Ch#15

Episode 15

From Arpad's perspective, it was only natural.

After all, he was the only knight who had stepped forward before the Crown Prince who was causing havoc in the wedding procession.

'Rather than being an overly devoted knight, it makes more sense that he's someone blinded by love to the point of disregarding treason.'

Moreover, Hilia's attitude of being unusually protective of that man was also irritating.

"Yes. Therefore, the knight's crime is naturally my crime as his master. Please hold me accountable."

"No! Drawing the sword was entirely my own will. The Duchess has done nothing wrong!"

The sight of them protecting each other was enough to bring tears to one's eyes.

Furthermore, that certainly quick-witted Hilia wanted to save that man's life even if it meant incurring another debt.

Actually, Arpad should have been pleased.

This woman, whose depths were unknowable and whose limits were immeasurable, had revealed her own weakness.

'I should be happily scheming on how to exploit it...'

But.

Arpad voiced the question that had risen to his mind.

"Why does that feel uncomfortable and irritating?"

However, she was in no state to answer Arpad's question.

Because she was currently asleep beside him, as if she had fainted.

She must have been extremely fatigued.

He had deliberately not considered the physical endurance of a delicate woman at all while driving the horse.

But during that time, Hilia had not made a sound of complaint.

'Ah, no. She did say near the end, when we were close to the villa, that she felt like throwing up.'

Her face had turned pale as she jumped off the horse and nearly collapsed.

Her expression at that time was quite amusing and endearing, Arpad thought, an uncharacteristic notion.

But soon the smile that had appeared on his lips faded.

'What's certain is that this is definitely not the mental fortitude of a noble lady raised in a greenhouse.'

Although there wasn't a single aspect about this bride that wasn't suspicious.

This point was especially so.

'Yet her upbringing background is nothing out of the ordinary.'

Although the time was short, Arpad had investigated Hilia Delphine in his own way.

As a result, there was no outstanding information to be found.

There was no environment that would have fostered such great mental strength, nor had she ever shown unbelievable abilities before.

It was as if the person had changed overnight.

Especially since, during the insane situation of the marriage-by-abduction request, Arpad had pressed a blade against this woman's neck. Yet Hilia hadn't batted an eyelid.

'Even for a trained knight, that would be difficult.'

She was suspicious in every way possible. He needed to be wary.

Therefore, if that knight truly was this woman's weakness, Arpad should have been pleased and satisfied.

His reason was saying just that.

But Arpad's emotions were saying something else.

"It's still unpleasant. The irritation hasn't faded at all."

Watching the morning sun rise, Arpad came to that conclusion.

Looking down at his wife, who was deeply asleep making soft sounds, he grumbled quietly.

"By the way, a bride worrying about another man's safety in front of her groom on her wedding night. Isn't that a bit much, my dear?"

Naturally, the oblivious, sleeping Hilia couldn't possibly answer.

Arpad watched for a moment, then lay down close beside her.

To observe this incomprehensible and fascinating woman a little more closely.

"Well, anyway, since she's in my hands now, I can just keep watching."

He was a patient man. Especially when it came to things within his grasp.

* * *

Ludwig couldn't bear it and spat out a curse.

"Damn it!"

It was already the fourth day today. Since the day he had watched with his own eyes as his bride was abducted on his wedding day.

'I've become a laughingstock to the entire nation, no, the entire continent!'

And yet, the Emperor had said nothing special.

The missing Crown Prince and bride hadn't shown even a single strand of hair.

The longer the period of disappearance lasted, the deeper Ludwig's delusions grew.

What might Arpad have done with the bride?

Why did he kidnap her?

Where did they go?

What on earth are they doing now?

His worries and delusions multiplied one after another.

By the fourth day, they had swelled to an unbearable level.

Ludwig felt as if his chest were burning, making it hard to endure.

He had considered her naturally his woman. But now that she had been taken, he even had thoughts like this.

'If I had known it would come to this, I would have consummated the marriage sooner!'

He recalled vividly Hilia's soft pink hair and glowing cheeks from his memory.

Also her obedient expression that always yielded to his stubbornness.

Why did every single one of those aspects feel achingly nostalgic and regrettable?

She was a woman whose naive and foolish sides he had mocked as being almost too natural.

He gulped down water, but the fire blackening Ludwig's chest did not go out.

Unable to bear it, he shouted.

"Is there still no news of Hilia?!"

"I'm sorry. We are searching everywhere, but...!"

Ironically, the place where Ludwig was standing was the Delphin Residence.

