Chapter 21

It was the turn of the Demon King's descent.

Before Albertina could make a move, it was already over.

There will be cruel descriptions in the latter part. It feels like after the fact.

Stopping the carriage of a noble lady, especially a high-ranking one, and boarding it without permission, even from the coachman and servants, isn't a serious breach of etiquette?

Isn't this almost the same as kidnapping or robbery?

The carriage door, which had been forcibly pried open, was swinging despite the lock being properly engaged, indicating it had been rudely forced open.

The young man, who was the first prince of this country, snorted arrogantly at me, who was staring up in shock and fear.

As a shut-in lady, I only knew the princes from the occasional glimpse of the maids' portraits. In my memories from the previous life's game, they were two-dimensional and deformed.

Indeed, the golden hair and green eyes matched the limited knowledge I had, but—could this extremely rude young man really be the prince of this country? A young man who suddenly boards a carriage of a noble he barely knows, and points and glares at her?

Shouldn't a member of the royal family have the proper etiquette for any situation?

From the game, I remember him as a rather gentlemanly and elegant prince. Is this just from the heroine's perspective?

Confused, I tried to squeeze out a voice, but my throat, tightened with fear, only repeated meaningless breathing.

Why?

My thoughts were dominated by one thing.

Scary.

Scary, scary, scary!!!

A single thought filled my head.

No matter how handsome or noble he is, if he approaches me with such brutality and hostility, I can only feel fear.

"Please stop, Prince Lucas! The young lady is very delicate and weak!"

"Are you trying to give orders to me, a mere servant?"

"But, this young lady..."

"She has been quite fashionable, being protected by Count Dmitrius and Duke Latitche's son."

I haven't been fashionable... Why is there such a rumor?

Today, I only spoke to Kistaria, Mikaelis, Julius, and Jibril, and the servants they brought, and Father.

As I cowered in fear, my hands, clasped in front of my chest, were forcibly grabbed, and I was dragged out of the carriage. Anna screamed.

My arm, pulled roughly, hurt. It was clearly not an escort, and my fear only intensified.

"...Father..."

"Hah, are you trying to cling to your father? I don't know which rural noble you are, but don't think you can continue to call yourself a noble after this."

My small voice, seeking help, was met with a mocking laugh.

If I make any more mistakes, it will cause trouble for Father?

Even as I realized I was in a state close to panic, I couldn't control my trembling body.

"Your Highness! Please stop!"

Anna tried to run to me, but was easily pushed away by a knight who seemed to be the prince's guard.

A muscular knight, with a single swing of his arm, sent the frail and petite Anna flying onto the cobblestone road, where she lay motionless. The sight made my blood run cold.

"Anna!"

"Ah, are you trying to escape? Or do you want to make it seem like you have such a compassionate heart for mere servants?"

Anna, left behind. I wanted to go to her immediately, but was blocked by another knight. My glasses fell off from the shock but were not picked up; instead, they were trampled and destroyed.

The knights who were supposed to be my guards were captured like criminals, gagged, and looked at me and the prince with shock and confusion.

A few of them tried to resist and lay motionless.

The prince, who was gentle and elegant in the game when I played with the heroine, what is he now? Wielding his power and attacking unilaterally. It's almost like a male version of Albertina. The original Albertina was more sinister and cruel.

Tears of fear or regret rolled down my cheeks.

I am powerless. Can I only tremble in fear? I am useless after all.

The white dress I chose with special effort for the outing with Father was now dirty with mud. The delicate lace was my favorite, not flashy but elegant. But, no matter how I dress up, I am just a hollow noble lady without substance.

My knees hurt from being slammed down. My palms hurt. My cheeks were cold from tears. I felt utterly miserable and wretched.

"But, Your Highness... Isn't this going too far?"

"Not at all! This woman made Renaria cry! I can't forgive Kistaria and Mikaelis for rudely rejecting Renaria's invitation, but this woman, who doesn't know her place and clings to them, is the root of all evil."

Prince Lucas, who had decisively labeled me as evil.

In this country, where the crown prince has not yet been decided, he is currently competing for the position with the second prince.

The unusual affection for Renaria evident in his words clearly showed that he was completely infatuated with her.

Love is blind, but has he lost his mental balance?

"Put her in a suitable place. We will decide her punishment in the appropriate place."

Prince Lucas, with a look of contempt, turned his back and quickly left with a young attendant. The attendant briefly gave me a look of pity.

A knight with sunburned, slightly green hair, who looked young but was probably in his twenties, knelt down and spoke to me, who was sitting on the ground.

