"Kathryn?"
"Yeah, something up?"
Ira, who was posing as Kathryn, couldn't ask any more questions without making her suspicious, so she took Kathryn's name and released a nervous smile.
"No, sorry, I just haven't been called that name in a while."
"I could know; after all, you have Ivan holding your wrist, ensuring you don't escape again!"
Escape? Do these people truly know what Kathryn looks like? Ira, forced to play along while assuming the identity of Kathryn, the 'Mischievous Maid ', felt the tension building with every word.
"You're right, who knows? I could escape any minute, haha."
Ira released a nervous smile, glancing at Ivan, the man who had been gently holding her wrist from the start.
Ivan began to laugh before expressing his opinion of the situation.
"Yeah, I was surprised to see Kathryn near the palace. We were all looking for Princess Ira, but my mind began to focus on not letting her escape again."
The mention of Ira's name in the sentence sent a shiver down her spine, but she couldn't make it noticeable.
"Hey, Reign! You're still on knight duties, right? So you had the chance to see Emperor Kaelin up front. Is he ill?"
As Ivan finished his sentence, there was a moment of silence. The change in the atmosphere was noticeable, but Reign, the man who stopped me, began to reply to Ivan's question.
"Yeah, I saw Emperor Kaelin. But the Crown Prince Kaius ceased all help given to him."
Nobody spoke immediately after Reign said that. It was apparent what the Crown Prince was trying to do. He wanted his father to die so he could take over the position of Emperor.
But what Ira couldn't understand was why are they sad? Shouldn't they feel excited to know their tyrannical Emperor was about to die?
At least, you won't be ruled by a cold-hearted Emperor anymore. The conflicting emotions of the situation weighed heavily on Ira, making her question the nature of power and the people who sought it.
Unless, the Crown Prince isn't any different. Ira's heart sank at the thought, her internal struggle becoming more pronounced.