The Emperor’s simple banquet was for Leone’s practice. So, of course, it was not announced to the nobles. However, it was not a secret to keep quiet even after the banquet was over. That’s why his aides who attended the banquet of the Emperor, or acquaintances of acquaintances, did not bother to hide about the last banquet and the prince.
“He didn’t talk much, perhaps because he was shy because it was his first time in the social world, but he was cool because he seemed taciturn and serious.”
“That’s right. And really… He was really cool.”
“I thought that even an angel had descended. How does his face shine like that?”
“Me too, me too. It was so beautiful that I was mesmerized.”
The more the social world took an interest in the prince, and the more the perception that the prince was cool, the better it was for the Emperor’s entourage. Overall, the participants of the banquet were of a high age group. There were rare young people, but they were of a low class. The reason why the attendees had this characteristic was that only those who could not get involved in the power struggle in the capital, or who had already passed on their title to their children and had nothing to take care of, could remain as acquaintances of the Emperor. At first glance, it seemed like a pitiful group, but there was something good about this time. It was that those who were weak enough not to get involved in a power struggle could make fun of their mouths as much as they could without any problem. It would be a good feeling if a word they babbled would help their close friend, the Emperor, a precious acquaintance they had been watching for a long time. Because the powerless people couldn’t do anything while the Emperor was suffering.
“Oh my God. Was His Highness the prince really that beautiful?”
“Yes. Really its beauty! He was a nobleman, no more than that. He even felt divine.”
Of course, influential nobles were under pressure from the Archduke, so most of them tried not to get involved with the Emperor’s aides. So, all the aristocrats in the salon, attended by the Emperor’s aides, were silent. Those who have no desire for power, remain neutral, or die altogether. Even the Archduke did not touch these powerless nobles. But anyway, it was a story about the ‘prince’, a hot potato in the social world these days.
“I heard this. Prince’s robes are going to be all the rage. It’s the style worn by His Highness the Prince, and the capital dressmaker’s orders are already full-”
“No, how about saying that now? Right now, the welcome ceremony is in a month!”
Even if you close the door and lock it, in the end, the new air would come through the gap in the door. Stories like this that leaked out secretly spread like wings.
* * *
“Beatrice Giuseppe…”
The Archduke muttered while holding the papers. In front of him sat on his knees a man with bruises on his face. The man was in charge of the Archduke’s errand boy.
“How many times did you say?”
“All, five times…”
The man trembled and said.
“I remember, five times. A lot more than expected. Then don’t you think that you who bargained for it should pay me back?”
The Archduke immediately paid twice as much and asked to get information, but he called the incompetent subordinate who returned five times more and began to beat him. Through his subordinates, he contacted the guild leader of Verbena. He said he would pay twice the price if he gave the information, but the guild leader said he paid five times as much. Originally, this kind of information was not to be handed over to anyone, but since there was money that was not received from the person related to this request, he thought that he would receive it instead, and even condescendingly said that it was information passed on.
Five times the previous commission money that Count Burkett paid was a lot of money even for the Archduke.
He heard that Verbena’s guild leader was stubborn even when threatened with force, so the Archduke was willing to pay for the information. Rather than threatening those who could keep their mouths shut even in the face of death, it was more convenient to give them a fair price and make them open their mouths when the opportunity presents itself. After all, it wasn’t long before he reached the throne. The Archduke decided to consider it a light investment. If the prince was defeated and the Emperor eventually lost in the contest of strength, the next Emperor would naturally pass to the Archduchy.
The perception of the people of the empire was not very good about the throne obtained by openly rebelling. When he ascends the throne, he would have to pay some attention to public sentiment. Everything had to happen naturally.
Anyway. Still, five times.
He was annoyed at the fact that he had to pay several times more than he originally expected because he couldn’t get hold of a little guy.
“Go, Your Excellency. Ha. I-I can’t have that kind of money, can I? Please-“
When his mood hit rock bottom, the Archduke’s way of relieving stress was to call in the subordinates involved in the matter and beat him to the point of death. It was a pity that he hadn’t been able to use this method on an Emperor or a prince yet. The Archduke could not imagine how ecstatic it would be if they fell at his feet and trembled and begged.
Archduke Evans. He always thought the throne should be his. As much as he was, where else was someone as suitable as a monarch as him who would reign in this world?
“I’m sorry. Sorry…!”
