Chapter 20

"Thank you. It's fine to stop here."

At Cordelia's request, the carriage's jolting slowed down. She had picked up this carriage from a street corner after walking a short distance from Leonhardt's villa and was now heading home.

She paid the driver the remaining fare and stepped down onto the ground. To avoid drawing too much attention due to her unexpected return, she had the carriage stop a little before her house—

"Cordelia-sama!! Don't come any closer!!"

Pamela, the young lady with a pale face, rushed over as if she were about to fall.

"Pamela? Why are you in such a hurry?"

"We can talk later!! Just get away from here quickly—"

Pamela, speaking rapidly, suddenly stopped—

"Good afternoon."

The voice from behind made her spine stiffen and start to tremble.

Turning around, she saw the golden hair of the girl who had just spoken, and her eyes, which were raised with a defiant look. It was Katharina, accompanied by several followers.

"Pamela, what were you trying to do? Sneaking around isn't allowed, you know?"

"I, I thought this was wrong, so I was trying to tell Cordelia-sama!!"

"Be quiet. I'm not talking to you right now."

Katharina silenced Pamela with her unreasonable words and then turned to Cordelia.

"You've kept me waiting, Cordelia. Can you tell me how you returned from that forest?"

"There's nothing to tell, Katharina-sama. I just walked through the forest alone and came back."

"Alone, without any escort? How barbaric."

"I think a barbarian is better than a villain."

With that, Katharina's eyebrows twisted.

"Well, what do you mean? Are you calling me a villain?"

"Who knows? Do you have any idea?"

"………Unpleasant."

Katharina glanced at her followers, who then spread out to surround Cordelia.

"Cordelia, it seems we have a lot to talk about."

"What a coincidence. I feel the same way."

"Oh, that's good. Then, can we have our talk in the small garden in front of your shabby house?"

"Don't go, Cordelia-sama!! Don't go!!"

Pamela, trembling, desperately tried to hold Cordelia back.

"Thank you, Pamela. I'll be fine."

"But…!!"

"Don't worry. It would be a nuisance to gather so many people on this main street, wouldn't it?"

"Cordelia-sama…"

"Go home before you get involved."

Gently removing Pamela's arm, Cordelia walked towards Katharina and her group.

She was surrounded by the followers as if she were a prisoner and entered her house's gate.

The "small garden" Katharina had mentioned earlier was only small compared to the palace or a duke's mansion. It was a garden large enough to fit several commoners' houses, and Katharina was glaring at her. The malice in her gaze was clear, and she made no effort to hide her hostility. The garden was surrounded by iron fences and trees, providing privacy from outside.

"Cordelia, do you know what I want to say?"

"What are you talking about? Did you tamper with the boat to try to drown me?"

"What are you talking about all of a sudden? Don't accuse people of crimes without evidence."

"Are you denying it?"

"Even if it was a crime and not an accident, why do you suspect me? Isn't the most suspicious person Pamela, who was on the boat with you?"

It seemed Katharina was trying to pin all the blame on Pamela. Cordelia's gaze grew colder at Katharina's willingness to use and then abandon her.

"Do you plan to push all the blame onto Pamela? She always followed your every command and watched your every move, didn't she?"

"Considering her status, it's only natural for her to obey me, isn't it?"

"That's why you ordered her to drown me, didn't you?"

"If that's the case, what did you do? Did you just blindly follow my words that you were a nuisance and act on your own?"

"………So, Katharina-sama, you're the kind of person who can't even control one of your own followers, are you?"

"………What did you say…………?"

Katharina's eyes narrowed with a dangerous glint.

"Didn't you hear? I said you're a pitiful person who can't even control people's hearts."

"………Do you understand who you're talking to?"

"Who am I talking to? A foolish and ignorant young lady standing right in front of me."

"………You, insolent…!!"

Katharina clenched her teeth and her face contorted with anger.

"Who do you think you are? You were left in the forest to cry, and now you're standing up to me. What do you want?"

"I don't intend to make this public. I just came to warn you not to interfere with me anymore."

"Warn me? Who do you think you are to warn me?!!"

Katharina, as if losing control, started to shout.

