Chapter 23

Prince Klein sighed, shook his head, and looked at Latil with his bright blue eyes. They were truly clear and beautiful, like the sky on a clear day. Latil suddenly thought, "The sky is so vast and deep that you can't see its end." Klein's eyes seemed to hold such a sky. Maybe that's why he couldn't understand the deep and broad mind of this prince.

“Klein.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I think you are truly mysterious.”

“Your Majesty...”

“Someday, I want to peek into your mind. Truly.”

“Your words are quite bold. You’re so direct.”

“Me?”

‘What about me?’

He had never given a compliment, yet Klein interpreted it as one and smiled with a twinkle in his eye. Latil stared at him for a moment, then patted his broad shoulders and left the harem. Although he understood 90% of what was said, he could tell that Klein was feeling hurt for some reason. After returning to his room, Latil instructed the head steward to send gifts to both Karain and Klein.

“Prince Klein as well?”

“He seemed quite hurt.”

“Other concubines would feel the same, wouldn’t they?”

“Klein is not only from a foreign country but also the highest-ranking concubine.”

There was a possibility that he was a spy sent by Hyacinth, but in any case, his official status was high. Moreover, his personality was arrogant and his pride strong. Even if they couldn’t spend the night together, it would be better to maintain his dignity.

“Oh, Duke Sablé. One more thing.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“About... Karain.”

“Yes.”

“Investigate his past.”

“Is there something suspicious?”

“No, not really.”

It just seemed that he had a lot of experience with women. Besides, it was odd that he kept saying he had known Klein since childhood. Latil hesitated about whether to speak but decided to just ask for an investigation without giving specific reasons, as it felt awkward to explain in detail.

“I will conduct a thorough investigation.”

However, the head steward interpreted Latil’s vague request in his own way, smiled cutely, and left the room.

‘Oh... he seems to have some strange thoughts.’

Latil raised his hand in surprise at the steward’s smile but decided it would be more awkward to grab him and deny it, so he put his hand down.

‘Whatever. If he misunderstands, so what?’

Latil scratched his head and went into the bathroom. As he was playing with the bubbles in the bathtub, making a snowman, a voice urgently called out to him from outside.

“Come in.”

After giving the order and sitting up, the door opened, and a maid knelt down.

“What is it?”

Latil asked, and the maid reported with a flustered face.

“Your Majesty, you should go to the ‘Lion’s Palace’ immediately.”

The ‘Lion’s Palace’ was more like a small house, a house for the dead. And below the house, in the basement, were the remains of the former emperors and empresses.

“What happened?”

Latil stood up from the bathtub and asked. Whatever it was, if he had to go there at this hour, it must be bad news. The maid’s expression confirmed it.

“Someone has left strange graffiti on the house of the late emperor using black dye!”

“Graffiti?”

Indeed. It was a huge matter. The maids who were attending to Latil’s bath let out small screams. Latil grabbed a towel, barely dried himself, and hurried out without even putting on a bathrobe.

‘Graffiti on the tomb of the late emperor?’

It was unthinkable. Latil quickly dressed and ran out, reaching the ‘Lion’s Palace’ in a single stride. As he approached, he stopped short and took a deep breath. The ‘Lion’s Palace’ looked like a small, beautiful, and peaceful one-story house. However, the front of the house was covered with ugly black paint. From a distance, it looked like a ‘V’ with a ‘_’ underneath it.

“How dare they...!”

Latil clenched his teeth in anger.

“Who is in charge here?”

As soon as Latil asked, two soldiers from the 1st Guard Unit, responsible for this area, quickly approached. They looked fearful of being punished.

“When did this happen?”

Latil considered whether to punish them. If there was any responsibility, he would punish them severely.

“It happened during the shift change.”

“The shift change was at 6 AM.”

“Was anyone there during the shift change?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. There was a 7-minute gap.”

“Who was on duty before?”

In response to Latil’s question, another soldier stepped forward from behind the two.

“It was me, Your Majesty.”

“Was this graffiti there when you were on duty?”

“No.”

“Any signs of suspicious activity?”

“No.”

“No, and yet it was done in 7 minutes? Even if they brought a container of paint, it would have been noticeable! Were there no suspicious people, or did you just not notice them?”

As Latil’s voice suddenly rose, the soldiers lowered their eyes. Latil almost called them useless but managed to hold back. Instead of scolding them further, he took a deep breath and gestured for them to return to their positions. The soldiers, though uneasy, returned to their formation.

“Captain of the Knights.”

As they returned, Latil called for Seun. Seun stepped forward with a serious expression, sensing the change in Latil’s tone.

“Yes.”

“Determine the responsibility of those involved.”

Latil didn’t use honorifics with Seun, signaling that he wanted a proper investigation without personal bias.

“Yes.”

At that moment, the soldier who had first discovered the scene raised his hand cautiously.

“Your Majesty, it’s not just the graffiti. There was also this envelope nearby.”

Latil turned his head sharply, and the soldier, startled, stepped back. Realizing his mistake, he quickly stepped forward and presented the letter with both hands. Latil took the letter and quickly examined it. There was no sender or recipient listed.

