"It's good to see you acting as a faithful spy, but you still lack alertness."
His low voice hovered over her ears. His peculiar way of speaking and his message finally helped her think of one person.
"Your Majesty!"
"This place has lots of places for hiding, and there are few people at dawn. If you come out without a security guard, you should be aware of your back, not your front. Staying wary of danger at all times is one of the basic virtues of a spy."
'Well, you are one hundred times, one thousand times more dangerous to me!'
Marianne wanted to scream, but barely held it back. She stared at the tall emperor with his narrowed round eyes. Looking down on her with a black robe covering his body, the emperor was like a messenger from hell.
"Why didn't you make it obvious you were here?"
"I did it. But you didn't notice it."
"Why did you approach me right behind me and snatch the note from me? When you covered my mouth, I thought I was being kidnapped."