Princess, Please Fall in Love with Me-Chapter 53 : Chapter 53

Chapter 53 : Reversal, An Ending That Is Always To Be Continued
Facing the assassins’ encirclement, the Duke swiftly pressed a dagger to the Emperor’s throat, holding the stunned Emperor Miles hostage.
Yiwen had no choice but to clutch the Emperor’s clothing, feigning fear while staying close to him.
"Duke, why have you joined them?"
"Your Majesty, this is an unavoidable situation."
The assassin leader, gripping a long blade, looked at the two smugly, nodding in satisfaction, then ordered his men to escort them back to the palace banquet hall, where the other guests had already been subdued by the assassins.
Seeing the Emperor held hostage, everyone’s hearts sank.
"Everyone can see, your Emperor is now in mortal danger!"
The assassin leader excitedly raised his long blade, as the Duke brought the Emperor before the crowd.
"Kill the Emperor and his bloodline!"
The assassins closed in on the two step by step, but strangely, not only was the perimeter heavily guarded by soldiers, but the supposedly invincible Saito’s Grand Duke was also at the banquet. How could these people have slipped in so easily?
Suddenly, a blade plunged deep into the assassin leader’s chest.
The Duke abruptly released the Emperor, stabbing the leader in one swift motion.
The leader clutched his chest, staring at the Duke in disbelief.
"That was quite a show, wasn’t it, Your Excellency the Duke?"
"Naturally, Your Majesty, it seems our plan has succeeded."
From the corner, several soldiers in palace uniforms rushed out.
The Duke’s men easily counter-encircled the sudden assassins, while the other princes and princesses slowly emerged under the Duke’s protection.
"Yiwen, were you frightened? This was merely a trap set by me and the Duke for the assassins. Stay by my side, and no one can harm you."
The Emperor patted Yiwen’s shoulder reassuringly, casually stepping on a fallen assassin, then took a sword from a nearby soldier and decisively ended the assassin’s life.
At that moment, Saito's Grand Duke, wielding a greatsword, was hurriedly escorted in by attendants, his face grim.
He had intended to stay quietly by his granddaughter’s side, but was forced to partake in this foolish charade.
Seeing Yiwen unharmed, the Grand Duke’s expression softened, but he still glared at the Emperor discontentedly, sitting down with a darkened face.
The Duke and soldiers dragged the assassin leader before the crowd.
The Emperor looked at the man who had been so arrogant moments ago, now on the verge of death from blood loss.
"I much preferred your defiant expression earlier. Why are you groveling at my feet now? Incompetent fool, you fell for it so quickly."
The Emperor intended to publicly unmask the assassin leader, but when the mask was removed, his face turned serious and furious.
Beneath the mask was a familiar face—Annas, the head of the Clover Family, who had been discreetly mingling with the crowd!
When darkness fell, he had blended into the fleeing masses, even passing by several nobles, none suspecting he was the true assassin leader in disguise.
"Your Majesty, what is this? Annas, why are you here?"
The Empress, protected by guards, looked at her family’s head in disbelief as he was pressed to the ground, facing an enraged Emperor Miles.
"Well done, Clover Family, what audacity!"
The Emperor didn’t look at the trembling Annas on the ground but instead smiled coldly at the Empress.
Though unspoken, everyone knew the Emperor was truly enraged.
"Your Majesty, what’s going on? Annas, who ordered you? Speak to His Majesty at once!"
The Empress feigned innocence, looking at Annas in panic.
At his wit’s end, Annas pointed at the Empress’s face defiantly.
"Your Majesty, it was the Empress who sent me to assassinate you! The Duke was in on it too! I—I have Eryus’s envoys as proof!"
Annas suddenly looked toward the Eryus envoy group as if seeing a savior, but his hopeful gaze lingered without anyone stepping forward to vouch for him.
Finally, National Teacher Kavita stood up, his squinting eyes curiously studying the other.
"Our envoy group would never permit involvement in another nation’s politics. Could someone have privately made a deal with this gentleman?"
As Kavita’s suspicious gaze swept over the envoys, everyone shivered involuntarily, and the one who had actually made the deal nearly collapsed to his knees.
Kavita saw the truth but reverted to his usual flippant demeanor, smiling and changing the subject, then led his men back to their seats to quietly enjoy the farce’s conclusion.
"Impossible! He clearly took my money and promised to testify for me..."
Before Annas could finish, a sword pierced his chest again.
The Empress, with a look of disgust, ran him through.
Seeing the Emperor’s amused expression, she quickly adopted a submissive demeanor.
"Your Majesty, such a person who insulted the empire’s honor and dared to plot against you should be executed immediately! As a member of the Clover Family, I’m willing to offer half our wealth as atonement to you!"
The Empress was desperate to distance herself from him, even sacrificing generations of family wealth to gain leniency, but to the crowd, it only seemed like a guilty conscience.
"Since the Empress offers such a sincere apology, I’ll spare the Clover Family this time. But this traitor... perhaps you should personally execute him?"
The Emperor’s gaze lingered on the sword in the Empress’s hand, then shifted to the dying Annas.
The Empress’s hand trembled slightly, then gripped the sword tightly.
The next second, before everyone, Annas’s head was severed, blood splattering onto the Empress’s skirt, staining it with a crimson bloom.
She looked excitedly at the Emperor, only to meet a mocking smile.
"The Empress’s act of righteous extermination is truly impressive, but for your health, you should rest well these days. Guards, escort the Empress to rest!"
How could the Emperor not see the Empress’s hand in this?
This was merely a way to drain the last of her and her maternal family’s influence under the guise of mercy.
"Your Majesty, wait, you can’t do this!"
"Rest assured, I’ll personally oversee the First Prince’s growth."
The Emperor looked at the Empress’s incredulous expression with calm, distant eyes, gently patting her shoulder.
His icy gaze stared at her, conveying a final warning,
As if realizing something, the Empress collapsed powerlessly to the ground, abandoning her final defense, staring blankly at the man she seemed never to have truly known.