s
“When their woman is taken away, isn’t it the man who gets the most upset? Not that great a reason. The pleasure you feel when you take it and hold it in your arms is quite great.”
In the Crown Prince's head, Irell wasn't even a person. She was a thing called ‘woman’… an item that he thought the Duke would be pissed off if taken away as he needed to protect it preciously. It was no different than a child taking or destroying another child's toy.
“Why are you so anxious to beat the Duke?”
“I didn't bother the Duke first. He started it.”
“The Duke?”
"Yes. He was not even a member of the royal family, but he pretended to be proud in front of father in order to catch his eye. He was impatient to crush me.”
“…The Duke?”
Selina couldn't understand it, so she kept asking again and again.
“Why don't you believe me? He must have been quite shy in front of you. Didn't he crush me in a spar because he learned some swords? He even ignored my tactics, saying he had learned some tactics. If he is a vassal, he should also know humility. Doesn't that mean he actually had a heart for treason?”
“When was that?”
“It was when I was ten years old, I think? He was about nine.”
Since the two of them were said to be of similar age, Kalcion must have been around that age. Still, ten years old… It was the age when children did what they were told to do. How did he know the word treason?
Selina's expression didn't even catch his eyes, and the Crown Prince was agitated alone and talked about the story after that, which she didn't even ask.
“Still, with the monarch's generosity, I overlooked the insolence. Yet after that, after he started ruling the country on behalf of father, he even threatened me that I couldn't collect taxes, and that if it weren't Renbird, monsters would come down to the Capital… As a monarch, a disobedient subject had to be stepped on.”
While the Crown Prince was sincerely upset, Selina shook her head.
“I don’t know about complicated politics… I mean, so you deliberately seduced Irell to bed?”
“It’s tempting. She was said to be the Duke's woman, so I was just curious and said a few words. As a man, I just couldn’t refuse and accepted it when she was the one who turned her eyes.”
“You said a few words just like you did to me… So, are you saying it is Irell’s mistake to get excited?”
“As expected, I like you because you’re smart.”
Even though it was a sarcastic remark, the Crown Prince smiled brightly and praised Selina, whose fatigue set in. While he was crazy, this madman was the most powerful person.
“Still, in the end, one woman’s life was ruined.”
“The problem is that she is the Duke's woman. If she didn't like it, she should have given up the Duke.”
s
“I heard that Irell gave up and joined Your Highness.”
“In that case, she should have been completely loyal to me but choosing this and that… If she wants to win my heart, she will definitely ask for something.”
“…What did Irell ask for?”
"Marriage."
“…With Your Highness?"
“She dared.”
“Did you give that much of your heart?”
“I don’t know how she feels though her attitude suddenly changed after she got pregnant. It would have been fun to see her become the Duchess while carrying my baby. It was a pity I didn't get to see it."
An alarm rang in her head.
Irell, Crown Prince, pregnant…
The piece of the puzzle that could not be found was, of course, found with the culprit.
“Irell died the day before the betrothal.”
“I had no intention of killing her. But, she kept saying that she would die if I didn’t marry her, that she would die if I didn’t see her.”
“…So, you told her to die?”
At her question, the Crown Prince shrugged his shoulders. He didn't feel the slightest bit of guilt or regret.
“And, you went to me right away?”
“You are not her. You’re not even the same person, so why are you acting like you resent me? Did I kill you?”
As he asked that, the Crown Prince suddenly rose from his seat and strode in front of Selina.
Grabbing her chin, who was startled as she wanted to rise from her seat and run away, the strength of his grip on her chin was tremendous. Selina’s jaw felt as if it was about to break. That alone gave an overwhelming difference in power.
s
Although Kalcion was powerful, he had never let her feel his strength.
Disgust arose at the stark difference.
“You are very special. Is it because you already gave your heart to the Duke? I feel like you really don't want anything from me.”
“If there is something I want, may I dare to ask for it?”
“Ask.”
“I ask you to send me back right now.”
"Even in the middle of this, you still have unusual things to say."
The Crown Prince admired as he stared at Selina's face.
It wasn't good news.
Even though she should have been more modest, the Crown Prince's nonsense got on her nerves that even Selina couldn't restrain herself. If she could, she'd like to crush that proud face.
