Chapter 190
“Luwen must be having a hard time emotionally.”
My sister comforted Luwen with a mysterious smile.
“Indeed. He doesn’t understand my feelings.”
And Luwen actually responded to that. Was there a conversation I wasn’t aware of? Wait, am I being excluded by these two?
“Why am I the only one who doesn’t know what’s going on?”
I couldn’t help but sound sulky. Yet my sister kept smiling.
“Why do you think? If you had a different guard, that person would be by your side like Luwen is.”
“So what?”
Even if I had a different guard, Luwen would still be with me, so I don’t see the problem. After all, we’d be together now as lovers, not as guard and master.
“Luwen is jealous. He doesn’t want to give your side to someone else. Do I really need to explain this?”
“…”
I looked at Luwen to see if my sister was right, and his ears had turned red.
‘She’s right.’
To think he’d be jealous over something so trivial. It’s cute and I like it, but it’s also embarrassing in front of my sister, so I cleared my throat with a small cough.
“I’ll talk to Luwen about this later. More importantly, I’m curious about the trial results. How did it go?”
“Yes. Let me know what you two decide… As for the results.”
My sister raised the corner of her mouth into a grin. That expression alone told me most of what I needed to know. I waited expectantly for what she would say next.
“A complete success.”
It was the most thrilling single phrase in the world.
* * *
I checked myself in the mirror, turning this way and that. Today, my complexion looked particularly healthy with a rosy glow. I pulled the purple ribbon out longer in front of my chest, letting it hang down, and smiled with satisfaction.
Two weeks ago, on the day of the trial for the slave auction case, the Second Prince had revealed in detail the evidence of the clinic arson and collusion with an enemy country.
As my sister explained the trial process, she imitated the Second Prince’s voice, facial expressions, and gestures, laughing heartily. Her manner was so lively and vibrant. She’s still in such a good mood that she hums around the house.
‘I’m not much different, though.’
Though I regretted not seeing in person the scene where the extremely angered Emperor ordered the First Prince to be imprisoned before storming out of the courtroom, I could concede that much since the outcome was good.
Because today is the day the First Prince receives his punishment!
‘Ah, he’s not a prince anymore.’
A member of the imperial family who should protect and defend the empire betrayed it and tried to use the lives of imperial citizens for personal revenge.
Also, he personally managed kidnapping and concealment of slaves, which are strictly forbidden in the empire. He owned an undeclared mine. He raised a personal army with illegally earned money. And so on.
The list is endless. True to the Second Prince’s style of only fighting battles he can win, he secured evidence and witnesses for crimes from minor to major that the former First Prince couldn’t possibly deny, so the outcome was predetermined.
Heis, who was the First Prince, was stripped of his royal status and sentenced to exile. How likely is it that someone who only knows how to order others around and has never properly done anything with his own hands would survive in a foreign country with nothing but the clothes on his back?
Even if he tries to bring in foreign powers, he has a record that will keep eyes on him for life. In essence, the possibility of making a comeback has been completely eliminated. It would be fortunate if he’s not eaten by beasts or monsters. He could also become a target of crime.
Well, whatever happens to him is not my concern. That’s what he gets for not living as a decent person. No, at the very least, he shouldn’t have crossed the line.
‘Shall I go watch the scoundrel get his due?’
Normally I wouldn’t be interested in such things, but it’s different when the subject is the one who tormented us. I’ll stand in the front row and definitely catch his attention to make him see me. And when our eyes meet, I’ll smile brightly and wave goodbye.
I hope he has a fit from being provoked. It would be quite entertaining to watch.
‘Since he wanted me dead so badly, he’ll probably have a fit.’
Perhaps because I’m so excited at the thought of seeing his miserable state, I can’t help but hum.
‘I must have caught it from my sister.’
Even the melody is identical to the one my sister has been humming.
‘But Luwen is late.’
Luwen wanted to officially remain in a guard position, while I, on the contrary, wanted to proudly be together as lovers. I told him I wouldn’t hire another guard if he didn’t like that, but Luwen stepped back, saying that wouldn’t be possible.
It wasn’t a lie that he felt jealous, but there was another reason for his choice. He was concerned about becoming the subject of gossip if I were seen dating someone I had taken in as a servant, sponsored, and raised.
