Silbermond und Honigwein

60. Dangerous Theories

Seonghwa tapped his fingers atop the round table of his strategist's office. Usually, he only came here for war councils and significant political conflicts, but this might be one of those cases. Leaning over the map, they tried to trace the path the Demon King must have taken the moment he departed from the festivities. If he had been the one to command the assassin, the foe was already present during the celebrations.

And all of Seonghwa's advisors were positive the assassin came on the king's commission. The motive was apparent. Now they only needed a confession to pin it on him.

Seonghwa gnawed on his lip.

He wasn't sure if a confession was advantageous in this situation. If Seonghwa accused the Demon King of mongering war, the Demon King would respond in belligerent ways. If Seonghwa swept the matter under the rug, however, more assassins would come and one would succeed.

What if it wasn't them? What if Seonghwa jumped to conclusions based on his inklings and he was the one to start an unwarranted battle?

Brooding over his maps, Seonghwa glanced up when the door opened. His parents entered, accompanied by Yongguk, who immediately searched Seonghwa for injuries. When he found him in one piece, he sighed in relief.

"Seonghwa, are you alright?" His mother hurried to engulf his head in her arms. Swaddled into the security of her chest, Seonghwa patted her arm.

"Not a scratch. Forgive me for disturbing your rest. What wicked timing," he grumbled.

His father perched next to him to glance at the figures they splayed over the map.

"We might have been the reason. I talked to my diplomats, and there is no justification for hostility on either side. Unless he spontaneously decided to punish our dispute about you yesterday, the Demon King has no excuse to dispatch an assassin."

Seonghwa shook his head as he parted from his mother.

"If it had been him, the assassin must have been hired beforehand. Too little time passed for him to return to the Caverns of Nightfall and contact someone. The assassin was no mere mercenary either," he shared their discoveries.

"Perhaps he had a personal motive?" Yongguk suggested. Seonghwa pondered it, but no matter how he rolled his thoughts back and forth, he ended nowhere. Ultimately, he leaned back in his chair with a defeated frown.

"We sent home all the guests. I hope on your trip back, you won't run into an ambush. Take care and I will write to you after I questioned the killer."

Seonghwa's father nodded.

"I can trust your judgment. Tell me if you need support. Otherwise, you take just as much care. I saw your husbands around tightening security, but you best stay on alert." The wise advice came from one who survived countless attempted murders. This was Seonghwa's first upfront and though he was shaken from how close death's greedy fingers skimmed by his face, it was nothing unexpected. The more influential he became, the more people wanted to get rid of him.

The mention of his treasured fellowship brought a smile to Seonghwa's lips. He disguised it with an elegant hand rising before his lips, but his mother's eyes softened when she knew him too well.

With them around, assassins weren't so scary. Though Seonghwa's desire to protect them endangered him, they also gave him the strength to triumph over his fear.

"I will; thank you, father. Seungyoun will see you out." He stood to embrace each of them, and Yongguk lingered in his arms with an uneasy pat on Seonghwa's back.

"Shall I stay to watch over you? The Sun Castle can do awhile without me."

With a mild smile, Seonghwa nudged him towards the door.