TGW Chapter 30 Part 1

 

Approaching the Truth

The Emperor’s unicorn, named Rit, was kept in a special stable near the royal palace, separate from the ordinary horses used for riding and pulling carriages. Though it had a horn in the middle of its forehead, it was treated as a horse and housed in the royal stables. However, Rit was far from an ordinary horse, standing larger than any of the others, with gleaming white fur, a flowing mane, and a long, luxurious tail that captured the awe of even the most experienced stable hands.

The stable masters, who had spent decades caring for horses, couldn’t help but marvel at Rit’s majestic appearance. Many of them eagerly volunteered to take care of such a noble creature, but their enthusiasm waned after just a few days. Despite its elegance, the unicorn had a serious flaw—it was a tyrant.

Sienna visited Rit every morning, and the unicorn would nuzzle against her hand, displaying an unusual affection. One day, she casually asked the stable master, “Is everything going well with taking care of this one?”

The stable master hesitated, his expression darkening. Sienna noticed this unusual reaction and pressed him. “Speak freely. What’s the problem?”

With a heavy sigh, the stable master began recounting what had happened in the past few days. Rit had quickly established itself as the dominant force in the stable, but not in a good way. The other stallions became timid, unable to even lift their heads when Rit passed by. Whenever they were drinking water and Rit approached, they immediately gave up their spot. In fact, five horses had already been injured after attempting to challenge Rit, all kicked hard by the unicorn’s powerful hooves.

Sienna listened, astonished at the chaos Rit had caused in such a short time.

“…And just yesterday…” the stable master trailed off, hesitating again. Sienna noticed that his eyes kept darting toward Rit, who was standing nearby.

Curious, Sienna turned to see Rit glaring at the stable master. When the unicorn caught her gaze, it quickly shifted to a more innocent expression, tilting its head as if it hadn’t been eavesdropping. Sienna couldn’t help but laugh.

“You’re a truly mischievous one, aren’t you?” she said, amused.

Rit snorted softly, rubbing its nose against Sienna’s face in a playful display of affection. Sienna laughed at its obvious attempt to charm her.

For the first time, she felt a real attachment to a pet. Rit hadn’t harmed any people, and the disputes with the other animals seemed like natural animal behavior. She found it endearing that Rit had taken control of the stable so effortlessly.

“I suppose I’ll have to build you your own stable closer to my quarters,” Sienna mused. “We can’t have you injuring all the other horses.”

She called for one of her attendants and instructed them to begin making arrangements for a new stable. Then she turned back to Rit. “Until then, you’ll have to behave. If you promise to be good, I’ll take you for a walk today.”

Rit neighed softly, and Sienna took it as a sign that the unicorn understood her. Being a creature of legend, it was remarkably intelligent, as though it could truly comprehend her words.

Sienna took hold of Rit’s reins and led the unicorn out of the stables, strolling through the expansive royal gardens. Several skilled horse handlers and guards followed at a distance, just in case anything went wrong.

Rit was curious, stopping frequently to sniff at the bushes, flowers, and grass along the path. Every now and then, it would lower its head to nibble on some fresh blades of grass. At one point, Rit began eating some delicate sprouts, causing Sienna to stop abruptly.

“Is it safe for him to eat random plants like that?” she asked, looking worriedly at the stable master.

“Your Majesty, animals are often more aware of what’s harmful to them than we are,” the stable master explained. “They can instinctively avoid anything dangerous.”

“Is that so?”

Sienna continued walking alongside Rit, watching closely as the unicorn carefully selected which plants to eat and which to pass by.

‘Is it simply a matter of preference, or does it avoid plants that might be harmful? Should I have the plants examined?’ she wondered, plucking a few of the weeds Rit had refused to eat. It was a simple curiosity, but one she wanted to explore further.

‘There shouldn’t be any poisonous plants growing within the palace gardens,’ she thought, surveying the vast expanse of greenery around her. The garden stretched out seemingly endlessly, filled with a wide variety of vegetation. Looking at the weeds in her hand, Sienna frowned.

Surely, the palace gardeners hadn’t planted these weeds on purpose, and yet here they were, thriving in the corners of the garden. She began to wonder if anyone even knew exactly what all grew in the royal gardens.

As she pondered, a memory of Kuhn’s words surfaced in her mind:

---

"I was caught off guard by a drug I’d never encountered before. It had no distinct smell, which is unusual for most drugs. If it’s a new variant, it would’ve caused a major stir, yet I’ve never heard of it. Where could it have come from?"

