"Wait a minute, Father. If the frontier count who guards the border is assassinated, there will be an all-out uproar both inside and outside the empire. ......"

I huffed and paused, and then my father leaned forward.

That's right. So it was technically treated as an 'unforeseen accident.'

I was stunned, but he told me what had happened.

He told me that the incident had occurred shortly after Father and Mother's engagement had become official.

Father was assisting His Majesty Irwin, who was still the Crown Prince, when one day he received urgent news.

Grandfather Esther accompanied Grandmother Toretto on an inspection tour to confirm information that a large group of bandits might be organized near the border, but a battle with the bandits broke out in the area.

The inspectors went missing.

The information about the bandits near the border was not confirmed by the regular investigations conducted by the Bardia territory at that time, and its authenticity was not certain.

However, there are a certain number of people near the border who engage in smuggling, theft, and robbery, taking advantage of the fact that the area borders other countries.

It was not impossible that such people might get together and form an organized bandit group.

In order to verify the authenticity of the information, Esther organized an inspection team of about 40 elite knights.

They went there to show the knights and to intimidate and restrain them.

It is said that my grandmother, Toretto, accompanied them on this inspection tour because she wished to do so.

When the father and mother were arranging a marriage, my grandparents also visited the capital to meet the two families, and they enjoyed the trip more than expected.

Toretto's wish to travel together again, even on a simple trip, was so strong that Esther agreed to allow her to go with them.

Apparently, he came to the decision to allow her to accompany him.

However, this led to an unexpected misfortune.

Upon receiving the news, the father hurried back to Bardia, and unfortunately, he had to meet the two of them in silence.

The bodies of the grandparents were discolored black by the poison that the bandits were believed to have used, and they were said to have looked very pathetic.

It is also said that the then Commander of the Knights of Bardia, Gavein, and a man named Gregory, who was Dinas's classmate and deputy commander, were also killed in this one incident.

Before they had time to grieve, they were told a shocking fact by Garn, the butler.

The number of corpses of the bandits left behind at the site of the fierce battle that the inspection party had fought was well over a hundred.

A normal bandit group would have had at most fifty or so members.

If the number of bandits exceeded 100, the knights and local residents would surely have confirmed signs of such a group, and the liners in the capital would have heard about it, but no one had any prior information.

This fact suggests an organized and planned crime targeting the inspection team.

Father immediately began an investigation.

He located a bandit survivor who might have a promising lead, but the person was found in a state of self-immolation in Barsto, and Father bit his umbilical cord.

'...... That happened, I see.'

'Mm-hmm. But the story is not over yet."

"What ......?"

When I tilted my head, my father wrinkled his brow and broke off.

A few months after this incident. Nanalee's father, 'Count Tristan Lonamis,' died suddenly from a heart attack. However, there is a strong possibility that Tristan, like my parents, was also assassinated.

L⁉ Yes, but how did you know it was an assassination and not a heart attack?L

There are two reasons. The first reason is that the medicine Tristan was taking had been replaced with something else by somebody. Later investigations revealed that it is safe for healthy people to be given it, but for those with heart problems, it is poison.

"Na ......⁉"

I was so shocked that I couldn't keep my mouth shut.

I learned a little about the Countess of Lonamis from my mother and imperial nobility course.

They were counts, but they were venerable nobles who had existed since the founding of the empire, and they must have been influential nobles with a great deal of influence

After mother married into the Bardia family, the head of the family, "Tristan Lonamis," died suddenly before the succession issue could be resolved.

The lands and mansions that the Lonamis family had managed and owned were apparently placed in the custody of the royal family, but I had never thought that he had been assassinated.

"The second reason is something Tristan said before his death."

"Said ......?"

Yes, Tristan said that he had something he wanted to tell me sooner or later. I asked Nanalee about it, but she had no idea what it was about. There was no suicide note, so the possibility of suicide is extremely small.

There was a heavy silence in the vehicle, and the sound of the charcoal truck's drive echoed faintly.

'......And then, who was the murderer?'

I asked, and Father shook his head with a bitter expression.

"I'm afraid I haven't been able to find anything that would lead me to the culprits. Or perhaps I should say that they have stopped doing anything that would bring them to the public's attention."

"Does that mean the culprits went into hiding ...... until the commotion died down?"

"Yes. The two assassinated heads of the Empire's leading aristocratic families. They may have thought that if they made any more moves at the time, they would be traced back somehow. I am guessing that the same person assassinated my parents and Tristan. Or perhaps they were working under the direction of the same person or organization."

