I Will Surrender My Position as the Empress - Chapter 57
Even in his sleep, Lionel’s senses were keenly alert. The moment he felt an unfamiliar presence, he swiftly seized the intruder’s hand, binding him as he quickly mounted over him. Adele, abruptly pushed back and left lying on the bed, was at a loss for words. Staring up at Lionel’s face with widened eyes was all she could manage. Perhaps it was the dark night, but his face seemed strangely unfamiliar. The once azure eyes now appeared darker than the profound darkness surrounding them.
On the other hand, as Lionel examined the intruder’s face, he found himself captivated by the faint light and sparkling golden eyes. Confronted with the face of someone who shouldn’t be here, his sharp intellect shattered like porcelain. Was this reality? Or was he currently trapped in a dream? His gaze slid along her graceful facial features. A face that shimmered in a silvery-white hue, a straight forehead, thickly brushed eyelashes, and sun-like golden eyes caught his attention. His gaze traced down the bridge of her nose, pooling into the deep dimple between her full, red lips. It couldn’t be real. It must be a dream. If it’s a dream… He thought, bowing his body and tilting his head.
“Lionel!”
An urgent call interrupted Lionel’s movements. With only a nose’s distance away, his gaze, previously clouded, regained focus. Adele swallowed hard and called out to him again.
“Lionel, it’s me. I’m sorry for sneaking in.”
Lionel furrowed his brow as if he couldn’t believe it.
“Your Majesty?”
Adele nodded vigorously while still lying down. She was certainly bewildered by the situation, but compared to Lionel, her confusion was manageable.
“Why are you here? Why are you?”
Unable to continue his words, Lionel, baffled, was met with a swift apology.
“I’m sorry for sneaking in. But… could you let me go?”
Only now did Lionel realize he was still above her. Swallowing hard, he quickly rose, moving backward. His ears burned, and his heart raced violently. Lionel, flustered, bit his lip and promptly apologized.
“I apologize.”
“No, don’t apologize. I’m the one who sneaked in.”
Adele raised her upper body, tilting her head. Lionel, now fully awake, quickly examined Adele and asked, “Are you okay? What’s going on?”
Nodding in response to his inquiry, Adele pleaded, “Help me, please.”
“Tell me,” Lionel urged.
“There’s an assassin in my barracks.”
****
When the two arrived at Adele’s barracks, the assassin’s body had mysteriously disappeared, as if they had hastily tried to eliminate any evidence. However, a small trace of blood, spilled before the assassin’s death, remained. Lionel carefully examined the mark and asked, “Was he poisoned?”
“I didn’t know he had a poison vial in his mouth.”
Adele explained the situation to Lionel, saying, “The intricate magic that suppressed me wasn’t something anyone could imitate.”
Shaking his head slightly, Lionel murmured, “Quite daring. Trying to assassinate the queen would inevitably lead to severe consequences if it failed.”
“He was convinced he could kill me,” Adele concluded.
After a moment of silence following Adele’s words, Lionel faced her and spoke, “There are only two individuals capable of attempting an assassination on Her Majesty—Duke Despone or Lennox Poiters.”
Adele nodded, prompting Lionel to continue, “But if it were the Duke Despone, I know, he wouldn’t carry out such a sloppy operation. Moreover, he’s currently on a mission to destroy the Vuita Tower himself, so the timing doesn’t add up.”
“Then…”
“It might be the sole action of Lennox Poiters.”
After a deep sigh, Adele clenched her fist. With the body’s crucial evidence missing, questioning Lennox Poiters immediately would prove difficult. She spoke calmly with a composed expression.
“Similar incidents might occur during the rest of our journey.”
Lionel, wearing a mix of guilt and anger, respectfully bowed his head to Adele, apologizing.
“I sincerely apologize for failing to stand guard properly.” Lionel offered a straightforward apology, to which Adele eased her clenched fist and raised her head.
“Enough. I’m not blaming you. Lift your head, Lionel.”
Lionel raised his head, meeting Adele’s gaze earnestly. “Although we can’t reveal that Lennox is behind this, I’ll make sure everyone knows about the attempted assassination. That way, they won’t act recklessly.”
However, Adele immediately rejected his proposal. “No, that won’t work. If it becomes public, Duke Despone will hold you and the knights responsible. If I wanted it to be public, I wouldn’t have sneaked into your mansion.”
