Hiding My Identity From My Husband — Chapter 22

IT'S BEEN A WHILE, CHARLS.

YOU'VE GOTTEN THINNER,

HAVE YOU NOT BEEN FEELING WELL LATELY?

AH, NO. I’VE JUST HAD TROUBLE SLEEPING RECENTLY. I’M FINE.

DEAR ME. TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEALTH ABOVE ALL ELSE.

I NEED TO STAY CALM AND SPEAK NATURALLY...

JUST LIKE USUAL, AS IF I’M TALKING TO MY FATHER...

AH, SPEAKING OF WHICH—

ADRIAN BROUGHT YOU UP THE OTHER DAY.

ADRIAN TALKED ABOUT ME TO THE COMMANDER?

IS HE TELLING THE TRUTH, OR IS HE TESTING ME...?

HAHA, JUDGING BY YOUR FACE, YOU'RE STILL UNCOMFORTABLE HEARING ABOUT HIM.

DON'T BE LIKE THAT. YOU KNOW WE CONSIDER YOU FAMILY.

IN PLACE OF ASMERAlDA-

WHY BRING HER UP ALL OF A SUDDEN...?!

ASMERAlDA'S DEATH ANNIVERSARY IS COMING UP SOON.

THAT MUST BE WHY ADRIAN CAME LOOKING FOR YOU.

...I SEE. I'LL BE SURE TO PAY MY RESPECTS ON THAT DAY AS WELL.

YES. ASMERALDA WILL BE PLEASED TO KNOW SOMEONE STILL REMEMBERS HER.

I'M DOING FINE, THANKS TO YOU PLAYING THE ROLE OF A DAUGHTER SO DUTIFULLY.

TH-THANK YOU, COMMANDER.

OH DEAR, I MADE THE MOOD FAR TOO HEAVY.

SO, WHAT BRINGS YOU ALL THE WAY HERE TODAY?

WELL...

GET IT TOGETHER. I CAME HERE TODAY TO CLEAR MY DOUBTS ABOUT CATACLE.

...THIS MIGHT BE MY ONLY CHANCE TO ASK HIM...!

...COMMANDER,

I WANT TO HEAR CATACLE'S STANCE ON WHAT'S CURRENTLY HAPPENING IN THE EMPIRE.

OUT OF ALL THE NOBLES, MISFORTUNE BEFELL ONLY ON THE PRO- EMPEROR FACTION.

THE MODIFIED AURA DISTRIBUTED TO MANIPULATE THE CHILDREN OF NOBLE HOUSES.

CONNECTING ALL THESE POINTS LEADS TO A SINGLE CONCLUSION—

ARE YOU, BY ANY CHANCE—

PLANNING A REBELLION?

REBELLION—

THE COMMANDER ISN'T JUST DISTANCING HIMSELF FROM THE IMPERIAL FAMILY...

...HE'S MOVING TO USURP THE THRONE.

...CIRCUMSTANTIALLY, THAT'S THE MOST LIKELY HYPOTHESIS,

BUT HONESTLY, I WISH I WAS WRONG.

PLEASE... TELL ME IT ISN'T TRUE, COMMANDER...!

I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN, CHARLES.

TO FIGURE OUT MY PLAN...

...JUST FROM SEEING A SERIES OF ISOLATED EVENTS...

I HEARD YOU'VE BEEN HANGING AROUND HENRY'S FORMER INFORMANT SINCE HE VANISHED.

IS THAT HOW YOU FIGURED IT OUT?

DID HE KNOW ABOUT PINKY TOO...?

...THAT AGENT ONLY ASKED IF I KNEW ANYTHING ABOUT THE VICE-COMMANDER'S DISAPPEARANCE.

HE KNOWS NOTHING OF YOUR PLANS, COMMANDER.

...WELL, FINE. THAT'S NOT WHAT MATTERS RIGHT NOW ANYWAY.

...THEN, MAY I ASK FOR AN ANSWER TO MY QUESTION NOW?

