Chapter 51

Tersia’s face cracked upon hearing the duke’s words.

“What have you done?”

“Ah, it’s nothing.… I sent him a wedding gift.”

“Father!”

Tersia showed intense emotion for the first time. But the Duke of Eloa gazed at Tersia, as if he was terribly excited.

Tersia, who managed to calm down, asked smoothly.

“Did you send an assassin?”

“I couldn’t even kill him anyway.”

Tersia shouted at his carefree answer.

“Why did you do that?! What are you going to do in the future if you kill him recklessly!”

Tersia was now more worried about Yerhan’s death than who would be the crown prince’s replacement if that position was empty.

If Yerhan died now, Zigrit will have to go out to deal with the monsters. It is somewhat stable now, but one could never know.

This time alone, Yerhan went on an expedition to Haylor to defeat the monsters.

“Will you keep him alive forever?”

Tersia’s shoulder flinched upon the shocking words.

“What will happen if we leave the most dangerous sprout alone… can you guarantee?”

“……”

Tersia couldn’t say anything.

As the duke said, Yerhan was the most threatening existence to Tersia.

Yerhan’s birthright to succeed to the throne was low and he had no power to support him. But, it was just in case.

Even now, he was arrogant, believing in the power to kill the monsters.

Tersia bit her lip.

For her, who always sought perfection, Yerhan was too unstable.

“What are you so worried about?”

Tersia frowned at the duke’s question.

“If I could, I would like to get rid of him right away. However…!”

“Why don’t you get a replacement?”

At the duke’s subtle remarks, Tersia was at a loss for words for a moment.

It wasn’t that she didn’t look for a replacement either. However, only the imperial family was able to completely deal with the monsters.

Normal knights only dealt with low-level monsters.

“If I had a substitute, I would have used it earlier.”

“Your Majesty.”

The Duke of Eloa quietly called Tersia.

“The power of divinity runs in all the imperial family. Of course, the third prince is powerful in his abilities.”

“…..”

“But if there are several people with the divine power, wouldn’t it be equivalent to the share of the third prince?”

Tersia stared at the Duke with trembling eyes.

There was something Tersia had overlooked until now.

The power of divinity did not flow only to the direct line of the imperial family. Although weak, the divine power was also transmitted even to the indirect line of the imperial family.

If they gather a lot of them, they can take over what Yerhan was doing.

By the time the work was finished, the crown prince would have only to show his face as commander-in-chief.

The duke, who was watching Tersia, whispered with a face full of greed.

“I’ll choose the right one from the indirect line of the imperial family.”

Tersia affirmed by being silent.

There were not many days left for Yerhan to be arrogant.

***

The second day after Yerhan returned to the Prince Palace, the Prince Palace was bustling from the morning.

It was because today was the day the third prince and his family went on a trip.

A few clothes to change into and a sturdy carriage that could handle the rough roads were prepared.

The servants were now carrying several suitcases. It would take half a day to pack that up, but everything was fast and smooth.

It really felt like all they had to do was just leave.

“But can we leave all of a sudden like this?”

“The emperor has given his permission in advance.”

In response to a seemingly ‘no problem’ reply, Rosena closed her mouth.

“Oh, come to think of it, I couldn’t tell Illian’s teacher.”

“Don’t worry about that. I told him that we will be on vacation for a few days from tomorrow. And Isaac and Karlan will follow and escort us.”

Yerhan had done everything perfectly in just two days.

As Rosena stared at him, Yerhan opened the carriage door.

“Please get in.”

Rosena grabbed Yehan’s hand, stepped on the footrest, and got into the carriage.

Illian followed behind and finally, Yerhan sneaked into the carriage and closed the door.

“We’ll be leaving!!”

The carriage began to move with the loud voice of the coachman.

Perhaps because it was a travel carriage, the interior was spacious enough for three people to sleep in.

Illian and Rosena sat side by side and Yerhan sat on their opposite.