Though Adele lowered her head, she persisted, “Above all, Her Majesty’s safety should be the top priority.”
In Lionel’s worried gaze, Adele’s sharp eyes softened. As the azure light penetrated through her dulled gaze, something deep within her suddenly lifted its head. When did they start looking at me with such concern? Why does this concern feel so unfamiliar despite having received it countless times from others? The flickering firelight danced on the black hue, creating a beautiful spectacle. Adele, momentarily captivated by the subtle play of light, looked around the mansion and took a deep breath. Pushing away her sentiments, she focused her gaze and faced him.
He continued to watch her with eyes as deep as the darkness. As the warmth and fragrance that once enveloped her shoulders resurfaced in her memory, Adele quickly spoke, suppressing her breath.
“Don’t worry. Few can harm me within the magical radius. Besides, now that the mission has failed, Lennox Portiers is aware he’s in a precarious position. I went to seek help on how to handle the body. I didn’t intend to disturb your sleep.”
She gestured toward the door. “Go and rest.”
However, Lionel, seemingly uneasy, carefully observed the remaining bloodstain on the floor and cautiously spoke, “I’ll stand guard outside the barracks.”
“What? No, it’s fine!”
Lionel’s eyebrows stiffened at her immediate response. “Don’t worry, and just go!”
Adele, for no apparent reason, shoved him out of the mansion, took a rough breath, and blinked repeatedly. She aimlessly wandered inside the mansion for a moment before sitting on a fur blanket, burying her face in her hands. The night moved at a slower pace than the day. Buried in the quiet darkness, memories she had pushed away resurfaced and swiftly captured her. In that overwhelming moment, Adele intended to make her presence known. If there had been any unexpected presence, mistaking her for an intruder wouldn’t have been unreasonable. But in that fleeting moment, as if he had recognized her face, his eyes widened in surprise. Thinking, ‘Yes, he’ll recognize me now,’ his gaze gradually changed. It seemed like a lingering gaze, as if something gentle was touching her. She couldn’t breathe properly, forgetting even the fact that she needed to call out. When he leaned in, Adele snapped back to reality and called out to him. He seemed startled, stepping back, but had she not called him in time, who knows what would have happened next? Adele sighed and closed her eyes.
“…I thought it was a dream.”
Simultaneously, her inner voice whispered, ‘Even if it’s a dream, it felt like we were lovers.’
“Oh, really… entering someone else’s mansion without reason…”
She should’ve handled it herself… Somehow, it felt warmer inside the barracks. A sigh-like statement dispersed like smoke.
****
Lionel discreetly informed Henri Jackal about the failed assassination attempt on the queen. Despite some knights searching the camp secretly, they found no trace of the assassin’s body. Eventually, Lionel strengthened the queen’s guard and returned to the mansion, contemplating how to handle the situation. The assassin’s body had vanished, leaving only the bloodstains as evidence. The circumstantial evidence pointed to Lennox Poiters, but there was no way to prove it conclusively. As Adele suggested, there would likely be another assassination attempt. Therefore, preparing thoroughly for what had already occurred seemed wiser than pondering over it. Due to their combative nature, the nobles of Echmont faced assassination threats frequently, with assassin guilds present in every territory. Lionel himself had encountered numerous assassination attempts, and his older brother, Duke Baldr, was no exception. He even carried a poison tester with him at all times.
“I should ask if you have a poison tester.”
The train of thought, starting with the assassin and leading to the queen, veered unexpectedly in an unwanted direction. Lionel sighed, realizing that, considering the events that unfolded, they needed to be well-prepared for future attempts. The thought of Adele transitioning from an assassin to a queen took an unwarranted turn. The vulnerable, lying figure with a silvery-white face had now transformed into something entirely different. When he saw her face, Lionel, even in his half-dream state, wished it was just a dream. If it were a dream, he could have properly looked at her face and leaned in to reach her. As the surprise of the enlarged golden eyes returned, Lionel finally groaned, biting back the curses he had been holding.
“Good grief…”
It felt like being swept away by turbulent currents, tossed about like the twists and turns of a winding gorge. When had he stumbled? Lionel tried to find answers, repeatedly seeking them, but it all seemed futile. He roughly scratched his face. That night, he couldn’t sleep and ended up getting up to patrol around the queen’s barracks.
