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Chapter 9
‘If I want to get out of this uncomfortable situation, I have to choose one of them. I can run away after that.’
Siena quickly weighed the two options in her head.
There was only one criterion:
Which would be easier to escape from—the Imperial Palace or the Grand Duke’s estate?
‘The Imperial Palace will probably have tight security. It won’t be easy to find a chance to run.’
When she lifted her head, she saw Howlanner smiling gently. Beside him, the Grand Duke was glaring at her with a terrifying expression.
A chill ran down her spine.
Even if she stayed only a single day, wouldn’t it be safer to avoid the male lead’s house?
‘Right. The Imperial Palace is better. At least the Crown Prince isn’t the male lead.’
As determination appeared on Siena’s face, Arthur grew anxious. It seemed that with this woman, a gentle approach like Howlanner’s worked better.
He hurriedly made what he thought was a considerate offer.
“How about this? If there’s anyone who tormented you in the past, I’ll drag them here and make them kneel. If you wish, I’ll even take their head.”
Tap, tap!
The moment he finished speaking, hurried footsteps rang out. It was the man who had thrown a tin bowl at Siena the night before. His guilty conscience must have betrayed him.
“Simon.”
As soon as Arthur spoke, his adjutant shot forward like a spring.
“Aaagh!”
The fleeing man was captured before he could even round the corner of the plaza and was dragged back. In an instant, his entire body was tightly bound with rope, a gag stuffed into his mouth.
“He’ll make a good example. Should we throw him into the underground mines? Or put him on a herring fishing ship? Or perhaps…”
Arthur traced a line along the man’s jaw with the sheath of his sword.
“Mmph—!”
The man’s nostrils flared in terror.
Arthur turned and smiled at Siena.
“We should decide the punishment according to the severity of the crime. Is this the one who despised you the most?”
“…The one who despised me the most is someone else.”
“And who would that be?”
Was he really asking because he didn’t know?
Siena looked at Arthur with cold eyes.
‘You. It’s you.’
Only then did Arthur seem to realize something was wrong. He quickly gestured with his chin, and the black-clad knights dragged the man away.
In the meantime, Arthur swiftly changed tactics.
“Are you hungry? The food at the Grand Duke’s estate is famous for being delicious. The Imperial Palace even tried to recruit our chef and failed.”
Siena’s ears perked up. She had been hungry to begin with.
“After the meal, you could try our special cake. One of our chefs even won first place in the Empire’s Dessert Competition.”
At that, Siena’s eyes wavered. She had always loved hunting down famous cake shops. And now, perhaps because her blood sugar was low, she desperately craved something sweet.
‘A cake made by the Grand Duke’s chef… It must be on a completely different level from the mass-produced desserts I used to eat.’
Without realizing it, Siena swallowed.
‘It does seem like the Grand Duke’s estate might be easier to escape from than the Imperial Palace…’
Blinded by cake, Siena was unconsciously rationalizing.
Her expression softened at the thought of sweetness.
Hooked.
Arthur’s eyes narrowed slyly as he watched her. He looked like a leopard that had just seized its prey.
At that exact moment, their eyes met.
A gleam of madness.
That was what Siena saw in Arthur’s face. She immediately changed her mind.
‘No matter how I think about it, not the Grand Duke’s estate. Look at those crazy eyes. If I fail to escape in time… ugh.’
While Siena hesitated, the rivals—Howlanner and Arthur—sized each other up.
Unlike Arthur, who looked ready to snarl at any moment, Howlanner maintained a mature smile.
Seeing that, Siena made her decision.
‘If I have to choose, better the one wrapped in kindness—and not the male lead.’
“I’ll go with the Imperial Palace—”
Just as she opened her mouth, Arthur cut her off.
“Then return my dagger.”
“…What?”
She was dumbfounded.
“You’re asking for something you donated to be returned?”
“It wasn’t a donation. I merely dropped it for a moment. The dagger and the sheath are both intact, I assume?”
“What are you talking about—”
Siena’s face gradually turned pale.
Seeing that, Arthur smiled in satisfaction.
If she were truly an innocent beggar girl, she would’ve sold the dagger for a few silver coins by now. Otherwise, she would have been robbed of it by thugs.
Judging by her expression, his prediction was spot on.
“I was planning to let you keep it as a gift if you came as my guest. But if you don’t wish to be a guest…”
‘This is blackmail, right? This bastard is blackmailing me, isn’t he?’
Siena felt fury rising at the male lead’s unexpected pettiness.
Arthur continued calmly.
“It’s a dagger forged over a thousand times from steel mined in a foreign land. The handle is made from the bone of an extinct giant lizard. The sheath as well—tanned from its hide.”
Siena’s face flushed red.
‘Hey! If it was that precious, you shouldn’t have thrown it into a beggar’s bowl in the first place!’
Arthur went on.
“What was the gem set in the sheath again? Simon?”
The adjutant Simon stepped forward and called out toward the air.
“An amethyst mined from an underwater cave!”
“Ah, right. That cave only opens once every ten years, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, Your Grace!”
The disciplined knight fulfilled his role and stepped back. Arthur looked pleased with his quick-witted adjutant.
‘That answer came out awfully fast. Just how tightly does he keep his subordinates on a leash…?’
Siena clicked her tongue inwardly.
“There’s no reply. I asked you to return the dagger.”
“Ah, well…”
Just as Siena looked troubled, Howlanner interjected.
“I’ll pay the price in her stead. Would a chest of gold coins suffice?”
“Ha.”
Arthur turned his head as if incredulous.
“It’s an item nearly impossible to obtain even for a thousand pieces of gold, Your Highness. If possible, I would prefer the original.”
“……”
Howlanner’s expression remained gentle, but Siena felt a strange chill. His smiling lips seemed strained with excessive force.
“Even if I must scour the entire capital, I will find an identical dagger within a week.”
“I require that dagger immediately.”
Crrk.
Siena heard someone grind their teeth softly.
“Then let’s go.”
Seizing the advantage, Arthur stepped forward and grabbed Siena’s wrist. The moment their skin touched, holy power flowed from her into him once again.
His salvation was right before his eyes. Arthur’s heart swelled.
“W-wait a second!”
In contrast, Siena looked flustered.
Even so, Arthur did not release her wrist as he gave an order to his adjutant.
“Simon, send word to the estate to prepare for a guest.”
“Yes, sir!”
Simon nodded swiftly and disappeared.
Meanwhile, Arthur spoke with exaggerated politeness.
“Shall we?”
Just as Siena turned a panicked gaze toward the Crown Prince—
“That won’t do.”
Howlanner reached out and grabbed Siena’s other arm.
Pulled strongly from both sides, Siena’s body swayed back and forth.
‘At this rate, I’m going to be torn in half!’
Then suddenly, Arthur tightened his grip on her wrist.
“What is this?”
The holy power that had been flowing into him moments ago abruptly cut off—like a spring that had suddenly run dry.
Howlanner looked equally startled. The gentle energy that had wrapped around him had vanished without a trace.
He had clearly felt it when he first took Siena’s hand and helped her up.
Only Siena, unaware of anything, blinked between them.
“What’s wrong?”
“Siena, I can’t feel any holy power at all.”
“What?”
Only then did Siena look down at herself in shock. Now that she thought about it, the strange energy that had circled her body ever since she became a saintess was no longer there.
“Huh? All of a sudden?”
The holy power of ‘Saintess Siena’ had disappeared.
