Ch#9

Episode 9

Ludwig's knights, who had belatedly regained their senses, shouted in shock.

All of them had faces as pale as dirt.

"This, this is an insult!"

"What will His Grace the Grand Duke say if he hears of this!"

"How can you do this, thinking of Your Highness Ludwig, who is your cousin!"

Amidst this, only one knight was angry for the bride, Hilia's sake.

"How can you inflict such an insult upon a noble Lady!"

*Clang!*

Without hesitation, he drew his sword and stood in front of Hilia, blocking her.

The one most startled by Sir Beltane's sudden action was neither the surrounding knights nor the threatened Crown Prince.

It was Hilia herself.

'No! I'm supposed to be abducted for marriage today, Beltane!'

At this rate, the gamble on Hilia's life was about to be disrupted by a loyal knight.

* * *

The moment Hilia confirmed the Crown Prince had blocked the bridal procession, she cheered inwardly.

'Yes! I'm saved!'

And while cheering on the Crown Prince's outrageous act, she got so excited that she rushed out herself.

'This should make it easier to kidnap me!'

"If we continue like this, I might be late for the wedding. Please step aside."

Her request contained a hidden nudge like this.

'Hurry! Quickly! Faster than the wind! I'm already prepared to be abducted!'

Only Arpad could fully understand this.

He chuckled softly.

'She really is a strange woman, no matter how you look at it.'

The most surprising thing was that this feeling wasn't all that unpleasant.

Thinking about it from the start, it was strange, actually.

"Please kidnap me!"

In the end, he had let that woman, who made such an absurd threat, go alive.

Perhaps the moment he let this woman live back then, he had already lost the tug-of-war.

Still, what remained incomprehensible was this sense of not feeling displeased despite having lost.

'It seems necessary to keep her close and observe her for some reason, anyway.'

In truth, even this felt like an excuse to accept such an unreasonable threat.

But there was no other way.

The moment he thought, 'Shall I give it a try?', that was the end of it.

Since he was in quite high spirits, Arpad was being rather merciful.

This meant he didn't kill the knight who dared draw his sword and block his path with a single stroke.

"Gahk!"

*Clang!*

The knight, whose arm was deeply slashed, dropped his sword, and

Hilia screamed.

"Sir Beltane!!"

She was worried about this knight. Sincerely.

'What is this?'

The strangely heightened excitement vanished in an instant.

Arpad realized. That he had suddenly become displeased by that woman's single expression.

Hilia blocked the knight's path and pleaded.

"Please show mercy. Your Highness!"

Her act just moments ago, pretending to be a pitiful and demure bride, was clearly an act.

But her concern for this knight was not an act.

'It's just genuine.'

Arpad felt a bit bewildered. His insides had twisted. Yet he still couldn't understand why.

Translator: Nox