Dear Contract Husband, I Didn't Know You Were Like This? - Chapter 89
Tristan took a deep breath and gently touched Maya’s cheek.
“…”
It was only then that Maya realized she was bleeding from her face.
She had been too distracted by the urgency of the situation to notice.
“It seems that debris from the shattered pillar hit you earlier.”
It had shattered quite dramatically.
“Please turn your head slightly.”
With Serene Baker nearby—who Tristan didn’t know much about—Tristan used just a small amount of his power to stop Maya’s bleeding.
He wanted to heal her completely.
It would have been possible if it were just the two of them.
If it were just the two of them.
As Tristan looked at Maya, he briefly indulged in his dark desires, and his eyes grew clouded.
“By the way… what’s that in your arms?”
“Oh, it’s nothing important.”
Tristan quickly stuffed the papers sticking out of his bag back inside.
“But taking it too far away could endanger the surroundings.”
“You’re right…”
It was true that there could be more victims if they tried to take it too far.
“We need to find a place where there are likely to be no people. That’s the difficult part…”
Of course, for Maya, this wasn’t a difficult problem.
The imperial palace was a place Maya had stayed in frequently. She knew it so well that she could navigate it in her sleep.
‘They might both find it strange, but…’
Tristan didn’t ask about the oddly specific knowledge Maya seemed to have.
It had been the same when she fought the white snake monster in the north, and it was the same now.
Because of this, Maya could share what she knew with Tristan without hesitation.
“The training grounds.”
Just like now.
“…What?”
“The knights here like to slack off. Right now, many of them are probably skipping training to enjoy the banquet.”
It wasn’t a baseless claim, as Maya had recognized quite a few familiar faces among the knights earlier.
“The training grounds, huh…”
“That way.”
Tristan hesitated as he looked in the direction Maya pointed.
It was close to the imperial library, where he had hastily escaped from.
There was a chance that someone might still be searching the library.
‘I didn’t expect the emperor to come.’
If the wyvern hadn’t rushed in, he might have been caught.
At least he had learned that Reserfield was his enemy.
‘And it was also when I realized Reserfield had ulterior motives towards Maya.’
As Tristan reflected on what had happened in the library, he clenched his teeth.
There was a secret space hidden within the library’s walls.
It had been purely due to Tristan’s keen observation that he discovered it.
Among the thousands of volumes on the history of the imperial family, there was a single book placed upside down.
It was at the very bottom of the shelf, where it was unlikely to be noticed by anyone.
‘There’s no reason to leave it like that.’
Had it simply gone unnoticed?
In the imperial library?
When Tristan pulled out the book, he felt something beneath it.
Something indented, as if it was meant to be pressed. So, Tristan pressed it.
With a creaking sound, the bookshelf began to open on both sides.
Soon, a hidden room was revealed.
Despite being hidden, the room was spotless, with no dust at all.
It meant someone visited regularly.
‘What are they hiding?’
Tristan stepped inside and pulled out a parchment from the bookshelf.
“An accident report?”
Inside, the causes of death for various nobles were recorded.
But it wasn’t just a record of deaths.
[Baron Doshen – Processed as an accidental fall from a cliff by Count Baker]
It was a list of incidents and accidents that nobles had handled for the emperor—a record of their weaknesses.
It even included the seals of those involved, clearly meant for blackmail if needed.
This was the source of Reserfield’s power to control the nobles at his will.
‘He’s been too quiet for too long.’
Despite being known as the bloodthirsty emperor who killed his brother to ascend the throne, Reserfield hadn’t actually killed many people since then.
When Tristan heard this, he had thought Reserfield was adopting a moderate policy to solidify his position.
While a reign of terror could make people submit, it was difficult to win their complete loyalty.
‘But it wasn’t a moderate policy…’
He was simply keeping only the nobles he could control.
As Tristan skimmed through the ledger, he froze upon seeing a familiar name.
[Pedro Bayarden / Julia Bayarden – Disguised as a carriage accident while returning after being personally handled by Count Baker when they visited the capital]
Seeing his parents’ names, Tristan felt a chilling sense of irony.
‘As I thought.’
They say that a fire burns blue when it’s at its hottest.
Thanks to his extreme rage, Tristan’s mind grew colder.
‘So it was you after all.’
