78 - The Crown I Will Take From You
78
“That should be enough.”
The girl, who had been expressionless, opened her mouth. She showed no signs of intimidation even when faced with the fierce knights.
“You! How dare you interfere with my punishment? What are you doing! Seize her!”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Princess Angelique’s violent outburst rang out, but Iason couldn’t take his eyes off the girl he was seeing for the first time.
The Princess’s escort knight strode towards the girl without hesitation.
But before he could even open his mouth to threaten her with his rough, large frame, a sword was pointed at his neck. It was the female knight guarding the girl.
“Step back.”
It was an astonishingly swift draw. The Princess’s knight couldn’t even follow the opponent’s sword with his eyes.
“Are there only vermin in Baldina? How dare a lowly wench interfere here?”
The Princess’s face turned even redder when she saw her escort hesitating.
“Who are you to insult Baldina at every turn? Either you are a traitor who doesn’t know the honor of her homeland, or you are not from this country.”
“W-What? How dare you! I am from the Great Empire-!”
As the Princess, baited by the girl’s provocation, was about to reveal her identity, Kensington grabbed her arm and murmured lowly.
“Enough. Have you forgotten, Your Highness? Where we are?”
No matter what was said behind their backs, they had to hide their identity as the ones who had caused the ruckus today.
While silencing the Princess, Kensington scrutinized the silver-haired girl who had suddenly appeared with suspicious eyes.
“It’s because you’re acting like a fool! We should have just killed them from the start!”
Meanwhile, the Princess, utterly enraged by the inescapable situation, pinched and kicked her escort.
Tears welled up from the fierce kicks, but the escort couldn’t say a word.
“…….”
The girl maintained a consistently calm expression, making the contrast between the two of them obvious to everyone.
Princess Angelique scowled fiercely.
“Damn it! I refuse to stay in this wretched place. Let’s go!”
As the enraged Princess disappeared, an aura of peace finally returned to the street.
“T-Thank you. You saved Tipi and me.”
“Tipi, Tipi!”
The baby tiger also made a cute cry.
The girl nodded indifferently and immediately left the scene.
Iason, who had been watching the scene as if possessed, hurriedly took a step forward.
“Grand Duke Castulo? Where are you going?”
He didn’t even hear the knight calling him from behind.
Emerging from the tent, he saw the girl walking not far away.
“Wait, just a moment.”
Iason urgently chased after the girl. Seeing her silver hair fluttering like silk, his mouth felt parched.
“Excuse me, may I ask for the lady’s name?”
Her steps didn’t stop, and he couldn’t catch her hand, making him sweat as he felt a strange sense of regret at her retreating figure.
The courage to stop the outrageous behavior when no one else would step forward. The composure that silenced the arrogant Angelique.
The girl was not only beautiful but also wise.
“…….”
Please, just stop for a moment and look back at me.
At the moment Iason wished for that, the girl’s steps came to a halt.
Ah, thank goodness. An inexplicable sense of relief washed over Iason’s heart.
“The one who caused the commotion just now is my cousin. She was raised too preciously and lacks manners. I apologize on behalf of my cousin.”
It was a kind and considerate voice that melted away the other person’s wariness.
Soon, the girl who had been standing still turned around.
The moment Iason saw her beautiful green eyes, he was mesmerized.
And at the same time, a fierce killing intent brushed past his neck.
‘What is it?’
Startled, Iason raised his head and looked around. It was such a clear sense of malice that he wondered if there was an assassin targeting him.
But he found no trace of anything and refocused on the girl in front of him.
In that fleeting moment, her large green eyes trembled with shock. Terror, anger, and an inexplicable regret flashed across them in an instant.
“Lady? Are you alright?”
It was strange. Why was the girl so surprised to see him?
Iason was taken aback by the various emotions in the girl’s eyes, and he tried to recall if he had ever met her before.
No. If he had seen such a face, there was no way he would have forgotten it.
“Lady.”
Iason reached out his hand. He swore it wasn’t with any improper intention.
It was just that the water droplets welling up in her trembling eyes seemed so precariously close to falling that she looked pitiful…….
“I just…….”
Thwack-!
But the outstretched hand was coldly brushed aside.
A stinging pain remained on the back of his hand. Iason realized that she had slapped his hand away.
“It doesn’t hurt. Don’t worry.”
Iason murmured unconsciously, trying to reassure the girl.
In the meantime, the girl had returned to her expressionless face as if nothing had happened.
The flickering moisture had long since dried up. Nothing could be read on her white face, as if a thick curtain had been drawn over it.
In that fleeting moment, Iason clenched his fist without realizing it, feeling so regretful about the emotions the girl had fleetingly revealed.
If only she would look at him with those eyes just one more time.
“I didn’t intend to startle you. I simply wanted to apologize on behalf of my cousin. And if you would tell me your name, I would like to express my gratitude-”
Ha. It sounded like someone was sneering from somewhere.
Did he hear wrong?
As Iason was wondering,
“What’s the point of belated gratitude or apologies?”
The girl retorted coldly.
“If you had been watching the incident from the beginning, shouldn’t you have stopped your cousin? Instead of standing by as if it were none of your business.”
“Excuse me……?”
“If you have so much time on your hands, you should reflect on yourself, whose words and actions do not match.”
Still, he was a Grand Duke of the Empire.
It was the first time he had been reprimanded like this in front of his face, having grown up as the most precious bloodline after the Emperor.
When the dazed Iason regained his senses and looked for the girl again, she was already gone.
\ \ *
In the green building where the Facade’s branch was located, everything that Angelique was causing could be seen.
“The Fourth Princess is still the same. Whether it’s Kazen or Baldina, she doesn’t change, so I should praise her for her stubbornness.”
“Checkmate.”
Cesare’s cold voice echoed. He didn’t seem to care about the commotion outside at all, not even giving it a glance.
On the table next to the window where they were sitting, a game of chess was in full swing.
Black had devoured all of White’s pieces, leaving only a few pieces remaining.
“Boss, give me a break. You’ve been winning non-stop.”
Gallo whined and tore at his hair.
“Oh, Grand Duke Castulo is there too. Look, Boss.”
As if wanting to divert Cesare’s attention elsewhere, Gallo peeked out the window.
“He secretly joined hands with the Regent Duke, and it seems he brought Jared along on this trip to Baldina.”
“Iason brought Jared?”
Cesare’s eyebrows raised slightly. Soon, as if understanding, a sneer escaped him.
“It seems my dear cousin is finally starting to stretch.”
He saw through Iason’s ambition at a glance.
“He’s been living like a dead mouse all along, but now that the Boss is gone, he’s slyly coming out and reaching out to both inside and outside Kazen. If he gets the Regent Duke and Jared, then we won’t be able to ignore him.”
Gallo grumbled, as if annoyed.
“Well, anyway, right now they have to go around catering to the Fourth Princess’s whims, so it won’t be easy for them…… Huh?”
Gallo tilted his head.
“Isn’t that the Princess?”
The hand that was moving a chess piece paused.
Cesare raised his head. Silver hair flickered beyond the window and disappeared.
“Did I see wrong? Well, she wouldn’t be here, Boss……?”
When Gallo turned around, Cesare had already left his seat.
“Where are you going all of a sudden in the middle of chess!”
Gallo shouted at his unresponsive back.
“Damn it, checkmate! Checkmate!”
