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Chapter: 49
“Irilin!”
The force in his grip released, and with a bang, the door flew open.
Ishvino, his violet eyes sparkling, stared intently at the doorway.
“Vien…?”
But Vien, as if Ishvino were invisible, rushed past him straight to me.
He melted the ice with magic, his voice filled with anguish.
“Irilin. Look at me.”
I struggled to move my uncooperative head and met his gaze. The face that had been full of worry was now tinged with a sliver of relief. But when he turned his head towards Ishvino, what settled on his features was a hatred so cold it sent a chill through me.
“You.”
All pretense of courtesy or consequence was thrown to the ground. A murderous intent, stark and without any filter, surged towards Ishvino. His eyes, usually as calm as a placid lake, now held a frigid rage, as if a tsunami had swept through them. Instead of speaking further, he simply extended the killing intent that had consumed him directly towards Ishvino.
But the moment Vien’s sword was poised at Ishvino’s throat.
“I’m sorry.”
Tears like pearls fell from Ishvino’s eyes.
“I’m sorry for making you angry. It’s all my fault.”
Even though it must have been heartbreaking to see Vien worry about ‘Irilin’ and then draw his sword on him, the very person who was ‘Irilin,’ Ishvino quietly knelt and simply pleaded with Vien. Pleaded endlessly not to hate him.
“…Ha.”
No matter how angry, Vien was a knight to his core. He couldn’t keep his sword pointed at someone who had surrendered. Though he sheathed his sword out of necessity, he seemed almost hollow now that the target of his rage was gone.
“Tie him up, please,” Vien requested irritably to the accompanying knights of Marquis Heather’s house, as he put his sword away.
It was just as the knights approached Ishvino.
“But I can’t let myself be caught. Then I wouldn’t be able to see you.”
With a loud bang!, acrid smoke filled the bedroom. By the time the smoke cleared enough to see, Ishvino’s figure had already vanished.
Afterwards, they sent trackers to find Ishvino’s trail, but they only discovered a small, hidden passage within the mansion and ultimately couldn’t find him. The only thing they could do was speculate that he had returned to his own territory, Crimea, based on reports that a man believed to be Ishvino had passed through a checkpoint heading to the Northern Continent.
“Are you thirsty?” Vien asked, his face full of worry from the bedside. I shook my head.
“What about food?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Even steak?”
“…”
“Medium-well.”
“Hmm, well, if it’s that…”
At my words, feigning reluctance with a slight cough, Vien chuckled.
“Wait here. I’ll have them bring it right away.”
As if being confined to the mansion wasn’t enough, I was now stuck in bed, unable to move. It was because of the Marquis and his wife, Cise, and Vien, who insisted I rest despite my protests.
“Irilin says she wants steak-”
“Yes! Right away, I’ve brought it!”
The moment Vien spoke, Wendy materialized with a steak. It was truly instantaneous. She hadn’t even gone to the kitchen; it was as if she’d just stepped outside the door for a second.
“…How did you bring it that fast?”
“The Young Patriarch gave orders to have a medium-well steak placed outside the door, just in case Miss might want it at any time. He even placed preservation magic on it himself, so you needn’t worry about freshness or temperature!”
I know the people in this house are overly dramatic, it’s not like it’s a one-time thing, but why is Vien like this too? Anyway, since my sister spoils me like this, no wonder every character in this novel is desperate to do something for me!
“Here, say ahh.”
Even though I could move my hands and my entire body freely, Vien insisted on cutting the steak into bite-sized pieces himself.
“…”
I clamped my mouth shut in protest.
At that, Vien’s expression hardened, then he smiled.
“Open up.”
“Yes, sir.”
As if I had a choice, right, my lord Young Patriarch? With a look like he might kill me if I didn’t, opening my measly mouth was a small price to pay.
“…Mmm.”
But my displeasure was fleeting. As the flavorful juices filled my mouth, an unparalleled happiness soon followed. In my original world, I would never have gotten to taste such expensive meat in my entire life…
It’s a good thing I possessed this body! Hooray for possession, hip hip hooray!
…If I said that out loud, my sister would probably smack my back. I’ll just keep these thoughts to myself.
“It’s that good?”
I hadn’t even said it was delicious, but my expression must have given me away. Vien watched my cheeks, stuffed with steak and constantly moving, with a look of pure contentment. He looked ready to start cooing embarrassing things like “Oh, how cute” at any moment.
