/
“Don’t laugh with a man like Prince Detheus. It makes me feel as if I’m on the same level as him.”
Ah…
I could only understand him then. He seems to think he’d been treated the same as Detheus. The playboy and dung idiot Detheus.
Not at all.
“You and Prince Detheus completely differ from each other.”
“If we’re different, then treat us differently.”
What should I do? I did try not to make eye contact with him.
“But it’s a bit strange.”
Come to think of it, the flow of the conversation was slowly converting as if everything were my fault.
As if it was purely my responsibility that the Emperor tried to associate Delia with Rodrigo again, and that I shouldn’t have smiled the Crown Prince’s way. This is pure nonsense.
“I’m sorry if I made you feel bad, but I won’t feel apologetic. This isn’t something I should be guilty of, is it? That’s just unreasonable.”
I was barely able to put together a right response for the gibberish he was spewing.
Rodrigo shrugged.
“That’s right. It’s not that you should be guilty, but I still feel bad. Why is that?”
Was what he retorted. He and I returned stares and slowly tilted our heads.
I mean, we’re both feeling a bit dreary today. What kind of feeling would this be classified as?
“So are you feeling relieved now?”
If we stayed in the wagon any longer, Kaylan would most likely throw in a bomb. I could feel his dark energy increasing by the second.
If Rodrigo had been holding me down to in fact provoke Kaylan, it would’ve been a perfect method.
I should stop here and head back so Rodrigo would be able to sleep comfortably tonight.
“Now that I think about it, I was feeling better earlier.”
“And when was that?”
“When the Hepao berries poured over the Princess’s head?”
“Aha! That was unfortunate. Goodness, she arrived well-dressed too.”
I shuddered in fright. A low chuckle could be heard in response to my reaction. Haha.
I ignored Rodrigo and turned my head to check Kaylan from outside the window.
“Well, I’ll have to say thank you properly. Thank you for saving your lover from such a crisis.”
That was the end of his sentence. Rodrigo smiled my way and left the wagon.
Did he know I was the one who caused the berries to fall, although it was done discreetly? His eyesight is spectacular if so.
I wonder how he noticed. So I left the carriage to call for him, but he had already completely disappeared.
It was very late. I had just barely escaped from Eyla and Ether’s grasp. Both caught me the moment they returned from the hunting grounds and proceeded to suspect Rodrigo and the Princess’ supposed love affair.
-He’s a flirt!
-He seduced you even though he was already engaged with Princess Delia. What a bastard!
In their story, Rodrigo became a bastard who hit on me while already having Princess Delia as a lover.
Poor guy wasn’t even at fault.
Nonetheless, Ether and Eyla remained persistent.
Eventually, I dozed off at their prolonged chatter. That caused Eyla and Ether to return to their quarters, regretful they kept me awake this long.
They left after making sure I was tucked in bed. My eyes lit.
Let’s go for a short night stroll.
I left my chamber and wandered the halls. No guards were positioned on the fourth and fifth floors, where only Cartina was allowed to roam inside.
Only one or two exceptionally reliable servants rested in a small room attached to their owners’ chambers. Otherwise, Cartina members were the only people who could walk freely on these floors late at night.
So it was refreshing for me to roam these halls whenever I had a lot of thoughts occupying my mind.
I was taking my steps leisurely when I noticed a light. The source appeared to be coming from a room at the very end of the fourth floor. It was Stefan’s room.
Hm? Father’s not sleeping yet? He always works late. I’ll ask him to go to bed early when I see him tomorrow.
I turned away so as not to disturb him from his work. It was then.
“Master. What orders will the assassins be receiving tonight?”
I detected a familiar voice. The word ‘assassin’ particularly struck my ears. I halted movement and focused solely on the sound and movement inside the room.
“Select the most talented in skills.”
“Are you sure this will be alright?”
I recognize the voice of the man who retorted just now. He was one of the heads of Cartina’s secret organization, the Dark Corps. Was it Holland?
I recalled the bulky image of the man, which didn’t resemble his current faint voice.
“Well, if he isn’t able to survive this, he doesn’t deserve the right to be in a relationship with Estiya.”
The right to be in a relationship with me? Was it Erhardt’s mansion where he was going to send the assassins?
“Shall we send them right away?”
“Holland, today is a moonless night. What kind of day did I name this as?”
“You said it was a bloody night.”
“Is there a reason for you to hesitate any further?”
It was a dreary tone he retorted in.
“There is not. I will prepare to leave now.”
I could hear Holland bid his farewells.
I headed back to my room after heeding Stefan’s eerie words, ‘Although one might be hesitant, the goal is for them to succeed’.
Success, I knew what that meant.
Stefan intended to kill Rodrigo. I even showed my tears, but he never seemed ready to accept Rodrigo as my partner.
No, it would have been the same even if the person wasn’t Rodrigo.
I was overwhelmed by Stefan’s love, but all I could do was thank him with a bitter smile.
In the first place, I wouldn’t have made a connection with Rodrigo if he wasn’t the ultimate victor of this crazy novel, or if he wasn’t the one to exterminate our family. However, he was the chosen male lead, and after watching from the sidelines for a while, it seemed unlikely he would change much.
A natural male protagonist.
That is why I had to protect and save him, even if it seemed I was betraying my beloved family.
There was no time to lose.
I flicked off my pajamas and pulled a black assassin suit from under the bed. Cartina’s Dark Squad was filled with brutal and incoherent people.
Rodrigo wouldn’t die in the dark, so what I was sincerely worried about were the people of Erhardt’s mansion.
Rodrigo would never be the cause for the death of such innocent lives. As a result, that makes it my fault if they die.
I carried a bow and a bag loaded with poison. Then, I positioned a dagger on the side of my calf and lifted my head as I took a deep breath.
How do I fix my hair?
I was contemplating when I happened to notice the feather Stefan handed me on the day of the last banquet.
I picked up the feather decoration and tucked it inside my hair. I was ready in no time.
I waved the bell. The door directly connected to my room opened, and there appeared Jane.
She seemed sound asleep as she trotted to my side, her eyes closed.
“My lady, will you be heading out again?”
Jane asked in her half-asleep voice.
“You said you weren’t going out for a while.”
Yes, I thought I wouldn’t have to wear this attire for a while.
I wasn’t happy with this situation either.
“This is how it came to be. Jane, I look forward to your kind cooperation.”
“Have a safe trip.”
I lay Jane on my bed just in case she ended up dozing on the floor. After pulling the blanket up to her head, I threw myself out of the window without hesitation.