Chapter 25

In a corner of the lower town of the capital, a row of miscellaneous shops and old houses lined up, and the bustling town, where people came and went morning and night, was unusually quiet despite being past noon.

The residents gathered around one of the houses, watching with bated breath. In front of the house they were staring at, several men with unpleasant faces had gathered.

"Because I'm telling you, I don't know!"

The owner of the house, Chelsea, raised her trembling voice and glared at the men crowding the entrance. She was trying hard to stop her shoulders and legs from shaking, but tears welled up in her eyes from fear and anger.

"I'm in a bind if you don't know, miss. This is a serious matter, you see."

"Flora would never do such a thing. It must be a misunderstanding."

"Even so, we have the evidence. We don't want to resort to rough measures. Do you have any idea where Flora Cadira might have gone?"

His words were calm, but his tone was laced with contempt and intimidation. Behind him, tall men were using their gazes to threaten. Since the man, who claimed to be a moneylender, arrived, they had been repeating the same questions.

"Didn't you work as a part-time laundress for several wealthy merchants and noble households? If you can't answer, perhaps we should go ask your employers?"

Chelsea paled at the man's unpleasant smile. While her employers had no direct connection to Flora, the man clearly intended to pressure Chelsea into revealing something by making false accusations. If that happened, not only would Chelsea, a weak commoner laundress, lose her job, but she might never find another one. Chelsea truly didn't know where Flora had gone and had no answers to give, but the men wouldn't back down no matter how many times she said she didn't know.

– What should I do, what should I do… Kevin…

Her whole body was shaking uncontrollably. She tried to endure by picturing her lover's face in her mind, but in a situation where she couldn't even call for help, her mind was blank.

"If you can't answer here, perhaps we should go together."

As the man took a step into the house, there was a sudden commotion outside.

"Oh, what's all the fuss about?"

A high-pitched voice Chelsea had never heard before rang out, and the men in front of her turned their eyes to the outside.

"Miss, don't get in the way."

"What are you doing here?"

"This is none of your business. Go away!"

"Such a large crowd must mean something's happened."

"Hey, wait! What are you up to!?"

"What's in there?"

Ignoring the man's attempts to stop her, a girl's voice followed by a scream and a thud was heard.

"Oh, how rude! Pushing me like that!"

A dramatically theatrical girl's voice echoed, followed by a calm boy's voice.

"Assault on a marquess's daughter, a crime in progress. Arrest them all and take them to the dungeon quickly."

With that, guards appeared from nowhere and began to arrest the men in front of Chelsea's house one by one. Stunned, Chelsea stood rooted to the spot as a boy and a girl she didn't know appeared at the entrance.

The girl wore a wide-brimmed white hat and a dress, while the boy had a deep-brimmed hat and looked like a wealthy commoner or a lower noble's son.

"Amanda, are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, Alex."

"Really, you're a bit too reckless..."

"Oh, I think it was quite a good performance, don't you think?"

Chelsea, still in shock and not understanding what had happened, widened her eyes at their conversation.

– Amanda... the marquess's daughter? The Crown Prince's fiancée? If so, then the boy next to her is...

The girl, who had been standing at the entrance, turned to Chelsea, who was now standing there in a different kind of shock, smiled, and then coughed dramatically.

"Excuse me, my throat is a bit sore. If it's not too much trouble, could I have some water?"

"Y-Yes..."

Chelsea nodded, her mind still not fully processing, and led the boy, the girl, and two young men who seemed to be their guards into the living room.

The boy and girl, who looked to be about fifteen or sixteen, were so refined in their behavior that they couldn't hide their true identities. Chelsea was confused about whether it was appropriate to offer them just plain water in cheap cups in the living room of a lower town house.

"I'm sorry for barging in. I'm Alex, and she's Amanda."

"U-Um..."

Given their attire, this must be a private visit, Chelsea thought. Uncertain whether it was appropriate to ask if he was the Crown Prince, she hesitated, but Amanda smiled.

"This is a private visit, and there are no prying eyes. Please don't worry about being disrespectful."

Seeming to sense that Chelsea had already figured out their identities, Amanda continued, and Alex nodded in agreement.

"Those men earlier, the charge of assaulting a marquess's daughter alone isn't enough to detain everyone there. However, if we dig deeper, more crimes will come to light. They should be held for a while. You can rest easy."

Hearing this, Chelsea finally felt a little relief. But the next words from Alex made her body tense up again.

"Actually, ... we came to see you. To hear about Flora Cadira."

– These people also suspect Flora...

The sudden turn of events, after she thought they had come to help, made her blood run cold. Chelsea's face hardened, and the two in front of her seemed unsure how to continue.

The silence in the living room was broken by a loud bang as the front door was rudely opened.

"Chelsea!! Are you okay!?"

"…Kevin…!"

Seeing Kevin, drenched in sweat and out of breath, Chelsea stood up involuntarily. The emotions she had been holding back overflowed, and she burst into tears, clinging to Kevin's chest.

Holding Chelsea in his arms and confirming she was safe, Kevin let out a sigh of relief. Then, raising his head and seeing the people inside, he gasped in shock.

"…Huh? What? Your Highness…? Why are you here…?"

Kevin was visibly shaken, more so than would be considered respectful in such a setting. Alex, on the other hand, looked troubled.

"Trouble. A member of the Royal Knights. ...I have a rather poor reputation among them..."