The Étoile Emperor faced Nickolas. His countenance was an immovable mask. Behind him stood the Third Prince, now wearing an imperial knight's armor. Alexander grimaced, hand grasping the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it at a moment's notice, while a large ghastly scar stretched down through one side of his face, shuttering his left eye and marring his handsome features. Though Elaine could see the injury healing—the Third Prince probably took the same medicinal liquid he gifted her, the image still proved disturbing.

If Alexander got injured, then… Elaine's gaze trailed down to his shadow. Nothing appeared amiss, yet somehow it looked flattened more than usual.

"I did not anticipate the extent of its danger," the Étoile Emperor replied, his voice steadied. "We were all caught off guard. Several formidable monsters that required both empires' joint efforts to kill appeared. We battled them, and the Léonas Emperor was leading the charge. He fought courageously, slaying many of those creatures. Unfortunately, your father got ambushed—"

"Lies!" The Léonas First Prince shouted before the Étoile Emperor could finish, slamming his fist to the ground—cracking the earth where it landed.

"You have chosen this place despite knowing its perils. I do not know what lies beyond that forest, but you used us to advance your agenda." He gritted his teeth. "My father trusted you as his ally, and you betrayed him!" Nickolas accused. Tension cut through the air like a knife's edge, threatening to tear everything apart. The knights and soldiers from both sides placed their hands on their weapons, preparing for another battle.

"Your Highness, I understand your sorrow. Unfortunately, we all lost many of our friends and subordinates today. However, you cannot denounce our Emperor for such a heinous act without evidence." The Duke of Geris stepped forward from the crowd, donning the Croix's knight armor. His face now bore many fresh scars, while dark crimson liquid stained his dented armor.

Even Gerard…From the many corpses across the field, aristocrats included, to the survivors, the ceremonial site's rough state took Elaine aback. No less than inside the Insidious Forest, a fierce battle occurred here. Yet, even more than those participants in the joint expedition, the knights and soldiers guarding the nobles were professionals, battle-worn warriors—that meant the invading monsters outside were more formidable than those within the forest.

Where is Duke Cornelius? Elaine scanned the crowd for Elias' father and finally located him at the back. The Duke of Lévis appeared somber like everyone else. However, he seemed to have no desire to interfere like Gerard. Does he know something?

"Are you implying that I falsely accused your Emperor?" Nickolas glowered, emphasizing the last few words. He then laid the Léonas Emperor down and stood up. His hand pulled one of his swords from the scabbard and directed it at the Duke of Geris. The troops from both sides also drew their weapons and advanced, signaling the peaking tension. The Étoile Emperor, however, motioned the Étoile troops to stand down.

Gerard stayed upright, unflinching from the Léonas Prince's threat. "If you look around, Your Highness. You would see that we are in no better condition than your men. What gain did Étoile receive from sacrificing many of our own?"

Everything he is saying makes sense, but something still feels wrong. Gerard's logic was without fault, yet Elaine's intuition cautioned her from believing him.

"You are good at pretense, Duke Gerard. However, do not for a second believe that your words swayed me." Nickolas' grip tightened on his weapon.

"I am simply speaking the truth, Your Highness." The Duke's expression remained calm, silver eyes watching the Léonas Prince.

Silence flooded the atmosphere, drowning out all other sounds. No one on either side dared to breathe, waiting for the outraged Prince to unleash his wrath.

"My Prince, if I may interject." An older Léonas aristocrat rose from the crowd and walked up to Nickolas. He had hair the shade of snow and a long beard of the same color reaching down to his chest. And despite the passage of time marking his face with creases and wrinkles, it could not cover the wisdom in his dark eyes.

The Léonas First Prince glanced back at the noble. Though fury still burned bright in his golden eyes, his expression softened a little upon seeing the older man. "You may speak, Prime Minister."

"We need to bring the Emperor back for a proper burial. It is disgraceful for His Majesty remains to continue resting on this soiled land," the old aristocrat spoke in a low yet powerful voice that reverberated for all to hear. He then placed a hand on Nickolas' shoulder and continued. "The Duke is correct. We currently have no evidence that shows our ally's wrongdoing." He stretched the word 'ally.' "However, once we do, the Léonas Empire will demand the appropriate retribution." The old man's dark eyes turned frosty, causing shivers to run through Elaine's body.

The Léonas Prince did not respond, and the oppressive silence again took over. "Fine." He finally lowered his weapon, though a deadly sharpness remained in his gaze. Nickolas knelt and picked up his father's body, carrying him back to Léonas' side. "I will never forget what happened today." Those were his last words before ordering the Léonas troops' departure.

Elaine watched the Léonas troops fading into silhouettes, her fingers unconsciously squeezing the male protagonist's hand. The situation escalated beyond her imagination. Elaine knew something happened before the original story that caused deep animosity between both empires, but she never expected the Léonas Emperor to die during the joint expedition. She glanced at the Étoile Emperor and Duke of Geris' collected visages and suspected the Léonas First Prince's accusation was not meritless.