Leon had worked for the emperor for seven years now. He knew Theodore well. He also knew when things were out of the ordinary.

The emperor had surprised him quite a few times. Once, back when he had defended himself against assassins despite being terrible at sword fighting. Another time when he had offered Leon to join him and had accepted the other man as his secretary. Theodore had even surprised him upon meeting a suspicious young woman and falling for her within seconds, much like he had caught the other man off guard by actually staying in a long-term relationship with that woman.

This was different though. This time, Theodore had done something ridiculous.

Leonard had burned the list he had received a while ago, but he was still thinking about the orders he was supposed to fulfill. He felt like two of them had been fine, so he had taken care of that already. But another problem remained, and that was the third order. As he closed his eyes, he went through those shocking words once more.

‘The empress is to be treated with as much caution as the dowager empress. All kinds of schemes and dangers might come from her. She will be under surveillance from now on. Noah Aldis is a new knight in the royal palace, and he will take care of this issue for now. Make sure to keep an eye on her at all times. That woman might be a threat to Blanche, so she cannot come close to her. More information will come later.’

That alone had been serious enough. And then Theodore had added that one sentence that truly proved that the situation in the palace had shifted.

‘The empress isn't to be trusted.’

Leon had personally never cared for the empress. He had found her a bit too overbearing and had felt like she had a strange sense of entitlement when it came to her power. While he had fully understood her disdain about having a husband who loved another woman, something had just always made him stay on guard around that person. But he hadn't expected her to be a traitor for real. It had just been his personal judgment that he didn't let him like her. And now Theodore expected this woman to be an enemy? One that he deemed to be as horrible as the dowager empress? That was dangerous.

Resting his head on his hand, Leonard stared at the documents below him. While the emperor recovered, the secretary had been taking care of the nation, but ever since he had gotten those strange orders, he hadn't been able to focus. He worried far too much. If Theodore had a reason to call the empress his enemy, Leon would have to be careful. The empress was the most powerful woman in this nation. Fighting against her might be troublesome. He had to hear details about this before deciding how to act.

The silence inside the office became deafening as Leonard waited for his friend to arrive. He was getting nauseous by the time someone finally entered.

Leon lifted his head and checked on the figure that came in. He was relieved that it was truly Theodore. He waited until the door was closed before speaking. “You are already up?”

For a moment, it seemed like Theodore wouldn't react. Then he turned. As he met Leonard's gaze, something felt a bit different. Theodore almost acted like he saw his friend for the first time in a while. As he smiled at him, he somehow seemed to be a bit too happy to see his secretary. “Yes. It seems like the wound wasn't too bad. I went through worse.” He had almost died. That wasn't a small thing.

Leonard had only seen Theodore for a moment, but he was already annoyed. “What nonsense are you spouting? The biggest wound you ever had before this was the sprain you got while falling off your horse when it wasn't even moving.” He got a bit louder in the end, his tension from the last few days showing itself as irritation.

Theodore didn't take it too seriously. He laughed instead. As he slowly walked over to the desk, he inspected Leon from up close again until it was almost odd. Then he replied. “It's good to see you.” He paused for a short moment before smiling again. “Having you as a friend is something I never regretted. Thank you for being on my side.”

Those words confused Leon even more. He slowly lifted his head and scanned the other man with skepticism. “I know that you almost got killed, but why do you get sentimental now?” Those words made him feel like Theodore expected to die soon or something horrible like that.

Theodore only smiled at the other's words. “I don't know either. Just give me a moment.” Again, he just stared at his friend. As Leonard narrowed his eyes, he seemed to be amused. “Leon, you are doing well. Working was difficult while I wasn't there, wasn't it? You can't overdo it. You need rest. Take care of yourself.” Now he was being ridiculous.

Leonard stood up abruptly and snapped back. “You're the one that almost died a day ago. You should take care of yourself. Why are you worrying me? You...” He stopped himself as he remembered that ominous list. He quickly became more serious again. “You should probably rest before worrying about anything, especially politics. But before you take your time, we need to talk.”

Theodore wasn't surprised. He even seemed to have expected it. “I know. It's about the list I wrote you, right? We can do that immediately if you wish for it.” He walked around the desk and sat down as Leon made way for him. He put down the strange book he had been carrying on his desk and then smiled at Leonard. “Ask ahead.”

