The Saintess and the Villainess

Chapter 54

Anne, Corvina, and Ulrich stood in front of a back entrance to the Cathedral.

"You and your retinue will need to leave for Longren first thing in the morning," said Corvina. "Now that the announcement's been made it would be better not to linger in the city too long. I'll arrange things so that I can follow a few days later. We'll need to arrange a way to get Sebastian to Longren without raising suspicion as well. I've got a few ideas for that, so you don't need to worry."

"Okay..." said Anne. "Will you come see us off when we go?"

"I don't know, it could be a bit risky," said Corvina. "Both of us leaving the city around the same time could already seem suspicious. It might be better if we avoid even the chance of being seen together for now."

Anne sighed. "Fine, I get it." Anne turned her face away.

"Hey," Corvina reached up to gently turn Anne's face back towards her. "If it's that important to you, of course I'll come see you off. I can make it work."

Anne nodded. "Okay, thanks. See you tomorrow then."

When Anne had gone inside, Corvina sighed and rubbed her temples. She was getting a tension headache again.

Everything today had gone exactly as planned. The plan was right on track. Just a short time ago, Corvina had thought there was no way she could ever go against her father or her fiance and survive, and here she was running circles around both of them. She should be proud, she was proud, but...

What was with this strange tension between her and Anne? Why did things feel so off?

Corvina just couldn't understand it.

"You must be tired," said Ulrich, putting a hand on his niece's shoulder. "We should get you home."

Corvina shook her head. "No, you go ahead. I have something to do first."

There was a knock on the door of the Emperor's office.

"Come in," he said, not looking up from his paperwork.

Duke Marshal came through the door. "Sire," he said, with a stiff bow.

"Ah, Robert, I was just about to send for you," said the Emperor. "I'd like to discuss guard rotations over the next few days. This will be a pivotal time to observe the public's reaction and I want to make sure guards are placed strategically throughout the city for that purpose."

"Of course, your majesty," said Marshal. "I only wish you had informed me of your plans ahead of time."

Truthfully, Marshal was absolutely furious to have been left out of the loop. Was he not one of the Emperor's closest confidants and advisers? What was the point of all the work he'd done over the years to secure his own position if the Emperor was going to make these sorts of decisions without even informing him?

The Emperor scoffed. "Why should I have told you anything? What role do you think you needed to play in all this?"

"Well, I could have helped plan the guard rotation ahead of time," said Marshal.

"Huh?" said the Emperor. "What the hell are you talking about? Why would that matter? Just help me with this now, will you?"

Marshal thought about how easy it would be to kill the Emperor right now.

Of course, Emperor Richard Wyernwolf was a famous and highly skilled swordsman. Marshal had no lack of sword skills himself, but he wasn't certain that he'd be able to defeat the Emperor in a straightforward duel.