And the butler prostrating himself before him with an apologetic air was also the Delphin Residence's butler.

Since the Delphin Residence was a much larger and more luxurious mansion than the Kieln Grand Ducal Residence, he had been living here for nearly three years now.

During that time, Ludwig had completely taken control of the mansion.

"What about the Imperial Palace?"

"...There is still no contact whatsoever."

"Damn it!!"

Cursing again, Ludwig threw the glass he was holding.

*Crash!*

The crystal shattered into pieces, and the Delphin Residence maids, as if accustomed to it, cleaned up the room.

After venting his anger alone, Ludwig headed to the mansion's underground prison.

To take out his frustration on the single knight imprisoned there.

As the basement door opened, Ludwig unleashed his anger once more on the man lying there in a mess.

"You bastard! Because you didn't protect the bride properly, I have to suffer this humiliation!!"

Ludwig stomped violently on Sir Beltane's back.

Jolted awake by the impact, Sir Beltane asked in a fading voice.

"The Young Lady... is she...?"

"How should I know?! You handed her over to Arpad and...!!"

He kicked Sir Beltane's limbs.

After Hilia was kidnapped, Sir Beltane was the only one who had come before the furious Ludwig first and confessed his own guilt.

The other knights were busy making excuses.

Both Ludwig's own knights and the Delphin Ducal Family knights.

"We couldn't help it!"

"The Crown Prince's Madness is famous, isn't it?"

"We couldn't draw our swords before His Highness Arpad!"

That didn't mean those knights went unpunished.

Nor did they escape becoming targets of Ludwig's venting.

But the strongest anger was directed at Sir Beltane, who had declared himself a criminal.

"A criminal who failed to protect his master has no right to speak."

With his injured body, he was imprisoned in the underground cell that very day and had to become Ludwig's punching bag.

The result was the wreck he had become now.

Ludwig raged like a monkey that only knew one phrase.

"Die! Die! Die!! I disliked you from the start! Pretending to be such a proper knight!"

He had just run out, unable to bear it, snatched a sword from another knight standing guard outside, and come back in.

A sharp woman's voice echoed through the basement.

"Ludwig!!"

Normally, upon hearing that voice, Ludwig would have turned around with a smiling face.

But now he couldn't.

"Go away."

No matter how beloved his lover was, he currently had no mental space to spare for her.

Especially since there was still lingering resentment from their fight over the wedding dress the day before the wedding.

'And... even though I told her not to come to the wedding, she still showed up...'

Wearing a bright cream-colored dress at that.

Perhaps after all, the culprit who ruined the wedding dress was a hired hand under Evangeline's orders.

They had fought that day, but he had dismissed it as Evangeline having done it out of jealousy.

As she had said, getting her hands on the Delphin Ducal Family was also what Evangeline desired.

But was that really the case?

Everything had felt strange and ominous since the wedding dress was ruined.

Perhaps, in fact, behind the scenes of ruining his wedding and making him a laughingstock was actually...

"Ludwig."

As if trying to cut off his delusion, Evangeline called him once more.

The man still did not turn around.

"I said go! I don't have the energy to deal with you right now too!"

Finally, from behind Ludwig, who couldn't hold back and was pouring out his anger, came words he absolutely could not ignore.

"There's news. They say Arpad brother is bringing that woman back to the Capital."

"What?!"

Ludwig's head snapped around.

The man's eyes shone dangerously. Watching this, Evangeline sighed and muttered to herself.

'To think this kind of man was the male lead of the original work...'

She almost clicked her tongue without realizing it.

But she didn't let such inner feelings show on the surface.

Pretending to be a sweet and wise lover, she whispered to Ludwig.

"It's from the informants Mother planted. Which route they're taking, how far they've come by now."

"Good! Give it to me!"

Ludwig almost snatched the note from her.

Evangeline felt displeased at his violent reaction but skillfully hid her expression.

And she incited him.

"Mother has lent out some of her own knight order. You must go and reclaim Hilia, right?"

If only for her sake.

Watching Ludwig, filled with rage, kick off the ground and rush out with a cold expression, Evangeline fell into brief contemplation.

'But there was no such content in the original work? Is it a butterfly effect caused by me twisting the original a lot?'

Even if that were the case, it didn't matter.

She would have everything in her hands anyway.

She was practically like someone taking a test with the answer sheet in hand.

She absolutely could not lose.

* * *

Having come out onto a fairly high hill, Arpad was looking into the distance while still on horseback together.

"The Capital is already visible."

The battlefield where the real fight would begin was waiting for us.

Translator: Nox