Just as Prince Nathaniel had said, the blood was not his own, and despite his battered appearance, he had suffered no particularly serious injuries.
That did not mean he was completely unscathed, however. One example was the deep, long abrasion running across his neck.
Noticing Leandro’s gaze, the Prince briefly explained.
“During the commotion, it seems the necklace Mother put on me was torn away somewhere. She told me not to worry if I lost it, so I suppose it was an object destined to leave my hands someday anyway. So you needn’t concern yourself with it either, Sir Leandro.”
“…….”
Once again, Leandro found himself at a loss for words.
Judging from the fragments of the Prince’s explanation, did that not mean this young child had desperately struggled all alone to escape from an assassin’s grasp?
Then what was with that calm demeanor?
‘Does he not realize that he nearly lost his life? Or has he already grown so accustomed to assassination attempts that he considers this an ordinary part of life…?’
Even Leandro, despite being almost exclusively preoccupied with exterminating demons, was not entirely ignorant of the situation within the Imperial Palace.
He had heard that the Second Empress Consort, rumored to be insane, and the Third Prince, despised by the Holy Emperor, were constantly having their lives threatened.
But merely hearing rumors about such things and witnessing the situation firsthand were far more different than he had expected.
“Who was responsible? I will pursue that person immediately.”
Leandro asked with a hardened expression.
He had no particular intention of siding with the Third Prince, but after witnessing the grim circumstances…