Leon felt like the emperor was a bit too calm when it came to talking about how he expected the second most powerful person in this nation to be a traitor. He had no patience left when it came to discussing that either. “Good. Then let me ask.” He slammed his hand onto the desk while beginning, his concern already growing even more. “I understand why you'd worry about your family after being attacked like that. We'll watch them carefully now. I can even understand you wanting to keep an eye on some servants within the palace. We'll tell Gloria to observe the man you mentioned. But the third thing?” His voice got a bit more high-pitched in the end as he truly couldn't keep his disbelief from showing. “You want me to put a spy at the empress' side?”

That claim was outrageous. Yet, Theodore just responded with certainty. “Yes. But you don't have to do it yourself. I can take care of that as well. It will be Noah Aldis, a young and quite promising knight. Have him come here so that I can instruct him.”

Leon hadn't expected his friend to be that calm while inviting someone who would spy on his wife. He covered his forehead with his hand and leaned back a bit while staring up. As he thought about this carefully, he quickly realized that he had no idea what to say. He needed more clues first. “You can technically spy on every single person in the palace when you distrust them, but why the empress?”

As they made eye contact, Theodore quickly became more serious. To Leon's surprise, he actually seemed quite grim now. “What do you think about the empress?” That kind of question was hard to answer, and Theodore seemed to know. After all, he wanted to make sure that his friend wasn't lying to him. “Be honest. With your assassin's intuition and all.”

Leon rarely heard anyone speak about his background these days, so those words alarmed him. He quickly forced himself to respond. “I don't trust her.”

Theodore nodded once, only to seem even more grim a moment after. “Precisely. That is why I am serious about what I wrote regarding her. From now on, you will treat the empress as one of our greatest enemies. She will most likely never get her hands dirty herself, but she will lie and try to deceive you while using others to underline her words. Her reputation is impeccable at the moment, and she'll abuse that carelessly, just making everyone believe what she wants. No matter what happens, we need to keep an eye on that woman.” That seemed too detailed for it just to be a random thought he had had. Theodore was serious. But just days ago, he had worked together with the empress.

Leonard knew that even connections full of trust could change quickly, but that had to have a reason. “Theodore, you want to tell me that this woman became a threat within such a short time? The empress, who has lived here for over a year? Seraphina Estien, your wi-”

Somehow, that name seemed to have been the wrong thing to mention.

Theodore's expression shifted. Suddenly, he showed so much rage that it seemed like it would be absolutely impossible to calm him down again. As he glared at Leonard, it was clear that his anger was directed at the very person they were talking about. His voice was cold like a glacier. “Don't call her by that title. It's only a matter of time until she loses it.” Leonard had heard that tone of his voice already. Usually, Theodore spoke like that during executions. This meant that he wasn't pleased at all. It made sense if he believed the empress to be a traitor. But wasn't that too sudden?

Leon slowly lowered his hands. He just stared at his friends for a few seconds before finally forcing himself to speak. “Theodore. Are you serious about this?” Throwing the empress out of the royal family would mean breaking off contact with Theodore's most important supporter.

The emperor had been so scared of losing the Duremonts. That was why he had halfheartedly hidden his relationship with the woman he seemed to love more than his own life. That was why he hadn't married Blanche and why he didn't dare to announce that he would only have children with her and never with the empress, whom he couldn't bring himself to feel any personal relationship with. And now Theodore suddenly didn't seem to care. No, instead, it was almost like he couldn't wait to get rid of the empress. As he rested his elbows on the desk and leaned his chin on his hands, he stared into the distance, his eyes showing far too much hatred. “Fully. I'd rip that title away from her today if I could.”

Theodore wasn't just angry. If Leon read that right, he was full of bloodlust right now to the point at which he might try to kill that person.

Leonard wasn't sure how to act in that case. They couldn't just murder the daughter of the most powerful duke in Artias. But Theodore wouldn't act like that for no reason either. Still, he hoped that they could find an a bit more indirect way. “You wish to divorce her?”

Theodore still stared ahead while replying. “Oh, I want to do more than that. But I can't just act on my wishes right now. I will have to hold back for a while. Once I finished what I need to do, I will ensure that she disappears and is never found again.” That didn't sound like it would just be a divorce. He wanted to get rid of the empress entirely. That obviously meant that it would have to happen in secret, meaning that Leon would probably have to take care of it.