Rosena, who still didn’t realize she was going on a trip, belatedly felt apologetic. It was a feeling of guilt that she left everything to be done by someone who had just returned from work.

“I’m sorry, I should have helped…”

“No, I enjoyed the preparation.”

Yerhan, who said so, seemed relaxed. Rosena put down her discomfort a little and looked out of the window.

The Third Prince’s Palace was seen moving away little by little.

“Umm, by the way… Where are you going now?”

“We’re going to the closest sea from the capital.”

“Sea?”

Was there an ocean near the capital?

Rosena became curious.

The empire was mostly inland, so it was difficult to see the sea.

Rosena, who was born and raised in the county in the south-central region, had never seen the sea before and first saw it when she crossed to Astania.

She had seen the sea in Astania until she was bored of it, but she didn’t expect to see it in the empire.

“It’s not close, but it’s the closest sea from here, and now it’s the most beautiful in this season.”

Rosena was flustered by Yerhan’s explanation.

She liked the sea, and wondered how the sea of the empire would be different from Astania.

Rosena leaned back on the chair and looked at Illian and Yerhan.

Come to think of it, it had been a long time since the three of them rode a carriage.

She suddenly remembered the first time she entered the Imperial Palace fortress.

At that time, even this brief silence was heavy and uncomfortable to the point of stinging, but now it was nothing.

Reminiscing about a few months ago, Rosena looked down at Illian.

Illian, who had only slept as if he was dead back then, suddenly became so healthy. She was so grateful for that alone.

The carriage left the castle and ran all day.

The journey wasn’t too difficult as they got off the carriage in between, got some fresh air and had a meal.

Rosena, who was packing Illian’s afternoon snack, watched the sunset outside the window.

As the setting sun spread like a wildfire into the carriage, Yerhan opened his mouth.

“We’re going to sleep around here today.”

The carriage was so large and equipped with everything, so she was thinking whether they would sleep in here, but it seemed like Yerhan was thinking of finding a place to stay.

Rosena agreed, and the carriage headed for a nearby city.

Although the city was not very large, it was a major transportation hub to other areas, so every shop was crowded with tourists.

Yerhan chose the most well-known and clean place among the inns.

Rosena got off the carriage with Yerhan’s help.

The employees waiting outside carried the luggage.

Isaac and Karlan, who followed the escort, slipped out for a while because of work, and only Rosena, Yerhan and Illian went into the Inn.

The first floor was a restaurant, and the place where people stayed started from the second floor.

Perhaps because it was dinner time, the restaurant was crowded with customers who came to eat.

Yerhan booked a room while Rosena looked around.

“The entire top floor.”

“All of them?”

The employee looked at Yerhan with a surprised expression.

An employee who immediately recognized Yerhan as a noble hesitated.

“There is one room already reserved….”

Yerhan pulled out a pocket without saying a word. The employee’s eyes widened when he saw a pocket full of gold coins.

“Is that not enough?”

“Oh, no, it’s not.”

The staff immediately asked the person who made the reservation for understanding and agreed to leave the top floor empty.

Rosena might have been shocked if she knew he wasted gold coins for the rooms, but luckily she didn’t know that.

Yerhan spoke to Rosena, who was frantically looking around the restaurant.

“I’m thinking of having dinner here… what do you say?”

“I like it.”

The restaurant was quite large, as she took a peek earlier, and there was food that Illian could eat.

“Would you like to go up after eating here or do you want to eat in the room?”

“Hmm…..”

They agreed on where to eat and eventually decided to eat there before going up.

Not only would the smell of food linger if they ate in the bedroom, but also the employees seemed to be very busy, so she wanted to reduce their work as much as possible.

The three of them sat in an inconspicuous nook.

However, they were attracting all kinds of attention because they wore luxurious clothes and Yerhan’s bright blond hair, which was not common.

Rosena regretted it a little late. She should have just gone up to eat.

However, Yerhan and Illian were attacking the menu as if they didn’t care at all.