While I didn’t care either way, Luwen was very concerned about it. It was probably because of his memories of suffering from rumors while attending the academy.
So when Marquis Theobalt happened to mention he had a favor to ask, I invited him to the mansion for tea. His request was for me to talk with his brother, and in return, I asked him to spread the word that I was dating Luwen.
He also advised that my reputation might suffer, but I’ve never cared about reputation in the first place, so it didn’t matter. Thanks to this, I also found out what promise Walter Lorentz had been remembering alone.
‘The Young Master told me he didn’t want to be involved with trash who doesn’t even try despite being born with a healthy body.’
Walter Lorentz proudly showed off his muscular build and smiled shyly.
At that time, he was going through a period of depression while being compared to his brother, who had outstanding talent as a swordsman. Then he said he realized something when he saw my bloody hands: that he hadn’t challenged himself to his limits like I had.
I thought it was quite admirable that he had such thoughts at such a young age, but for me who heard the promise he remembered, it was quite absurd.
‘When I asked if we could be friends once my hands were covered in calluses, you said “fine, now get lost.”‘
Yes, this was it. He wanted to be friends now that his hands were covered in calluses. It seemed like an offhand answer I gave just to get rid of him because he was annoying, but to think he remembered it as a promise…
He added that after that, Theobalt suffered a leg injury and went through a lot of emotional struggles while becoming the family heir. During those times, he said he kept his resolve by recalling his childhood days when he pushed himself harshly.
‘Now it’s become a habit to think of the Young Master before training.’
He said something extremely creepy while laughing “haha” with an innocent face.
So I declined his proposal to interact occasionally. I acted coldly because I felt like he wouldn’t understand unless I was direct, and though he became quite dejected, there’s no way I could meet someone who had idolized me of his own accord.
Anyway, as a result, today Luwen is scheduled to come wearing casual clothes instead of the family uniform. Since it’s our first outing as lovers rather than as guard and master, it would be pointless to explain how excited I am right now.
‘It’s slightly disappointing that it’s not a date, though.’
I’ve been recuperating at the mansion to recover my lost stamina and to prepare for any possible situation. Since the security level of the family has been extraordinarily stringent compared to usual, it was clear that my sister was also wary of “any possible situation.”
But once Heis is exiled today, the state of alert will be lifted. So after watching him, I planned to check on the current status of the clinic, which I hadn’t visited since reconstruction began.
Knock, knock.
“Young Master.”
“Coming out now!”
Luwen had arrived just in time. Before leaving the room, I checked my appearance in the mirror one last time.
‘Good. Perfect.’
Creak—
Luwen, looking particularly handsome today, was standing outside the door with a slightly shy expression.
* * *
“Are the preparations?”
“Complete, Your Highness.”
The Second Prince was looking out the window at the sunshine, then turned around, closing the curtains. He had the idle thought that the sky his brother would look at for the last time would be clear and blue.
“Make sure there are no mistakes in handling it.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
After dismissing his confidant, the Second Prince sat at his desk and checked a top-secret report delivered by a bee that had infiltrated the Tuaso Imperial Palace. The internal situation wasn’t very good. Recently, there had been noticeably active movements to elevate the Third Prince, “Idwen Rosi Tuaso,” to the position of Crown Prince.
Above all, the one who had colluded with the former First Prince was the current Crown Prince, “Grielrn Rosi Tuaso.” In the additional letters found during the search of Heis’s palace, there was even a conspiracy between the two to agree on war.
The gist was to eliminate each other’s political enemies.
This was precisely what concerned the Second Prince. His brother would die as soon as he left the empire. The preparations for that were already complete.
But Grielrn was still alive. He might still think of solidifying his position and eliminating political enemies by gaining merit through war.
‘It would be better for us if the weak-hearted Third Prince became the Crown Prince. Though he doesn’t seem to have any aspirations himself.’
The Second Prince opened a drawer and took out evidence of the collusion between the two. Both their seals were clearly stamped. Since his brother would be dealt with anyway, this evidence was now useless to him.
‘I’m not sure how to use this, but it should serve as a warning.’
The Second Prince, holding a quill pen, tapped the desk a few times, then quickly filled a paper. It contained instructions to create a situation where the Third Prince could secure evidence of collusion and to encourage him to become the Crown Prince.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