When the Archduke did not respond to his apologies for a long time, the man, probably thinking that he was angry, trembled and began to pray. The Archduke laughed.
“Seeing that the words are still coming out, you must be in good shape.”
“Huh!”
The man gasped in surprise. He took the whip that Archduke Evans had thrown on the ground in his hand. Suddenly, a terrifying scream echoed through the hall. The sound of a whip cutting through the air followed several times between screams. And then, with the sound of a person screaming, the screams were cut off. The Archduke sat down again and finished reading the documents the man who had been beaten had received from the guild leader.
“Yeah, I get it roughly.”
Beatrice Giuseppe. A lowly woman living under the name of Trixie. She was an idiot who married a commoner and was cast out by her family. The portrait of the woman in the document matched the impression of the girl at the prince’s side, who had been witnessed by General Bede’s subordinate. The red curly hair itself wasn’t common, and the appearance was small and delicate enough to look like a girl. Also, after Count Bucket found these materials, he said he had suddenly found the prince and left… He wouldn’t be wrong if he thought this woman was the key to grabbing the prince.
‘It’s a good harvest.’
After the Emperor successfully ended the simple banquet, the social world began to stir up little by little with the prince’s story. They say that the dressmaker’s robes are spread out. Having influence over the public, the prince was not at all welcome to the Archduke. In the meantime, he finds out what might be the prince’s weakness. The fact that he had a new object to relieve his stress made the Archduke feel better.
“Did you send an assassin to the imperial palace, as you ordered last time?”
“Yes, I sent it.”
If Beatrice was a person who could converse with the prince. If she has anything to do with it, Adler will stay by her side and try to protect her.
The Archduke was convinced. He didn’t even bother to find someone else.
“Did everything fail?”
“Yes.”
She had Adler, so he couldn’t help it.
Tsk. The Archduke clicked his tongue.
“I can’t help it. Find the Ripper and bring him.”
“Yes? Ha, but…”
The butler was flustered and slurred his words. It was uncommon.
“He is a blood-crazed killer. You can also turn your knife this way. Even our assassination squad could be annihilated-”
“Then kill all the humans in the palace, and it will be comfortable.”
It’s just a lowly life that doesn’t matter if everyone dies.
“The prince is just a beast, a beast raised in a cage, and he doesn’t know martial arts. Bring him in, get Adler out of his mind, and hit the prince. A successful assassination is best, but… In case it fails, we will share a group to kidnap this woman.”
“…Yes, sir. But finding the Reaper will take time. He only shows up when he wants to…”
“Okay. Oh, and Count Bucket is coming too. Verbena also pushes away at this point. Since before, lowly things have been arrogant and annoying.”
“Yes.”
The butler’s face turned pale as he answered succinctly. When the Archduke waved his hand, the butler withdrew and disappeared. It would be nice if the new target of anger could be safely kidnapped before the welcome ceremony. The Archduke narrowed his eyes in boredom.
* * *
The Emperor had said that if the brief banquet was successful, a welcome ceremony for the return of the prince would be held in a month, but it was really going that way. That welcome ceremony would be the day Leone made his debut as a prince in the capital’s social scene. Such a day to meet a lot of new people and solidify his position as a prince. It was their duty to live as peacefully as possible without incident until that day. That’s why, even the day after she realized her feelings, she had to digest her schedule with Leone.
Wouldn’t he feel dizzy? Okay. It was really dizzy. From morning to evening, no, from dreams all morning.
‘In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit… is this right? Or Mahavanyavara… Is this?’
It was said that prayer or meditation was effective in calming the mind, so she tried to recall all kinds of prayers from her previous life. However, there was no prayer that she had memorized because she had no religion. So what she found was the religion of the empire, but she gave up right away because she thought her head would burst even more trying to study the religion of this country.
“You worked hard today, Leone.”
Still every night, every morning. Even if it’s not accurate, was it because she prayed hard? A little peace of mind was coming.
“Thank you, Trixie.”
“My puppy, he’s just getting better! I am very happy as a guardian.”
“People say that dogs are more like owners than protectors.” Leone said with a smile on his lips.
“Master.”
Why was it so sexy that she was the owner of a dog named Leone? Shaking off the strange thoughts that were trying to bloom in her head, she nodded.
“Yes. The owner is responsible for taking care of you.”
“Trixie is my master.”
‘Please don’t call me that.’
“But I prefer the word protector.”
“I like the owner better.”
She forced her words back, but it didn’t work for Leone.
