Chapter 62: Stealing Yeuju's First Love
Tatiana, who had been caught at the scene, was kneeling on the ground with Alison and Lily.
The duke and duchess, who had heard the news late, rushed to the emperor's tent.
"What have you done to my daughter!"
Freya, the head of the mage tower, shouted as if she were about to pounce on Tatiana.
The Duke of Pionia, who was trying to stop her, had a face as red as if it were about to burst.
He, too, looked as if he could collapse at any moment from anger and sorrow.
The duke clenched his lips and glared at Tatiana, whose face had turned pale.
"If anything happens to Karina, I won't let it go, Duchess."
Grinding his teeth, his words showed a determination to wage war on the territory.
Unable to bear it, the emperor intervened.
"Leave this to me and go out for a while."
At Aster's words, the duke nodded lightly and took Freya away.
She glared at Tatiana until the last moment, but Tatiana did not even meet her gaze.
Turning his body, Aster looked down at Tatiana, who was kneeling before him, with a cold expression.
Since ascending the throne, he had never exploded with his power.
He had always played the role of the emperor that the nobles desired.
But this incident made him feel the limits of his patience.
He could not forgive Tatiana for daring to do such a reckless thing in his presence.
Aster silently drew his sword and placed it against Tatiana's neck. The sound of the nobles around him holding their breath could be heard.
"You need to give me an explanation that I can accept, Duchess."
Tatiana trembled at the cold gaze of Aster, who was looking down at her.
His appearance was so cold that it was hard to feel he was human.
But she had not done this without any preparation.
She raised her eyes and spoke boldly.
"I have done nothing wrong. Karina just hugged Raymond and fell into the river."
Her words made it seem as if Karina and Raymond had a special relationship.
No one in this room believed that Raymond and Karina had a good relationship.
Aster thought Tatiana was playing a trick on him.
He turned his gaze to her maid, who was the most friendly to Karina.
Lily swallowed and spoke.
"The princess suddenly stumbled and headed towards the river. She tried to grab my hand but missed. Then, Sir Raymond suddenly appeared and ran to save her. However, he was too late and ended up falling into the river with her."
There were differences in the testimonies of Tatiana and Lily. Tatiana said Karina hugged Raymond and jumped into the river.
But Lily testified that Raymond ran to save Karina.
It was a story that could be interpreted in a completely different way, despite seeming similar.
Aster asked Alison, who was bowing beside her.
He didn't expect much from her, as she was the chief physician of the Gloucester duchy.
But her words exceeded his expectations.
"I saw magic power suddenly appear around the princess."
"Magic power? Are you a mage?"
"I am not a mage, but I have studied magic and can sense its presence."
Aster recalled Raymond's magic.
He didn't know what method he used, but if Raymond had released magic power in the Golden Forest and used it to control Karina's mind, it was entirely possible.
'If that were the case, he wouldn't have jumped in to save her.'
There were many strange points in this incident.
But the magic power at the scene had disappeared instantly, leaving nothing to investigate.
'I need to find her quickly.'
Aster tried to suppress his rising anger in frustration.
He had to remain calm, especially at times like this.
"The Duchess will be detained in this camp until the princess is found. The other two witnesses will also be detained and cannot meet anyone without my order."
Tatiana shouted in protest.
"What did I do wrong to be locked up? It was the Princess of Pionia who went crazy over a man!"
Her outburst made Aster's sword move. The cold edge of the blade against her white neck made Tatiana's face stiffen.
"Can you take responsibility for those words, Duchess? You said them in front of the emperor. If it turns out to be false, don't think your head will remain on your shoulders."
Tatiana felt her breath catch in her throat. Wilhelm, who had been watching, stepped between them.
"Put away your sword, Your Majesty."
Wilhelm pushed Aster's blade away with his scabbard.
In response to his provocation, Aster tightened his grip. With a metallic scraping sound, Wilhelm's body was slowly pushed back.
'So this is the emperor's strength.'
Wilhelm had never directly crossed swords with Aster.
Aster had always been in the border regions, not the capital, and by the time he returned, he was already on the throne.
When the emperor was suppressing rebellions to maintain his throne, Wilhelm was attending the academy.
He had underestimated Aster's strength, thinking it was just exaggerated.
'It's more than I thought.'
He felt that it might be similar to or even surpass his own.
At that moment, Aster exerted force and pushed Wilhelm back.
Wilhelm's sword flew away, and a sharp blade was pressed against his neck.
"Wilhelm Hunt. Who is your master? The reckless Duchess, or the Duke of Gloucester, who is not here?"
If he were a vassal of the duke, he should have surrendered his sword immediately.
But Wilhelm clenched his lips and said nothing.
The emperor's killing intent seemed ready to sever his neck at any moment.
"Your Majesty, that's not the urgent matter now."
Daniel, unable to bear it, stepped forward. But he closed his mouth at Aster's gaze.
He couldn't imagine what might happen if he interfered.
A deep, resonant voice suppressed the tension.
Andrew, who had ridden in urgently, leaped off his saddle and rushed into the tent.
He knelt before Aster without hesitation.
"Please forgive my vassal's insolence."
Andrew was a member of the royal family.
Royals had the privilege of not kneeling before the emperor.
It was a courtesy and a matter of pride because they shared the same blood.
Andrew had appeared to defuse the situation, abandoning his pride.
Aster clicked his tongue and retracted his killing intent and sword.
"Since my brother is apologizing to this extent, I will specially overlook this matter this time."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Wilhelm, as if to protest, tried to step forward. This time, Daniel grabbed his arm.
"If you push further, it will not only be difficult for the duke but also for the duchess. That's enough."
Wilhelm bowed his head at Daniel's words.
He realized there was nothing more he could do.
Seeing Wilhelm finally understand his place, Aster spoke.
"This must not happen again. Take the Duchess away."
Tatiana was led away without resistance.
She was too terrified by the sight of Aster to have the strength to resist.
Knights who had gone to search came running to Aster.
"We found traces of her going downstream, but there are too many monsters around to go further."
At the knight's report, Aster sighed deeply. Daniel, who had been listening beside him, asked cautiously.
"Will the princess be safe?"
"I can guarantee her safety 100%."
Before the hunting competition, Aster had given Karina a necklace that was a royal treasure.
It was an artifact made from a very high-purity seasonal stone, which would cast a protective spell the moment it sensed danger.
While a magic stone stores magic power, a seasonal stone generates it.
The higher the purity, the longer it can produce magic power.
It was originally a permanently usable item, but it was different in the Golden Forest.
'If the amount absorbed by the forest exceeds the amount produced, the protective spell will disappear.'
Within half a day to a day at most.
He needed to find Karina before then.
"Divide into five groups with one senior knight in each. Continue the search. If you are attacked by monsters, immediately fire a signal flare."
After organizing the search party and sending them off, he explained the plan to the duke and duchess.
By the time he finished discussing with the Duke of Pionia, it was almost dawn.
He had personally captured monsters to minimize damage, but there were limits.
At that moment, Andrew appeared in his tent.