After saying this, my father cut me off with a terrible smile, "And ......."

"This one time. The people behind Gareth and the others must be the same guys from back then."

The atmosphere in the vehicle became piercing, and I gulped.

"May I ask why?"

"Because there aren't that many people who could be so prepared to make it easy for the perpetrators to move, and yet keep their names and faces out of the public eye. In addition, the situation is a bit similar to what it was back then."

"What do you mean by that?"

The reason why my parents and Tristan were assassinated. I have been thinking about it for a long time. But this time, this one. I think that the statement made by the man named Robe has made it clear."

The statement of this man Robe is what I told my father just a few minutes ago.

The conversation that Elba and Robe had in front of Mel.

What is particularly striking in that conversation is Robe's statement that 'the promise is different.

And Elba's words, "I can't give it to you just yet."

This exchange suggests that the two had been in contact for some time and had cooperated with each other under certain conditions.

"Are you saying that the enemy's target was Mother and Mel?"

I asked back, and Father nodded, "Yes."

"I had only been engaged for a short time at the time. I had my hands full with the sudden change in my status as a frontier count after the death of my parents. Depending on the feelings of Nanalee and Tristan-dono, there was a fear that the engagement might be called off."

I was surprised to hear that the engagement might have been called off.

The fact that the parents of the other party died suddenly, there is a good chance that they will reconsider the engagement.

But as there is me, that is not the case.

Assuming that Father was right about the plotting of those who assassinated my grandparents, that reading would have been off.

"But then, why was Tristan assassinated?"

"Perhaps it had something to do with what he was about to tell me. He had intended to get hold of Nanalee by assassinating my parents, but his plan went awry. Therefore, he assassinated Tristan, who knew some secret, to keep him quiet or to get back at him. ......It's not much more than a guess, but that's about it."

Silence fell once again in the vehicle, as the driver was unable to find the words to reply to the fact he had been told.

Father took a deep breath and spoke again.

The target they were after in this war is my life and Rid's life.

"......⁉"

A chill ran down my back.

"If we were defeated and "killed in action," there is a good chance that Nanalee, Mel, Fara and the others would have ended up in the hands of Gareth and Elba. At that time, the 'promise' of the robe that was connected to them behind the scenes would be fulfilled."

In other words, the person behind the robe is the "worm in the lion's den," as Elba had said.

"Yes, I'm sure of it."

Oh, my God.

I had never imagined that someone connected to Elba could have had something to do with my grandparents' deaths.

No, or perhaps my family lineage is one that is susceptible to assassination, condemnation, and intrigue.

"Whatever it is. It would mean that someone who has been hiding out in the empire for the past few years has started to make a move. They are Nanny and Mel. And if they are after our lives, this will be a battle for the survival of the Bardia family. We must be even more determined than we are now."

"I understand."

I nodded my head with renewed determination in response to my father's question.

I have been working hard to develop the territory to protect it and my family from absolution.

But it seems that this is not enough.

The conspiracy surrounding the empire seems to be much bigger and darker than I had imagined.

But I will never surrender. I will protect Bardia.

When I thought that, the face of a certain person came to my mind.

"Father, may I ask you a question? "

"What is it?"

Is the mastermind connected to Elba the Marquis Berluti?

The Marquis Berluti Jean-Paul, the leader of the revolutionary faction of the empire.

With an influence and a voice as powerful as his, this time it might be possible.

Father's eyebrows twitched and he shook his head.

'It might be ......, but there's nothing to be certain. The Dukes of Lovelace, the Dukes of Elasenise, the Frontier Counts of Kelvin, and all the other nobles, including the others, could be the masterminds behind this. If we have any preconceived notions, we risk losing our footing. It is best to be wary, but not to be definitive."

"I understand. And what about what Tristan was going to tell you?'

He said that for several years his father had been looking into the case.

Even though he could not get any information that would lead to the culprit, he must have found out something about what Lord Tristan was going to tell him sooner or later.

I thought so and asked him about it, but he shook his head after a short pause.

'Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get anything on that subject either. Of course, I intend to look into it in the future."

He put his hand on my head.

"I have told you many things, but do not be so anxious. I will protect you."

"Thank you, Father. But let's protect everyone together."

"Yes, we will. I'm counting on you to keep up the good work."

"Yes, Father. You can count on me."

Father smiled and we continued our meeting.

And again, I was strictly forbidden to tell anyone about what we were discussing.