Chapter 73

The baths in the Royal Palace were wonderful.

I was allowed to take a bath in the royal bathroom, which was in a guest room, and the marble walls were decorated with gold ornaments and a beautiful lion’s feet bathtub, which was a work of art.

The maidservants soaked me in the bathtub, which was filled with hot water, and washed and shined every inch of my body.

But the scars were revealed.

The maidservants were in tears as they found me with bruises and scrapes on my arms and thighs and other parts of my body.

The maids were in tears. The court physician even examined me after my bath.

Normally, he only examines members of the royal family, so this is an unbeatable treatment.

The doctor disinfected the wound on my foot, and it was so painful that I jumped up and down.

I couldn’t help but slap the old doctor’s handoff.

My dress was in a bad condition, with a tattered hem and mangled sleeves, so the attendants had prepared a new dress for me.

It was an easy dress, with a ribbon tied at the seam below the chest and a loose, flowing hem.

I was allowed to wear a fluffy bolero over my shoulders.

I was so grateful to be given a break from the corset as I was covered in bruises.

After I finished getting ready, I went back to the guest room’s parlor, spotted my parents as they were already waiting for me.

“Father! Mother!”

“Cosette…!”

“Ah, I’m so glad you’re okay! I was going crazy with worry!”

They ran up to me and hugged me tightly.

“It’s all right, Father, come on.”

“A-ah! I’m sorry!”

“Poor Cosette. She must have been so scared.”

Mother gently pats my head.

By the way, Father is squatting down and sobbing.

I think I can hear him mumbling something like, “I’ll never forgive you…..kill….I’ll tear into pieces……..” but I guess it’s just my imagination

As I was explaining what happened to my parents, there was a knock at the door of my room.

The attendant who answered the door came back in a hurry and announced the arrival of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince is here. May I let him come in?”

“Of course. Please let him in.”

“Cosette! What’s the diagnosis? How’s the pain?”

As soon as we entered the room, His Highness took my hand and looked at me anxiously.

I couldn’t help but take half a step back because it was so close to me.

“I-, I’m fine. It’s just a few cuts, but they’re all grazed!”

I smiled extraordinarily smugly to reassure him.

But suddenly, a sharp chop separated our linked hands with a spasm.

As it was, I hid my hand behind myself in a natural motion, and my father smiled at the Prince with a knee-jerk smile as a dark cloud rose up from behind him.

Scary! I’m supposed to be laughing, but I’m scared!

“It’s been a long time, Your Highness. I am so grateful to hear that you have taken care of my daughter.”

He doesn’t seem to be grateful at all.

An aura of anger is rising from his entire body.

His Highness’s complexion turns pale as he watches.

”Ha, Count. I am sorry to have caused your daughter’s injuries…”

“No, no, no, no, no, no! I don’t think for a minute that this is happening because Your Highness is unable to deal with the young lady who is in love with him. And then, on top of that, because Cosette dumped you, you sulked and avoided her, so you didn’t find out until later!”

“Well, she hasn’t rejected me yet!”

“That’s what you’re worried about, isn’t it?”

What father was saying is definitely a false accusation.

I don’t know if it’s okay for him to speak out against His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

However, my Mother is taking a good look at the situation and His Highness doesn’t seem to mind.

“Fa-, father. It was my carelessness that led to the kidnapping. Your Highness did nothing wrong. Besides, George was the one who was escorting me.”

“It’s all over.”

Father turned around with a pitch-black smile.

Scary!

I mean, did you just tell him? What did you do?

I pretended not to hear His Royal Highness the Crown Prince muttering that that’s why he had blue bruises on his face when he returned from the Countess’ house…….

Ah. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen George.

I had forgotten all about it because I was flabbergasted.

Well, it’s unlikely that George will be able to do anything about it.

”Hmm, come to think of it, where’s George? Is he safe?”

“Ah, aah. George has been asked to join the Marquis Grandshil’s capture party.”

Apparently, George had come to the Marquis Grandshil’s mansion ahead of the Marquis’ capturing soldiers to help me.

It seems that the commotion that was occurring at the front door when I was escaping from the mansion was because George was acting up.

While George was pushing and shoving at the Marquis’ house, the regular soldiers for the capture had caught up with him and joined him there, and he hadn’t returned yet.

”Um, so…..”

His Highness tries to go on with the conversation, but my Father is staring into His Highness’s eyes at super close range, so he’s not talking at all, if he’s bothered by it.

I sighed, and then looked back at my Mother.

”Mother, please.”

“Can’t be helped.”

DOTS!

“Uggh.”

Mother punched Father in the chest with a merciless punch to the solar plexus.

Her punches were getting sharper and sharper every year as she worked out day and night in her training tube.

It was a wonderful punch that seemed to gouge out the inside corners.

That’s my Mother.

Father is blowing a little bit of foam out of his mouth, but I made him sit down on the sofa to get out of the way.

Now we can talk.

“Well then, Your Highness. What’s the reason for your visit and how can I help?”

I smiled and urged him on, but His Highness remained blue-faced.

He’s a little puffy here and there.

Is it cold?

I’m hot after a bath, though.