The apprentice knights jumped and straightened themselves.
He swept a cold gaze over the boys.
“Are you aware that what you were discussing just now could be considered a crime of insulting the Imperial Family?”
The color instantly drained from their faces.
Carefully committing each face to memory, Edrick added sternly,
“The Roem Knights were established to protect the Imperial Family. If you intend to become part of them, at the very least you should understand that speaking carelessly about the Imperial Family in public places is unacceptable.”
“W-We apologize, Sir Rubon.”
The boys bowed with rigid faces.
After silently staring down at them for some time, Edrick slowly turned and headed toward the knights' quarters.
At that moment, a heavy arm dropped onto his shoulder.
Turning around, Edrick's eyes widened when he saw his senior knight, Sir Theoric Hart.
The man grinned.
“You've become quite strict.”
“At this hour, what brings you to the training grounds?”
Edrick looked up at the clock tower in puzzlement.
It wasn't even noon yet. The senior knights should all be busiest with their duties at the main palace.
Seeing his questioning look, Sir Hart chuckled and ruffled his hair with his large hand.
“I ran all the way here to tell you some good news. Your confinement has finally been lifted. Starting tomorrow, you'll return to serving under my direct command.”
Edrick froze and looked up at him.
It was certainly welcome news, yet complicated emotions flooded him.
Hesitantly, he asked,
“Then... who will be assigned to guard Her Highness the Second Imperial Princess?”
His superior's eyes narrowed slightly.
Removing his arm from Edrick's shoulders, he let out a heavy sigh.
“The Roem Knights have been completely excluded from guarding the Second Imperial Princess. Her Majesty the Empress raised the issue that perhaps we had deliberately neglected Her Highness's protection. She even made it clear that the Second Imperial Prince's protection would no longer be entrusted to the Roem Knights either.”
Edrick's expression hardened.
It was practically no different from trampling the Roem Knights' honor into the dirt.
Since the founding of the Empire, the Roem Knights had stood beside and protected members of the Imperial Family.
Their very identity had been denied.
Edrick lowered his head weakly.
“I'm sorry. Because I failed in my duty, the Order has suffered such humiliation...”
“This isn't your fault. No one could have predicted what happened. So stop blaming yourself.”
Theoric patted his shoulder comfortingly.
But when Edrick's expression still failed to improve, Theoric rubbed the back of his neck as though pondering something, then suddenly led him away from the training grounds.
Wearing a bewildered expression, Edrick followed.
After walking in silence for some time, they finally arrived at a deserted clearing, and Theoric spoke.
“I know you're the responsible type. But this truly wasn't your fault, so stop tormenting yourself over it.”
Edrick knitted his brows.
“I was Her Highness's guard knight. If we're assigning blame, shouldn't the primary responsibility for the failure fall on me? So ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) how can I—!”
“The attack that day happened because of the Empress's scheme.”
Edrick completely froze and stared blankly at his superior.
Looking down at the ground with a dark expression, Theoric continued calmly.
“Didn't you find it strange? A pack of wyverns attacking an army at that time of year... Normally, large monsters like wyverns only attack when their territory is invaded. Our camp was far from their habitat.”
“I thought it was strange too, but... even so, we can't simply conclude that Her Majesty was behind it—”
“There were reports that members of the Second Imperial Princess's entourage displayed suspicious behavior before the attack.”
His voice hardened.
“Moreover, traces of high-level magic were discovered near the site. Most likely, someone deliberately stirred up the wyverns' territory.”
Edrick stood there with his mouth slightly open.
As the implications of those words became clear, cold sweat ran down his back.
“But the Second Imperial Princess herself was part of that pilgrimage. How could anyone do such a thing when their own daughter might be harmed...?”
“That made it much easier to avoid suspicion.”
Speechless, Edrick stared at him with a bloodless face.
In a grim tone, Theoric continued,
“The Empress is frighteningly thorough. We've been conducting a secret investigation since immediately after the incident, but apart from a few circumstantial clues, not a single decisive piece of evidence remains. And the greatest victim in this affair is the Empress's own daughter. In these circumstances, who would dare raise questions?”
Slowly lowering his gaze, Edrick remembered the princess buried beneath a pile of rocks, tears streaming down her face.
He remembered her writhing in agony while he administered emergency treatment.
That woman...
Had been reduced to such a state by her own mother.
His stomach churned.