The sound of hooves.
The regular sound of horses' hooves echoed around me.
My body swayed rhythmically, indicating that I must be lying down somewhere.
When I became aware of my surroundings, my eyes suddenly opened.
“Ugh…”
I was still in the carriage, traveling with the Duke.
But... why did I feel so heavy in my body?
Struggling to clear my blurry vision and sit up, I groaned at the throbbing pain in my head, as if it were the result of a severe headache after a wild night.
A dim darkness filled the carriage, most likely due to the blackout curtains covering the small windows.
yawn.
“Are you awake?”
Suddenly, I heard a deep voice speaking next to me, while I was stretching my aching body.
"…Yes!"
The Duke was sitting in front of me, completely silent until now.
I thought I was alone in the carriage, so I sheepishly wiped the corners of my mouth and nodded.
But...did he look a little tired? Did he not sleep well?
'Hmm?'
When my eyes met the Duke's, I froze in embarrassment.
Why are his gaze so…soft?
Did he always look at me so kindly?
I didn't think this man was capable of showing such tenderness. All I saw from him my whole life were sarcastic smiles or contemptuous looks, so that was unsettling.
In fact, when he noticed I was staring at him suspiciously, he even looked away in shame.
...Maybe I should get straight to the point.
“Hmm… Why am I here? We were in Triga Village, right?”
Oh, right.
My memories became clearer.
I clearly remember the roast duck incident in the restaurant, and I fell asleep after washing the dishes.
But the place I was in now was undoubtedly a moving car.
What happened during that period?
The answer came quickly.
"You don't seem to remember. You inhaled a confusing scent."
Confusing smell?
“…A confusing smell?”
“It was mentioned in the travel guide. You were supposed to leave the window open.”
“Uh...right.”
Now that he mentioned it, there was a note regarding this matter:
4. Make sure the doors are closed tightly, but leave the windows slightly open for ventilation. The accumulation of dust in old inns requires the flow of fresh air.
Oh, no.
I vaguely remember it now. My lips parted in astonishment.
“I must have forgotten. But I thought it was just because of the dust...”
When the Duke heard my confused explanation, he heaved a light sigh.
“We have received orders to arrest a gang luring travelers into kidnappings and robberies with invitations to the palace.”
"truly?"
“And you, princess, had a minor accident during the operation.”
As he explained the situation, the pieces of the puzzle began to come together.
So, the whole thing was staged.
Still confused, I asked again: “Then why was I given that evidence?”
“I thought you liked that kind of thing. Was I wrong?”
What?
So, because I loved puzzles, I hid important quest details in the manual?
I could only stare in amazement and disbelief.
“I mean, I love puzzles, but this seemed like an important mission!”
"princess."
A muffled laugh came from the Duke.
“We didn't just take your tastes into account.”
“Oh…”
Then what?
He smiled when he saw my confused expression.
“على أي حال، كان ذلك أمراً سرياً من ولي العهد. مع أنكِ متنكرة في زي قريبتي البعيدة، إلا أنكِ في الحقيقة أميرة سولت. وكما تعلمين، يسعى ولي العهد إلى إخضاع سولت.”
It's all true.
Salt, who now has a tense relationship with his two kidneys.
إذا اكتشف أي شخص أن الدوق قد شارك الأمر السري لولي العهد مع أميرة سولت، فلن يتمكن هو نفسه من الإفلات من العقاب.
Finally, I understood why he had gone to all this trouble.
لكن الدوق لم ينتهِ بعد. He bit his forehead and scolded me.
“However, you acted recklessly and did everything I asked you not to do.”
“Okay, ummm...”
I didn't intend to be eye-catching, but things simply happened...
I began to feel guilty at the prospect of disrupting the mission.
شعرتُ بالحرج الشديد من الاعتذار صراحةً، فابتسمتُ ابتسامةً محرجةً وهمستُ قائلًا: “هه، كل قصة تحتاج إلى شخص كهذا، أليس كذلك؟”
“…”
“…”
كان الصمت مدوياً.
"Are you serious?"
“No, I'm sorry!”
I gave in, lowered my gaze and offered a proper apology. After all, it was true that I had nearly botched the mission.
Fortunately, the Duke did not seem too upset, as he answered in a gentle tone.
“In the end, we were able to arrest the gang and send them to the capital.”
"Really? This is great! And I feel more relieved that I didn't ruin everything."
"I wasn't too worried. I thought you'd find a way out, princess."
Huh…?
Something in his words touched me.
Wait, why did he trust me so much?
She looked at him in surprise, but his dark green eyes held nothing but sincerity.
“Oh…”
He clings.
عيون خضراء داكنة؟
Why did that sound so familiar?
As feelings of anxiety escalated, buried memories began to emerge.
“You were so handsome, and I... lost my mind...”
“What?”
"I haven't seen a lot of guys this attractive. I think you're my type."
That embarrassing memory struck me like a thunderbolt. I tried to shake it out of my head.
“This memory is fake.”
It's impossible for that to have happened.
There was no way I could stare at him like that or say anything resembling a confession. It must have been a distorted memory.
But then…
“…When you look at me like that, my heart beats faster. Can you…look somewhere else?”
My words at that moment resonated clearly in my mind. I had an overwhelming desire to throw myself out of the moving car.
Oh my God, oh my God!
I felt too ashamed to look at him, so I closed my eyes tightly and pretended to be asleep.
I did not notice that the Duke's gaze became warmer.
* * *
—Kilitan Empire, Crown Prince Palace.
A man, who had just emerged from his bathroom and was wearing a robe, stopped when he noticed a shadow standing against the dim light.
Even though she was covered in the darkness of the night, the flowing golden hair was clearly visible.
At the same time, drops of water slid down his perfectly defined abs, which were sculpted by a skilled craftsman as if they were his own making.
“Your Highness, the Northern Wolf has arrived in the capital.”
Razor-sharp crimson eyes turned towards the crouching figure.
"Is this correct?"
انطلقت ضحكة مكتومة خافتة من شفتي الرجل وهو يستأنف سيره، وهو يهمهم وكأنه يغني أغنية.
“It's been a long time since I last saw him. By the way, what about that matter?”
“…I failed. I apologize, Your Highness.”
“What about the cleaning process?”
“I sent them all to ‘those people’.”
"I did well."
His perfectly straight fingers extended toward a bottle displayed on a nearby shelf.
The man, Raiden, enjoyed the smell of the alcoholic beverage for a moment before casually pouring it into a glass and continuing.
“I never expected him to succeed. If he had been fooled by the tricks of those kids, I would have been disappointed.”
This was nothing but a gift for that half-blood bastard.
كان يوجه تحذيراً في كل مرة يجرؤ فيها كايان بلير، الذي كان ينبغي إخفاؤه بعيداً عن أنظاره، على دخول العاصمة.
clink.
Raiden finished drinking the bitter, fiery drink in one gulp and placed the empty cup on the floor with a resounding, decisive sound.
They say insects thrive in extreme conditions. Let's see how this bastard has changed.
A sarcastic smile - completely unbecoming of the handsome prince's face - appeared on his lips.