"Damn... Damn."
Inside the magnificent Crown Prince's office. The Crown Prince walked around the room with anxious steps.
"The Duke seemed to have no other intention than to interrogate the traitor. The Duchess seemed to have come only to find her husband."
Just a moment ago. The soldier who had been to the dungeon had definitely reported that. But even so, the dirty feeling hadn't completely disappeared. Just in case. If that woman named Ariana made contact with the prisoner and found out that he was actually the one who killed her family ten years ago, it would be a disaster. Or, it couldn't be ruled out that she had already noticed something and was approaching him.
"Damn."
The Crown Prince chewed out his curse harshly. The mere existence of that possibility was irritating. He was called the Crown Prince, but his position was not very stable. It was a secret that no one knew, but the Crown Prince knew.
The Emperor was not very fond of him. Even the fact that he was considering putting that damned illegitimate child, Dante Heigenberg, who had royal blood flowing through his veins, on the throne instead of himself. In the current situation where the successor's position is not certain, if suspicions arise that he attempted to assassinate the former Crown Prince...
The Emperor might actively try to investigate the suspicions. If the truth were to come out, his throne could end up in tatters.
Boom!
The enraged Crown Prince slammed his fist against the wall. Ten years ago. If he hadn't made such a ridiculous mistake that day, things wouldn't have become this troublesome. Suddenly, the voice of the woman he had been living with at that time came to his ears.
"I'm afraid Your Highness, please don't call me for this reason anymore. I'm someone who brings joy by singing on stage, and I don't want to do it in any other way."
What was her name... Oh, right. Her name was Zenith. the woman who was a prima soprano of the Lopez Opera House was the most popular in society at the time with her pretty face and enchanting voice. She was such a woman, so it was only natural that she should be held in the arms of the Prince. However, she was a nasty woman who would dare to reject him. It was fun to see her keep rejecting him, saying she would keep her integrity, so he kept calling her out...
The woman happened to overhear the 'business' that was being discussed at the time. The clever woman immediately told her guardian, Eduardo Lopez, and the Crown Prince had no choice but to deal with everyone who had leaked the news.
'Should I have killed the entire family Instead of just the Count and his daughter?'
No, even for him, it was too risky. Ten years ago, that matter was definitely wrapped up perfectly. He had taken advantage of that stupid son-in-law who wanted to deal with his wife and father-in-law and had resolved it cleanly. So that should have been buried. But why did the trick he had used back then end up in the hands of the Duke?
"Even if you're unlucky, you should be unlucky... Damn it!"
The Crown Prince, overcome with frustration, carelessly threw down the wine glass he was holding.
"Sob."
The maid who was serving him cringed and barely managed to swallow her fear. Blood formed on her hands as she hurriedly cleaned up the shattered pieces.
"What are you doing? Why don't you fill up a new glass first!"
"Yes, yes, Your Highness."
Another maid quickly brought a new glass. The Crown Prince, who had gulped down the wine, soon threw that down as well. Perhaps because he was in a bad mood, the alcohol didn't taste good at all.
"Yes. The problem is the Duke."
That arrogant bastard. A damn human butcher who dared to raise his head in front of the Crown Prince, even though he was an illegitimate child.
The Crown Prince gritted his teeth. Even if Ariana had noticed something, if the Duke wasn't there, she could at least stop one woman from running around.
'So if I just take the Duke away, I guess I can take care of one girl...'
The best option would of course be to get rid of the Duke, but if that were as easy as it sounds, he wouldn't have kept him as a thorn in his side all this time. Then the next best option would be...
'Make that girl abandon the Duke.'
In any case, all he had to do was get the Duke away from that girl named Ariana. That certainly seemed like an easier goal to achieve than the best option. He knew that the Duke lusted after his wife. It was obvious enough that any man would have noticed it. However, no emotion could be distorted as easily as a man's desire.
"Hmm."
The Crown Prince's eyes flashed with malice.
***
A dark and damp dungeon. A man with an unbelievably shabby appearance, who was once the head of a brilliant founding family, was sitting there blankly.
Lucas Pedegreen. No, he couldn't even be called Pedegreen anymore. Charged with all sorts of treason, he was meaninglessly wasting away each day, waiting for the trial date. The charges were so clear that even when the trial came, his situation would only get worse, not better.
In the deep darkness, Lucas was lost in a sea of apathy. There, he chewed over one person's face every day. Ariana Lopez.
The gentle and easygoing woman who had always looked at him with longing eyes. And, the last time he saw her...
