novelraw Chapter 146 : Chapter 146
Chapter 146 : Chapter 146
Chapter 146: The Specter of Reverk (2)
Thanks to his status as a war hero and duke, Evan faced no particular restrictions entering the royal palace.
As a result, no one suspected him as he freely moved about.
However, this freedom was limited to public areas.
The inner palace, where the royal family resided, was a strictly protected space, inaccessible to anyone without permission.
Merely approaching it could result in a spear at one’s throat, as entry was heavily prohibited.
Thus, Mei devised a meticulous plan with Evan to infiltrate the inner palace where Princess Anna resided.
“First, if we secure the key held only by the head maid, we can open a passage from the palace kitchen directly to the inner palace corridor.”
“Hold on. I heard you could go through the underground sewer to an old well connected to the inner garden?”
Mei looked at Evan with a surprised expression.
“Oh? How did you know that? But unfortunately, you only know half the story. That passage was sealed long ago. They deemed it a potential entry point for intruders.”
Rather than relying on magical measures to prevent intruders, it was deemed safer to block the passage entirely.
“Instead, they undertook a massive project to dig a new waterway. From the palace’s perspective, it was better to choose a safer, if more cumbersome, route than leave any chance for intrusion.”
“Then we’ll have to use the corridor after all. But even if we take a detour, we can’t avoid contact with the guards.”
Given Evan and Mei’s skills, dealing with guards was no issue.
The real problem was ensuring that no one discovered the princess had left and returned in secret.
“Simply knocking out the guards would leave traces. If only we had a teleportation spell…”
“The palace is layered with protective magic, making teleportation impossible. But don’t worry. I already have a good idea.”
“A good idea? What do you mean?”
“All we need is to ensure no trace of the princess leaving remains, right?”
Evan pondered for a moment, then looked at her in shock as a possibility dawned on him.
“You’re not saying you’ll disguise yourself as the princess, are you?”
“Exactly.”
Evan gave Mei an incredulous look, scanning her up and down.
“That’s insane, but it would certainly reduce the chance of the princess’s absence being noticed. However…”
He trailed off.
“Compared to the princess, you’re a bit…”
“Hold on, are you insulting my appearance? Even if the princess is a peerless beauty, I’ve never been called unattractive, you know!”
“I know that. But you know who we’re dealing with.”
The princess was renowned as one of the kingdom’s most stunning beauties.
No matter how skilled the disguise, replicating her appearance and grace was no easy feat.
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll make sure to conceal my face well.”
With the plan finalized, the two set out to secretly extract the princess.
***
Late at night, Mei, disguised as a maid, led Evan quietly toward the palace kitchen.
“This way. With the key I took from the head maid, we can open this door to the exclusive passage used for delivering royal meals.”
“You’re sure there are no guards in the passage?”
“Of course. But be cautious when we exit into the corridor at the end. Guards patrol at regular intervals.”
“Got it. I’ll be careful.”
Mei opened the passage door with utmost caution.
―Click.
A long, dark passage appeared beyond the carefully opened door.
“No talking from here on. All communication will be by hand signals.”
Evan nodded silently, and Mei took the lead, moving lightly through the passage.
Upon reaching the end, Mei took a deep breath and slowly opened the door.
―Creak.
Carefully checking the corridor, Mei stepped out fully and scanned the surroundings.
Signaling to Evan that all was clear, she beckoned him forward.
‘This is definitely tense.’
A single encounter with a guard would ruin their plan.
Thus, Evan followed Mei’s guidance with utmost care as they navigated the corridor.
―Step, step.
But as they approached the corridor leading to the princess’s bedroom, a guard’s shadow suddenly appeared at the far end.
‘…!’
Startled, Evan and Mei, without time to signal, quickly hid behind the large statues lining the corridor.
The guard, sensing something, paused and slowly approached their hiding spot.
“Hm?”
The guard quickly scanned behind the statue.
There was nothing.
“…My imagination? I must be seeing things from lack of sleep.”
Evan and Mei had narrowly evaded detection by circling the statue in sync with the guard’s movements.
Having barely escaped discovery, they continued down the corridor with even greater caution, finally arriving at the door to the princess’s bedroom.
“Alright, let’s go in.”
Mei whispered, urging Evan forward.
“Me first? Even so, a man entering the kingdom’s princess’s bedroom first feels…”
Mei shook her head firmly.
“I’m a stranger to her; you’re not. Do I need to explain which of us should go in first?”
Convinced by Mei’s logic, Evan nodded and carefully grasped the doorknob.
Meanwhile, Mei stepped back slightly from the entrance, quietly keeping watch.
―Click.
Evan cautiously turned the knob and opened the door.
