“Wow!”
At that moment, before anyone could see me, I quickly hid behind the Grand Duke's broad back, which was as wide as the Pacific Ocean.
Then, she peeked out and looked up at the sky again.
But no matter how much I blinked or rubbed my eyes, the truth remained painfully unchanged – the flag there was indeed Salt's flag.
Why are they here?
My rigid gaze naturally slid downwards.
They hadn't noticed us yet, but all the people gathered under that flag were faces I recognized.
Especially Count Tonals, who stood proudly at the front as the envoy's representative. I knew him well.
At that moment, a long-forgotten memory suddenly came back to my mind.
“Ah, so you are Miss April.”
“This is His Majesty’s property—”
“I know. But she belongs to an unrecognized lineage, right? There’s no need to treat her like a member of the royal family.”
The Count's look at me then was full of unmistakable contempt.
Once he realized I was useful, he started planning to throw tasks at me at every opportunity.
He even tricked the naive Limia into taking up his own business.
He completely lacked work ethic.
“Even from a distance, his eyes look disgusting.”
I was constantly collecting evidence of his corruption in order to one day take revenge on him. But seeing that miserable face again only fueled my deep desire for revenge.
“But I can’t get caught.”
I took a deep breath, pulled my head up like a turtle, and retreated quietly.
No matter how much I wanted revenge, I had to endure it for the time being.
With his insatiable greed, Count Tonal would drag me to Salt at the mere glance of my hair.
“Why are you hiding?”
“Okay...”
Losing my comfortable sleeping place was bad enough – I certainly wasn't about to return to a miserable life of slavery.
But before I could respond, a strange smile spread across the Grand Duke's face.
“What does that smile mean...?”
“I thought you wanted to come back.”
“Hahaha. Of course not.”
“So does this mean you want to stay with me?”
Wait, why did he put it that way? I mean... it wasn't completely wrong, but...
I realized that my voice was getting louder, so I closed my mouth and quickly changed my style, with the most sad expression on my face.
“No, no, it's not like that. Of course, I want to go back to Salt, my home and birthplace... but I can't, and it makes me sad.”
If I openly admitted that I had nowhere to go, this cunning Grand Duke would definitely start exploiting me to the core.
“Why can't you?”
“Because I have a duty to keep myself faithful to your mercy.”
“Or I could simply say that I was protecting a lost princess.”
Is he crazy?
“Are you really going to go that far? Haha…”
I felt a cold shiver run down my spine.
But then, when our eyes met, he let out a chuckle.
...No doubt about it – he was thoroughly enjoying teasing me.
“Let's go. To the dwelling they have prepared for us.”
“Huh? Huh?!”
Suddenly, the ground disappeared from under me.
It was only when my feet were dangling in the air that I realized that the Grand Duke had lifted me.
"You can barely walk properly. Isn't this more convenient?"
“Oof...!”
I lowered my head, making sure my face was not visible.
In such situations, one is supposed to feel confused or even a little excited.
I feel like throwing up.
All I could think about was how my stomach, clinging to his solid shoulder, was threatening to expel everything I had eaten.
There is another pressing concern –
My hammer... won't fall, will it?
Fearing that the loose leather belt would slip, I tightened my legs tighter, swallowing my tears.
* * *
The upper floor - which could only be accessed by the Wizards Tower's magical elevators - was finally visible.
As Blair's Grand Duke, the residence that the Wizard Tower provided for him was nothing short of extremely luxurious.
Even compared to the rooms he used in his lavish palace, the luxurious furnishings, huge windows opening onto a balcony, and the breathtaking view of the violet sky under the ever-present silver moon were a sight to behold.
Of course, Kaiyan Blair was someone who had seen such landscapes countless times before, so he was not impressed by it.
“Oh, my stomach...”
“You're overreacting.”
“Ha-ha-ha…”
April's face froze in embarrassment when she heard his reprimanding remark.
She always seemed like she had a lot to say but kept it hidden inside.
For some reason, this only served to increase his desire to provoke her.
Soon after, an unexpected visitor arrived.
Knock knock.
Hearing the sudden knock, Kaiyan turned around and touched the desk gently.
A transparent name appeared in the air – Tomald Tonals.
"Full tones".
Kaien mumbled the name to himself, noticing April's eyes widen in panic as she suddenly got up.
“Is he here?”
“Do you know him?”
“Hmm… perhaps he is the envoy from the Salt Kingdom.”
“I see. He seems to be here to ask for an interview.”
“Can't you refuse?”
“Unless there is a special reason, it would be impolite to refuse to receive an envoy from another country. You should know that, princess. The Sorcerers’ Tower serves as a diplomatic bridge for multiple kingdoms.”
April's already pale face grew whiter.
Kayan could barely hold back his laughter.
Did April Salt even realize that?
Were all her thoughts and feelings completely visible on her face?
He had no idea what was going on in her little head, but in truth, the person most disturbed by the presence of the Salt Kingdom delegation was none other than Caian Blair himself.
If they knew the missing princess was with him, they would demand her return.
However, for some reason, April seemed more desperate to avoid them than he was.
Her horrified expression upon seeing Salt's flag was truly a sight to behold.
“I don't know why she's so insistent...but it's in my best interest.”
Now that he knew it wasn't the Limia Salt she was rumored to be, bringing her back seemed like the logical thing to do.
But personally… he wasn't too keen on giving away someone so useful for free.
However, what a paradox!
While they were meeting, Soult's delegation arrived.
“Hmm.”
After Kaiyan saw that he had bothered April enough, he pretended to think about his next move.
In fact, he had already decided to decline the meeting.
But then—
“Ah, it doesn't matter!”
April, who had been sitting far away, suddenly lunged at him.
To his surprise, she crawled right under his desk.
"What do you do?"
Kaiyan's voice, mixed with confusion, slipped from his mouth.
“You said it would be rude to refuse, right?”
"princess."
I will remain here completely silent. You can meet them as if I don't exist.
April Salt had a strange talent – the ability to render people completely speechless.
A sarcastic smile appeared on Kayan's lips.
"fine."
Then he tapped on his desk twice, indicating the door to open.
While Count Tonals was waiting impatiently outside, he rushed inside, rubbing his hands together like a fly.
This is a stark contrast to the way he treated April.
"Oh! Grand Duke Blair! To see Your Highness's shining face with my own eyes – what an honor for my humble family! Ha-ha-ha!"
But at that moment, what caught Kayan's attention was—
April was cowering under the desk, making exaggerated vomiting-like movements as if she were about to vomit.