Chapter 6
A short while before the accident, inside the Imperial carriage.
Ian and Brian were on their way to the shopping district after receiving an anonymous tip about poisonous herbs.
Usually, these types of tips were the result of a misunderstanding and weren’t worth investigating.
However, Brian had suggested the outing to soothe Ian, who had been extremely irritable lately from attending a string of banquets that didn’t suit his temperament.
“…….”
Ian stared out the window in silence, his arms crossed.
He could feel the warmth in the air, a sign that spring was approaching.
It was during the spring, when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, that his mother, the late Empress, had passed away from a chronic illness.
The people of the Imperial Palace always prioritized the wedding anniversary of the Emperor and his current wife, which fell five days later, leaving the anniversary of the late Empress’s death as an afterthought.
Expecting nothing from others, Ian had grown accustomed to observing his mother’s memorial alone and in silence.
That day was approaching once again, bringing with it the vivid memories of when he was nine years old.
‘Your Highness, the seat of the Empress cannot remain vacant for even a moment.’
‘But my mother only passed away yesterday…….’
‘I understand your heart, Your Highness, but His Majesty the Emperor must also fulfill his duties. Bear in mind that this is the Imperial Family.’
And so, less than a week after his mother’s death, Ian had to welcome a stepmother.
At the time, he had been too consumed by grief to notice, but as he grew older, he learned that the relationship between the Emperor and Carola had already been underway while the late Empress was still on her deathbed.
‘As someone in the position of Empress, one must always have the latest fashions ready. The entire world watches my every move. In that regard, the late Empress was truly lagging behind. I looked in her wardrobe and found nothing worth keeping.’
Perhaps due to an inferiority complex stemming from the fact that her marriage began as an illicit affair, the Empress never missed an opportunity to compare herself to the late Empress, disparaging his mother at every turn.
Ian knew this, but he had simply waited and waited, biding his time until he could claim the throne.
“…….”
While Ian was lost in thought, the carriage passed through the plaza.
The sound of people laughing reached his ears, drawn out by the increasingly warm weather.
“Connie!”
Then, the affectionate voice of a woman calling out to her friend caught his attention.
Drawn by the sound, Ian turned his gaze toward the source.
He was about to look away after scanning the faces of the laughing crowd, when—
“Wait, Duke.”
“Yes?”
“What is that?”
Something entirely out of place in this peaceful scene entered Ian’s field of vision.
Brian’s face turned pale as his gaze followed where Ian was pointing.
“Isn’t that a carriage? There’s going to be an accident!”
A black carriage was hurtling toward a building at an impossible speed.
Screams erupted as people belatedly noticed the runaway vehicle.
“……!”
At that moment, the silhouette of a woman running desperately caught Ian’s eye.
“Your Highness!”
The moment he saw her, Ian didn’t hesitate. He flung open the carriage door and leaped out.
“It’s dangerous!”
He heard Brian shouting from behind him, but he didn’t care.
He instinctively knew what she was trying to do, and his only thought was that he had to stop her.
“Get out of the way!”
The woman shoved someone else with all her might.
Thanks to her, the person was pushed out of the carriage’s path.
However, the woman herself lost her balance and fell to the ground.
‘Foolish woman!’
At this rate, she would be crushed by the carriage and meet a gruesome end.
Ian sprinted forward.
Grab.
He snatched her around the waist.
Small and light, the woman was pulled away helplessly as Ian hauled her back.
CRASH!
The carriage slammed into the glass wall with a deafening roar.
All of this had unfolded in less than a minute.
“Hey, are you alright?”
Lobelyn finally snapped back to her senses at the sound of a strange voice whispering in her ear.
Where she had been standing just moments ago, the carriage was now embedded sideways into the building.
People were screaming and fleeing, others were gathered around murmuring, and some were shouting as they tried to organize the scene.
The unreality of the situation made Lobelyn feel as if she were dreaming.
“What happened…… Huh?”
Lobelyn tried to step forward instinctively, only then realizing there was a firm arm wrapped around her waist.
It belonged to the savior who had just rescued her from being killed by the carriage.
Even though the danger had passed, the arm holding her showed no sign of letting go.
“Th-thank you.”
Feeling grateful but somewhat uncomfortable, Lobelyn shifted her body slightly to move away from him.
