Chapter – 54
Joshua’s eyes widened.
“You… then…”
Which meant Marquis Levin was my lover!
The more you learned about him, the more of a complete mess he seemed—but he was incredibly useful. Of course, he was only my contract lover, but we’d already entered into a business arrangement together.
“If we buy in bulk and move it north, the distance isn’t that far.”
I grinned.
“It might even end up being slightly cheaper.”
Back when our relationship with the House of Purves wasn’t bad, there was no reason to go that far and damage our ties with them. But now, things were obviously going to worsen.
Even if things don’t fall apart now, Purves will stab us in the back eventually.
I needed to sever every connection somehow.
The sale of Onseok has a huge impact on Duke Purves’s wealth. This is going to hurt them quite a bit.
Of course, this was only the beginning.
Surely they don’t think this is the end. I may be called a villainess for a reason.
I was chuckling to myself when the peaceful infirmary door suddenly burst open.
“Emergency patient!”
The medical room instantly became chaotic.
What now? Who got hurt?
We tilted our heads in confusion and stood up.
“AAAAAAAH! Your Highness! AAAAAAAAH! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
Someone was carried in on a stretcher, screaming.
I recognized him immediately.
“AAAAAAARGH!”
It was Nix, captain of the First Guard Unit.
His body was in terrible condition. The injury to his right foot—the same foot I’d stepped on earlier with my heel—looked especially severe.
Nix continued screaming in a disheveled state. He seemed only half-conscious.
“AAAAAAAH… Your Highness… The Crown Prince! It was the Crown Prince! I clearly saw that silver hair!”
He’s… looking for the Crown Prince?
I stared at him in bewilderment.
Just then, the spy maid burst into the infirmary.
“My Lady, I think you should return to the ducal residence!”
“Huh? Why?”
Panic was written all over her face.
“A chandelier fell, and the ballroom is a complete disaster!”
“What?”
“All the lights went out, plunging everything into darkness, and the entire hall turned into utter chaos…”
Joshua and I exchanged shocked looks.
What in the world had happened?
“When the emergency lights came back on, Captain Nix was found seriously injured and was having a fit, claiming that the Crown Prince had returned.”
“…What?”
It was exactly the same as what had happened with Orca.
Amid complete chaos, someone was attacked by an unknown assailant, and afterward they claimed the Crown Prince had appeared.
I swallowed dryly.
Nix, now captain of the First Guard Unit, had once been the Crown Prince’s closest escort knight. Naturally, he’d been part of the hunting picnic.
In the original story, he wasn’t targeted until much later… but now there’s already a second victim? The revenge schedule has accelerated dramatically!
In the original plot, both Nix and Ben were attacked before our family was arrested for treason.
There had also been a long gap between the first and second attacks.
This time, however, the interval was frighteningly short.
The spy maid continued.
“So the banquet has been suspended. Everyone’s leaving. There were so many guests that the gardens are packed.”
I blinked as I listened, then asked carefully.
“What a mess… Did anyone else actually see the Crown Prince?”
“No. Of course not. Captain Nix is the only one acting like this. Apparently he didn’t even see the person’s face.”
She shrugged.
“Lord Rodrigo says Captain Nix was very drunk and is talking nonsense. It was pitch black, and there were people everywhere.”
“Wow.”
Joshua clicked his tongue.
“Whether the Crown Prince really appeared or not, the other picnic members aren’t going to sleep tonight.”
The people who attended that hunting picnic were:
Orca, the Crown Prince’s swordsmanship instructor.
Nix, his escort knight.
Ben, his personal attendant.
Rodrigo, his closest friend.
King Enoch, his maternal uncle.
All five had been considered the Crown Prince’s closest companions.
Another thing they shared was that, because they all had noble blood, none of them could use Insight.
Now two of them had suffered identical attacks.
Naturally, the others would be trembling and thinking:
Am I next?
“Do you think Rodrigo will get insomnia too? I’m looking forward to it.”
I asked hopefully.
Just then, there was a knock.
An unexpected person entered.
Cesare.
He glided toward me and called out in a voice sweet enough to melt hearts.
“My Lady.”
Despite the chaos outside, Cesare looked perfectly immaculate.
His presence was so striking that not only Julius, but even the medical staff momentarily stared at him in a daze.
Keeping his gaze fixed solely on me, he said:
“The situation outside is quite disorderly. I came to escort you back to the ducal residence.”
Even Daram couldn’t help admiring his flawless voice and elegant bearing.
I heard Joshua muttering beside me.
“That bastard’s a thug… a thug… Stay strong, Joshua. Protect your self-esteem… The clothes I’m wearing cost more than his…”
Then Julius suddenly widened his eyes and asked:
“Who is that man, Kiana? Once my body recovers, I’d like to spar with him. Just looking at him, he’s clearly built well!”
“He’s my lover.”
“Then he can go straight to hell before I smash him!”
“W-Wait a moment!”
Grabbing Julius’s arm before he could leap up in fury, I hurriedly explained:
“He’s also the business partner I told you about regarding the Pebble Ore mine! If you beat him up, our deal will collapse!”
Even Daram, who understood how the world worked, tugged at his whiskers and intervened.
“If he’s going to be chased away, make sure he signs the contract first!”
As expected, Daram had raised Julius.
For nearly fifty years.
And apparently that parenting was still ongoing.
Anyway, while Julius hesitated, I quickly corrected his misunderstanding about Cesare.
“And despite his impressive appearance, he’s actually not very good at fighting. Compared to ordinary people, he’s not particularly exceptional physically, so please go easy on him.”
Julius instantly lost interest.
“Hmph. If he’s Kiana’s lover, he should at least be a Sword Master before I’d consider him worth my attention.”
Then, loud enough for everyone to hear, he whispered to Daram:
“Well, not bad. Once I’m better, I can easily beat him and chase him off. One swing of my axe and he’ll beg to leave just like that Purves bastard.”
“Heal your back first, you foolish child.”
“Can’t I go home now? The splints are on. I think I can move around somewhat.”
“Indeed. It would be better to return to House Prellai. They have a physician there as well.”
Daram nodded seriously.
“At least I won’t have to listen to idiotic remarks in public.”
Through all this, Cesare merely smiled calmly.
Walking over to him, I said awkwardly:
“Just a moment. I actually promised Prince Avian I’d stop by Tulip Hall first…”
“Ah, what unfortunate timing.”
Cesare smiled like a painting come to life.
“The largest chandelier fell directly in Tulip Hall. No one can enter the area.”
“Ah…”
“The banquet is over and everyone is leaving. Prince Avian has likely already gone home.”
I supposed that made sense.
The meeting place had literally been destroyed.
That meant the appointment was effectively destroyed too.
“Right… then…”
I nodded absentmindedly.
Cesare let out a small, satisfied smile.
Then he looked at Joshua and Julius and politely said:
“I’ll escort the rest of you as well.”
Joshua waved him off.
“Thanks, but we’ll ride in House Prellai’s carriage. Kiana’s family, so naturally she’s coming with us.”
“The roads near the main gate are heavily congested right now. It won’t be easy to get a carriage.”
That was true.
With such chaos, every noble present would be rushing to get home.
There had been an enormous number of attendees.
Even leaving the Imperial Palace wouldn’t be simple.
“As it happens, the marquis family’s carriage is parked near the rear gate.”
Cesare looked at Julius and added thoughtfully:
“And we have an injured person with us.”
It was a remarkably reasonable suggestion.
“Even if you decide to travel on horseback because of the urgency, the rear route will be far less crowded.”
In the end, we had little choice but to agree with Cesare’s proposal.