Leonard would kill when Theodore ordered it, but he would favor having more information. He couldn't keep himself from running his fingers through his hair as he closed his eyes for a moment. This was no small matter. They would have to consider this carefully. Theodore was the enraged one right now, so Leon had to calm him down. That was hard when he himself was far too tense, but he spoke up quickly. “If you go that far, there is no way that you are doing it on a whim. Did something happen during the assassination attempt? Did it seem like she knew something beforehand?” That would explain this sort of behavior.

But Theodore didn't even give a direct response. Instead, he lifted his gaze and met Leonard's eyes. He was still entirely serious, so his words held a dangerous weight. “Leon, from now on, I'll have to rely on your trust.” He stared right at the other man as if he wished to remind him of how important this was. “In the future, I will tell you countless odd things. I have no proof for anything, but I want you to believe me no matter how ridiculous my words might sound. I will propose some plans that sound like nonsense to you, but I am not playing games. What I am trying to do will protect everyone in the palace and this entire nation. So, I am asking you to help me without asking too many questions now. I will answer accordingly later.”

That was even more worrisome. Theodore knew some things but wouldn't speak about them and seemed to doubt that he could receive helpful evidence? That was alarming since it meant that he was just relying on guesses. He couldn't plan to assassinate the empress based on things like that. But then again, Theodore had never played with the well-being of the nation. If he asked his secretary for something like this, he was probably quite serious.

Leonard still worried about it for a few seconds before giving up with a sigh. In the end, he knew that he would follow the man that had put him in this position after offering him a new life. Leon would fulfill all of Theodore's orders to the very end. So, how could he deny this now? That didn't mean that he wasn't worried though. He sighed loudly before replying. “When we first met, you convinced me to switch sides with your ridiculous words, so I guess I have to believe you now too. But please don't scare me too much with sudden theories.” He made eye contact again. “Will you tell me everything later? It would be nice to have answers at some point.”

Theodore watched him carefully, only to fake a little smile at the end. “Most likely. But it will take a while.” Leonard saw right through that. Theodore didn't want to speak about what the was hiding at all. He might do it later, but he wouldn't enjoy that. It was a troublesome topic that concerned him, wasn't it?

That just alarmed Leon more, but he had no chance to do anything about this anyway. He sighed loudly again while walking to the table. He pulled a chair over to him and reached for a small piece of paper and a pen to take some notes. “Then let's start with the most troublesome parts. The empress is an enemy. And you are certain that this woman would try to hurt Lady Blanche?”

“Yes.” Theodore only confirmed what he had written on his note, his expression turning icy again. “I believe it shouldn't happen yet since a specific event will cause her to act didn't occur yet, but the future is too unclear for me to be sure. It is likely that the empress will try to frame Blanche for crimes at some point though. From small petty things like claiming that Blanche had a maid break into her room and destroyed the empress' belongings to dangerous matters like accusing her of treason.”

The first part had still been somewhat believable, but the rest made Leon lift his head. He narrowed his eyes at Theodore. “Treason? That could be a death sentence for anyone affected.”

Theodore seemed to think that too. As he sat there and balled his fists, he almost seemed to start shaking as he spoke. “Yes, exactly. She might get Blanche to offer her tea and then claim that it was poisoned. No matter what happens, Blanche is innocent though. I won't let anyone hurt her.” He seemed so desperate to tell the other man this. He really did worry about his lover.

Leonard made sure to take some notes on what he had to look out for in a shortened alphabet he had learned during his time as an assassin. No one should be able to read this, but he would burn the note after learning everything by heart anyway. “Poison is an issue then. We'll keep an eye on that. And needless to say, Lady Blanche won't be accused of any crime she didn't commit. If you think she may be targeted, we will be extra careful. Anything else?”

Theodore was still tense, his jaw clenched as he forced out the next words. “The empress isn't working with the dowager empress, but she is still a threat. She is focused on her own interests, and that is gaining power to stabilize her position. She would do anything for that. Even harming Blanche and...” His voice almost seemed to break, and he paused before adding the next thing. “Drugging me.”

Leon's blood ran cold.

