Return of the Female Knight

Elena looked down at the documents Carlisle presented to her. To her surprise, it was all detailed information about powerful substances.

[Ingredients for the creation of drugs

Payan flower—has the appearance of a beautiful yellow flower. When burned, its smoke causes hallucinations.

2. Senly stem—blue flower that maximizes the effects of the Payan flower.

3. Terico—inhaling it causes one’s senses to become dull, and can cause paralysis when combined with certain other ingredients…]

Elena’s eyes scanned over the documents, then she looked up at Carlisle in confusion. Among them, the Payan flower was what she scented when she went to Redfield’s party.

“This is…”

“Yes. Do you remember the powder you took from Redfield’s party? Those were the exact ingredients. Give or take a few others.”

Elena’s hands holding the papers began to tremble. If a connection could be drawn between Redfield and this information, it would strike a severe blow to Empress Ophelia. That meant that Carlisle would be one step closer to the throne.

Elena had guessed that the powder would prove its use someday, but she never expected it to be so soon. Even for an experienced scholar, it would be difficult to extrapolate the exact ingredients of the powder in such a short amount of time. She looked up at Carlisle with an awed expression.

“Now with this…we can finally take advantage of the Second Prince’s weak point.”

“Yes. That was why earlier tonight, I raided Redfield’s party. He is now being held captive in the Crown Prince’s palace.”

“Wh-what?”

Elena’s red eyes widened, and she turned her gaze towards the open window where the torches could be seen.

“So those people…”

Carlisle gave a casual nod.

“I’m sure your prediction is right. The Empress will send those soldiers to retrieve Redfield from my custody.”

“…!”

She couldn’t believe that all this had happened while she had been asleep.

“Caril, aren’t you being too reckless.”

Carlisle didn’t reply, instead simply handing her another document. She flipped through the papers he had given her. There was detailed information on how the Empress tried to destroy Flower Bridge. Elena’s eyes widened again, and Carlisle smiled as he replied.

“This is a rare opportunity, so one must move swiftly to seize the opportunity.”

“…Caril.”

She looked at Carlisle in pure admiration. Her shock that this all happened without her knowing wore off, and she couldn’t help but respect not only her husband’s brilliance, but his daring and drive as well. Actions that appeared impulsive at first were carried out only after thorough calculation.

“How did you prepare all of this? I mean…I can’t think of anything else to say except that this is incredible.”

“It’s all because of you. You were the one that obtained Redfield’s drugs, and you were the one that prevented Flower Bridge from collapsing. Those were all your achievements.”

It was true that Elena was the starting point. She did have an advantage of knowing what events would come in the future, but it was Carlisle’s ability that was able to refine the information and use it as a springboard for attack.

“Tell me. This is not the end you prepared, is it?”

Carlisle answered with a meaningful smile.

“Your eyes can’t be fooled. You’re right—it’s impossible to destroy the Empress with only that. So I tried to make it a little more dramatic.”

“If it’s dramatic…”

“I’m going to use the National Founding Day. It will be very soon.”

Elena gave a soft sound of exclamation. The National Founding Day, when all the nobles would gather, was the perfect place to reveal Empress Ophelia’s scheming and atrocities. Ophelia would somehow try to pin the blame on someone else again, and Carlisle had to move swiftly so she could not play her hand.

“Firstly, keeping Redfield in the Crown Prince’s palace is simply one piece of the plan. The rest will unfold at the holiday, so please bear this a little longer.”

If they had to wait for the National Founding Day, that meant they had to keep Empress Ophelia at bay in the meanwhile. As time passed, Ophelia was more likely to become more paranoid and aggressive, and at this rate, armed conflict between the Empress’ soldiers and Carlisle’s men would be inevitable. Carlisle likely had a contingency plan, but…it would be better to stop Ophelia’s soldiers without bloodshed if possible.

Elena stayed in silent thought for a moment before speaking.

“If you want to safely contain the Second Prince until the National Founding Day…I think you’ll need my strength.”

“No.”

Carlisle responded immediately, brushing away the issue as if it wasn’t worth discussing.

“Why not?”

“Do you think I’d let you hold a sword again after what happened at the tournament? I can’t allow it this time, no matter how much you want to.”

Carlisle’s brow was furrowed in determination, and Elena’s expression loosened.

“I don’t mean like that…”

Elena did not intend to stop the soldiers with physical force. However, she felt a lump in her throat. She paused before speaking again.

“…Are you worried?”

“Don’t ask questions you know the answer to.”

“That makes me happy for some reason.”

Carlisle stared at her in wonder. Elena gave a disarming smile and spoke in a gentle voice.

“I feel so loved.”