Chapter – 13
“……It seems nothing has changed from when you were a complete mess back then.”
Rodrigo turned me around with a sinister smile.
“Maybe it’s because it’s been a while since you returned. You don’t seem to understand your current situation.”
Then he snickered and whispered.
“You think you can escape me? It won’t do you any good.”
By now, a faint madness had seeped into Rodrigo’s deep red eyes.
I’ve always liked red-toned eyes. I once thought that if I married this man, we might have a child with red eyes. That shows just how obsessed I was with my own eye color back then. Hair could always be dyed or hidden with a wig.
“You’re the first man who begged me to marry you, Kiana. Six years ago, you didn’t know what to do when I just smiled at you.”
Rodrigo said it confidently.
Huh. A man who once clung to me now casually brings up the past while treating me comfortably. I decided to respond with the same ease and honesty.
“What nonsense. According to the nanny, the first man I ever wanted to marry was Alex. Wasn’t that when I was four? Proof that my judgment in men has always been awful.”
Then I wisely considered his position.
“Anyway, seeing you rush over like a stray dog pretending it’s coincidence, you must still want me since I’m the daughter of Prellai, huh? Well, that’s understandable. But maybe you should wipe the sweat off your palms before making a move. Your intentions are too obvious.”
I pointed to my face and added with a wistful tone:
“Even with my terrible reputation, do you think I could still marry? I’m still smart, kind, pretty, and lovable, right?”
“…….”
Rodrigo looked momentarily dumbfounded, but he didn’t deny what I said. Instead, he said something else.
“You don’t have a choice. Even the Prebus family would be glad to take a troublesome villainess like you off the Prellai family’s hands.”
The engagement with Melissa had been broken unilaterally. From Rodrigo’s perspective, it was a loss. Naturally, the Prebus family could have demanded responsibility from the Prellai family. Though the situation looked odd, since it was a noble marriage, if one insisted that the marriage should still proceed, the Prellai family couldn’t argue. The daughter who could marry him instead of Melissa still existed in the Prellai family.
So I shrugged and reminded him of reality.
“What are you talking about? I’m now the youngest daughter of the family, loved by my grandfather and doted on by my brothers. That’s all that’s left for me, isn’t it?”
“That won’t happen. And even if, by some miracle, it did…….”
Rodrigo smirked and took a step closer.
“……It probably won’t matter. So don’t waste your energy, Princess.”
Right. There’s no need to waste energy on meaningless arguments like this. That was when I was about to pour the disguise potion the spy maid was holding over my head.
“Well then.”
A man standing behind us placed the magic item he had been observing on the ground with a thunk, and spoke.
“It doesn’t seem like the Prellai princess is really wrong.”
His voice was low and languid, yet precise, sticking to the ear.
The owner of the voice was the one remaining guest who hadn’t left yet: the handsome black-haired man. Wow…… even his voice was good. But his tone was unusual. Speaking as if naturally holding superiority over someone.
“So you couldn’t even respond properly?”
Even the simple act of setting down an item exuded grace. Rodrigo and I couldn’t help but flinch for a moment.
Few could speak like this to the second son of the Prebus family. Every detail, down to the buttoned collar, was perfect. Looking closely, his outfit was flawless.
‘What the… why is he so handsome?’
No matter how noble, no one could be this perfect. Just standing there without a single flaw made even Rodrigo freeze instinctively.
“In my personal judgment……”
His words were slow and calm, but the pressure was immense. He approached us deliberately.
“You appear to be the bigger villain here.”
While Rodrigo was momentarily silenced, I easily removed Rodrigo’s hand from my wrist. Even that small movement was precise, with no unnecessary motion.
“And, Prellai’s princess.”
He turned to look at me. His rare golden eyes were mesmerizing. Just meeting his gaze felt otherworldly. The pressure alone likely rendered Rodrigo unable to act.
Polite yet unmistakably distant, he asked respectfully:
“I was looking for you anyway. Could you spare me a moment?”
His face made me want to give him anything. But the one thing I couldn’t spare was time. I had something important to do before meeting my grandfather. Meeting Rodrigo unexpectedly had already made me late.
So I answered him immediately.
“No, then I must go.”
I got on the carriage with the spy maid, not even looking back.
Cesare staggered out of the general store.
“It seems what the Marquis feared has come true… I suppose I still lack insight.”
Raniac tried to comfort the somewhat shocked Cesare.
“It’s alright, Marquis. You always emphasized that with the princess, it would only ever be a ‘mutually useful’ relationship.”
“…….”
“Even if she doesn’t want to spare a moment, it doesn’t mean you should feel bad.”
“…….”
“Perhaps she just thought of you as a persistent man. She didn’t feel romantic attraction, so she cut it off immediately.”
“…….”
“Later, if she says ‘let’s just deal with each other plainly,’ even if she thought little of you as a man, she’d still spare the time. Definitely.”
Cesare glared at his closest subordinate, the seemingly innocent Raniac.
“Of course, I just learned recently that ‘No, then I must go’ actually means ‘Don’t bother me, leave!’……”
“Stop it, Raniac.”
“But still……”
“I said stop.”
“Yes…….”
Raniac, not understanding the full situation, fell silent.
I bought a few more coffees and headed straight for the duke’s residence. Time was tight.
“Carry this, spy.”
Back in my room, I changed into simple clothes and had the spy maid carry my luggage. Then we headed for the greenhouse.
Inside the luggage were magical items I brought from the academy, stimulants, disguise potions, and plenty of coffee. I also packed parchment scrolls and high-quality quills. My grandfather might call for me at any moment, so I had to move quickly.
“Princess.”
The spy maid hesitated behind me.
“Lunch… forgive me, but you didn’t even have a proper breakfast.”
“I already had lunch.”
“Huh? When?”
“Joshua gave me cookies in the parlor earlier.”
The spy maid’s eyes widened in shock.
“Huh? That counts as a meal?”
“That’s enough for now.”
I answered nonchalantly and continued walking.
“Ugh, this place…… why is it so big?”
By the time we reached the greenhouse, I was nearly out of breath. I couldn’t ride a carriage inside the house.
“Spy, you’re really strong, huh?”
The spy maid, being muscular, carried the luggage without showing any strain. She just looked at me with a sympathetic expression.
“Forgive me… but it seems Princess’s stamina is below average.”
“Wow, you forgive me but still speak your mind. Looks like you’re a decisive spy.”
“…Thank you.”
“If you just deliver coffee efficiently, you’ll become a high-value spy.”
I praised her, then threw open the doors to the greenhouse. This house’s greenhouse was massive.
“Princess, why are we even here…? Actually, don’t we need the Duke’s permission to enter inside?”
The spy maid carefully voiced her concern as we carried the luggage.
Well… I had been away from the Duke’s residence for a long time, so it was natural to respect the opinion of the maid who had stayed. Still, I needed to confirm before respecting it.
“Are you sure?”
“Huh?”
“I mean, is that procedure really necessary?”
“…Um, but… inside… we haven’t been there in a long time either……”
“Anyway, you’re saying there’s no procedure? Kind of surprising that a spy is lecturing her princess.”
The maid flinched. Being compassionate, I offered her some friendly advice on efficiency.
“Spy, decisiveness is good, but in the future, try not to stop me. I never really listen to others anyway. Remember that?”
After giving sincere advice, I strode boldly to the innermost part of the greenhouse. And as expected……
<……Who’s there.>
Inside a nest large enough for a person to lie in, a massive black hawk lay sprawled.
It was my grandfather’s summoned creature, Hou.
