What the hell is he saying right now?

“You handed the throne to Abihel?”

“He left a will before he passed. And there’s documentation as well... they say it even has the Emperor’s seal stamped on it. There are witnesses, too...”

“Ha!” 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Edsen let out a hollow laugh.

The Emperor was dead, and the throne had passed to the second prince.

Only one thought came to him.

“That woman.”

Consort Jabiela. There was no doubt this had been done by her hand.

Otherwise, how could something like this happen so perfectly, all at once?

“Who knows about this?”

“Prince Abihel’s side kept it tightly controlled—so not many. It seems they plan to reveal the will at the same time they announce His Majesty’s passing.”

“And the ministers?”

“People on Prince Abihel’s side are gathering at the Imperial Palace.”

“They really do look like people who knew the moment the Emperor would die.”

“I’m sorry. I should have watched more carefully.”

“They moved with intent. It’s a stretch to call it your fault. For now, get the word to our people, whatever it takes.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Edsen organized the situation quickly. What was done was done—containment came first.

He left the room to head for the Emperor’s residence.

“...What is this now?”

But he had to stop at once.

Soldiers holding swords and spears had formed a line outside his door.

“I apologize.”

A knight of the royal guard approached and bowed politely.

“As of this moment, Your Highness cannot take a single step out of this place.”

Edsen’s lips curled, sharp and bitter.

“Whose order is it?”

“Consort Jabiela’s order.”

So there really were royal guard knights who followed the consort—and this bastard was one of them.

He was sure of it as he watched the knight speak with perfect courtesy while wearing a smirk he didn’t bother to hide.

“With my father dead, the highest authority should belong to me, the Crown Prince.”

“I regret to say that Your Highness is currently under suspicion for assassinating His Majesty the Emperor. You may not leave.”

“What?”

I assassinated my father?

Edsen raked a hand through his hair roughly. His mouth twisted again.

And then—

SLICE!

Blood sprayed in an instant.

The soldiers standing nearby went pale with horror as the knight—who had been speaking so softly just a moment ago—collapsed.

Swords and spears snapped up, all aimed at Crown Prince Edsen.

“Ah. Sorry. I’m a little short on time to keep talking any further.”

He offered a belated apology to someone already dead, then slowly turned his gaze to the soldiers.

At that gaze, they flinched and took a step back.

“Anyone else want to talk to me?”

His smile deepened.

*****

“How bad is it?”

[It’s a shitshow.]

“And His Highness the Crown Prince?”

[I couldn’t find him.]

“What?”

After hearing the news of the Emperor’s death, Camilla headed quietly for the Imperial Palace. The palace had already been sealed, and outsiders were being blocked with absolute strictness.

But she hadn’t planned to enter in the first place, so that didn’t matter.

She’d come here to confirm one thing.

Camilla hid nearby and had Zeno check what was happening inside the palace. More than anything, she asked him to find Crown Prince Edsen and confirm his condition.

“The Emperor is dead...”

The moment she heard it, only one thought came to her.

“He moved again?”

Did he switch bodies?

If so, the most likely target was Crown Prince Edsen. He was the clearest next-in-line for the throne.

He’d taken bodies like that before—so she’d assumed he would again, but...

[From what people are saying, he ran.]

“He ran?”

[They say he assassinated the Emperor.]

“...What?”

Camilla’s brow furrowed slightly.

What kind of situation is this?

He wouldn’t slap that kind of accusation onto the body he intended to take.

So he didn’t go into Crown Prince Edsen...?

Then who?

“Don’t tell me...”

“What? What’s it saying?”

“What, a ghost already showed up?”

Camilla hadn’t come alone. Arsian and Jainer were with her.

The moment she «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» headed out after hearing the Emperor’s death, the two of them followed immediately. Camilla didn’t refuse their company.

“Is it really here?”

On the way here, Jainer had learned one of Camilla’s secrets, and he stared at her with freshly delighted eyes.

At first, he couldn’t help finding it strange—watching her talk to empty air.

Even after he realized she was speaking with the dead, he still couldn’t believe it easily. Is she messing with me? he’d thought, but...

“You can see them too, huh?”

“Mind your own business.”

Not as clearly as Camilla, and not with proper conversation—but wasn’t Arsian Sephra someone who could see the dead as well?

Is it the power of a house that holds a Guardian of death?

Even as the owner of Khan, it was something he’d never known. That was how little was known about House Sephra.

“We need to check Prince Abihel too.”

“The second prince?”

“Yeah.”

If it wasn’t Crown Prince Edsen, there was only one answer left.

“My lady.”

At that moment, Butler Rube—no, the leader of BLACK SHADOW, Rube—appeared quickly.

