Chapter 61

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 61

Chapter Title: His Kiss and Her Soul (5)

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With words whose meaning she couldn't comprehend, his lips pressed against hers. Soft, warm lips tenderly bore down on Roxiana's.

Roxiana, clueless as to what was happening, widened her eyes and stared at his eyelashes, so very close.

She couldn't breathe.

Even though it wasn't her first kiss with a man, her body went rigid as if it were some alien experience.

She knew she ought to shove away the sudden kiss from this man who wasn't even her lover, but she simply couldn't. The warmth trickling in through her parted lips was maddeningly sweet. That spring sunlight-like tenderness sweeping her mouth and melting away was so refreshingly intoxicating it felt addictive.

Her reason grew faint, as if shrouded in foam, then slowly vanished.

Without even realizing the sweetness flowing from him was life force itself, Roxiana instinctively clung to his neck. She naturally came to understand that the warmth he imparted was mending her soul and vitality.

Her soul, not yet fully healed, yearned desperately for his flame.

The power emanating from him seeped into Roxiana like warm water. It felt as though her entire body was submerging in a fragrant bathtub, soaking through completely, and she closed her eyes.

His heat caressed her whole body, tenderly cradling her exhausted flesh. In the serene depths of that kiss, Roxiana slipped into a profound slumber.

As her arms fell limply from his neck onto the bed, Floyd pulled his lips away from hers. It had been merely a kiss to heal her battered body, yet an unfamiliar urge knotted in his lower abdomen, irritating him.

Floyd heaved a deep sigh that shifted his shoulders and gently stroked the forehead of the girl sleeping soundly.

Color had returned to Roxiana's cheeks, but he still couldn't fully relax. She seemed so tiny and fragile, like fluffy pudding that might squish at the slightest wrong touch, filling him with unease.

Floyd lingered by the bedside for a long while, watching over her, before finally leaving the bedroom.

The knight captains waiting in the drawing room straightened up as Floyd emerged. Without sparing them a glance, Floyd strode forward purposefully, and the captains hurried to follow in his wake.

Once they were a fair distance from the bedroom, Adrian spoke up.

"My lord, my lord. That bastard—are you going to kill him?"

Everyone knew exactly who he meant.

"We'll see."

"When do we rescue the princess's family?"

Floyd answered Hexston's question matter-of-factly.

"First, we'll carry out the subjugation as planned, then figure it out after. By the time we're done, the holy knights who've entered Kanta should have wrapped up their business and headed back."

"Even if the princess's family have turned into undead, they'll be safe in the well, but we should consider the chance they slipped out through the passage inside it."

"Right. But the passage is narrow, and undead lack intelligence, so they'll stay put in the well."

With that, Floyd ground his teeth.

Memories flooded back of the Franche royal family, who had treated him so kindly long ago. The thought of them wandering in that pitch-black well made rage swell within him, as if his heart might burst.

And to think how she—the one most affected—must have felt.

Recalling how he'd yelled at her without a clue, his anger surged even hotter.

'You stupid, rude bastard! Go die!'

The moment they exited Lily Palace, a blast of heat made the knight captains recoil.

Floyd took a deep breath to quell the blaze and said,

"We march out tomorrow. Bear, you're coming too. We need to wrap this up as fast as possible and get back."

Kain—who'd been excluded from this subjugation but was now joining—clenched his fists tight.

Elise glared at the middle-aged man standing before her.

"What did you just say?"

Even with her sharpened tone, the man showed no fear.

"I said the lord is being too hasty and foolish. Road construction out of nowhere? I get that you want to impress His Highness the Crown Prince with some achievement, but twisting public duty for personal gain will cost you dearly."

The middle-aged man speaking to her like a child was Count Brix Lutain, one of the men Lucas had assigned to Elise. She couldn't believe the person who should be most loyal to her was the first to oppose her outright, and she shot him a fierce look.

'Damn old geezer.'

The officials summoned to the meeting hall nodded in agreement with his words.

It was an utterly mortifying situation.

Joseph V had merely drafted a document entrusting Kinteren City to Elise; he'd never formally summoned her to the audience chamber to bestow the fief.