"I'll be the one to warn you!! I'll show you what happens when you mock a duke's daughter!!"

With a particularly high-pitched voice, Katharina closed her eyes and began to chant a spell. The magic power leaking out made her golden curls tremble and rise.

One reason Katharina was so arrogant and selfish was that she possessed high-level magic, which was rare in this country. Although she had never properly trained as a mage, she could manipulate several spells due to her innate magic power.

"Since you can't win with words, you're resorting to force, are you?"

Cordelia watched Katharina, who was chanting the spell, with a cold gaze. It was clear that the target of the spell was her. The followers were protecting Katharina while chanting and surrounding Cordelia to prevent her from escaping. They were taking advantage of the privacy of the private property to use magic against Cordelia.

Katharina's face twisted with sadistic pleasure as she chanted. A fireball formed at her fingertips and gradually grew larger—

"That's enough!! What do you think you're doing?!"

A stern voice echoed through the garden, dominating the scene. Katharina's face showed shock and confusion.

"Y-Your Highness…!!"

The fireball in Katharina's hand dissipated into smoke as she lost her concentration.

"Why is Prince Leonhardt here?! Were you all watching properly?!"

Katharina's angry shout was met with the followers looking at each other. Even the follower near the gate, which connected the garden to the road, turned pale and shrank back.

Katharina looked around the garden, trying to understand what was happening. The garden had several trees and beautifully arranged flowers, but there was no place for anyone to hide.

(But a kitten could easily hide, right?)

Facing the flustered and disheveled Katharina, Cordelia remembered the "favor" Leonhardt had asked of her.

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"Would you like me to watch over you until you reach your house?"

At Leonhardt's offer, Cordelia initially refused.

"I appreciate your concern, but it's too much to ask you to follow me all the way to my house."

"But what if Katharina and her group are waiting for you at your house after chasing you from the forest?"

"I can't deny that possibility, but I can handle Katharina-sama and her group on my own."

"But it would still be bothersome, wouldn't it?"

"That's true, but…"

"And I'm also at my limit with them."

Leonhardt, managing to laugh and be angry at the same time, continued.

"Someone like Katharina won't back down no matter how much you reason with her. She's clever in a bad way and will hide her true intentions when I'm around. I want to watch over you secretly and catch them in the act."

"But wouldn't Your Highness be too noticeable even in disguise?"

"Don't worry. Look at this."

Leonhardt's body glowed, and a small shadow appeared in its place.

"Meow."

"………A kitten?"

It had thick legs and round ears, but it circled around Cordelia and then transformed back into Leonhardt.

"That form…?"

"It's a lion cub. When I was young, I always transformed into a kitten-like form. I can still adjust the size of my lion form if I want to."

"Your Highness, you can do almost anything, can't you…?"

Transforming into a lion, manipulating fire, and even changing into a lion cub—truly, he was a descendant of a holy beast.

"Even if I look like a lion, I'm not just a lion but a spirit. I can even draw a sword like this."

A flame swirled in Leonhardt's right hand, forming a sword that then vanished. Handing the sword with a gemstone in the hilt to Cordelia, he said:

"Is this the sword from the founding legend…?"

"It's the holy sword. The one in the castle is a replica. This is the real thing."

"It's a national treasure!!"

Cordelia couldn't help but exclaim, carefully gripping the hilt to avoid dropping it.

"Why did the holy sword come from Your Highness?"

"I don't know the details, but it seems that the descendants of the holy beast have always been able to manifest this holy sword. When the first king, who was a holy beast, passed away, the sword disappeared and was said to reside within the royal bloodline."

"So, the holy sword in the castle is a fake to hide its disappearance?"

"That's right."

Cordelia pressed her forehead, nodding at Leonhardt. She had once again learned a secret of the royal family that she didn't want to know.

"Anyway, I'll watch over you from the rooftops in the form of a kitten until you reach your house. If nothing happens, that would be best…"

"If Katharina-sama and her group are waiting, maybe I should provoke them to expose their true intentions?"

Cordelia's lips twisted into a seductive smile.

—Katharina had caused her so much trouble.

It was time to fight back to prevent further interference.

Thank you for reading.

The next chapter will be posted tomorrow.