Chapter 45: [Chapter 045] As if they were about to kiss
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The office was as peaceful as could be without the lord present. Neil, seizing the opportunity to enjoy the morning sunshine, hastily opened the window. Ah, when was the last time he'd enjoyed such a beautiful morning alone? As memories of cleaning up after drunken nights and filling the cabinet with new alcohol instead of paperwork flooded his mind, he felt a sense of gratitude.
"Yes, this is what an office should be," he murmured.
The fresh morning air, though a bit chilly, filled the office. As he lounged on the sofa, nibbling on cookies, Neil daydreamed about starting every morning this way. If only his lord could come in a bit later, at least until he was done with his daydream. But before he could fully relax, Roardnes burst in, startling Neil who hastily put away the cookies and stood up to salute. Instead of the usual scolding for snacking, Roardnes seemed lost in thought.
'Phew.'
Neil naturally called for the servant outside to take away the teacup and wiped the crumbs from his lips. Approaching Roardnes who was standing there blankly, he said, "Your Highness, you must have had a good night's sleep in your chambers."
"Your Highness?"
Vincenzo, who had come in with a stack of paperwork, also saluted and approached them. Roardnes glanced at them both, standing in the middle of the reception room, and his expression twisted into a frown.
"Neil."
"Yes!"
"What did you do with the things I gave you last time?"
"Yes? What are you talking about?"
"The things that Countess Acacia... Acacia sent me."
As if Neil knew where a non-existent thing was.
"Why do you ask?"
Neil quickly replied to Roardnes who was scanning him with contempt.
"I ate them all as soon as I got them. How can I give you something I've already eaten? Your Highness doesn't like sweets anyway. Do you want me to open my stomach and take them out?"
"Neil!"
Neil had just finished the last cookie, so he couldn't help but talk too much. Vincenzo tried to stop Neil from talking but it was useless.
"Come to my office. I'll open your stomach and take them out."
Roardnes's face, as if he meant every word, was serious.
"Your Highness, I..."
"Vincenzo, Vincenzo! Say something!"
"Your Highness! I still have some pudding left!"
As soon as Vincenzo shouted, Roardnes, who was about to draw his sword and head to his office, stopped abruptly.
"Bring it now."
"You should have said you liked sweets earlier. You always want to do things the hard way... Fine, I'll bring it!"
As soon as Roardnes's hand touched the hilt of his sword, Neil, who had been grumbling, rushed towards the adjutants' office. Roardnes, with a look of annoyance, leaned against his office desk and rang the bell. A servant immediately rushed in.
"Bring me some water to wash my face."
"Yes!"
It was unusual for someone who lived like a recluse to wash his face early in the morning. Vincenzo was so surprised to see his lord cleaning himself up that he widened his eyes.
"Your Highness...!"
And then, seeing Roardnes unbuttoning his shirt with one hand, he approached him in surprise. There was a large cut on his neck, clearly from a sharp blade. His shirt, hidden under his jacket, was soaked in blood. Roardnes closed his mouth and buried his face in the gold basin the servant had brought. Vincenzo, who had quickly found a first aid kit, was pacing in front of him. He was so worried because it looked like a fatal wound.
"Stop making a fuss."
"Your Highness! What happened? Were you attacked? Who dared to..."
"I did it."
Despite the chilling words, Roardnes calmly wiped his face with the dry towel the servant had given him. His freshly washed face shone like porcelain in the morning sunlight.
"Don't worry, I almost died."
"Your Highness!"
Roardnes nonchalantly took off his jacket and shirt, and with the help of a servant who had wisely brought a fresh set of clothes, changed out of his blood-soaked garments. Seeing the raw wound, Vincenzo, whose face had hardened, quickly approached the sofa where Roardnes had slumped.
"The bleeding seems to have mostly stopped, but it's a deep wound. You need treatment."
"Don't be so dramatic. I'm not going to die from something like this."
"Most people would lose consciousness from a wound like that."
The amount of blood on the clothes the servant had taken away was excessive. Roardnes sighed deeply and stretched out on the sofa, and Vincenzo began to lay out medicines from a first-aid kit on the table. Ignoring him, Roardnes rested his head on the armrest of the sofa and covered his eyes with his arm. With his eyes closed, the events that had just happened came back to him vividly.
"Vincenzo."
"Yes."
Vincenzo, who was quietly disinfecting and applying medicine to the wound, clicked his tongue as he watched his lord who didn't flinch even with the strong medicine.
"Is this... reality?"
This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.
"Yes, Your Highness. Your blood is very visible. It's a miracle you even made it here."
Seeing his lord, who had seemed perfectly sane a moment ago, suddenly saying such foolish things, Vincenzo replied. Just then, Neil knocked on the office door and burst in.
"Your Highness, I've brought it."
"Shut up and put everything on the desk."
"I also brought the flower bouquet just in case, but I doubt you'll need this."
"Don't make me repeat myself."
As Roardnes remained lying with his eyes covered, Neil pouted openly. Vincenzo glanced at him reproachfully as he worked.