“It’s mom’s favorite…”

“Except this because you don’t eat well…”

The two of them were not choosing what they wanted to eat, but focusing their choices entirely on Rosena.

Rosena watched it and swallowed a grin.

After Yerhan and Illian held on to the menu for a while, Rosena grabbed the menu. Then she called the clerk and ordered right away.

“Give me two steaks, and cook one of them just enough to seep out a little bit of blood. Oh, for this, give me bell peppers and beans. And one glass of apple juice, please.”

As Rosena finished the order, Illian and Yerhan looked at her in amazement.

The problem that had been lingering for a long time was solved by Rosena at once.

“Everyone likes it, right?”

They both nodded at the same time. Just as Yerhan and Illian knew Rosena’s tastes, Rosena knew the two’s tastes as well.

Illian was born and raised by Rosena, so it was a natural thing to know, and she gradually came to know about Yerhan after eating together for several months.

Yerhan didn’t seem picky about food, but there were certain foods he particularly liked. So this time, she placed an order based on that.

While quietly waiting for food, the surroundings became noisy.

It was a little noisy earlier because there were a lot of people, but now it was exceptionally rowdy.

“So, this time, I made some money and came here with a big heart!”

There were big men sitting at a table not far from where Rosena sat.

Maybe they were mercenaries, as cheap armor was scattered all over the floor.

They laughed out loud, raising their voices as they walked away from the store.

Those who were eating could only frown, they couldn’t bring themselves out.

It was because they were not confident of dealing with as many as five large mercenaries. So all they could do was move seats.

“It’s noisy.”

Yerhan narrowed his brows, agreeing with Rosena, but there was nothing they could do.

If there was a fight for no reason, it would be difficult because there was Illian with them. And it was also difficult to travel quietly if Yerhan’s identity was known.

“Let’s eat quickly and go up.”

Yerhan was quiet upon Rosena’s words. Soon after, the clerk came up with a large tray.

When the delicious smell came out, the mercenaries naturally followed, and they found Rosena.

The mercenaries who saw Rosena began to squirm among themselves.

While Rosena was cutting food to feed Illian, the mercenaries blatantly gazed at her.

Rosena, who felt the gaze, raised her head, and they whistled.

While Rosena was slicing the meat, Yerhan silently grabbed the knife.

It was a small knife for his large hand, but it looked like it could cut anything.

Yerhan imagined something bad for a moment, but then put down the knife without saying a word.

He wanted to throw it in their heads like a dart, but Rosena might faint if he did.

“I’m going to wash my hands.”

When the sauce got on her hand while she was cutting the meat, Rosena stood up.

Even if she wiped it with a napkin, it would be sticky and unpleasant throughout the meal.

“I’ll go with you.”

“I’ll go with you.”

Yerhan and Illian, who were in a staggered posture as if they were about to get up, said at the same time.

“It’s okay. I’ll be back soon. Illian, keep eating.”

After answering one by one, Rosena took a step forward.

Yerhan and Illian wanted to follow Rosena, but they had no choice but to sit down.

Rosena passed the seat of the mercenaries. Then, the mercenaries who were sipping a large glass of beer looked at Rosena’s body with strange eyes.

They didn’t touch her directly, but the way they looked at her and behaved was very unpleasant.

They gloated over Rosena’s back.

“She indeed has a nice body. I wish I had played with a girl like that just once.”

It was a muttering close to self-talk, but it was clearly heard by Yerhan and Illian.

Yerhan gently grabbed the knife he had put down earlier.

Illian confirmed that Rosena had left the store.

He folded his arms and nodded to Yehan.

Yerhan got up from his seat and headed towards the table of smiling mercenaries.

They were still teasing Rosena.

As a big shadow fell, the mercenaries stopped talking and slowly raised their heads.

At that moment, they heard a thud. The mercenaries turned their heads again in the direction of the sound.

The knife was deeply embedded on the wooden table, leaving only the handle.

A dreary voice fell from above.

“What you just said, say it again.”