Emma narrowed her eyes at me.
"So," she said quietly, lowering her voice as if the walls themselves might be listening, "how exactly do you plan to get us out of here? Don’t tell me you’re expecting the palace guards to suddenly grow stupid."
I didn’t even pause.
"Leave it to me."
Amelia glanced sideways at me, lips curling into a familiar, dangerous smirk.
"Right," she said lightly. "After all, they’re just common soldiers."
For once—
we were perfectly aligned.
Our eyes met.
Then we smiled.
"That’s the cleanest option," I said.
"Low risk," Amelia added, ticking it off as if reciting a checklist. "No detours. No hidden passages. No waiting for timing or luck."
"And no unnecessary complications," I finished.
There was a brief pause.
Then—
"Hehehe."
Our laughter overlapped so neatly it might as well have been rehearsed.
Behind us, Emma stopped walking altogether.
She stared at our backs.
Then rubbed her face.
"...You two synchronize way too well in your insanity," she muttered. "I’m starting to wonder which one of you is actually the demon."
---
"So confident..." Emma said a moment later, massaging her temple as the beginnings of a headache settled in.
"Fine. What’s the plan?"
She lifted her gaze—
and froze.
Our arms were linked.
Not stiffly.
Not awkwardly.
Naturally.
Too naturally.
We leaned slightly toward one another, heads close, voices low—whispering just enough to look intimate, conspiratorial.
To anyone watching—
we looked like nobles sharing a private moment.
Or worse.
A couple.
Emma’s stomach twisted.
’A noble of the Empire... walking arm in arm with a demon.’
’And Amelia—of all people. The north’s bloodline. The one raised on demon-hunting doctrine.’
It was wrong.
It felt wrong.
"This really is the apocalypse," Emma muttered under her breath.
"Lady Voss," Amelia said calmly without turning her head, "please stop sighing so loudly. Do you think I’m doing this because I like it?"
Emma didn’t answer.
She was too busy staring.
Too smooth.
Too coordinated.
Too convincing.
Anyone observing would assume this was a political engagement at minimum—perhaps even a secret romance.
And that somehow made it worse.
"Let’s go," I said.
Amelia nodded once. "Let’s. The plan is flawless."
Ignoring Emma’s glare—somewhere between disbelief and impending murder—we walked forward.
Straight ahead.
Toward the main gate.
Emma’s eyes widened.
’They’ve lost their minds.’
No side hall.
No servant corridor.
No concealed exit.
The front gate.
The most heavily guarded point in the entire palace.
"Stop!"
The command rang out, sharp and immediate.
"You are not authorized to pass!"
—Clang!
Two spears snapped into place before us, crossing with crisp precision.
Perfect stance.
Perfect timing.
Veteran soldiers.
Exactly as expected.
We didn’t stop.
Didn’t hesitate.
Didn’t even slow down.
Our steps remained steady, unhurried, confident—as if the spears weren’t there at all.
Emma’s breath caught behind them.
’They’re... they’re really doing this.’
The guards at the gate stiffened almost in unison, hands drifting closer to their weapons as the tension thickened.
"Good day to you, gentlemen," Julies said cheerfully, as if they were meeting at a café instead of a restricted palace gate. "Cold day, isn’t it? Must be exhausting standing around in weather like this."
The guards stared.
One of them cleared his throat.
"...I’ll say it again. Stop right there."
"Now, now," Julies replied with an easy grin. "No need to be so stiff. At least hear me out first."
He coughed lightly, a little theatrically, then relaxed his posture. With deliberate flair, he reached out and intertwined his fingers with Lady Frost’s gloved hand, lifting them just enough to make sure everyone could see.
"This is my fiancée," he announced proudly. "Lady Frost of the Count’s family."
Emma nearly bit her tongue.
’Fiancée?! Since when?!’
Julies continued without missing a beat.
"She wishes to take a short walk with me," he said smoothly, "to experience the food and sights unique to the central region. Things we simply can’t enjoy back in the North."
The silence that followed was deafening.
One guard’s mouth actually fell open.
"...You’re joking," another muttered.
"What are you standing around for?" Amelia snapped, stepping forward with a scowl. "Move aside."
The guards stiffened even more.
’They’ve lost their minds,’ Emma thought.
’This is suicide.’
Breaking protocol was one thing.
Doing it while flaunting noble status was another.
There was no way—no way—the guards would let this slide.
Then—
"Ah," Julies said suddenly, tapping his chin. "Lady Amelia, you seem rushed. You forgot... the reason."
Amelia blinked.
"Oh. Right."
Emma’s eyes widened.
She saw it clearly—Amelia’s hand slipping into her coat pocket.
A heavy purse emerged, bulging at the seams.
Jingle. Jingle.
The sound was obscenely loud in the quiet courtyard.
"...Uh," Amelia said, shoving it forward with zero subtlety, "here."
She waved it slightly.
"Everyone’s working hard guarding the palace," she added casually. "Wouldn’t it be unfair if that effort went unrewarded?"
The nearest guard hesitated.
Then—almost against his will—his hand moved.
The purse landed in his palm.
Heavy.
Too heavy.
His fingers twitched as he peeked inside.
Gold coins.
Plenty of them.
His pupils shook.
Emma felt her face twist in disbelief.
"...That’s bribery," she hissed under her breath.
Julies smiled innocently.
"Think of it as... compensation for overtime."
The guard swallowed.
"I—I’ll need to consult—"
"Captain’s off duty," Amelia cut in sharply. "You know that."
Another guard leaned closer, whispering urgently.
"That’s a Count’s crest... and the Draken household backing them."
"And if we stop them," the first guard muttered back, "we’re the ones who get punished."
Sweat trickled down his temple.
Julies tilted his head, his voice gentle—almost polite—but there was no mistaking the firmness beneath it.
"We’re not sneaking out," he said calmly. "We’ll leave openly. Just for a short while. And we’ll be back before sundown."
Silence followed.
Not the awkward kind.
The heavy kind.
At that moment, Emma genuinely didn’t know what to think anymore.
----
Author Note:
Thanks for reading the novel. Sorry I didn’t update yesterday because I was quite busy and didn’t have time to write.