The sudden appearance of Seraphine was an unexpected twist that wasn't part of my original plan. Given that our secret operation was aimed at taking down McHart, a member of the royal family, it had been impossible to inform someone like Seraphine, a royal herself, without risking exposure. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust her, but rather that it was simply unfeasible to secretly communicate something as sensitive as regicide to a princess. Even bringing it up might have led to disaster before we could even carry out the plan.

But now, with Seraphine here—a development that never occurred in the original story—I could only surmise that her appearance had something to do with either McHart, myself, or perhaps even the situation involving Ethan and Cerista. Somehow, Seraphine had found out about this. How she did so was anyone’s guess—whether through the sheer information power the royal family possessed or perhaps through some foresight into the events of today.

"For now, only those who can take responsibility for their words should speak," Seraphine declared, her voice clear and authoritative. "Anyone who disrupts this moment with unnecessary words will be remembered by me. And I have an excellent memory."

Thanks to Seraphine's intervention, the unruly crowd was quickly subdued. It was a feat neither Ethan nor I could have managed with a few words, so, in an unintended way, I owed her for this.

"Seraphine! Get this madman off me! He's dared to threaten a royal—me!" McHart, who lay pinned under Ethan's foot, reached out to Seraphine as if she were his last hope. Of course, with both his arms severed below the elbows, even if a lifeline had been thrown to him, he wouldn't have been able to grasp it.

Seraphine clicked her tongue softly, a look of disgust crossing her face as she gazed at McHart. Her disdain for him was palpable, just as it had been in the original story. Fortunately, with her back to the crowd, only Ethan and I could see her expression.

"Haven't I always told you, McHart?" Seraphine's voice was cold. "If you go around seducing other people’s women indiscriminately, someday, someone will come along who won't care that you’re a royal and will put a blade to your throat."

"I—I didn’t mean—"

"I’ve seen you harassing Lillis with my own eyes, so don’t bother denying it now. I won’t believe you anyway."

"N-never mind that! Just save me! Your brother is about to be killed by this lunatic!!"

"Ethan, would you mind lowering your sword? I understand your feelings, but he is still my brother."

Seraphine’s words, though diplomatic, were clear: "I know you’re angry, but blood is blood, and not helping him would cause problems."

Though Ethan, as a noble, surely understood the subtleties of her words, he didn’t lower his sword. He remained resolute, his blade still poised at McHart's neck.

"No matter what the princess says, I cannot comply. This prince has threatened and attempted to take my fiancée, Lillis. He even stooped to using demonic power to fulfill his vile desires. For the sake of the Argentian Empire and the Valtoria royal family, it is better for him to die here."

…Now he's openly calling me his fiancée.

While I understood that this wasn’t the time to clarify the complexities of our relationship, hearing Ethan declare me as his fiancée so openly always made me feel a bit embarrassed. But I wasn’t the only one reacting to his words—several ladies in the crowd seemed to blush, though likely for different reasons.

"Prince McHart is a demon? That’s a slanderous lie!"

"He’s just making up stories to get out of trouble after threatening a royal!"

"Let go of the prince, you murderer!!"

McHart's supporters in the crowd began hurling insults at Ethan, and some of the more agitated ladies even threw objects at him. Fans and handkerchiefs missed their mark, but one object, a champagne glass, flew straight toward Ethan’s head. I quickly reached out and caught it before it could do any damage.

-Thump!

"…"

"…"

As I scanned the crowd for the culprit, several ladies averted their eyes, clearly hoping to avoid responsibility for their actions. Annoyed by their cowardice, I tightened my grip on the glass.

-Crack!

"Eek!"

"…!"

Unfortunately, I didn’t find the culprit, but at least nothing else came flying our way. The sudden silence among the ladies was puzzling, but I didn’t have time to dwell on it.

"Thank you for silencing them for me, Lillis," Seraphine said unexpectedly.

"What?"

Before I could make sense of her words, Seraphine turned her attention back to Ethan, asking if he was prepared to take responsibility for his earlier statements.

"Ethan, what you just said could be considered an insult to me, as I share the same blood as McHart. Can you take responsibility for that?"

"I meant no offense to you, Princess. My point is that this man used demonic power to harm my fiancée. It’s his personal crime, and I have no suspicion that the Valtoria royal family is involved with demons."

"I see. So, you’re saying that because McHart might be involved with demons, it’s best to kill him now to prevent any further threat?"

"Obviously, that’s a lie! He’s just trying to avoid being charged with regicide!"

"…Very well. We should hear both sides more thoroughly. But first, my brother needs treatment. After that, we can continue this discussion."

"I have stated that Prince McHart used demonic power. Are you saying you don’t believe me, Princess Seraphine?"

"For now, it’s just your claim. Do you have any proof that McHart is indeed connected to demons?"

"With the power of the Saintess, using the ‘Mirror of Truth’…"

"Yes. But until that ‘Mirror of Truth’ is used to reveal the truth, we can’t make any assumptions. We need to determine whether McHart is indeed involved with demons or if you are deceiving us."

"…"

"Even if McHart is guilty, if that fact isn’t revealed before his death, you will still face consequences, Ethan."

Seraphine was right. If McHart died before his connection to demons was exposed, Ethan and I would be in serious trouble. His death had to occur only after his demonic ties were proven. That’s why I had warned Ethan not to kill him outright.

Seraphine then leaned in close to Ethan and whispered something I couldn’t catch, but I could see Ethan’s grip on his sword relax slightly.

"If it’s proven that Prince McHart is indeed involved with demons, what will you do, Princess Seraphine?"

"Though I don’t want to believe it… If he is involved with demons, even as a royal, he must face the appropriate punishment."

"Understood."

With Seraphine’s final words, Ethan sheathed his sword and stepped off McHart’s body, ready to let the matter be judged according to Seraphine’s suggestion.

‘Not exactly the outcome I planned, but at least the worst-case scenario was avoided.’

Had McHart been killed—or killed himself—things would have become very difficult for Ethan, no matter how justified his actions were. The original plan had been for McHart’s demonic nature to be revealed naturally, with the hero, Cerista, and Agnes all present to take him down. At the last moment, I would have used the "Mirror of Truth" to expose the traces of demonic power within him, ensuring that his death was seen as justified.

Afterward, we would have left his body in the courtyard, where it would be discovered the next morning. With the "Veil of Concealment" spell, no one would have noticed the body until then, allowing us to distance ourselves from the scene and avoid suspicion.

But with so many eyes now watching, that plan was no longer viable. The best course of action was to prove McHart’s demonic ties in front of everyone, ensuring that Ethan wouldn’t be wrongfully accused of regicide.

"Lady Cerista."

"…"

"Lady Cerista, please step forward."

The mention of the Saintess’s name caused a ripple of murmurs in the crowd, but Cerista did not immediately reveal herself.

-Murmur, murmur.

"…"

Instead, the crowd parted, revealing her location. Surrounded by people, there she was, wearing a suspicious mask that only made her stand out more.

"Uh, um…"

"…"

"I think there’s been some misunderstanding… I’m not the Saintess, just someone who happened to pass by and decided to join the gathering…"

"Lady Cerista, this is not the time for jokes."

"It really is the Saintess. I thought she looked familiar."

"Did you really think no one would notice?"

"…"

Blushing furiously, Cerista finally stepped forward, quietly removing her mask. I couldn’t help but think that wearing something so conspicuous had only made her more noticeable.