To make matters worse, the men Lucas had sent were loyal to him, not her. Now distant from the capital, they made no effort to hide their contempt.

Kinteren's officials openly mocked the young woman from Kanta who had abruptly declared herself their lord. They scorned her—a girl with no real training in management or politics, elevated to rule a city solely for her minor role in Kanta's downfall.

And among them, the advisor Count Brix Lutain was the rudest of all.

"Dressed in pretty gowns, flitting from party to party in Kanta—what would she know? Seems our lord hasn't a clue that road construction is worlds apart from prepping a ball."

The officials erupted in mocking laughter at one man's words. Elise's face flushed crimson. She bit her lower lip hard and glared at them.

There wasn't a single soul in the room on her side. Even her escort knight, Hunter Trenton, showed no intention of silencing them for her sake.

'Yeah, I knew pulling this off alone wouldn't be easy.'

But she hadn't expected it to be this brutal.

Back in Kanta, everyone had been kind to her simply for being Roxiana's best friend—even after her parents' embezzlement scandal got them exiled.

She'd thought it was her own charisma at work, never dreaming it was thanks to Roxiana and the Franche royal family's protection.

Suppressing the urge to scream, Elise said,

"Kinteren is in a prime location. If we pave the roads properly, renovate the buildings, and expand the lodging trade, it could become a wealthy hub bustling with travelers."

This was Retro Chica's advice. God had given the man an ugly face but a brilliant mind in compensation. Right now, he was the only one Elise could trust.

"So how exactly are you so sure, my lord? You keep saying it's a great spot, that visitors will flock here—but without hard data, how can we believe and follow? Empty dreams are a dime a dozen. Anyone can talk a big game."

As the official said, Elise—who'd spent her days in gowns at parties—had no idea how to dig up data and prove her point. Brix, who was supposed to handle that for her, was leading the charge to corner her instead.

It was agonizing to accept that no one here would lift a finger for her. She'd assumed that with Lucas's backing making her lord, they'd all rally to her cause.

Elise clenched her fists, glared at the officials, and said,

"I was granted authority over this fief by His Majesty the King himself, and His Highness the Crown Prince sent me here personally."

"Ah, then you can just run straight to His Majesty and His Highness to sort this out."

"Our Kinteren lord scurrying off at the first sign of trouble. His Majesty must be so proud."

More jeering laughter echoed through the room.

Elise had never faced such blatant ridicule before. She could imagine the gossip they'd spew about her once she fled, but she couldn't take another second.

Elise shot to her feet and bolted from the meeting hall like she was escaping. As the door slammed shut behind her, the officials' raucous laughter spilled out.

'Why...?'

She couldn't make sense of it.

'Why won't anyone listen to me? I'm this city's lord. Even if it doesn't belong to me outright, as long as I'm sitting in the seat, it's as good as mine. Why won't anyone follow me?'

Roxiana had been just a princess flitting from parties in pretty dresses, yet palace officials had always treated her with respect, hanging on her every word. No one ever mocked her.

If Roxiana could do it, then so could she. She deserved the same treatment Roxiana got.

We're no different.

'No, we are. She had a king backing her. Now that Roxiana has no king or kingdom, she's worse off than me. Of course—who'd move for her? She's just a worthless slave. But I've got the crown prince.'

Just as Roxiana had a king, Elise had a crown prince. The problem was she couldn't dump every petty detail in his lap.

'I can't come off as a nuisance to him. Whining over every little setback would make me no better than the other girls. I have to be the one unique existence in Lucas's world.'

Which meant she needed someone besides him—someone she could trust completely, who'd do anything for her. Her slave.

Retro Chica had promised to create such a slave for her, but she couldn't wait on his gifts forever.

'Then I'll make one myself.'

Elise halted and turned around.

Trailing behind her was her escort knight, Hunter Trenton. He might not step up for her sake, but he faithfully shadowed her on Lucas's orders. Though not as handsome as Lucas, his sturdy build and refined features caught her eye, and she swallowed a sly smile.