Crimson: born as noble lived as phantom

I returned to my room at the Gurberr estate.

Technically, it was Will Gurberr's room.

In reality, it was mine.

The moment I opened the door, something immediately caught my attention.

A letter was lying on the center of my bed.

No seal.

No name.

No indication of who had delivered it.

I picked it up and examined the envelope carefully.

Someone went through enough trouble to place this inside my room without being noticed.

That alone made it suspicious.

I opened it.

Inside was a single sheet of paper.

I unfolded it.

Greetings, Sir Will.

I am someone in need of your support.

Please meet me tonight in the darkest corner of the Royal Palace.

I stared at the letter.

...

Seriously?

There was no need to guess who had sent it.

It was obviously Queen Merona.

After our conversation in the Royal Archives, she had finally decided to make her move.

She wanted me to join her rebellion.

Unfortunately, refusing her wasn't an option.

Not yet.

I needed to know exactly how far she intended to take this.

And more importantly, I needed to know what she knew about Sacred Soul.

So tonight...

I would attend the meeting.

As Will Gurberr.

The Royal Palace was unusually quiet at night.

I passed through the main entrance without resistance.

Being the newly appointed Vice-Captain of the Black Boar Vanguard had its advantages. No guard would dare question why a knight of my rank was entering the palace.

I walked deeper into the enormous structure.

The darkest corner of the Royal Palace.

That was easier said than done.

The entire palace was illuminated by magical torches.

Every corridor had some form of lighting.

I stopped and looked around.

Should I analyze the lighting throughout the entire palace?

No.

That would be a waste of time.

I reached into my coat and pulled out the letter.

I circulated a thin thread of mana through the paper.

The reaction was immediate.

The magical flames illuminating the corridor extinguished one after another.

Fwoosh.

Darkness swallowed the hallway.

I looked around.

Perfect.

“This should qualify as the darkest corner.”

Then—

Thud.

I turned.

A section of the stone wall behind me suddenly moved.

A hidden passage opened.

A hooded figure stepped out.

The figure didn't say a word.

It simply turned around and walked into the passage.

I stared after it.

...

Am I supposed to follow that?

Apparently.

I followed.

The passage was surprisingly long.

We passed several hidden corridors before the hooded figure finally stopped in front of an ordinary wooden door.

It opened the door.

Then disappeared.

I stared at the empty corridor.

“Convenient.”

I pushed the door open.

And immediately understood why I had been summoned.

A large round table occupied the center of the chamber.

Around it sat roughly a dozen people.

Princess Quina.

Prince Erwin.

Erina.

Lord Drake.

Prime Minister Morgen.

Royal Philosopher Sedas.

Three other knight captains.

And, sitting calmly at the head of the table—

Queen Merona.

I looked around the room.

So I'm the final piece.

A very interesting choice of players.

Merona gestured toward the empty chair.

“Don't overthink it, Sir Will. Take your seat.”

I walked over and sat down.

Merona folded her hands on the table.

“Now.”

She smiled.

“Ask us whatever you'd like.”

“I have nothing to ask, Your Majesty.”

Several people raised their eyebrows.

I continued.

“I already understand why I'm here.”

The room became silent.

“This is a private meeting concerning Sacred Soul.”

Merona's expression changed slightly.

I leaned back in my chair.

“Two weeks have passed since our return from the Blood Kingdom. Princess Quina and Prince Erwin reported everything they discovered regarding Sacred Soul and the mysterious temple.”

I looked around the room.

“Yet His Majesty has taken no action.”

I paused.

“Of course, such matters require investigation. But if the King truly intended to act against the Sages, I would have expected him to summon me.”

I tapped my finger against the table.

“After all, I was one of the first people to uncover these secrets.”

My eyes settled on Merona.

“Instead, I received an invitation from the Queen.”

I gave her a faint smile.

“So what conclusion am I supposed to draw?”

The atmosphere immediately changed.

“There is only one possibility.”

I leaned back.

“The King lost his nerve.”

A few people stiffened.

“And now his wife is doing the work he was too frightened to do himself.”

Silence.

Then—

Shing!

Three blades were drawn.

Erina.

And two of the other captains.

Their swords pointed directly at me.

“Mind your words, kid.”

One of the captains' voices was cold.

“Insult the King again and you'll be executed on the spot.”

Erina's expression was even harsher.

“Don't forget where you are.”

I glanced at the three swords.

Then—

I smiled.

“Fufufu.”

A quiet laugh escaped from the other side of the table.

Lord Drake.

The giant captain was holding his stomach, barely containing his amusement.

“Put your swords down,” Merona ordered.

But before she could finish—

THUMP!

A wave of invisible force exploded outward.

The three swordsmen were violently thrown backward.

BOOM!

Their bodies slammed into the walls.

Their weapons flew from their hands.

The entire chamber fell silent.

I slowly stood.

Then I looked down at Erina.

She was struggling to rise.

Our eyes met.

For a brief moment, something flickered in her expression.

Recognition?

Anger?

Confusion?

I couldn't tell.

I wasn't going to give her the chance to figure me out.

I looked away.

“Interesting.”

My voice remained completely calm.

“You drew your swords the moment I insulted the King.”

I glanced at the fallen captains.

“That means you're not here to debate.”

My eyes returned to Erina.

“You're here because you're afraid.”

Nobody spoke.

A faint smile formed beneath my disguise.

“And frightened people make terrible players.”

I walked toward the door.

Behind me, chairs shifted.

Someone was about to speak.

I reached for the handle anyway.

“You misunderstand, Sir Will,” Merona said calmly.

I stopped.

“You haven't answered my invitation yet.”

I looked over my shoulder.

“Have I not?”

“No.”

Merona's eyes narrowed slightly.

“You've only been analyzing us.”

I smiled.

“That's because I wanted to see what kind of people were sitting around this table.”

I opened the door.

Prime Minister Morgen finally spoke.

“And what have you concluded?”

I paused.

“That you're all desperate.”

The room became even quieter.

I continued.

“Desperate enough to challenge Sacred Soul.”

I stepped into the doorway.

“But not strong enough to do it alone.”

My gaze briefly met Merona's.

“That's where I come in.”

Her expression softened into a faint smile.

“You understand quickly.”

“I don't have time to understand slowly.”

I turned away.

Then stopped.

“One more thing.”

Everyone looked toward me.

“I won't become anyone's subordinate.”

Merona's smile widened.

“I wouldn't ask you to.”

“Good.”

I stepped into the corridor.

“Because I'm not interested in fighting someone else's war.”

I glanced back one final time.

“I'm interested in winning my own.”

My hand released the door.

“And after everything I've seen...”

A faint smile appeared on my face.

“This game looks interesting.”

I closed the door behind me.

Click.

Silence returned to the hidden chamber.

I walked down the corridor without waiting to hear their reaction.

Behind that door were some of the most powerful people in the Kingdom of Krane.

And somehow...

I had just become one of the pieces on their board.

Or perhaps—

I was the one moving the pieces.

Either way...

The game had begun.

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