---

Kuhn mentioned that they should thoroughly investigate the black-market distribution of drugs. He also said there would be traces if it had made its way into the imperial palace.

'What if it didn’t come from outside?'

Sienna suddenly stopped in her tracks, lost in thought. No one interrupted her. Even Leet stood quietly, waiting. She focused on a vague suspicion that seemed just within her grasp.

'Growing drugs inside the palace? That's impossible. There’s no way such a thing could happen. Where could they be hiding from everyone’s eyes...?'

Her grip tightened on the weeds in her hand. She clenched her teeth as chills ran down her spine.

‘The greenhouse.’

There was a perfect place. A location no one could enter without the permission of the Red King. Even the Emperor couldn’t enter without approval—the only place within the palace that was off-limits.

The greenhouse was vast. The parts Patricia often opened up for tea parties were only a small section. If Patricia was growing drugs inside the greenhouse and had thoroughly silenced everyone involved, no one would ever know.

‘I have to tell Kuhn.’

After bringing Rit back to the stables, Sienna returned to the palace, where she was handed a letter from Beth, stating that it had just arrived from the Marquis.

—What you mentioned before has been prepared.

Sienna could easily decipher the single cryptic line.

‘So the investigation on Lord Stus is complete.’

Now she had another reason to meet Kuhn. Her sense of urgency increased. She was about to order preparations to leave the palace when she paused.

“Countess, summon Lord Stus.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

 

***

 

Late in the evening, Levan entered the Ivy Mansion with several matters to report to Kuhn. The first thing he presented was a deciphered version of the letter that Jeffrey had been holding.

The content was patchy, with large gaps. Considering how many days the clan’s brightest minds had been working on it, the results were minimal. However, since they had assumed it was encoded and worked purely on decryption without the original reference language, the results weren’t entirely dismissible.

Still, Levan, who always sought perfection, felt uneasy delivering such an incomplete report. He added an unnecessary explanation to justify the results.

“The Empire's archaic language is said to be a script used only within the royal family. It’s known as the divine language used to write the scriptures, and only the royals are allowed to learn it. Only a few letters have ever been exposed to outsiders.”

Kuhn spread out the several pages of partially deciphered letters across the table.

“These were sent by the previous emperor to the last Duke of Acheron?”

“Yes, the seal of the Acheron family beside the recipient’s name made it easy to confirm.”

“And this isn’t the imperial seal, but the previous emperor’s personal seal, correct?”

“Yes, we cross-referenced it multiple times with a control sample. There's no mistake.”

Official and authoritative decrees from the Emperor typically bore the imperial seal, which had been passed down since the founding emperor and symbolized imperial authority. However, separate from this, each emperor also had their personal seal, which was custom-made when they ascended the throne and used solely by that emperor. Most daily matters were signed with the personal seal, which was used far more frequently than the imperial seal.

The personal seal was modeled after the sacred tree depicted on the imperial seal, and although they were similar, each seal had slight variations in the shapes of the branches. Scholars could analyze these subtle differences to determine which era a document was from.

Kuhn read through the deciphered letters. The previous emperor had instructed the Duke of Acheron to gather and prepare "something." Several letters all contained similar instructions.

It seemed that depending on the progress of the task, the Duke had submitted reports, and the emperor had responded in turn. However, the crucial part—the nature of the "something"—was missing, left as a blank space.

“That word was the key term, but we couldn’t decipher it. Various interpretations were proposed—wealth, people, and so on. Since the meaning of the entire letter changes depending on what fills that blank, we decided to leave it open for now.”

As Levan explained, Kuhn unfolded the original letter and compared it to the deciphered version. After a moment of close scrutiny, he spoke.

“It refers to weapons or military forces. You can interpret it that way.”

“You can read it?” Levan asked, surprised.

“The root is similar to a script I know. When this root is used, it signifies physical force.”

“You said you knew part of the language? How do you know the Empire’s archaic script? Even among our language experts, no one had ever seen it before.”

“Hmm?”

Kuhn, prompted by Levan’s question, suddenly recalled a memory from his childhood. His father had been an extremely busy man, and it had been rare to see him even once a day. But there had been a period when his father had come to his room every night before bed.

His father had taught him one strange letter each day.

“Shaka, this is something only you and I should know. I learned it from your grandfather, and when you become a father one day, pass it on only to your child.”

