The Villainess Lives Twice
chapter-283

Chapter 283

Proofreader: somnium

The Guards were tense.

Few of the Guardsmen expressed their views on politics. Only three people actively participated in the anti-Crown Prince faction.

But among the rest, there were many who, like Samuel, simply watched the development of this event.

If the Guards were moving properly, it would be impossible to attack the Imperial Palace.

Therefore, the Guards of the anti-Crown Prince faction left their words in advance. That the Imperial Order will come down soon.

The Guards knew that the Emperor was trying to contain the Crown Prince. So it was convincing.

Once they closed their eyes, after that, even if the situation became more serious than they expected, they couldn’t even touch it.

To prevent that situation, they had no choice but to attack the anti-Crown Prince faction. But if they do, they will become traitors when the Imperial Order falls.

It was difficult for the guards to be loyal to the Emperor.

But now the Empress’ orders have been given.

The Imperial Order has not yet been delivered. The Crown Prince was absent.

Therefore, the Empress, now the Mistress of the Imperial Palace, was their commander.

Gayan was the first to respond by tapping his left chest.

“Gayan, the Guards Knight, will obey the orders of the Empress.”

When this happened, the other knights were forced to follow the orders.

Hesitation still remained in the hearts of the Guards such as Samuel and Thelmar.

But the Imperial Palace was now on fire. The Imperial Grandchild was in danger and had to run away in the hands of the Crown Princess of a foreign country, not even the lady-in-waiting.

In this situation, Gayan has already said that he will obey the orders. All the Guards were watching.

However, they could not disobey the Empress’ orders.

Gayan took the lead, followed by Samuel and Thelmar.

The Empress only then slowly turned around and headed for the salon.

As she walked while holding Leticia, eyes swarmed. Applauds of amazement sounded.

Bernat applauded first, followed by applause from the envoys.

The Empress sat in her seat holding Leticia. The envoys rushed to greet.

It was the day Leticia showed her face in public for the first time since her naming ceremony.

＊＊＊

When the first attack broke out at the Crown Prince’s Palace, all the nobles of the anti-Crown Prince faction flocked to the Imperial Palace.

3 delivered the news in advance. The Imperial Order has been issued, and the attack has begun to secure the Imperial Grandchild.

So, they gathered in the audience room to confirm the Imperial Order, and they planned to dethrone the Crown Prince.

Bertholdt, who was in charge of guarding the Main Palace, blocked the nobles’ entrance.

“After the sun goes down, you cannot enter the Palace without the Emperor, the Empress, or the Crown Prince’s call.”

“His Majesty has issued the Imperial Order, so we were going to hear it out.”

“I have not heard of anything.”

Bertholdt said in a solemn manner.

Count Eison raised his voice.

“There is an attack at the Imperial Palace, what do you mean!”

“It is true that there was a fire in the Imperial Palace. The servants are working on it, so it will be over soon.”

Bertholdt said with a face that didn’t seem like a needle would go through.

“It is none of your business. I am serving His Majesty, I have never heard of the Imperial Order.”

The guards were blocking the gates of the Imperial Palace, so there was nothing they could do.

No matter what was going on inside, the public could not intervene from the outside. Nobles had no right to do that.

Some rushed to find invitations to Countess Martha’s salon. However, they suffered a backlash.

The Guards, under the Empress’ order, quickly suppressed the inside of the Imperial Palace.

In addition to the troops that attacked the Imperial Palace, Gayan also drew numerous people, including servants, attendants, and employees of the Main Palace, and threw them into the investigation office.

He already had the list. Who let Cobb pass? Who turned a blind eye to Hawthorne’s troops?

“The one and only Imperial Grandchild almost lost her life.”

Those words were an absolute cause now that the Imperial Order’s existence has not been proven.

“Catch and throw away all those who tried to disturb the Imperial Palace while calling out the Emperor’s name. They may be on the same side.”

Not only the Imperial Palace but also the dark Main Palace were lit with torches.

* * *

Meanwhile, Cobb was heading to the most important place: Chief Hudson of the Capital Guard.

Tonight his calculations are wrong.

It never occurred to him that the Empress would open a salon tonight and invite all of the diplomatic envoys.

With that gaze, the battle at the Crown Prince’s Palace could not spread to the Empress’ Palace, let alone the main palace.

With the exception of Gus and Alden, who were, from the beginning, an anti-Crown Prince faction, all the Guards who tried to watch the progress turned away.

He didn’t know that Bertholdt would keep the gates of the Imperial Palace closed and strictly guard it. Cobb and his undercover investigators thought they had successfully blackmailed him.

Even then, Cobb wouldn’t mind. In fact, he didn’t really care whether he succeeded in capturing Leticia or not.

If caught, she will help as a hostage to subdue Evron.

But the most important thing is to kill Cedric. Once that was accomplished, the rest could be dealt with somehow.

And now the most powerful force in the Capital was the Capital Guard.