"Oh, right. And on my way here, I heard that Countess Acacia..."
Oh, right, you told me to ignore anything about that woman.
"It's nothing."
Neil quickly corrected himself after placing the bundles on the desk, and Roardnes lifted the arm covering his eyes.
"What is it?"
"It's a message from the person we sent to keep an eye on her. But it's about the Countess, and you told me to ignore any news from her side..."
"Why haven't you fired that guy, Vincenzo?"
"I'm sorry."
No, not this time! I did exactly as you told me! Looking at the two of them in turn with an aggrieved expression, Neil said bluntly, "She went out alone without any guards."
"What?"
Roardnes immediately sat up straight.
"Your Highness! You haven't finished your treatment yet!"
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
Roardnes cursed under his breath, his face pale. He immediately stormed out of the office. It was so sudden that there was no time to say anything else.
"What, what's going on? Vincenzo, is Your Highness... out of his mind?"
"Neil!"
Neil pointed at his head, dumbfounded, and Vincenzo scolded him.
"Why would he go out himself when he heard she was out without guards? He just told us he wouldn't deal with that matter anymore. What's going on..."
Neil, deep in thought, suddenly slapped his knee.
"... Is he going to take care of her himself when she's unguarded?"
*"How could you make me go through all this trouble by not doing your job properly?"
"M-madam, what's the matter?"
"The maid who just delivered a letter made a mistake. It's a matter concerning the royal family, so I had to come here myself."
I showed him the approval document from the Duke's mansion. The clerk, whose face turned pale at the sight of the Empress's seal, handed me a stack of letters. I found the letter that Annie had definitely sent at the very top of the stack.
"...I see. I think I made a mistake."
"Yes?"
I leaned close to the clerk's ear and whispered.
"It's the will of the royal family. You didn't see me today, understand?"
The clerk, who had been blinking his eyes wide, nodded solemnly. And when I whispered to him to continue his work, he shouted to the other clerks as if he had been given an important mission. I watched him for a moment before quietly leaving the post office.
"Ha."
The reason I was able to identify Annie's letter among the many similar-looking envelopes was simple.
"This is getting really complicated."
The seal on the envelope was that of the 'Duchess.' I had to have the same seal to retrieve the letter from the post office. And to do that, I had to leave a record of my identity.
'She was using my seal? How dare she?'
Moreover, the recipient of that letter was Doris's father, Duke Castagna. ***
After spending some time pondering at the entrance of the post office, I left the building.
"Madam—"
"!"
"I must accompany you."
Several men in dark clothes surrounded me like a giant wall.
"What's going on?"
I quickly scanned my surroundings. Knowing that the city's security had been deteriorating lately, I had secretly asked a few knights from the Duke's mansion to follow me.
"On a day like this, when human trafficking is so common, you can't let your guard down."
One of the masked men, who was grinning, stepped closer. After the incidents of missing noblewomen, there had been a spate of copycat crimes, but I didn't think it was serious enough for them to try to kidnap a noblewoman in broad daylight. I was timing when to signal the hidden knights.
"What a lucky find."
"A beautiful lady all alone... Aaaaaargh!!"
"What, what's going on!"
A sharp blade suddenly appeared from behind, piercing the neck of the man who had tried to grab my wrist.
'Roardnes!'
I thought he had returned to the palace.
"Aaargh!"
In an instant, Roardnes and the man switched places, and all I could see was his broad back. The things they had strapped around their waists fell to the ground with a thud. People passing by were screaming and retreating.
"It's the city guards! It's the city guards!"
"Damn it!"
"...This is bad."
While the men who had been stripped of their pants were floundering and unable to escape, Roardnes grabbed my wrist tightly.
"Roardnes..."
"Shhh-"
Roardnes, anticipating that the city guards would cause trouble if they knew about his position, quickened his pace.
"Catch them! Catch them!"
"Catch the people who are running away too!"
I was unexpectedly caught up in the chase along with Roardnes. But we couldn't go far. Neither Roardnes, who had spent his whole life in the palace, the academy, and the battlefield, nor I, who had no time to sightsee in the city due to my illness, knew the way well. Roardnes led me straight into a dark alley. And immediately covered me with a red cloak, turning it inside out to reveal a deep blue lining.
"They went this way. This way!"
"No, they might have gone that way!"
Cradled in Roardnes's arms like a child, I stood there, my heart pounding. As footsteps approached, we drew closer together. I tugged at Roardnes's jacket.
"Adriene?"
I pulled Roardnes's cloak off and put it over his head. Since his hair was the more eye-catching color, it was better if he was disguised. Leaning against the solid wall, I wrapped my arms around Roardnes's neck, who had the cloak pulled over his head, and pulled him slightly towards me.
"There's someone there!"
"Check it out further!"
As the footsteps drew nearer, I pulled Roardnes's neck closer. Roardnes's wide eyes were darting back and forth.
...Leaning in as if to kiss, I whispered.
"...Use me, Your Highness."
Our noses brushed, and our lips were inches apart. His hot, fragrant breath brushed against my lips, seductively.
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