“Once I return to duty, I’ve requested approval from the higher-ups to assign you personal guards, so even if that guy tries again, the same thing won’t happen. If it’s approved, knights from Marquis Heather’s house will protect you.”
“Higher-ups?” I asked, my face showing displeasure.
Higher-ups. Only unpleasant faces came to mind…
“The Knight Commander.”
Ah. That’s absolutely not going to happen.
If I had guard knights, it would only hinder her from killing me; there’s no way she’d approve.
Come to think of it, the reason she’s been quiet is probably because I’m surrounded by Marquis Heather’s knights. And Vien is always by my side too, except when I sleep or go to the bathroom.
Once the leave is over, I won’t be able to be protected in such a safe environment. As my sister said, I need to find Mona White’s treasure quickly. I have no choice but to protect myself.
“Is that so.”
The Crown Prince replied indifferently, irritably stirring the straw in his drink with a nervous flick.
“Yes.”
His counterpart answered with equal disinterest. Both of them showed no interest in the conversation whatsoever. Yet, the Crown Prince wondered why the other person didn’t just take their leave and go. At the same time, it was irritating. But since the fundamental cause of this whole situation was the Emperor, his annoyance wasn’t that great.
The Emperor had commanded the Crown Prince to keep Sienna Houston Cerom company. Sienna was a princess of Cerom, a captive offered to Avert as Cerom conceded defeat. Even though she was a prisoner, they had to treat royalty with a certain level of courtesy to prevent Cerom from causing a stir. That was why the Crown Prince was Sienna’s companion, but he knew this was just a superficial reason. In truth, the Emperor just wanted to offload a bothersome task.
Sienna, who was being treated as a nuisance simply because her country lost the war, was also a victim in a way. Keeping that in mind, the Crown Prince had initially tried to be decent to her, but for a while now, it had been like this. No matter what he said, her answers were either yes, no, or I see. Eventually, he gave up and replied with equal insincerity, and her reaction was the same.
Perhaps, knowing that neither of them had any interest in the conversation, she didn’t bother listening to or giving fabricated responses. Growing tired of even thinking about it, the Crown Prince blatantly laid his head down on the reception room table. The Emperor might later scold him for being impolite in front of a foreign princess, but he didn’t care. He should be grateful the Crown Prince obediently followed orders in the first place. Though, of course, this was purely to avoid unnecessary conflict with Cerom.
Anyway, he had extended his hand as best he could. It was Sienna who had rejected it. Using this as an excuse, the Crown Prince was freely displaying his displeasure when a knock came from outside the reception room.
The Crown Prince lifted his head.
“Your Highness, Lord Estevan has arrived.”
“Let him in.”
Shortly after, Lapel entered. She reported that the knights who had been on leave would soon return, then suddenly trailed off.
“What’s wrong?”
“A request for approval has come from the Vice-Commander.”
“What request?”
“To allow private soldiers of House Heather to serve as personal guards for Irilin Heather, even within the Knights…”.
It was an absurd request. A knight being guarded by other knights? It happened sometimes for heirs of families with few descendants, but House Heather had two children, so this didn’t apply. Vien, who surely knew this, must have lost his reason after the incident during the Foundation Day festival when Lapel attacked her.
…It wasn’t incomprehensible. To protect the one you love, what wouldn’t you do?
But understanding doesn’t make impossible things possible. The Crown Prince hardened his resolve.
“Tell him no.”
As he said it, he felt a pang of strangeness. Why did he have to ‘harden’ his resolve to say no? If guards would make it harder to kill her, he should refuse naturally, without any hesitation whatsoever.
“I thought as much,” Lapel replied, her face expressionless.
Seeing her, the Crown Prince thought, yes, that reaction is only natural.
Was he feeling guilty because the reason for such a request was ultimately him? It was highly likely. No, it was certain. If not, there was no reason for him to be acting so pathetically, and come to think of it, it was an understandable emotion. He was trying to kill the person who saved him.
Suddenly struck by that realization, the Crown Prince shuddered. His savior. He was trying to kill his own savior!
“Then, I’ll take my leave.”
Lapel bowed politely and was about to exit the reception room when the Crown Prince called her back.
“Wait.”
“…?”
“Approve it.”
“Pardon?”
This was just to repay the debt for saving his life once. After this, he would eliminate her without mercy or hesitation.
Of course, just assigning a few guards wasn’t even close—no, it fell far short of repaying the favor of saving a life… Damn it. His conscience was too uncomfortable. The Crown Prince ground his teeth.