“Would you be able to say the same thing with my seed in your belly?”
“…What?"
It sounded ludicrous, but she had no choice but to ask a stupid question. All the words the Crown Prince said today were things that made her reason disappear from beginning to end, and kicked out her spirit.
“That woman failed before, but I don't think you'll die easily. How will the Duke react to his woman who has another man’s seed in her womb? At that point, will he admit that everything is in the palm of my hand…? I am curious about that face.”
Still, the Crown Prince kindly spit out the villain's line as if to patronize her.
"You're not thinking of putting that into practice, are you?"
Selina turned blue.
"Why can't I?"
"I didn't run to Your Highness and hold you."
“Soon, you will be.”
s
The Crown Prince rose from his seat and took a step closer to her as Selina prepared to run, half-raising herself from the chair.
“How do you know?”
“Everyone said no at first, but once they did it, they just clung to me.”
Her blood ran cold
“No way, by force…”
“In the end, you’re going to say you’re going to die for how good it is? Trust me."
“No, Your Highness. I don’t want to do it regardless of trust.”
Selina flatly refused. Nonetheless, the Crown Prince’s approaching steps did not stop.
“I said you would, but you dare…”
They were not exactly communicating.
When she quickly pushed the chair and tried to run away, unfortunately, the Crown Prince was as agile as Kalcion.
“Let go! No…!"
As his hand clasped her arm, Selina used all the self-defense techniques she had learned so far, but she couldn't use them properly while she was in a panic. Meanwhile, the Crown Prince dragged her and threw her onto the bed.
Her light body plummeted to the bed as she flew through the air.
"Argh!"
Even as she screamed, she twisted her body into a good position to get away. The Crown Prince rode over Selina's waist.
"It's quite fun to tame a lively creature like you."
He wasn’t trying to scare her, he really meant it. Contrary to the rough throw, the Crown Prince removed each strand of her hair off her pale face.
“It would have been a pity just to kill you.”
s
His fingertips, which had been brushing her forehead, grabbed Selina by the collar, and he was about to rip her clothes off.
There was no reason to wait any longer.
Selina gritted her teeth and struggled to get away somehow, recalling the knife hidden in her sleeve. She then grabbed the handle of the knife, taking advantage of the moment when the Crown Prince's attention was distracted while tearing her clothes.
“You filthy bastard!”
She waved her sword with a cry.
In the meantime, she shouted curse words that she had wanted to do and went down. Her stance was unstable, so the knife could not go deep. Regardless, she managed to dig through the clothes off and pierce into the flesh to see blood.
“Kugh! This b*tch!”
Selina slipped out of the bed as the Crown Prince crouched his body. The villa was as small as a house. Even if she hid in here, it was only a matter of time before she got caught. In addition, the wall was so high that it could not be crossed unless she had wings.
The only way out was the massive door through which she entered, which had to be opened by the guards.
Seeing the Crown Prince, who did not fall even after being hit by the dagger, stagger towards her, Selina had no choice but to run through the door, even if it would open or not. As she rushed toward the door, she hoped that if she slammed it with her whole body at her speed, it would open.
However, just before her body touched the door, the door swung open.
"Oh!"
She was about to hit her door, so her body, which she was preparing for, flew through the air. Losing her balance, her body fell over.
If she stayed like this, she would hit the floor hard and roll on the floor.
As she thought so, Selina closed her eyes tightly in preparation for the shock that would soon follow her though a firm yet elastic body embraced her. With her running speed, it must have been quite a shock, but the body embraced her without moving from the spot he received her.
She could feel the familiar body odor in the firm embrace, and Selina lifted her head and checked the face.
It was Kalcion, from whom she had a heartbreaking farewell a moment ago.
“Duke…?!”
There was a mixture of joy, surprise and gladness.
s
Although she pleaded with him not to come forward until something happened, Kalcion, who had listened to Selina until now, defied her for the first time.
"Be patient until something happens to me."
“…Something almost happened.”
“It probably wasn't until the time the Duke started to make a fuss. What are you going to do?”
“Come to think of it, there’s no way he wouldn’t do something.”
“….”
It was the correct answer.
This time, Kalcion's feelings were correct. Since she was in the rescued position, she could not blame him for why he did it.
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