There had been seven letters in total. Young Kuhn had memorized the strange symbols, eager to earn his father’s praise. The letters were incomplete, and when combined, only a few words could be formed.

After that, he had forgotten all about them. But when he came to the Empire and saw the strange characters on the cover of the scriptures, the memory had come rushing back. He then realized that the script he had memorized as a child resembled the Empire’s archaic language.

‘Back then, I didn’t give it much thought. But when I have time, I should investigate why my family has been passing down the Empire’s archaic language.’

“The former emperor ordered the Duke of Acheron to prepare weapons or military forces,” Kuhn said, steering the conversation away. Levan didn’t press further and followed the new direction.

“If that's the case, this is a command,” Levan noted.

Kuhn, deep in thought, furrowed his brow.

"Levan."

"Yes, Kuhn?"

"Wasn't the Acheron family accused of treason? They were charged with conspiring with the rebels to overthrow the Empire."

"Yes, that's right..."

The two exchanged significant glances. Kuhn nodded.

"This is evidence that clears the Acheron family of any wrongdoing. They weren't plotting treason—they were simply following the emperor’s orders."

"The Acheron family was framed. But why couldn't they present these letters as evidence back then?"

"If the one who framed them was the previous emperor, that would explain everything."

This lined up with the suspicions they had developed while investigating the old case. It would have been impossible for a powerful ducal family to disappear without the involvement of the reigning emperor.

'The elder must have presented these letters to the current emperor. If the emperor acknowledges them as genuine letters from the previous ruler, the Acheron family could be restored.'

The only issue left was the timing of the revelation.

'Does Dian know about this?'

Is he staying silent despite knowing the truth?

'No, that doesn’t seem like him.'

Kuhn still trusted Dian’s integrity, even though he was cautious about Jeffrey.

'I need to meet Dian as soon as his confinement ends.'

Levan proceeded with the second report.

"Here’s the analysis of the unknown substance."

Kuhn had collected ashes from the fireplace in the emperor's secondary palace, suspecting it could be related to the mysterious drug. He had ordered an analysis to identify its components.

"It was difficult to analyze since the original form is unknown."

"As expected."

Kuhn hadn't been too optimistic about the results.

"There is a mild paralytic effect, but it's not strong enough to significantly affect the mind."

"And what about the theory that the combination of two toxic plants produced a potent effect?"

"Without knowing the third ingredient, it's nearly impossible to confirm."

"Hmm. What about the black-market distribution?"

"If someone brought drugs into the palace, they wouldn’t have been careless. We haven't found any evidence so far."

None of the reports delivered today provided clear answers. Levan glanced nervously at Kuhn, feeling as though it was his fault for the lack of progress.

Just then, there was a knock on the office door. Walter entered and announced:

"Kuhn, there's a visitor. They’re from the Silver Palace."

"The Silver Palace?"

Kuhn immediately went to meet the guest. The knight waiting in the reception room bowed as Kuhn entered.

"Your Excellency, I offer my greetings. I am Ben Stus, of the Silver Palace Guard."

It was their first meeting, but Kuhn recognized the man even without an introduction. He had seen Ben’s portrait attached to the investigation report.

A spy sent to infiltrate the Silver Palace. Kuhn’s first instinct was to grab Ben by the throat and give him a harsh lesson. But dealing with him wasn’t Kuhn’s responsibility—it was hers.

"What brings you here at this late hour?" Kuhn asked coldly.

"The Silver King instructed me to deliver this to you personally," Ben said as he handed Kuhn a letter.

Kuhn unfolded the letter.

―You will receive what we discussed through Lord Stus.

It was unmistakably written in her handwriting, with the Silver King's seal at the bottom. The letter wasn’t even sealed. Kuhn figured Ben had already read it.

'She's asking me to send the investigation on Stus through Stus himself?'

There was no way she would entrust the fox with guarding the henhouse. Kuhn pondered what she truly intended with this letter. She hadn’t mentioned this to him before.

'By the time she asked me to investigate, she must have already been suspicious of him. Sending this letter to me must have another purpose.'

"Wait here," Kuhn said.

He went to his office and gathered some non-sensitive documents, sealing them carefully in an envelope. Returning to the reception room, he handed the sealed envelope to Ben.

"Are you delivering this to Her Majesty yourself?"

"Yes, Your Excellency. Rest assured."

With a solemn expression, Ben turned and left. He climbed into a carriage waiting on the roadside, which soon disappeared around the corner.