This wasn't just a small matter. Theodore accused the empress of abusing her power to get rid of people that might challenge her rank and even to commit treason. If anyone tried to drug the emperor without him knowing, they could be executed for that. It was no wonder Theodore wished to get rid of that woman.

“From now on, we'll check your and Lady Blanche's food with some extra tests. Let me take care of that.” Leon had some knowledge when it came to poisons, so that would be possible. Though, he couldn't just magically solve their issues either. He needed a bit more information to work on. “Do you know what kind of poison might be used?”

To his surprise, Theodore was able to give a description. One that was a bit too detailed for Leon's taste. “It's some...herbal mix. You put it in someone's drink, and they fall asleep within five minutes. They won't remember anything that happened during the next few hours.” Theodore only tensed more, his expression showing a painful mix of rage and utter devastation. “You can't taste it when it's mixed into tea. But it...has a specific smell. If you bring me some samples, I can definitely locate it.”

That didn't sound good.

Leonard almost broke the tip of his pen as he lifted his head. “Did that woman drug you already?”

Theodore didn't seem to give a direct response. He turned his head and averted his eyes while he replied. “Not quite.” That wasn't a satisfactory reply, and they both knew that. Theodore didn't want to reply to this more though. He changed the topic. “But speaking about drugs, I need you to make some antidotes too. I will give you short descriptions of the poisons later.” He worried about even more?

Leonard was quite on edge by now. The empress wasn't just a small threat, wasn't she? She could genuinely ruin them if she continued like this. Leon didn't like that at all, especially since the implication was so troublesome. “Of course. But let's talk about the empress for now. You accuse her of serious things. That woman is the daughter of your strongest supporter. You know that, right? If you question her, you question the entire household. Can we trust the Duremonts still?”

Theodore had folded his hands on the desk and seemed to distract himself a bit while he responded, his voice quieter than before. “It's difficult. We can trust Lady Ravillot and her husband as well as Duchess Duremont. Duke Duremont has no desire to harm us, but he blindly trusts his daughter. He is also overstepping boundaries while trying to pressure me into obeying his rules. I need to put him into place. And regarding the son...” Hatred flared up in his gaze again before he lifted his head and added the rest. “He's his sister's lapdog. He does whatever she says. When she snaps her fingers, he jumps without questioning what is happening. In emergencies, he would back the empress. He would even falsify evidence and make wrong testimonies to frame Blanche when that woman orders it.”

That was all Leonard needed to know. He made a small note of Allen Duremont as an accomplice and then swiftly wrote a few points he needed to remember. “I'll try to see whether I can send someone into their household to spy on them. Regarding the empress, I'll have Noah Aldis come here. You talk to him while I deal with all of this.” He stood up, already preparing to instruct Gloria to check for poison. “I will take care of the most important things now. But judging by what you said, there is even more to do, right?”

Theodore nodded quickly. “There is a lot in almost all areas we deal with regularly.” Then it couldn't just be connected to what he had figured out during the assassination attempt. There had to be more that made him so careful now.

Everything within Leonard itched to ask more questions, but Theodore had asked him to hold back. He trusted his friend, so he would do just that. “Then we should prepare for that. This is already far too much, and if you add even more, it doesn't seem like things will get easier. I'll be more than overworked in a few weeks.”

Theodore's mood hadn't changed, but he tried to seem a bit less upset. “Don't worry about that. I have an idea that will help us fix it. Or rather, Blanche had it.” That confused Leonard even more, so he added something to explain it. “The minister rule. I'll include it in our constitution. It's not like the emperor can be the sole political head of this nation forever anyway. I might as well try to spread the power balance a bit more and have those people work for me.” He searched for direct eye contact while adding the rest. “Without giving up on chances to control everything behind closed doors, of course. I'll keep all of my power until I finish this troublesome family of mine.”

It was odd. Theodore had said that he wished to defeat the dowager empress and the second prince countless times, but he had never sounded this convinced. He had never seemed this hateful and focused on his goal before either. It might be a good chance since it could help him progress, but Leon couldn't help but worry. Wasn't this change too sudden?

But then again, someone had tried to kill Theodore, and it hadn't been a first attempt. You could only accept being threatened like this for some time before eventually changing and trying to protect yourself more. It was only natural after what Theodore had been through with that murderous mother of his.

Last time, help had barely arrived at the last second. Leon just hoped that he could help now.