“No matter how great Grand Duke Evron and his Knights are, there is no way they can defeat the army. A person taking down a hundred is just a metaphor.”

Hudson twisted his lips and said so.

“Bring me the Imperial Order. Without the Imperial Order, I cannot enter the Capital.”

About 200 men, including Hawthorne’s troops that attacked the Crown Prince’s Palace, had already entered the Capital at Hudson’s order.

This is possible because the commander of the unit, like Hudson, was an anti-Crown Prince faction.

However, he was not allowed to lead the army in public. Entering into the Capital without the Imperial Order was defined as treason on the spot.

Cobb delivered Hudson the letter the Emperor had given.

A thousand fully armed and waiting Capital Guards moved.

* * *

Cedric stopped at a temple near the slum.

There were no signs of presence at all. The temple was ugly. During the day the mob destroyed it, leaving no doors or windows intact.

He went into the temple without hesitation.

The bench was torn apart and the curtains were torn. The altar that was left unharmed was reflected in the moonlight, giving it a gloomy look.

“Roll call.”

The Evron Knights who followed him counted from 1 to 18.

Finally, the knight who appeared from inside prostrated and bowed.

“Greetings, Crown Prince, I am Maverick of the Central Army.”

“Good work. Is the introduction over?”

“Yes.”

Cedric nodded his head.

The reason the person who initiated the riot from the beginning struck down the temple was to use this place as a battleground.

This temple was located in a very remote place. Shortly after being engulfed in riots, Bishop Nikos at the Great Temple took the priest as well as the people of the nearby building and took them to another temple.

Thanks to this, the temple area is now empty.

Before Cedric moved to the slum, Maverick entered the temple first.

And he had been waiting until now.

“Now, all that remains is to wait.”

Cedric said.

When those words fell, the Knights of Evron relaxed for a moment and checked their posture.

Instead, 30 Central Army Knights, each holding guns, sat by the window.

The attack did not start immediately, even though he moved only at a speed that could be traced while keeping a reasonable distance so that the pursuit continued.

“Will they be trying to replenish the firepower?”

Cedric muttered.

He couldn’t remember how many he had cut. Obviously, at first, more than a hundred people followed.

And on the way there, the number was increasing.

Few people knew how to properly wield a spear. Perhaps they were thugs who worked as an escort in a noble family or bought with money.

“They will be waiting for reinforcements. They wouldn’t have the courage to face the Evron Knights directly.”

Indeed, they will.

Among the Evron Knights, two were wounded, but they were cut 20 times more than that.

Cedric wondered what would have happened to the rest by now.

“Incoming!”

A man watching from the tower of the temple ran down screaming.

Maverick shouted,

“How many?”

“A thousand!”

There was tension on Maverick’s face. It was because he hadn’t expected that the entire Capital Guard would turn to the enemy.

Cedric said bitterly,

“The fight will be bigger than I thought.”

He ordered about 20 people to fire sporadically. It was because he wanted the opponent not to notice the ambush.

Hudson surrounded the temple with a force of 1,000 men.

It’s not because they’re wary of the number of 20 people at most.

This was not a battle. It wasn’t just about pushing and winning.

The important thing was that Cedric should not survive.

So Hudson decided to form a network and annihilate the temple.

However, this was when he finished the siege and was about to break up a part of the detached units and charge it into the temple.

Click!

Thousands of guns were loaded.

Guns came out of every window of the building surrounding the temple. Torches were lit on every roof, making the temple as bright as broad daylight.

The fire was ignited by a pre-made oil channel.

The ambush from the Central Army appeared. Another unit surrounded the Capital Guards that were besieging the temple.

General Boyden, who should still be stationed on the Southern Road with the Southern Conquest Force, stepped forward.

“Captain Hudson, I would recommend you just once. Drop the weapon.”

“General Boyden, are you disobeying the Imperial Order?”

“The crime of attacking the Crown Prince with a forged Imperial Order could be called treason, but Sir’s men must have followed you without knowing anything. In battle, only innocent soldiers are sacrificed.”

General Boyden said,

“As a commander, it would have been better to attack right away than to waste time like this. But aren’t Sir’s men and my men all loyal soldiers of the Empire? The Crown Prince does not want innocent sacrifices. So I will only recommend it once.”

Hudson clenched his teeth.

There was no chance of winning against the Central Army. The Capital Guards stood with their guns pointed at the temple.

The moment they try to turn around, the Central Army will shoot them from behind.

The battle was not decided by Hudson

When one of the Guards found out that it was the Crown Prince inside the temple, he was shocked and panicked and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

Maverick responded to it. General Boyden stepped back and ordered the attack.

Hudson led a guard loyal to him and plunged into the temple.

He was trying to turn things around by grabbing Cedric.

But he couldn’t even get through the door. The waiting knights shot him in front of the door.

The last thing he saw was Cedric’s complicated face.