But for some reason, his arm tightened its grip around her waist.
“Um, you can let go now—”
Lobelyn twisted her body and looked up.
But her movements froze instantly.
Looking down at her in silence were those blue eyes.
‘W-why is Ian here again?’
As a flustered Lobelyn struggled to figure out what to do, Ian’s sea-blue eyes were carefully scanning her face.
“You know me, don’t you?”
“……Pardon?”
Lobelyn’s eyes widened at the blunt, out-of-the-blue question.
I mean, was there anyone in the Empire who didn’t know the Crown Prince?
But Lobelyn could sense instinctively that he wasn’t asking for that reason.
“Answer me—”
“Your Highness!”
While Lobelyn was stammering in the face of the awkward situation, Brian came running over from a distance.
Brian’s shout acted like a pebble dropped in a pond, causing a ripple of murmurs to spread through the crowd.
“Your Highness? Did he just call him Your Highness?”
“Oh my god, is that man the Crown Prince?”
“Oh, Your Highness!”
The murmuring grew louder in an instant, and those who belatedly realized his identity threw themselves onto the ground.
“We greet His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince.”
Cornelia also hurried over and bowed her head before Ian.
Ian looked around with a troubled expression, clicked his tongue, and finally released Lobelyn.
“That’s enough with the greetings; everyone stand up. We need to manage the scene first.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
At his command, the people rose and began moving in an orderly fashion.
Ian surveyed the accident site with sharp eyes.
The plain black carriage was a public one used for hire.
‘……There’s no coachman.’
A coachman should always be holding the reins for safety.
Even if they had accidentally dropped the reins and caused this mess, it was suspicious that no one was running over after it.
It was as if the carriage had been intended for this purpose from the start.
Ian quickly found the carriage number and memorized it.
The City Guard would investigate it anyway once they arrived.
But he had a gut feeling that he shouldn’t leave it entirely to them.
Currently, all responsibility and authority over the Capital City Guard belonged to the Empress’s cousin, Count Wighill.
“Your Highness! Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Ah, I’m fine.”
In the meantime, Brian had rushed to Ian’s side.
“That’s a relief, Your Highness. Lady Bennett is also safe—”
“Bennett?”
“Ah, yes. This is Lady Bennett.”
“I see.”
Brian carefully introduced Cornelia to Ian.
He had been planning to arrange a meeting between Ian and Cornelia before the engagement anyway.
The sudden turn of events left Brian feeling a bit flustered.
However, Ian merely nodded slightly without showing any particular reaction.
Then, his gaze shifted to the other woman standing beside her.
“And this one?”
“……I am Lobelyn of the Dines Viscounty, Your Highness.”
“Lobelyn Dines.”
Ian quietly repeated the name he had just heard.
He stared intently at the owner of the name.
It was as if he didn’t want to miss a single one of her movements.
“Your Highness, Lady Dines seems very shaken, so I will escort her home.”
Sensing the unusual look in Ian’s eyes, Brian quickly stepped between the two.
“Oh, th-that’s a great idea! Would it be alright if I relied on you, Duke?”
Lobelyn, who had already been feeling uneasy, quickly stuck close behind Brian.
This was her golden opportunity to escape.
Ian’s eyebrow twitched as he watched Brian take hold of Lobelyn’s wrist.
“Your Highness should take Lady Bennett—”
“Duke, don’t you think managing this accident scene comes first?”
“Pardon?”
“The City Guard will be here soon, and someone needs to command the site.”
Brian was momentarily speechless at Ian’s haughty instruction.
Ian gave him a smirk and continued.
“Therefore, I shall be the one to escort Lady Dines.”
“Wh-what?”
“Once you finish up here, return to the Crown Prince’s Palace. Report to me immediately.”
‘Wow, he’s a total exploitative boss…….’
The moment Ian spoke, Lobelyn was reminded of the CEO from her previous life.
That piece of…… I mean, that CEO, also had the lovely habit of telling people to come back to the office to see his face before clocking out after finishing their field work.
‘Poor Brian.’
But now was not the time for Lobelyn to be worrying about others.
“What are you doing? Get in.”
Standing before the Imperial carriage, Ian was gesturing for her to enter.