A short while later, as if perfectly timed, another carriage approached the Marquis' residence and came to a stop. The door opened, and a woman cloaked in a mantle with her hood drawn stepped out. A man who had been sitting in the driver's seat dismounted and stood protectively by her side.

Kuhn returned to his office, intending to continue his conversation with Levan. But soon, there was another knock, and Walter entered.

"Kuhn, there’s another visitor."

"Again?"

"Yes, this one is also from the Silver Palace."

It was unusual for her to send messengers twice in one evening.

'Is something going on?'

Kuhn began to feel a subtle worry, though he didn’t notice Walter’s unusually excited expression.

When Kuhn entered the reception room, he froze. Sienna was sitting on the sofa, and when their eyes met, she smiled. Behind Kuhn, Walter grinned slyly as he quietly shut the door.

Kuhn quickly crossed the room and sat beside her.

"Sienna, I have something important to—"

She was eager to tell him what she had discovered, but before she could finish, Kuhn's lips pressed against hers. His kiss was urgent, and his tongue swiftly invaded, brushing against her inner mouth. The intensity of his kiss conveyed a sense of desperation.

Sienna smiled inwardly and closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around his neck. She responded to his kiss, intertwining her tongue with his. The kiss grew deeper, and their mouths remained locked as they exchanged saliva.

Before long, Sienna found herself half-lying on the sofa. Just as the mood was about to escalate, Kuhn broke the kiss. Their lips barely touched as he whispered.

"This kind of surprise is welcome anytime."

"I wondered if it was improper, coming so late."

"There’s no such thing as a wrong time for you. Even if you knocked at dawn, you’d be welcome."

They gazed at each other in silence before Sienna shyly averted her eyes. The intensity of his gaze made her face flush, and she couldn’t bring herself to meet his eyes directly.

"Don’t look at me like that."

"Like what?"

Sienna placed her hand on his chest, gently pushing him back.

"I don’t know, just... no one looks at me like that but you."

"Good. If anyone else ever does, make sure to tell me."

"What would you do?"

"I’d make sure they never see the light of day again..."

"K-Kuhn!"

Sienna looked back at him in surprise. There was a dark undertone to his voice that she found unsettling. And she noticed that, despite smiling, Kuhn didn’t add the usual, 'Just kidding.'

"That knight who just left—he was sent by you, right?"

Kuhn deftly changed the subject, and Sienna gave him a playful sideways glance before relenting.

"Yes. I didn’t want anyone knowing I was coming to see you, so I sent him as a diversion."

Sienna had allowed Ben Stus access to the Silver Palace in recognition of his work gathering information about the fief. He had been assigned directly to Gilbert and was given freedom to move inside and outside the Silver Palace while performing guard duties.

Even though it was unsettling to have someone tracking her movements and potentially reporting back to someone else, Sienna needed to show both Ben and whoever was behind him that she trusted him.

"So, I had him run an errand for me. I followed him in secret to make sure he didn’t notice. Since it’s late, I told him to go home and bring what you gave him tomorrow. That way, he won’t know I left the palace."

"What exactly did you send him to collect?"

"Nothing, really. It was just to give Lord Stus the impression that I trust him with important matters."

Kuhn raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"You thought I gave him something valuable?"

"What did you give him?"

"Oh, just... nothing special."

"So, he'll bring that 'nothing special' into the palace tomorrow."

"We didn’t coordinate this in advance. What would you have done if I had given him something important?"

"But you didn’t."

"I didn’t."

"Exactly."

"Then it's settled," Kuhn said with a slight laugh, watching Sienna's casual response.

"You're bold. I didn't think you were one for taking risks."

"This isn't a risk. You know I suspect him. So, I trusted that you'd handle it wisely."

Kuhn gazed at her with calm eyes. When she said "trust," she was likely referring to confidence in his judgment. But the fact that the word "trust" had come from her lips sent a thrilling shiver through him.

Now he understood the mindset of knights who swore blind loyalty to their lords. The overwhelming desire to never break the precious bond of trust.

"Ben Stus. You’ve probably guessed that he’s a spy, right?"

Sienna nodded.

"And do you know who's behind him?"

Sienna’s expression grew heavier, and she nodded again.

"We found something interesting during our investigation on him. It’s probably better if you read the report yourself rather than hearing it from me."

Kuhn escorted Sienna out of the reception room and into his office. As she entered through the door Kuhn held open, she paused. A man sitting on the sofa awkwardly stood up—it was Levan. He had been waiting for Kuhn but was taken aback when the Silver King suddenly appeared.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Kuhn's face paled. He had completely forgotten about Levan, caught up in the excitement of Sienna’s visit. Embarrassed, he rubbed his forehead in frustration.