"What you gave me was a fruit that was rotten to the core. It might have looked delicious, but..."
"It was so disgusting that I couldn't help but vomit it out the moment I put it in my mouth."
The vile witch who spat out venomous words without a care, who had thrown him into this swamp. For a while, he hated her. However, the more he thought of Ariana's face to hate her, the more another desire blossomed. That deadly laughter that was always on the face of the woman who was always watching him like a beaten animal.
The more he thought of it, the more strangely charming it became.
'She was mine.'
Lucas gritted his teeth and chewed on his regret over and over again. No matter how much Elena sneered, it was not as captivating as that laughter. So why on earth did he lose her by looking at the likes of Elena?
It wasn't just her looks that were the problem. Ariana's talent was a real gem. A gem that he had dug up and nurtured. It wasn't something he had worked so hard to get rid of so that other men could take her.
Regret and hatred boiled in Lucas' heart. As It had always been since he was trapped here.
Clink, clank.
At that moment, the sound of iron boots hitting the prison floor rang out. Lucas looked up blankly.
"Prisoner number 3615."
Lucas wasn't even called by his name here. Lucas looked up blankly at the familiar number. Then, soon after, his eyes widened.
Clank, clank.
The guard was opening the tightly locked prison door.
'What, what is this?'
Today was definitely not trial day. But the prison door opening...
'Could this be a visitation?'
Thump, thump.
Lucas' heart began to race. No one had come to visit Lucas since he was locked up here. Of all the guys he had flattered so much when he was a Marquis, not a single one of them had a nose.
'But, by any chance, Ariana!'
Maybe Ariana had come to see him. But the words the guard uttered were not what Lucas had expected.
"You have been temporarily pardoned."
And at the same time, they were incredibly surprising words.
"Whether or not you'll be stuck here again depends on the will of the Highness, so I'll do my best."
Lucas' mouth gaped open.
***
"I'll serve you with all my heart, Lady Ariana."
A total of three knights saluted me. I was so surprised that I couldn't even answer, so I blinked and looked back at Dante blankly.
"... Where on earth did you guys come from?"
"In the shadows."
Dante's aide, Leo, smiled proudly and muttered something incomprehensible. I blinked a few more times and then quickly came to a realization.
'Ah. The Shadow Knights of Heigenberg'
They weren't as famous as Dante, the war hero, but they were still famous throughout the system. There were many rumors that they were able to infiltrate anywhere like ghosts with their outstanding stealth skills.
When I heard that, he thought it was an exaggeration...
'They weren't exaggerations at all. It was a stealth technique that literally melted into the shadows.'
Clap, clap, clap.
I clapped my hands absentmindedly.
"That was the stealth technique I've only heard of before. It was like magic. You're really amazing."
As I exclaimed in a half-asleep state, a moment of pride flashed across the three knights' faces. I looked around at the knights with curious eyes. They were all of different genders and heights, but what was surprising was that they all had such vague impressions. It was so much so that I wouldn't even remember them if I passed them on the street.
"I will do whatever Lady Ariana says. That's because it was my master's order."
I also learned simple war signals. Turning my palm upside down meant that everything was fine, crossing my index finger and thumb meant to wait, and so on. As I was doing all this, I began to feel that I was really starting to prepare to attack the Crown Prince.
'Well, there's no guarantee that the Crown Prince won't use his hand on me.'
He was a suspicious person. In my previous life, as soon as I ascended to the throne, I was busy expelling my close associates with just a small suspicion. I had acted out in the palace prison yesterday, but I still didn't think I would have completely stopped suspecting his character. It wouldn't hurt to be fully prepared. So I headed to today's destination.
On the surface, I seemed to be taking only Sophie and one escort knight, but in reality, I was accompanied by three elite shadow knights from the Heigenberg family.
"Where shall I take you, Madam?"
I answered lightly to the coachman's question.
"The Bellir Newspaper."
The coachman looked puzzled. That was understandable because it was a small newspaper company that few people knew about. The reason I knew the name of the newspaper company was simple. The person who had been hanged for reporting the Crown Prince's crimes in my previous life. The newspaper company he owned was none other than the Bellir Newspaper.
Knowing the future is the greatest asset of all. I planned to actively utilize that asset. However, even I, who was like that, didn't know the identity of the death row inmate. I quietly thought as I gazed at the scenery passing by through the carriage window.
'Who could it be?'
The owner of the Bellir newspaper. That person who was as filled with hatred for the Crown Prince as I was.
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