WASN'T CATACLE CREATED IN THE FIRST PLACE...

...SOLELY TO PROTECT THE PEACE AND SECURITY OF THE EMPIRE?

SO WHY DOES IT KEEP DOING THINGS THAT UNDERMINE THE EMPIRE...?

YOU SEEM TO BE MISTAKEN ABOUT SOMETHING.

CATACLE ISN'T AN ORGANIZATION MEANT FOR THE EMPIRE.

IT'S AN ORGANIZATION MEANT FOR ME!

—!!

WHY ARE YOU SO SURPRISED?

SWEARING LOYALTY TO CATACLE AND TO ME WAS ENTIRELY YOUR CHOICE.

CHARLES, I TRUST YOU.

I KNOW YOU WILL SUPPORT ME, BOTH AS FAMILY AND AS MY FINEST AGENT.

...YES, COMMANDER.

MY LIFE BELONGS TO YOU.

HAAAH...

I KNOW I'M NOTHING MORE THAN A TOOL TO CATACLE.

BUT A REBELLION...?

HAS THE COMMANDER BEEN BUILDING CATACLE AS HIS PERSONAL ORGANIZATION FROM THE VERY START...?

HUH?

WHAT'S THIS? AN EMBROIDERED LETTER... HOW STRANGE.

DID IT FALL OUT OF THE MAILBOX?

IF SO, THAT MEANS IT'S A DIRECT MESSAGE MEANT FOR THE COMMANDER...

...WAIT, THIS FAMILIAR SCENT COMING FROM THE LETTER,

AND THE INITIAL 'L'...

COULD THIS BE...

...A LETTER FROM EMPRESS LYLA OF THE EMPIRE?

WITH CATACLE TURNING THE IMPERIAL FAMILY INTO AN ENEMY,

WHY WOULD THE EMPRESS CONTACT THE COMMANDER PERSONALLY...?

I SHOULD INSPECT IT AND SEAL IT BACK UP.

TO LORD BAYLOR. THE RECENT SITUATION IN THE BORDER REGION REMAINS UNSTABLE.

YOU SAID THAT NO MATTER HOW DEEP THE DARKNESS, LIGHT WOULD EVENTUALLY COME.

HOWEVER, BLEAK WINDS BLOW FROM ALL DIRECTIONS, PREDICTING DIFFICULT TIMES AHEAD.

I ONLY HOPE IT WILL NOT BE TOO LATE TO FULFILL OUR PROMISE.

AWAITING YOUR WISE REPLY, -L-

THIS IS...!

COULD THE REASON THE COMMANDER IS PREPARING A REBELLION...

...BE BECAUSE OF THE EMPRESS?!

IF THE TWO OF THEM MADE SOME KIND OF DEAL...

...THEN THE CONFLICT BETWEEN THE EMPRESS AND CATACLE WAS ALL JUST A DECOY...!

THEY FIGURED OUT WHICH SIDE THE CATACLE AGENTS SUPPORTED—THE IMPERIAL FAMILY OR THE COMMANDER—

AND PURGED THE FACTIONS TO WORK IN THEIR FAVOR!

ANYONE WITH A HIGH ENOUGH RANK TO ACCESS THE COMMANDER'S ROOM...

...COULD HAVE REALIZED THIS TRUTH, JUST AS I DID.

FOR EXAMPLE... VICE-COMMANDER HENRY, WHO BECAME A TARGET FOR ELIMINATION...

AFTER HENRY DISAPPEARED.

THE COMMANDER NEVER SAID HENRY WAS DEAD.

IF SO, HE MIGHT HAVE GONE INTO HIDING AFTER FINDING OUT THE TRUTH.

THE FINAL CLUE HE LEFT BEHIND FOR PINKY...

...IF I CAN FIGURE OUT HOW TO USE IT...

...I CAN FIND HENRY AND DISCUSS A WAY TO STOP THE COMMANDER!