Levan glanced nervously between Kuhn and the Silver King. His mind raced—should he greet her boldly, pretend not to notice, or come up with a convincing excuse? He felt overwhelmed.

Sienna spoke first.

"It’s been a while, Assistant Kali."

"Yes... I hope you’ve been well, Your Majesty."

Sienna walked past Levan and sat down on the sofa, across from him. Kuhn stood tensely by the door, watching her reaction.

Levan's eyes darted about in panic. His instinct was to flee.

"It seems you two have things to discuss, so I’ll just—"

"Levan."

Levan froze mid-step, as if someone had grabbed him by the collar. He slowly turned his stiff neck to look back.

"Y-Yes, Your Majesty?"

"Come, sit down."

"Excuse me?"

"Sit."

Levan glanced at Kuhn, silently pleading for help. Sienna also looked at Kuhn.

"Kuhn, you sit down too."

Kuhn, realizing that Sienna wasn’t about to storm out in anger, felt relieved. He sat down on the sofa. Levan, resigned to his fate, sat next to him. If Kuhn couldn’t resist, what hope did Levan have?

"Levan, you’ve been staying in the capital?"

"Y-Yes, Your Majesty."

"You must have been careful to avoid crossing paths with me."

"......"

Sienna’s voice was calm, but Levan felt even more cornered. If people could shrink based on their emotions, he felt as though he had shriveled up completely.

"Why did you lie about not being related to the Kali brothers?"

"Ah, Your Majesty, that’s true! I’m not related to them by blood."

"So, you're not related, but you share the same surname?"

"That’s not it. I... I used their family name without permission."

"And your name is fake too?"

Levan sighed deeply and bowed his head.

"I deeply apologize, Your Majesty."

"So what was your true purpose in becoming my assistant? Were you acting on Kuhn’s orders?"

Levan’s head shot up in surprise. He hadn’t expected such a direct attack. To ask this question with Kuhn sitting right next to him—she truly was bold.

"Absolutely not, Your Majesty! I swear it’s not true."

Levan desperately explained himself, recounting how he had taken the civil service exam and why he had accepted the position of her assistant. He went on and on, more flustered than he had ever been. Normally logical and articulate, Levan was now stumbling over his words.

The only thought occupying his mind was that he couldn’t let his presence create a rift between Kuhn and the Silver King. For the first time in his life, Levan found himself rambling incoherently.

Kuhn, however, remained calm. He was used to Sienna’s blunt manner of speaking and was less affected by her verbal jabs now. In a strange way, he felt proud of how much he had endured.

Kuhn watched with amusement as Levan struggled to defend himself. Levan, usually so composed and sharp, was floundering in a way Kuhn had never seen before. It was oddly satisfying.

Levan’s frantic explanation wasn’t in vain. His panicked honesty made him seem genuine.

"So, Kuhn didn’t know that you’d become my assistant?"

"That’s right. I reported to him after the fact and was severely scolded for it. I even offered to resign from my position immediately, Your Majesty. You were quite upset at the time."

"Oh, yes, I remember."

The idea of a subordinate taking action first and reporting later made no sense to Sienna. But she had long realized that the relationship between Kuhn and his men was anything but ordinary.

"Your Majesty, I never approached you with any ulterior motives. It was you who summoned me first."

Sienna nodded.

"Your explanation makes sense. Understood."

"So, I... What?"

"I understand the circumstances now. You may go. I have something to discuss with Kuhn."

Levan blinked in confusion. Kuhn suppressed a chuckle, recognizing exactly what Levan was feeling in that moment.

"Levan, you can leave now."

"Y-Yes, Kuhn."

Levan hesitated, unsure if it was really okay to leave. He wanted to escape the room as quickly as possible, but he also feared leaving too abruptly.

Just as Levan reached the door, Sienna called after him.

"One more thing—what’s your real name?"

"Glynn. Levan Glynn."

Levan bowed his head at the door before stepping out. As soon as he left the office, a thought struck him. He had one more piece of information to report but didn’t feel like going back inside.

‘It’s not an urgent matter, so it should be fine if I report it a day late,’ he thought.

The news had come in that the King of the Peroh Confederation was in poor health. It could spell trouble for the desert, which had only recently been united. Levan hoped the king would hold on for as long as possible to stave off further chaos.

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