Chapter 43

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 43

Chapter Title: Embarrassing Memories

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Clop clop.

The steady sound of hooves rang out.

My body rocked along with it at regular intervals.

Right, I'm lying down somewhere....

The moment I realized that, my eyes flew open.

"Ugh...."

It was inside the carriage we'd been traveling in together with the Duke.

But why did my body feel like this?

I finally cleared my blurry vision and sat up, only for a throbbing headache to hit me like the worst hangover imaginable.

The thick blackout curtains over the windows had plunged the interior into a comfortable dimness.

"Yawn...."

"Awake now?"

As I stretched my stiff, sluggish limbs, a deep voice came from right beside me.

"...Gasp!"

The Duke was sitting across from me, utterly silent and without warning.

Only then did I realize I wasn't alone in the carriage. I wiped my mouth awkwardly and nodded.

But somehow, he looked a bit tired. Hadn't he gotten enough sleep?

'Hm?'

Our eyes met, and I froze awkwardly.

'Why's his gaze so gentle?'

Had he always looked at me with such kindness?

I didn't think he was the type to show a face that soft....

After seeing nothing but his usual smirks of disdain or looks of pity, this was hard to get used to.

Sensing my stare, the Duke even turned his head away in embarrassment.

...Maybe I should get to the point.

"Uh... why am I here? Weren't we in Traga Village...?"

Oh, right.

My memories gradually sharpened.

I vividly remembered the duck meat fiasco at the restaurant, washing up afterward, and drifting off comfortably to sleep.

But anyone could see this was a carriage in motion.

So where had the part in between gone?

The answer came soon enough.

"Looks like you don't remember. Then again, you inhaled that hallucinogenic incense straight on."

What was that supposed to mean?

"...Hallucinogenic incense?"

"It was in the manual. It said to keep the window cracked open while sleeping."

"Mm...."

Come to think of it, there had been something like that.

4. Secure all doors and windows thoroughly, but do not fully lock the windows—leave them slightly ajar.

Due to the accumulated dust in old inn rooms, continuous ventilation is necessary.

Oh no.

As I racked my brain, my mouth fell open blankly.

"Ah, I forgot.... But I thought that was just for dust...."

The Duke let out a faint sigh at my flustered reply.

"There's a gang kidnapping and robbing innocent travelers using invitations from the imperial palace. We received orders to capture them."

"Really...?"

"The princess encountered a slight mishap in the process."

Listening to his explanation, the scattered puzzle pieces finally clicked into place.

So it had all been planned.

I still had lingering doubts, so I asked again.

"But why give me that manual?"

"I thought you liked that sort of thing."

What?

Did that mean he'd hidden clues about this major operation in the manual because I liked ghost stories?

I gaped in disbelief.

"N-no, I do like them, but wasn't this a super important operation?"

"Princess."

Pfft.

A light chuckle escaped the Duke's lips.

"Of course, it wasn't just for your tastes."

"Uh...."

Then what was it?

As I stood there speechless, the Duke gave me an amused look.

"In any case, this is a top-secret order from the Crown Prince. You're posing as my distant relative, but you're actually a princess of Salt. And as you know, the Crown Prince aims to subjugate Salt."

He was right on all counts.

Salt was currently in a tense standoff with Kletan.

If it ever came out that he'd shared imperial secrets with Salt's princess—me—even the Duke couldn't escape punishment.

Now I understood why he'd gone to such lengths.

But he didn't stop there, rubbing his brow as he continued scolding me.

"Yet you went out of your way to draw that gang's attention, doing exactly what I told you not to."

"Mm, well...."

Basically,

I wasn't the type to step forward like that, but somehow it had happened.

I started feeling guilty, wondering if I'd messed up his plan.

But apologizing felt awkward, so I forced a laugh and spouted a lame excuse.

"Hahaha. Stories need someone like that to move forward, right?"

"......"

"......"

Silence hung in the air.

"You serious?"

"No! Sorry!"

I dropped the evasion, lowered my eyes, and apologized sincerely. It was true I'd nearly botched an important operation.

Thankfully, the Duke didn't seem to hold it against me, replying in a gentle tone.

"In the end, we captured the whole gang and are escorting them to the capital."

"Really? That's a relief. And even better that I didn't ruin things."

"I wasn't worried to begin with. I figured you'd wriggle out of any trouble."

Wait....

Something about his words caught me off guard.

What? Why trust me like that?

But the Duke's deep green eyes, staring back in surprise, were utterly serious.

"Huh?"

Hold on.

Deep green eyes?

Why did that ring a bell?

A surge of unease hit me, and buried memories bubbled up from the depths of my mind.

"You're so handsome, I lost my mind...."

"What?"

"I haven't seen anyone as gorgeous as you. Y-you're... my type...."

Embarrassing memories flooded back, and I shook my head to shake them off.

'These are fake memories.'

No way something like that actually happened.

Me gushing over the Duke's looks with starry eyes or confessing to him—it had to be distorted hallucinations. But....

"...When you look at me like that, my heart races too much? Your eyes... somewhere else, please...."

When I vividly recalled the words tumbling from my own mouth, I was seized by the urge to fling open the carriage door and jump out.

'Crazy, crazy!'

Shame crashed over me like a tidal wave, too much to even lift my head.

I squeezed my eyes shut, pretending to sleep instead.

So I didn't notice.

The unusually warm gaze the Duke fixed on me.

—Kletan Empire, Crown Prince's Palace.

A man emerged from his bath, draped in a robe, and paused upon spotting a shadowy figure against the dim light.

Shrouded in the gloom of night, it was hard to make out, but the loosely cascading hair gleamed a vivid gold.

At the same time, droplets of water trailed down his sharply chiseled abs, sculpted as if by a master's hand.

"Your Highness. The wolf of the north has arrived in the capital."

His piercing eyes turned to the bowing figure.

"Has he?"

Chuckling softly, the man resumed walking, murmuring in a sing-song tone.

"It's been a while since I'll see his face. Oh, and that matter?"

"...It failed. My apologies, Your Highness."

"Cleanup?"

"Sent them all to 'those people.'"

"Good work."

His impeccably straight fingers reached for a bottle on the shelf.

Raiden savored the fragrant aroma for a moment before lazily filling his glass and continuing.

"I never expected success anyway. If he'd fallen for such petty tricks, I'd have been disappointed."

It was merely a gift for that half-blood mongrel, bound to stay hidden from his sight.

A warning to send every time Kaian Brail dared enter the capital.

Clink.

Raiden downed the fiercely potent liquor in one go and set the empty glass down.

"They say bugs grow tougher in harsh environments. Let's see how that one's changed."

A sneer twisted the beautiful Crown Prince's face, utterly out of place.