"As long as I am in this room, you are safe."

But Julian wasn’t worried about his own safety. He was worried about the Duke’s reputation falling to the dirt and the charges of treason holding weight even in the wind.

He feared for the worst. But once again, he decided to trust the Duke.

And with that, the Northern knights were positioned by the gate in a long straight line, making it clear to the Golden Guard that they did not plan to open the gates, even if they were here on the Emperor’s orders.

It was a blatant insult to authority, one that the Emperor had meticulously calculated.

The standoff at the gates felt like a physical weight pressing against the Estate’s stone walls. While the Golden Guard shouted their ultimatums into the cooling evening air, the interior of the Duke’s bedroom remained an island of defiant, heavy silence.

Julian stared at the closed balcony doors. He could still hear the muffled clank of armor and the restless whinnying of horses outside, but Alaric didn’t even glance back at the window.

To the Duke, the Emperor’s ’Golden Mandate’ was nothing more than a scrap of paper meant to distract him from the only thing that mattered: the person lying in this bed.

Julian could do nothing but clasp his hands together and say a silent prayer. Praying that all will be well.

A few minutes later, a sharp knock sounded at the bedroom door. Julian flinched, as if the enemy had made their way in, but Alaric didn’t move a muscle.

"Enter," the Duke commanded. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Sir Kaelen, the Captain of the Northern Guard, stepped inside. His armor was dusty, and his expression was grim. He didn’t look at Julian; his eyes were fixed on his Lord.

"Your Grace," Kaelen began, bowing stiffly. "The Golden Guard has begun to set up camp directly in front of the main gates. They’ve brought in a magister to amplify their voices. Every commoner within five blocks can hear them calling you a traitor."

"Let them shout until their throats bleed," Alaric replied without turning his head. "Are the secondary perimeters secure?"

"Yes, Your Grace. The hidden paths through the lower gardens are manned by our most trusted scouts. No one can approach the servant’s entrance without being neutralized."

"And the guest?"

Kaelen hesitated, glancing briefly at Julian as if the information he was about to speak should not be uttered in the presence of another, before returning his gaze to the Duke and responding.

"He is within the city limits. He’s moved to the second checkpoint. If the patrols stay on their current rotation, he will reach the estate tunnels by midnight."

"Good. Double the watch on the balcony. If a single arrow or messenger bird flies over these walls, I want it grounded."

"Yes, Your Grace."

As Kaelen bowed and retreated, Julian felt the room grow colder. Midnight was still hours away. In other words, hours of listening to the Empire call for the Duke’s head while a forbidden priest crawled through the dirt to save a man the world now considered a ’cripple’.

Julian looked at Alaric, who was now watching the fireplace, the firelight reflecting in his blue eyes.

"You’re really going to do it," Julian murmured. "You’re going to hold the gate against the Emperor’s guards."

The Duke finally looked back at him, a small, dark smirk playing on his lips.

"I told you, Julian. I’ve never started a losing battle. Even if the Emperor comes to these gates himself, they will remain shut."

Julian felt a chill. That was a dangerous and nearly absurd thing to say, but he knew the Duke was not bluffing.

He would stay true to his words till the end.

This was why he hoped that the Emperor would not come. Please. Just stay on your golden throne.

In that moment, the system chimed, and Julian felt an ominous chill prickle down his spine.

> [URGENT QUEST: THE SILENT SHADOW]

> [Objective: Survive until midnight (00:00).

> [Condition: An Elite Assassin has breached the outer perimeter and is waiting for the right time to strike.]

> [Target: Host (Julian Von Astrea)]

> [Failure Penalty: Permanent Death]

> [Note: Host, your enemies want you dead and want the Duke blamed. Do your best to survive.]

Julian’s breath hitched. An assassin? Here? Now?

His mind raced through the possibilities. It couldn’t be the Emperor—No, this smelled of the Marquis.

If Julian died now, under the Duke’s roof while the Golden Guard sat at the gates, Alaric wouldn’t just be a ’traitor’—he would be a murderer who tried to conceal his rebellious plans by getting rid of the strategist.

The Marquis would finally have the ’justice’ he needed to erase his mistake forever.

It was already close to midnight, and the reason they still weren’t asleep was because of the noise outside. So, the assassin must’ve already found their way in, despite the guards and knights stationed all over the premises.

Julian looked at his legs, still useless under the heavy blankets. He was a sitting duck. He had no way to run, no way to hide, and his physical integrity was still far too low to put up a fight. But he had one thing that could definitely turn this situation around.

He looked up at Alaric.

The Duke was still watching the fire, his expression calm, but Julian could see the way his fingers drummed a restless rhythm against his thigh.

"Your Grace," Julian called out, his voice thin but urgent.

Alaric turned instantly, his brow furrowing at the title, but then he noticed the sheer terror written on Julian’s face.

"Julian? Is the pain—"

"No," Julian interrupted, clutching the sheets so hard his knuckles turned white. "Lucien, please. There is something I have to tell you. It... it may sound ridiculous. It may sound completely ungrounded, but can you trust me? Can you just... believe me?"

Alaric didn’t even pause to ask for an explanation. He leaned in, his gaze locking onto Julian’s with a fierce, unwavering intensity.

"Julian, my heart is yours," he confessed, and Julian’s heart thumped. "If I do not believe you, who shall I believe? Speak. I am listening."

It was a reassuring statement, and Julian finally gained the courage to speak.

"I have a feeling," Julian began, his heart hammering so loudly he was sure the Duke could hear it. "A very strong, certain feeling... that someone is coming. Not the guards at the gate. Someone else. Tonight, before the priest arrives, someone shall come... to take my life."