Chapter 133

Nerys awoke with a chilling feeling crawling over her skin.

At first, she couldn’t tell what had woken her so suddenly. But after blinking a few times in the dark, realization hit.

It was too quiet outside.

This was a place hosting an important guest. The guards should have been patrolling constantly, and servants should have been taking shifts all night to make sure nothing was needed.

As Nerys tried to sit up, a voice whispered beside her.

“Stay still.”

It was Dora’s voice. Nerys took a shallow breath and instantly felt the air tense with fear.

“Reach to your right. There’s a dagger there. You should be fine, but if anything happens, protect yourself.”

Nerys reached out and her hand closed on something cold—a dagger. She gripped it tight. Dora held her breath.

A moment later—

The window opened quietly, and shadowy figures flowed in with the darkness.

‘Three.’

Before Nerys could finish counting, the intruders realized she wasn’t alone. Hiss! With a bone-chilling sound, three daggers flew toward them.

Clang!

Dora swung a bronze candlestick to knock the daggers aside. But even as she did, one assassin charged past her toward Nerys—a split second when Nerys thought she might have to surrender a limb or two.

But the assassin crumpled in front of her. Thud. Something hot splattered on Nerys’s clothes, hair, face. Looking at the body sprawled across her, Nerys saw a stiletto dagger buried in the back of his neck.

“Ah, you startled me. Are you unharmed, Adviser?”

It was Talfrin, just entering the room, blood already splattered on his servant disguise from fighting on his way here.

While Dora took down the other two, she glared at her former boss.

“Why are you so late?”

“There were some punks playing games outside. Adviser, Joyce MacKinnon is missing. Something’s wrong.”

“Sir Joyce?”

Three assassins in her room, and trouble outside—the scale of this attack was significant. Nerys’s eyes went cold.

“What about Diane?”

“We’re checking on her now.”

“You should have checked her first.”

“Apologies.”

Talfrin felt a bit wronged. He’d prioritized Joyce, thinking he was the most important MacKinnon, but now manpower had been wasted searching for him.

Still, Nerys had a point. If the MacKinnon family was behind this, Diane was the real target. If not, then there was a different problem.

Just then, Dora frowned.

“I smell something strange.”

Nerys’s heart dropped. Right after an attack, a strange smell could only mean one thing.

Arson.

“Damn it, let’s get out, Adviser. Best to gather everyone in one place.”

Talfrin had reached the same conclusion. Dora quickly found an outer coat and dressed Nerys, then she and Talfrin flanked her for protection.

Outside the room, the hallway was splattered with blood. The clash of weapons could be heard nearby. Talfrin clicked his tongue.

“What the hell is going on?”

“It’s quite the spectacle,” Dora said suspiciously. Since Cledwyn had caught the last Elder, there hadn’t been a full-scale attack on Maindulante’s VIPs.

A strike this big required serious money and power. For even Talfrin to be caught off guard, the attackers had to be a top-class assassination team.

But who stood to gain from such an attack? There were limits to how many assassins you could sneak into another’s territory, and three in Nerys’s room made it clear she was the main target.

But who would benefit from Nerys’s death?

Nerys was thinking along the same lines as Dora, but with one difference—she could guess who was behind it.

There was only one person in the Empire who commanded assassins capable of rattling the Night Sworn.

Camille Bistor.

Her former sister-in-law, the enemy who once had Valentin arrange Nerys’s death.

If Diane had come looking for her, of course news would have reached Camille by now—Elandria’s branch family disappears after graduation and turns up as an adviser in Maindulante.

She must have planted her spies here, waiting for the right day to act.

‘But why?’

At present, Nerys didn’t present much of a threat to Camille. She might dislike seeing the Jeweled Eyes allied with Maindulante, but that didn’t explain such a large-scale attack.

‘Camille doesn’t even know what the violet Jeweled Eyes can do.’

In her previous life, no one understood the violet Jeweled Eyes until Nerys awakened their power. Maybe Nellusion or Camille suspected, but not enough to send this many assassins. If anything, she’d want to win Nerys over.

A servant disguised in Maindulante livery rushed up to Talfrin.

“There’s a fire in the basement! We found Joyce MacKinnon collapsed at the entrance with a flint—he’s been moved outside.”

“Good job. Where’s the captain of the guard?”

“Directing the evacuation.”

“All right. You go too.”

The smell of smoke was getting stronger. Listening to their conversation, Nerys’s eyes snapped open.

“Let’s go to Diane’s room.”

“Pardon? Someone’s already been sent, you should evacuate. In a fire, those who can escape should go first.”

“Joyce was a diversion. How did you even know he was missing at this hour? Did you check his room?”

“A servant said their master was gone and… damn.”

Talfrin realized the truth before he finished. He motioned for Dora to take care of Nerys and dashed toward Diane’s room.

