Ch 15 - Entrapment (Part 1)

"Master, you're not really planning to investigate and find the real culprit, are you?"

Lina asked.

She might not be adept at the intricacies of palace power plays, but she wasn't naive. The emperor's so-called investigation was purely forcing Kenji to produce a confession under pressure. Kenji had done nothing wrong, yet because a suspicion existed, he had to find the true killer? It felt outrageous—if he failed, the blame would fall on him; if he succeeded, the blame would fall on the real culprit. Talk about heads they win, tails he loses.

"Since Her Majesty wants me to investigate, so be it. It's not a matter of whether I want to or not—I must do it."

"All right, so what do you need me to do?" Lina asked.

Kenji shook his head. "I don't need you to do anything. You just need to stay within Anos's duchy. Protecting me is your only job."

"Should we not take the initiative?"

"Take the initiative? That'd only show our enemies how impatient we are."

Kenji reclined on his bed, sighing lazily. "All they've done so far is try to frame me. Ideally, they'd kill me outright. Their real goal is to have Her Majesty deal the final blow, so they don't dirty their own hands. Right now, there's no official reaction from the emperor, only an order for me to investigate. Our enemies definitely won't sit still. In their view, the emperor might've given me a chance at revenge."

He paused, sipping the tea Lina brought him. "Camelot Empire needs stability. Since they started this mess and I have an imperial edict in hand, I might as well let them stew for a while. They'll grow antsy on their own."

Resting her arms under her chin at the edge of the bed, Lina gazed at Kenji. "You're sure they won't be able to hold back?"

"They won't. From their standpoint, the emperor is listening to my slander. They thought they'd destroy me with this setup, but I'm still fine. Even a fool would think something's off. In for a penny, in for a pound—obliterating me entirely is their best move. At worst, they can conjure some mid-level scapegoat to take the fall. That's standard procedure."

Kenji sat up and pointed at Lina. "I'll pretend I didn't notice your behavior earlier, but next time, you can't act so rudely in front of that brat… her majesty. No matter what, she's still the emperor. If you harbor murderous thoughts toward her, it won't help us. Understand?"

"Um… yes."

Lina bit her lip and lowered her head. She knew she'd gone too far today. Since Kenji didn't panic in front of the emperor, it meant the situation was still under his control, yet she'd laid her hostility bare.

"I know you only did it for my sake," Kenji said gently. "But holding back can help me sometimes. Of course, don't feel guilty. Today was beyond my expectations, actually. If you hadn't been at my side, I'd have lost a significant bargaining chip to stand up to the emperor."

"You don't have to reassure me, Young Master."

"I'm not reassuring you; I'm stating facts," he said with a warm smile. Lina felt a bit more at ease, though she also realized that in a way, she had put him in danger. It wasn't a joke—if the emperor had been scared by Lina's killing intent and decided to turn on Kenji, as his bodyguard she would've only made it worse.

"Still fixated on it? It's over and done with. Just remember the lesson for next time. Or are you saying you won't feel better unless I punish you?" Kenji teased.

Right after saying that, he noticed Lina lower her head and give a small nod.

"…"

Kenji's mind went blank for a moment. This girl definitely had a screw loose somewhere.

"All right, let Siyue punish you instead," he said, swiftly deciding to let his sister handle this headache. That was perfectly normal—siblings existed so you could pass the buck to them.

Lina didn't expect Kenji to choose that option, so she froze before bowing and heading to Siyue's room.

Once she left, Kenji focused on how to flush out the mastermind. After a long moment, he made a decision. He wrote a letter, tapping the brush handle against his cheek as though he'd just remembered something.

"Uncle Cui!"

Suddenly, rushed footsteps came from a small side room. A middle-aged man stood before Kenji. "My Lord, is there something you need?"

"Take this letter to General Balinos's residence. Tell him I want him to mobilize five hundred soldiers."

"Yes, sir."

Cui nodded and turned to go, but Kenji stopped him with a pat on his shoulder. "Wait. listen carefully. This letter is extremely important. Don't lose it—and don't let it fall into anyone else's hands. My life depends on it."

Cui froze for a moment, then straightened with a solemn stare. "Don't worry, My Lord. I promise nothing will go wrong."

Kenji watched him leave, then picked up a wooden box on his desk. Inside lay a tidy stack of gold and silver.

He'd intended to hand Uncle Cui a resignation package. If his old family retainer had asked for retirement just now, Kenji would've given him the entire box—enough money to feed a household for decades. But Cui hadn't made any such request. Was he planning to do one last job for Kenji before departing? Or had he decided not to leave Anos's duchy after all? It was hard to say.

… … …

Balinos Residence

General Balinos accepted the letter, then paused, looking up at Cui standing before him.

"I've received the letter. You're dismissed."

"General, My Lord pointed out this issue is critical. I may not know what's in that letter, but please act quickly."

General Balinos leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "You seem very loyal to your master."

"My Lord is young but capable. I admire him greatly. However, my health worsens every year. I expect I'll soon retire to my hometown. Before leaving, I'd like to do a few more meaningful things for him."

"Very well. I'll act on it." Balinos nodded.