Chapter 51

After counting again, it seems there were 11 kidnappers.

All of them were lying on the ground, defeated by Leonhardt.

There was no excessive bleeding, and it was clear that their chests were rising and falling with their breathing.

(Prince Leonhardt, you’re amazing. To be able to hold back and not take their lives in that situation...)

As Cordelia marveled, Leonhardt took out a small whistle from his pocket and blew it.

"With this, the guards I had waiting nearby should be here soon."

Few people know that Leonhardt can transform into a lion.

He keeps it a secret even from his guards.

He needed to be careful to ensure no one saw him change from a lion back into a human.

The guards who rushed over were quick, as befitting those who serve Leonhardt.

They efficiently tied up the kidnappers and looked to Leonhardt for further instructions.

"Good work. Next, let’s focus on the mastermind behind this kidnapping."

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

The next day, in the afternoon.

Leonhardt sent word for Cordelia to come to the palace.

It seemed he had quickly identified the mastermind.

Accompanied by the guards Leonhardt had assigned to her, Cordelia headed to the palace.

"…As I thought, it was you."

Deep within the palace, in the inner chambers where the royal family resided, the third queen, Daria, was under house arrest, watched over by Leonhardt’s subordinates.

"……"

Daria, being Femina’s mother, was a beautiful woman.

She looked at Leonhardt with her pale, cold blue eyes.

"Nice to meet you, Lady Daria. You were the one who ordered the kidnapping of my pet cat and planned to harm me, weren’t you?"

"……"

Daria continued to remain silent.

Leonhardt’s investigation had uncovered irrefutable evidence, but she had no intention of admitting it.

(Even so, it’s difficult to forcibly imprison her.)

Daria is the third queen, and her family, the Dauls family, is one of the five great ducal houses.

Even with the evidence, forcibly taking her into custody could lead to serious complications.

Daria stood calmly, showing no signs of panic, aware of this fact.

"You should confess to your crimes."

Leonhardt rebuked Daria with a calm but stern voice.

"The investigation is already complete. It’s not just your connection to the kidnappers. What about Martina?"

At the mention of Martina, Daria’s eyebrows twitched for a moment.

"You only have one child, Femina. Since you didn’t have a son, you’ve been watching to see whether I or my brother, Zaid, would become the next king. You planned to marry Martina, your relative, to the future king, didn’t you?"

Until recently, Zaid was the crown prince.

However, his arrogant and aggressive personality had made his position unstable.

Among the five great ducal houses, two supported Zaid, and two supported Leonhardt.

(And the last of the five great ducal houses, Lady Daria’s family, the Dauls, had not aligned with either Leonhardt or Zaid.)

The side supported by the Dauls would have an advantage in the struggle for the throne.

They had been waiting for the right moment to secure the position of crown princess for Martina, the daughter of the Dauls family.

(But in that stalemate, Zaid committed a violent act.)

As a result, Zaid’s reign ended in self-destruction, and Leonhardt took the seat of the crown prince.

Moreover, to divert the public’s attention from Zaid’s violent act, Leonhardt brought Cordelia, the "Lioness Saint," to his side.

(To Lady Daria, I must be a troublesome existence that disrupts her plans.)

That’s why she tried to eliminate Cordelia by using the kidnappers.

"…Why Cordelia?"

Daria’s pale blue eyes turned to Cordelia.

"The 'Lioness Saint' is just a bluff, right? If you really have such power and are chosen by a holy beast, show us proof right here and now."

Cordelia did not respond to the cold provocation.

(Prince Leonhardt being the holy beast, the golden lion, must not be known.)

That’s why she had been careful to keep Leonhardt’s holy sword and his lion form out of public sight.

"Of course, it’s all a lie, right? You’re a countess’s daughter. You don’t match up to being the crown prince’s fiancée. You’re just pretending to be a saint to force your way into this position—"

"Silence."

Leonhardt’s stern command made Daria’s throat tighten.

"Stop insulting her."

"…You’re quite taken with her, aren’t you? Love is blind, you know?"

"Let me say this as well. Why don’t you just confess to your crimes? If you try to harm Cordelia again—"

Leonhardt paused, and the sound of hurried footsteps grew louder, approaching them.

"Brother!!"

Golden hair fluttered in front of Cordelia.

Femina stood in front of Daria.

"Stop it!! Don’t bully my mother!!"

Tears welled up in her pale blue eyes as she shouted, her voice strained.

"It’s me!! I’m the one who’s to blame!! I did everything!! I sent the ransom note threatening to kidnap Nini!! Brother, you know, right!?"

Shaking, on the verge of tears, Femina pointed at Cordelia.

"I’ve bullied Cordelia so many times!! I sent her frogs, snakes, and slugs, and I’ve been tormenting her so much!! Cordelia must hate me, despise me, and detest me, right!?"

"…No, that’s not true."

Cordelia shook her head.

"What do you mean?! Are you some kind of pervert who enjoys receiving frogs?!"

"That’s not it either."

"Then what?! Why—"

"Deep down, you didn’t really want to bully me, did you?"

Thank you for reading.

The next chapter will be updated on Sunday.