In the moonlight-lit room, Princess Anna sat at her desk, quietly reading a book.
Thankfully, she wasn’t in her nightgown, but a man entering the princess’s bedroom was still an egregious breach of etiquette.
“Who are you? How dare you—”
Startled by the sudden appearance of a strange man, Anna instinctively prepared to scream.
But before she could, Evan stepped into the moonlight, revealing his face, and knelt swiftly.
“It’s me, Your Highness! Please forgive my rudeness for visiting so abruptly. I’ve committed a grave offense.”
“…?”
As Anna, shocked, swallowed her scream, Evan began explaining the situation as quickly as possible.
“I need Your Highness’s help. Right now, you’re the only one who can assist me.”
“Me? What’s so urgent that you’d risk coming here in the middle of the night?”
“I know Your Highness possesses exceptional skills rivaling a high-ranking mage. Would you accompany me tonight to undo the brainwashing on someone?”
Evan wasn’t one to take such reckless measures under normal circumstances, so his earnest plea and the air of a deeper story piqued Anna’s curiosity.
“Undo brainwashing? For a request like that, you could’ve formally asked a palace advisor instead of coming to me.”
Evan nodded, quickly adding context.
“That’s true, but there are special circumstances preventing that.”
He briefly explained the events leading up to this moment:
the kingdom’s blueprints leaking to the Kandahr Tribe, and capturing the Imperial responsible.
Of course, he deliberately omitted that the man was “Rotman Reverk” or his personal connection to him.
“…There’s something I must personally confirm before any formal interrogation in the palace.”
Anna closed her book and looked at Evan seriously.
“Alright. If this person contributed to starting the war, we can’t let them go. And brainwashing? That’s definitely not something to ignore.”
After a moment’s thought, she stood, resolute.
“Fine. I’ll go see for myself. I’m curious why they orchestrated this scheme.”
Evan inwardly sighed in relief.
The biggest hurdle had been cleared.
But Anna soon asked, puzzled.
“But how do we get out? Even if you got in fine…”
Evan glanced toward the door and said, “That part will be handled by another friend.”
“Another friend?”
As Anna turned curiously, Mei, who had been hiding outside, slowly revealed herself.
Now dressed in her assassin attire, she was fully prepared.
“Greetings, Your Highness. I’m Mei Redran.”
Receiving Mei’s greeting, Anna scrutinized her, narrowing her eyes.
“Have we… met before?”
Mei smiled playfully.
“Who knows? I’m just an ordinary kingdom citizen, so Your Highness might’ve seen me somewhere.”
“Perhaps…”
Given Mei’s past as a disguised maid, Anna’s memory might not be wrong.
But Mei brushed it off, maintaining her nonchalance.
“I have a common face, after all.”
“Alright. That’s not important now. What’s your role, Mei?”
“I’ll stay here, disguised as Your Highness, while you slip out unnoticed.”
Anna’s eyes sparkled with intrigue.
“Disguising as me? Wow, you’ve planned this thoroughly. No trace of my absence will remain.”
“Exactly.”
Initially stunned, Anna grew visibly excited about joining the plan, her expression brightening.
“So, what do we do first?”
Mei approached with a gentle smile.
“First, let’s switch clothes.”
“Great! Sneaking out of the palace like this is a first—it’s kind of thrilling!”
With the princess eagerly cooperating, Evan stared blankly at the two women.
Then, both turned to him simultaneously.
“Duke? Are you just going to stare at me and the princess?”
“Ah!”
Snapping out of it, Evan quickly turned away, blushing, and faced the wall.
Mei teased him playfully.
“Look back, and a dagger’s coming your way.”
“Heehee.”
Hearing Anna’s amused giggle, Evan remained frozen.
―Rustle, rustle.
Once the sound of changing clothes subsided, a light tap on his shoulder followed.
“How’s it look? Does it stand out too much?”
Turning, Evan saw Anna in Mei’s black assassin outfit.
Even in different clothes, her radiant beauty was impossible to conceal.
“It does stand out a bit, but since we’re sneaking out, it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Ugh, I’m nervous.”
Now it was Evan’s turn to lead Anna out of the palace.
Mei, now in the princess’s clothes, handed him the key and whispered.
“You remember the way back, right?”
“Of course.”
“I’ll be relaxing here, so take good care of the princess. You must return before dawn.”
“Understood.”
With preparations complete, Evan turned to Anna and said softly, “Let’s go, Your Highness. Stay close behind me.”
After checking the corridor, they carefully stepped out.
―Thud.
As soon as they left, Mei flopped onto the plush bed.
‘Time to take it easy~’
Believing she had little left to do, she relaxed.
But plans, as always, never go quite as expected.