lord of the empire, was different.
The rare great power appearing in the Clyde Imperial Family.
The supernatural ability “Night Shadow”.
The real weapon he hid from everyone.