‘Did the culprit leave this behind?’

Deciding to take it, Latil ordered:

“Captain of the Guards!”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Follow me.”

* * *

As soon as Latil entered his office, he sat down and immediately gave orders.

“We must find out who did this. This is a desecration of the royal family. It’s disrespectful to the late emperor, who passed away under unfortunate circumstances. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The Captain of the Guards, caught off guard, bowed at the door and answered.

“How dare they...”

Still agitated, Latil clenched his fists and fumed. His father hadn’t passed away under good circumstances, and the thought of him being insulted even in death made his anger surge. However, Latil quickly regained his composure. Now was not the time for anger; he needed to find the culprit. He signaled for the Captain of the Guards, who was still standing at the door, to come closer. As the Captain approached, Latil asked:

“Captain of the Guards, what do you think?”

“Yes?”

“Does this seem related to the assassins who killed the late emperor?”

“Actually, Your Majesty, I have something to say.”

“Go on.”

“The symbol drawn in black dye looks like a symbol used by an assassin group. I’m not certain, but...”

Latil was surprised and asked:

“An assassin group? Which one?”

The Captain of the Guards looked uncomfortable.

“I don’t know exactly. It just looks similar to a pattern I saw once. I need to investigate further...”

“It’s a symbol used by the Black Forest.”

It was Seun who interjected. Latil, surprised, looked at Seun and asked:

“Do you know, Captain Seun?”

“Yes.”

Seun answered calmly.

“They are a famous assassin group.”

“Famous? I’ve never heard of them.”

“Assassins are famous, but only among themselves. It’s natural that you wouldn’t know.”

‘How do you know, then?’ Latil was momentarily puzzled but quickly dismissed the thought. It didn’t matter how Seun knew; what mattered now was the information. Seun continued:

“Not only are they skilled, but they always leave this unique symbol after completing a job, which has made them even more famous.”

“So, if this group left a symbol on the late emperor’s tomb, it’s likely they were the ones who assassinated him.”

“Yes, that’s probably the case. However, what’s strange is...”

“Why did they leave the symbol so long after the assassination? Right?”

“Yes.”

“So, it could be the Black Forest, or it could be someone else. The symbol isn’t a complex design, so anyone could have drawn it. They could have left it to frame the Black Forest.”

“Yes, that’s my thought as well.”

“...”

Latil crossed his arms and thought for a moment before asking Seun again:

“Captain Seun, has this happened before?”

“What do you mean?”

“Has anyone else used the Black Forest’s symbol before?”

“Yes, it has happened a few times.”

“Did the Black Forest just let it go? Leaving their symbol is like boasting about their crimes. They have strong pride and wouldn’t like being impersonated.”

“You’re right. In such cases, they find the impersonator, kill them, and leave the symbol upside down on the body as a warning.”

Latil snapped his fingers.

“Then, Captain of the Guards, use this to catch them.”

The Captain of the Guards, who had been listening to the conversation between Seun and the emperor, was surprised when Latil called him and asked, “Yes?”

Latil’s face showed that he didn’t understand.

“Secretly track them, but publicly announce this incident.”

The Captain of the Guards still looked confused.

“Publicly?”

He blinked and looked at Latil. This was a scandal, and usually, such matters were kept secret. Latil’s order to announce it publicly while secretly tracking the culprits was unusual. Seun also looked surprised. Latil chuckled.

“Why can’t you understand? If it wasn’t the Black Forest, a body with the symbol upside down will appear somewhere. They would want to show that it wasn’t their doing. Ultimately, we can make them catch the culprit themselves.”

“Oh! I see!”

“Still, to be safe, increase the number of guards in the palace.”

After the Captain of the Guards left in admiration, Latil’s smile faded, and a serious expression took over. He clenched and unclenched his fists, staring at the desk.

“If the late emperor was killed by professional assassins... then there must be someone who hired them. That’s the real problem. Captain Seun, do you have any idea who it might be?”

“Currently, I have no idea.”

“Assassins are good at withstanding torture. If it was really the Black Forest... it might be difficult. They wouldn’t reveal their client’s name.”

“That’s true.”

“The palace might become noisy in the future.”

Latil massaged his aching temples and suddenly remembered the letter the soldier had given him. He took it out.

‘The ‘Lion’s Palace’ is far from the center of the palace. It’s a remote place, but it’s still within the palace walls. For someone to go there and do this in 7 minutes...’

How long does it take to draw that symbol? It’s not small, so it couldn’t have been done in one go. No, more importantly, time. Did the culprit know there was a 7-minute gap? Then, an insider?

‘Is there a chance that one of the guards on duty is the culprit?’

While thinking, he skillfully peeled off the wax seal on the envelope with a knife. Once the envelope was fully opened, he absentmindedly took out the letter and unfolded it. However, his expression immediately darkened upon seeing the contents.

“What kind of crazy...?”

Latil let out a hollow laugh. If this letter was found at the scene of the desecration of the late emperor’s tomb, it would be bad news. He had expected something negative when he opened the envelope, but the content was even more absurd. - You killed your father.