No one there was surprised by his sudden appearance. Arsian and Jainer had already realized who he was.

“The three dukes have arrived as well.”

They must have rushed over the moment they heard the Emperor was dead.

“Where are they now?”

“At the main gate.”

“What?”

In this situation, were they really planning to walk in through the main gate like they owned the place?

When Camilla looked at him in shock, Rube’s expression turned puzzled instead—as if she’d asked something obvious.

“There is nowhere in the Fable Empire the three dukes cannot go. Even if it is the Imperial Palace. That is what the Guardian Houses are.”

In other words, even if Consort Jabiela sealed the palace, it wouldn’t matter to the three dukes.

Of course, there had to be a legitimate reason.

“The gate will open soon. What will you do, my lady? The head of the house wishes for Lady Camilla to return home.”

All three dukes, having heard the Emperor’s true nature from Camilla, would already have a guess.

What the Emperor’s death meant.

That he had already latched onto someone else’s body.

The Duke of Sorpel probably didn’t want Camilla facing someone that dangerous anymore.

“I’m going too.”

But she couldn’t just turn back like this.

If he didn’t crawl into Crown Prince Edsen...

Then he definitely stole someone else’s body—and she needed to see with her own eyes who it was, and tell them.

“Let’s go.”

Camilla headed straight for the gate.

By the time she arrived, it was already wide open.

“Camilla.”

“Why are you coming here? I told you to go home!”

The three dukes must have gone straight inside, because only Ludville and Ravi were there.

Camilla flinched at their intense reactions and looked away, playing dumb—until they started trying to persuade her.

“It would be better if you went home.”

“No. There’s something I need to confirm myself.”

“What is it? We’ll confirm it for you, so you go.”

“You can’t do it, Brother. Did Father already go in?”

“You—!”

Camilla bolted, and Arsian followed after her. As if to tell them not to worry, he flicked his chin at them once.

They all let out short sighs as they watched her go, but they didn’t stop her anymore. Who could break that stubbornness?

“Haa... I’m worried.”

Ravi shook his head lightly. Why was she so fearless? She hadn’t been like that before.

What if she got hurt?

“Just go home already.”

“I think you should go home too.”

“...Huh?”

Ravi, who’d been clicking his tongue nonstop while watching Camilla, turned to Ludville. Was he telling him to go back because he’d be useless?

“I can help too—!”

“If it looks dangerous, run immediately.”

“...What?”

At Ludville’s words, Ravi’s mouth fell shut.

So... he was telling him to leave because he was worried about him...

THUD.

“Don’t get hurt.”

After giving Ravi’s shoulder a light tap, Ludville walked ahead. Ravi stood there blankly for a moment, staring after him.

“...What is wrong with him lately, seriously?”

Only after a long beat did Ravi grumble and move as well.

Despite the complaining tone, there was a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.

Like he didn’t even realize it himself.

*****

“Welcome.”

As if she’d expected them, Consort Jabiela greeted the three dukes with an almost warm smile.

A great many people were already positioned around her—nobles who had followed the second prince for a long time.

“His Majesty is—”

“He was poisoned, and we couldn’t even preserve his body properly.”

Consort Jabiela lowered her head, eyes shimmering with tears. She looked pitiable, heartbreaking—anyone would see her that way.

“He drank tea Edsen sent him, and it happened. Poison was found in that tea.”

The Duke of Sorpel swallowed back a sound that nearly escaped him.

Just like Camilla said.

Camilla had already told him that when a soul was forced out of a stolen body, the flesh rotted away.

So of course they couldn’t even show the corpse.

“Where is His Highness Prince Abihel?”

“We don’t know where Edsen is right now. He ran.”

“...You said he ran?”

“He must have been afraid himself. Isn’t the fact that he ran practically a confession of guilt?”

Inside, the three dukes clicked their tongues again and again.

The Edsen they knew wasn’t that stupid.

If he’d truly intended to assassinate the Emperor, he would’ve planned it far more carefully. He wasn’t the sort of sloppy man who’d simply poison tea he sent himself.

More importantly, this situation...

So he didn’t take the Crown Prince’s body.

Then it’s Prince Abihel.

The Emperor’s death wasn’t the real issue.

What the three dukes cared about was whose body the soul that had been inside the Emperor had entered next.

Just like Camilla, they were certain that soul wouldn’t have gone into Crown Prince Edsen.

“Mother.”

At that moment, Prince Abihel appeared.

All three dukes’ eyes sharpened at once. The Duke of Sephra, in particular, examined him closely.

And he could see it.

A black spirit-form circling at Prince Abihel’s side.