I’m the Only One Who Can Put the Tyrant To Sleep

Chapter 49 “How did you find out about this? And I told you not to go anywhere alone…”“The entire palace is buzzing with the news. There’s no way I wouldn’t know. And I didn’t come alone.”Only then did I notice Alvin standing awkwardly behind Caesar. His lips moved as if to say something, but no sound came out. Finally, Alvin forced a nervous smile and spoke.“Uh, I’ll just… wait outside.”As the door closed gently behind him, I turned back to Caesar and asked, “The news has spread already? That fast?”“Yes.”That didn’t make sense. It had only been a few hours since the incident. How could word about an attempted assassination on a royal family spread before a proper investigation had even started?I bit my lip anxiously.“Someone deliberately spread the rumor. They’re trying to shift suspicion onto Caesar…”Though Floria was unharmed, the mere fact that an attempt had been made was damaging enough. If rumors began circulating that Caesar had tried to harm Floria…Even without evidence, everything Caesar had worked for could be ruined in an instant.I snapped my head up, determination filling my voice.“Your Highness.”“…Yes?”Caesar, still watching me with concern, blinked at my sudden intensity.I didn’t know who the culprit was, but I wasn’t about to let this slide.“I need to meet with the Empress.”“What?”“Right now.” ***** Caesar immediately requested an audience with the Empress after hearing everything I had to say.When he explained that it was regarding critical information about the attempt to poison Floria, the Empress accepted without hesitation. She was undoubtedly as tense about the situation as we were.We entered an unusually ornate reception room. Though we sat at the tea table, no refreshments were served. Following the incident just hours earlier, the palace had temporarily banned serving tea or snacks to guests.“So… what is this about?”The Empress spoke with a weary expression. I glanced at her briefly. Despite my presence in the room, she neither dismissed me nor asked who I was.It was clear she already knew about me—and she had no intention of hiding that fact.“I have something to say,” I began.Standing a few steps behind Caesar, I lowered my gaze slightly as I spoke. Predictably, the Empress didn’t seem surprised that I, a mere maid, was the one speaking instead of Caesar.“Go on.”“By tomorrow, it will be officially revealed that there was poison in the Princess’s teacup. After that, rumors will spread uncontrollably.”Those rumors would inevitably accuse Caesar of trying to kill Floria.“And?”“I would like the Empress to stop those rumors.”The Empress’s eyebrow arched sharply, as if hearing something utterly absurd.“Is that why you came here? Why should I do such a thing?”“That’s because…”I lifted my gaze to meet hers. While the situation hadn’t unfolded exactly as I’d planned, my objective remained the same.To pressure the Empress, secure her cooperation, and establish dominance in this tenuous relationship.“Because it is the only way for Your Majesty to ensure your survival.”The Empress’s face twisted at my audacious remark. She gripped the armrest of her chair tightly, but soon composed herself with a calm facade.“You’re making bold claims for someone staking their life on this conversation.”It was a thinly veiled threat—a warning that if I stepped out of line, she wouldn’t hesitate to have me silenced. Yet I felt confident I could sway her.“Who do you think is behind this incident, Your Majesty?”I didn’t wait for her answer.“I believe it’s someone who would benefit most if something terrible were to happen to the Princess.”“…Hah.”The Empress scoffed, her gaze shifting to Caesar.“If it’s him, I know very well who you’re talking about.”Her accusing stare made Caesar flinch, but before he could respond, I interjected.“Your Majesty, do you truly believe that the Crown Prince would benefit from this?”Caesar needed to stay silent during this conversation. If things went awry and we failed to secure the Empress’s cooperation, I wanted the blame to fall solely on me.“A maid’s words don’t carry the same weight as a Crown Prince’s.”“It’s only natural that he would. With his only competitor for the throne eliminated…”“Is the Princess truly his only competitor? What about the numerous nobles?”The Empress didn’t reply, but I could see her expression soften slightly.She knew the truth deep down. Even if Caesar eliminated Floria, it wouldn’t secure his claim to the throne.Despite the progress he’d made recently, Caesar was still a nominal Crown Prince, in name only. His true obstacles were not Floria, but the countless noble factions.