The Villainess's Secret Bedroom Service
Chapter 153: The Rebellion

Chapter 153: The Rebellion

A loud and impatient banging abruptly shook Damien’s bedroom door, jolting him awake, and causing him to swiftly spring out of bed. Accustomed to maintaining a heightened state of alertness even in the depths of slumber, he wasted no time. He was on the verge of instructing the impatient intruder to enter when, without waiting, the man behind the door forcefully swung it open and urgently exclaimed,

"Your Grace! This is Logan. We have an emergency! The Demonic Cult has initiated a rebellion, attempting to seize the Imperial Palace!"

Logan swiftly entered the bedroom, already clutching Damien’s massive black sword. His face bore a blend of genuine concern and unyielding resolve. The gravity of the situation was etched on his face as he conveyed the urgent message.

Damien quickly rose to his feet, rushing toward the closet. With practiced efficiency, he changed into his black Imperial uniform. Yet, a sudden, unsettling realization compelled him to halt and turn back to face Logan.

"Is Rosalie in her bedroom? Send the knights to fetch her and escort her to the secret basement under the mansion’s base. Keep her safe there at all costs until I return!"

As the Duke continued his attire preparations, Logan remained silent, grappling with the challenge of how to convey information that he knew would be difficult for his commander to accept rationally. Nevertheless, as Duke Dio paused once again, casting a stern gaze in Logan’s direction, the knight had no alternative but to deliver the unwelcome news.

"Your Grace... Lady Rosalie was not in her bedroom tonight."

"What did you just say?!"

As anticipated, Damien found it impossible to suppress his emotions. Even if news of the entire Imperial family’s annihilation had shaken the rest of the Empire, he might have maintained his composure. The prospect of his mansion being engulfed in flames wouldn’t have fazed him as much.

However, the absence of Rosalie during this critical and perilous moment struck him with a force more potent than any physical blow he had ever endured.

Seizing his sword from Logan’s hands, Damien dashed out of his bedroom, issuing stern commands as he marched through the dimly lit hallway,

"Dispatch my personal knights and locate her immediately! Search every nook and cranny, but find her! Failure is not an option!"

"Your Grace, please wait!"

In a desperate move, Logan seized Damien by the hand, compelling him to come to a halt. The Duke, taken aback by his subordinate’s audacity, widened his eyes in disbelief and groaned through his teeth,

"Are you out of your mind?"

"Your Grace, please listen! Laith is already on the task; she is diligently searching for Her Grace and has sworn to protect her with her life once the lady is found! I implore you to regain your composure, Your Grace. Your foremost priority now is to safeguard the Imperial Family. Allow Laith to handle the rest."

While Logan’s words were not devoid of sense and reason, they still fell short of pacifying the Duke’s anxious heart. Frustrated and nervous, Damien tightened his grip on the handle of his black sword, cast a hopeless gaze downward, and released a defeated sigh.

"I know. You are right... I need to fulfill my responsibilities."

Logan carefully rested his hand on Damien’s right shoulder and assured him,

"Rest assured, Your Grace. Lady Rosalie will be safe. Laith is committed to keeping her promise."

Regaining control over his emotions, Damien nodded resolutely and continued his stride toward the mansion’s exit. Instructing Logan as he moved,

"Are the Shadow Knights prepared?"

"Yes, the Order is already assembled at the main gate."

"Very well, we are departing without delay. Clear any obstacles in our path to the Palace and apprehend those willing to surrender. Let us proceed."

***

Damien’s personal Order of Knights maneuvered through the raging crowd, composed of rebels from the Demonic Cult. Dozens of individuals, driven by fervor to dismantle the Imperial family and its supporters, found themselves either vanquished or apprehended by the resolute knights. Meanwhile, the remaining forces of the Imperial army stood as a stalwart defense, safeguarding the Imperial Palace against any audacious attempts to breach its perimeter.

’Looks like the Emperor is hesitating to give his orders. Is he waiting for me?’

Observing the unfolding chaos, Damien took a few moments to contemplate the situation. He pondered whether the hesitancy displayed by the knights in quelling the rebellion stemmed from the Emperor’s state of unpreparedness, as he calculated his next moves, or if it indicated an intentional pause, perhaps awaiting Damien’s experienced judgment.

As the knights approached the palace, the duke strode in with unwavering confidence, only to find himself promptly apprehended by the men of the Imperial Guard.

"What is the meaning of this?!"

"Your Grace, Duke Damien Dio, you are under arrest as the main suspect for inciting the religious rebellion, allegedly as the leader of the Demonic Cult."

The towering guard, adorned in the white Imperial uniform signifying his affiliation with the Crown Prince’s personal guard, provided Damien with a short explanation. Simultaneously, he secured shackles around the duke’s wrists and pushed him forward toward the Imperial Hall, remarking,

"His Highness the Crown Prince himself has issued the order. You are now summoned to appear before His Majesty the Emperor for further elucidation."

Lost and bewildered, Damien found himself bereft of the opportunity to contest the guard’s actions. Before he could comprehend the situation, he stood in the presence of the Imperial throne, with Emperor Luther seated upon it, and his son, Crown Prince Loyd, standing triumphantly at his side.

"Your Majesty, what is the meaning of this arrest? As the second person in this Empire after the Royal family, I am obligated to know why such accusations have surfaced in the first place."

Duke Dio shot an angry yet confident glare at the Emperor, but it was the Crown Prince who took the lead, advancing forth with a cold tone as he declared,

"Grand Duke Damien Dio, we have grounds to believe that you were involved in planning and organizing the rebellion that is transpiring at this very moment, hence your arrest."

"Grounds? Please do explain, Your Highness."

Damien arched his eyebrows, grappling with the incredulity of the situation, questioning whether all of this was a tasteless and yet remarkably terrible jest. Loyd took a few more measured steps toward the disconcerted Duke and continued with an air of grim certainty,

"I had harbored doubts about the veracity of the rumors circulating concerning your wife, Grand Duchess Rosalie, until I was abruptly roused from my bed just a few hours after midnight by the news of the Imperial Palace besieged by the Demonic Cult. Now, it all begins to fall into place."

The Prince turned back to address his father, a sly smile playing on his lips,

"I possess information indicating that Grand Duchess Dio entered into a pact with a summoned demon just before proposing a contractual marriage to His Grace Duke Damien in exchange for her infernal services."

As the Emperor widened his eyes, utterly flabbergasted by this startling revelation, Loyd retrieved a thin stack of neatly folded papers, turned back to Damien, and methodically unfolded them before his face.

"This is the contract you signed with Lady Rosalie, is it not?"

There was no room for doubt; the papers Loyd held were indeed the agreement Damien had signed when Rosalie initially took residence in his mansion. However, just as the Duke was poised to interject, hoping to exonerate Rosalie and plead for her exclusion from the ongoing investigation, Loyd’s assistant hastened toward him and discreetly whispered something into the Prince’s ear.

Once the hushed delivery of that confidential information concluded, the Crown Prince grinned maliciously and declared,

"Well, well, isn’t it interesting? Her Grace Duchess Rosalie conveniently disappeared right before the rebellion started."