CHAPTER 75: THE GRAND BALL (5)

Justinian stood up, taking a quick overview of the situation.

The two princes were already taken into account, all surrounded by personal knights; the king and queen, however, were nowhere to be found, but with Velen already acting, it meant they were just as safe.

As for Maria, it seemed like he was responsible for her safety.

Justinian took a quick check of his system, and it seemed like it still hadn’t changed.

It still wanted him to maintain favor with the princess, and with the current chaos, this was the exact time he could do it.

’Did it predict this outcome?’

Justinian acted quickly and immediately relocated to another part of the huge manor, one where the royal ball was most silent.

"I apologize for dragging you around."

Justinian led her to a spacious room that had only four other nobles inside. It was only a transitional room filled with decorations; it had nothing interesting or was not even decorated for the ball.

It was the best place to bring Maria, considering how Justinian didn’t know who or how many assassins they were.

The fake shadow society may have taken down Valen, but who’s to say they didn’t have another target?

"T-thank you, Duke Thirell..."

Maria said hesitantly, still shaking from the experience of almost being assassinated.

She was skilled in political intrigue and its machinations, but experiencing an assassination firsthand would quickly prove that skill to be useless.

Fear will always win.

Justinian stood near the window, the faint moonlight cutting across his armor as the muffled echoes of shouting soldiers reverberated from the main hall. The silence in this side room was almost deafening compared to the chaos outside.

He took a deep breath, the metallic scent of his armor still clinging to him. His gauntlets were stained faintly from where he’d disarmed the assassin — a reminder that even in peace, this world had fangs.

"...It’s nothing," he finally replied, turning to Maria, whose trembling hands gripped her gown tightly. "You’re safe. That’s what matters."

Maria bit her lip and looked away. "Safe? A Marquis tried to kill me, and I didn’t even notice until it was too late. How am I supposed to call that safe?"

Her voice cracked midway, but she quickly masked it with a shaky breath. Even now, she tried to act composed, royal, but the fear was still in her eyes.

Justinian approached slowly, careful not to startle her. "This isn’t your failure. It’s someone else’s success."

She blinked, confused.

He smirked faintly. "Assassinations thrive on the assumption that their target won’t notice. You weren’t supposed to. That’s why I was there."

Justinian wasn’t even sure he was talking about, but it sounded wise and reassuring, so he just went with it, relying on the princess’s own interpretation if his words reassured her.

Modern humans would usually take a philosopher’s words and twist them to comfort themselves, so who’s to say the princess isn’t the same?

’That reminds me... I should probably use modern philosophy and teach it across my duchy...’ A sudden thought rose in his mind, one that he made a mental note of for the future.

Back to Maria, she seemed to hesitate, then smiled softly. It worked.

"...You speak as though you expected all of this."

"I didn’t," Justinian replied, crossing his arms, his eyes narrowing at the door. "But I’ve learned that it’s better to live as if you don’t expect what’s about to happen."

The system flickered faintly in his peripheral vision:

[Favorability Increased]

[Condition met: "Reassurance in crisis."]

He ignored the notification with a silent sigh.

’Now there are conditions?’

The door creaked open, and one of Velen’s royal owls entered, bowing stiffly.

"Your Grace, Princess. Duke Valen has been stabilized. The King has ordered all guests confined within the manor until further notice. No one leaves."

Maria’s shoulders stiffened. "That means... the culprit must still be in the manor."

"They were smart enough to get in," Justinian added. "But looks like they didn’t plan their escape route well enough."

The owl nodded curtly before leaving, shutting the door once more.

"The assassin is still within the manor..."

Maria tensed up, grasping at her sleeves for comfort. It was clear she didn’t want the same thing happening again.

"Don’t worry, as long as I’m here, no harm will come to you."

Justinian said with enough confidence that it nearly bordered on arrogance, but he had a reason to say that; right now, he was the most armed and equipped noble in the entire manor.

Not only that, he still had his reward of good fortune active, and if he just stayed close to Maria, then that luck should naturally affect her.

"You sound confident..."

Maria laughed. She thought his words were boastful at first, but after she noticed the fact that he was quite literally armed to the teeth with his magically appearing armor, she felt quite comfortable.

"And I guess you deserve it..."

Maria’s laughter faded softly into the crackling quiet. The distant sound of boots and shouted orders echoed faintly through the manor halls, a constant reminder that the night was far from over.

Justinian sheathed his blade, the faint hum of divine energy fading as his armor lost its radiant dark sheen. Only the faint glimmer of moonlight remained on the edges of the steel.

He turned toward the window again. From where he stood, he could see the manor’s courtyard below, torches flickering like scattered fireflies as soldiers combed the gardens and corridors in organized lines.

"Efficient," he muttered. "He sure doesn’t waste time."

Justinian couldn’t help but appreciate it; the sight of an organized group of people and a skilled leader was always a nice thing to see, especially for Justinian, who had worked multiple desk jobs in the past.

Having a skilled leader was like a blessing to him.

Maria followed his gaze, her voice quiet. "You sound like you admire him."

"I do," Justinian admitted. "It’s just satisfying to see... especially if you’re a duke"

He smirked faintly. ’That, and how he’s likely one of the few people in this kingdom who probably doesn’t look at me like a chess piece on a board.’

Maria blinked, then stifled a small laugh. The tension broke again, a light sound in the night.

But Justinian’s mind wasn’t calm.

’Assassination, a marquis as the decoy, Valen targeted, the shadow society name reused... are there any details in the novel I can use for my advantage?’

’It’s not like I have photographic memory though...’

He leaned slightly against the window frame, eyes scanning every flicker of torchlight as though searching for meaning in the shadows.

’But what about my knowledge of history...? Court murders and secrets, I could probably use something as an inspiration...’