“Then who else could it be?” she asked.“Someone who poisoned the Princess and framed the Crown Prince for it. Someone aiming to eliminate both heirs at once and end the royal line. Who would benefit most from such a scenario?”“…Are you saying the nobles intend to wipe out the royal family?”The Empress’s lips trembled as if she found the idea itself repulsive.“Do you remember what happened during the Crown Prince’s fifteenth birthday banquet?”I brought up Duke Spiegel’s attempted poisoning. The Empress nodded slightly, her expression grim.“Did you know about it beforehand, Your Majesty?”“What a ridiculous question. Are you implying I was aware of a plot to kill the Crown Prince?”“Well, Your Majesty did align yourself with Duke Spiegel…”Her face hardened at my bold assertion of her past ties to the Duke.“I had no idea. That was entirely Duke Spiegel’s doing.”“Yes, I’m aware. But why?”“What?”“Why would a Duke who had always been aligned with you act alone on such a critical matter without informing you?”“…Are you saying he betrayed me?”The Empress’s tone grew colder, sharper.“…Yes, that’s what I believe.”“Since when?”“From the beginning. The nobles allied with the Duke never intended to put the Princess on the throne. They’ve always planned to claim the throne for themselves.”The Empress’s hand trembled as it gripped the armrest, her face a mixture of anger and fear.“Do you have proof?”“Isn’t the poison in the Princess’s tea proof enough?”The Empress’s expression turned grim, her fear intensifying. It was understandable. Floria had barely escaped death just hours ago.“Your Majesty, they won’t stop until every member of the royal family is gone. I’m here to help save you.”My words were a thinly veiled threat: cooperate with us, or you might be next. Though brazen, the Empress didn’t frown this time.Instead, she fell into deep thought.I watched her intently, knowing she was weighing how much of my story she could believe. But deep down, I was sure the Empress had already harbored suspicions about the Duke’s faction. This incident was the trigger that had brought them to the forefront.I didn’t actually believe the Duke’s faction was behind the poisoning. They were already in a precarious position after losing Duke Spiegel and wouldn’t risk such a bold move.“But the Empress doesn’t need to know that.”Even if not entirely true, my story wasn’t entirely false either. Whoever was behind this had a similar goal: to wipe out the royal family and claim the throne for themselves.“The real culprit is likely the one who silenced Duke Spiegel.”Whoever it was, the Empress was undoubtedly in danger.“So…”After a long silence, the Empress finally spoke. Her expression had regained its composure, though it was tinged with a newfound coldness.“What do you want me to do?” ***** The following day, it was officially confirmed that the substance in Floria’s teacup was indeed poison.Shortly after, the Empress issued a formal statement. She announced that they already had a suspect in mind and were actively pursuing the culprit.At the same time, she launched an overt investigation into Rabies, the Master of the Mage Tower. Naturally, rumors began to swirl: Lavies, along with the noble faction aligned with the late Duke Spiegel, had not only attempted to kill the Crown Prince but also the Princess.Chaos erupted within the noble faction. To them, the Empress’s actions were nothing short of betrayal.Conversely, her actions also signaled a shift—an implicit declaration of support for Caesar.Everything was going according to my plan. With this incident, the Empress would publicly sever ties with the noble faction. Afterward, the only side left for her to align with would be Caesar’s.Events unfolded swiftly.Once it was confirmed that the poison matched the type commonly used in Lavies’s potions, he was stripped of his position as Master of the Magic Tower and imprisoned in the palace’s underground cells.As investigations into the noble faction intensified, another shocking development occurred: a maid from the Princess’s palace committed suicide, leaving behind a note confessing that she had poisoned Floria’s teacup.