“Get out! You’re not helping by being here!”

“Let’s go, miss. Breathing this smoke is dangerous.”

Dora gently tugged Nerys away. Only then did Nerys realize her hands were shaking uncontrollably.

‘Diane.’

Diane.

Nerys didn’t need Talfrin to tell her she wouldn’t be any help here. Escaping immediately was the best thing she could do for everyone.

But damn it, her own rational mind would not let her rest. Gritting her teeth, she fled the building.

❖ ❖ ❖

It was chaos outside.

Diane looked around a strange room. She remembered being attacked in her own room.

Before she blacked out, something like a wet handkerchief had been pressed to her nose and mouth. Whatever was on it, she couldn’t move. Both the door and window were locked.

She checked and realized she was on the third floor—escaping wouldn’t be easy. The room was pitch dark, and outside, people ran back and forth in a panic. No way anyone would see her from inside.

‘Why? Why lock me up alone?’

Diane shivered. She was pretty sure her party was the only one staying at this hotel, and the guest rooms were all downstairs. No one would hear if she knocked.

Suddenly, someone outside shouted. Fire!

“Ah!”

Diane jumped. What—were they going to burn her alive? Was she really such a bad person?

Thankfully, she didn’t smell smoke yet. Maybe the fire was out, or maybe it hadn’t reached the third floor. If she could just get out, she might live.

She told herself to be brave, fighting back tears—there was no one to see her, anyway.

“It’s fine, it’s fine.”

She reassured herself. Nerys was here. She would make sure nothing terrible happened. Nerys was smart.

Even if Nerys didn’t consider her a friend, she wouldn’t let Diane die. Back in first year, Nerys had bested grown men during winter break.

Once she calmed down, Diane grabbed whatever was handy and started beating on the doorknob. Bang, clang, bang! It took a while with her weak swings, but eventually, the knob twisted and the door opened.

“Yes!”

Diane tossed aside what turned out to be a poker and strode out, only to wilt immediately. The hall was smoky enough to see.

‘A handkerchief!’

She didn’t have one. Normally, she left it with her maid, and the one a servant gave her earlier had been dropped when she fainted. Diane tried covering her nose and mouth with her hand—just then, someone touched her shoulder and she almost fainted.

“Ah!”

She spun around, wide-eyed. A man, dressed as a Maindulante servant, had reached out and now froze mid-motion, startled by her scream.

In the moonlight, she could see his livery. While Diane eyed him, he raised both hands in surrender.

“I surrender, miss. I’m here to get you out—let’s go.”

He held out a handkerchief—damp, as if freshly wrung out.

Even in the dark, Diane recognized it. It was the handkerchief the servant had given her when she was crying earlier.

As Diane stared at the handkerchief, the servant smiled.

“It’s newly issued, don’t worry. Cover your nose and mouth. We need to move, quickly.”

It was all confusing, but if he were an enemy, he’d have already hurt her. So she did as she was told.

“Let’s go.”

It didn’t take long for her to be carried out of the building, through the first floor and into the garden. The once-beautiful grounds were crowded with injured, panicked people.

What about her brother? Riz? Was everyone all right? The servant set her down and vanished before Diane could thank him. She looked around for familiar faces.

“Young lady!”

Her temporary maid rushed over, face streaked with tears.

“H-hic! What is going on, miss! The young master is worried. Let’s go.”

“Did my brother get out?”

“You were the last, miss.”

Thank goodness. Diane followed, or rather, tried to follow.

‘…Huh?’

The shock hit suddenly. She was shoved hard to the side, and her vision turned red.

The world fell silent.

Only after blood spattered her face did she realize what had happened.

Her maid had drawn a silver dagger from her sleeve.

She had swung it at Diane.

But before Diane could react, Nerys had appeared, shoving her aside.

The would-be assassin smiled and turned the blade on Nerys—only to be cut down herself.

Diane’s frozen body was held tight by someone. She tried to wipe the blood from her eyes, but her hands trembled too much. The world was black and silent.

“Ah… aa… ah…”

Diane had never seen someone die before. To see someone she knew try to kill her—and then Nerys nearly stabbed.

Her body, already exhausted from everything that happened, went stiff as wood. She swayed.

Until someone gripped her arms firmly.

A familiar scent. A familiar warmth.

“…It’s all right, Diane.”

With those whispered words, sound returned to the world.

Noise crashed in around her all at once. Someone wiped the blood from her face. Diane opened her eyes to the sound of her name and looked around.

“Di! Are you all right? Can you hear me?”

Her brother Joyce’s tearful face filled her vision. He held her tightly so she wouldn’t fall. MacKinnon people were all around.

But Diane knew—she knew exactly who had first reached out to catch her.

(T/N: One thing we were on a romantic scene and now this. Phew!!)