“Atari... Prince Atari is dead!”
…What?
"Go and check right away. I'm telling you, it's definitely Prince Atari!"
The man's unexpected words drained all the color from Precipe's face.
"What are you talking about? Explain yourself properly!"
“He's dead!”
The man shouted angrily.
“In such a strange situation...”
“What…?”
"Don't ask me about every little detail. Go see for yourself! Dammit!"
Confusion spread across the faces of the assembled guards, and Preseppe was no different.
“This…this can’t be.”
Her voice trembled as she mumbled softly.
“How could that be…?”
...Why Atari? Moments ago he had been staring at me angrily, intent on pinning me down. And now, suddenly...why?
Are you sure you are not mistaken?
“Presibe...ma'am...”
Perhaps the man recognized her, so he refrained from screaming as he did at the guards.
“How could he die in such a short time...?”
...This doesn't make any sense.
Precipi was shocked and stood frozen before instinctively running away.
"Ma'am Presibe! Please wait...Ma'am!"
The urgent voices of the guards came behind her, but she heard none of them.
All the way back, her mind was blank, as if it had been completely erased. Or maybe he was paralyzed. Or maybe it was both.
…In every possible way, the male characters never died. Except for Dietrich, who committed suicide twice.
Even then, this only happened at the end, not during gameplay. And certainly not this early.
“No, there's no way, there can't be...”
But her faint murmurs quickly died out, like bubbles that burst in an instant.
Dark garden.
Returning to the place where she slapped Atari in the face and ran away, Presibe collapsed to the ground without even screaming.
[“Prince Atari is dead! He is dead! In a strange, very strange condition...”]
And the man was right.
Atari is dead.
In a really strange situation.
Presibe covered her mouth with her trembling hands and stared at Attar's lifeless body, which seemed to still hold warmth.
His body was lying on the ground like a discarded insect. He had a shackle around his neck.
[“Okay, let's try something. To make sure you can't leave.”]
[“What…what are you doing? Ah! Stop!”]
This was the same handcuff Atari had tried to place on Precipe's wrist moments ago with his own hands.
The shackle was strong and unbendable – just as Atari preferred. He mocked her struggle, saying that no matter how much beating she took, she wouldn't break easily.
He was right, the chain was not broken.
Instead, the thick neck caught in the dagger's powerful grip turned a deep crimson, almost black. As if it might explode and spew blood at any moment.
“Heck…”
Even in horror movies, Priscipe had never seen anything like this. Was this possible? How can someone…
Precipi collapsed onto the cold ground, clutching her chest with one hand and pawing at the dirt with the other, trying to push herself away.
But it didn't go away.
Her back collided with someone's legs.
“…”
Horrified, Precipe looked up to see Dietrich standing there, his face hardened.
“Your Majesty!”
Soon after, the knights arrived, most likely after being alerted by the guards.
“What...what is this...”
But even they, as they approached Dietrich's side, froze, unable to complete their sentences.
It was normal, considering the state of Atari's body.
“Ah…”
Dietrich's lips, tightly pressed together, slowly opened.
“Make sure no one comes near this park.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Keep this matter a secret. And seal the palace as well. Not even an ant can leave the place without permission.”
"concept."
“Review the guest list for the party. Identify anyone who left the room during the party.”
After all, Atari was not only a prince of a neighboring empire, but he had attended Dietrich's coronation banquet as the newly crowned Emperor of Atiluia.
His death in such a situation could only bring disaster to Dietrich.
“And you, why are you here?”
Dietrich's gaze fell on Preseppe, who was still leaning on the ground.
“Precipie.”
“…”
“Answer me now!”
But Prisippi had no idea how to respond or what to say. She didn't see any options. Her mouth wasn't even open. It was as if she had never made a wrong choice of dialogue with Dietrich before, and now…
“Your Majesty… Lady Prisippi seems to be in shock,” one of the knights suggested cautiously, mistaking her silence for shock.
"The investigation will take some time. Maybe she can rest and then tell what she saw?"
“…”
“When,” Dietrich growled, her eyes like shards of ice, “did I ask for your opinion on Preseppe’s condition?”
“…”
“How dare you?”
“…I apologize, Your Majesty, I was reckless. Please forgive me.”
The knight bowed deeply, and Dietrich clenched his jaw. Then he turned to Precipe, and stared at him coldly.
At that moment we heard an unfamiliar voice.
“Your Majesty.”
Precipi reflexively turned towards the sound.
Standing there was a man she had never seen before—not once, in all the ways she had played.
“...Fenric.”
Dietrich called the man by name, and Fenrick bowed respectfully.
...Fenric?
Presibe searched her memory but couldn't remember anything. Even the name was unfamiliar to her. If she had met him before, she wouldn't have forgotten him.
“Did you come because of the commotion?”
“Yes, the atmosphere near the banquet hall seemed unusual.”
“Prince Atari’s guard is looking for him. Stay away for a moment, or so they said.”
Fenric's cold gaze briefly settled on Attar's body.
“Before the guards arrive, wouldn’t it be better for Your Majesty to handle this matter personally? We can’t let them see this sight.”
Fenrick's suggestion made sense. Allowing the bodyguard to see the Atari in this state would only escalate the chaos. It would have been better for Dietrich to explain the situation first.
“…”
Dietrich rubbed his temples and frowned before issuing new orders.
“Summon Siegfried. Have the Knight Captain accompany the bodyguard.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
"While I'm talking to him, clean this up. And remove those damned chains too. And…"
His gaze moved back to Presibe.
“…Fenric, take Prisippi to the tower.”
“…”
“Make sure she's inside before you tell me.”
“As you command.”
Then, Dietrich took one last look at Precipe before quickly turning away.
“Ms. Presby, please follow me.”
Fenric approached her with an indifferent face, waiting for her to move.
In the end, Presibe stood up shakily and stumbled forward, still dazed. Thus, she didn't notice Fenric's heel crushing Atari's limp hand with a look of pure disgust.