"Lady, I am very sorry, but please accept this as bad luck... We ask for your patience for a while. We do not want to mistreat a noble lady.

We have prepared a fine four-horse carriage with a knight escort. Your father is a distinguished man—Prince Lucas is so infatuated with a certain young lady that he doesn't even realize this.

Could you tell us which direction your father is? We will do our best to have you released as soon as possible."

"My father is a distinguished man... a high-ranking noble, and he is in the capital... I think he is on his way to the castle."

Father is a distinguished man. He is completely different from me. But, I can only cause him trouble. Now, I can only rely on Father's influence.

"I see... If we send a fast horse, it should arrive today... Lady, may I ask your name?"

The deep, unfamiliar voice was the same one that had tried to stop the prince earlier. His manner was calm and polite.

This person, at least, does not approve of Prince Lucas's actions. However, as a knight, he cannot disobey.

As I slowly raised my head, he seemed startled and quickly turned away, retreating. It must have been a terrible sight—my crying face must have been that bad. When I touched my cheek, it was still wet.

"...Sistina-sama!?"

Who is that?

With a look of shock, he straightened up, knelt on one knee, and bowed his head. He placed his hand on his chest and took a knight's salute.

His expression seemed quite tense. The look in his eyes was not pity but admiration and envy—something almost reverent.

His voice, which unexpectedly echoed, drew the other knights. I shrank back in fear, but their reactions were strange.

Speechless, shocked, sorrowful, and terrified—each expression changed rapidly, and their gazes were painful.

But, I am not Sistina-sama. It's a mistake. I shook my head.

"I, I apologize. I am Albertina... Albertina von Latitche."

I finally managed to squeeze out the words. My voice was pitifully trembling—half the knights fainted, collapsing to their knees, and some even lost consciousness.

The situation worsened.

"Could it be, the daughter of Duke Latitche..."

"...Yes, I am his unworthy daughter... Father is always well taken care of."

Now, only groans could be heard around me.

But, the green-haired knight who spoke to me looked at me with an indescribable expression. His face was very complex, sad, happy, and helpless.

At that moment, the knight, who was about to say something, suddenly stopped. His face showed shock and a hint of fear, but he swallowed it and moved on.

Behind him, Raven was suddenly there. Where had he been all this time?

"Milady, I apologize for being late—what happened?"

"Raven? Where were you..."

"Roses... I got a few cuttings because you were happy they were beautiful."

"Oh, cute seedlings. Thank you."

The bag hanging from his wrist contained the seedlings. He must have gone to get them after seeing me playing in the rose garden. The thought made me feel a little warmer.

Raven probably didn't expect the situation to be this bad. Wait, did I almost leave him behind? That would have been dangerous.

Raven's black eyes were completely devoid of highlights, and he seemed to be sizing up the tense knights.

"Shall I take care of them?"

"No, please don't. They were just following orders. They had no choice but to follow the orders, and they were concerned for me."

Are you threatening the knights with a knife? I can't see, but from Raven's position, it wouldn't be strange if he had one pointed somewhere close.

"Then, who dirtied your dress like that?"

"...That person has returned to the academy. They will come back here. More importantly, please have Anna see a doctor."

"...If that's what you say, Milady."

Raven, looking somewhat dissatisfied, pulled back his hand. But, his white-gloved hand firmly held a slender knife. With a slight flick of his wrist, it disappeared, a quick sleight of hand that was hard to notice.

But, Raven didn't move and glared at the knights who were fumbling nearby. His eyes seemed to take on a predatory gleam for a moment.

"Call a doctor."

Raven, now ferocious like a wild beast. The knight, bathed in the killing intent of a wounded animal, ran off as if rolling.

The green-haired knight looked at Raven with a stern face but, in my presence, seemed to be holding back, repeatedly opening and closing his mouth. His gaze kept flickering to me, looking troubled.

Raven is a good boy, but he's not well-liked. I wonder why?

"Milady Albert. May I have your hand? Shall I carry you?"

"Yes, please."

Raven knelt to meet my gaze. Seeing my dirty hands, he momentarily showed a pained expression. After getting permission, he picked me up in his arms.

Hmm, I'm still light. I do eat properly, though.

"Hey, wait! A mere servant touching her..."

"Milady Albertina is very shy and uncomfortable with men, especially tall adult men. She is already timid; do you want to make her more afraid?"

One of the knights tried to stop him but was sharply rebuffed by Raven.

I can't handle it either. In this group, only Anna and Raven can touch me.

Raven, facing the knights who were much larger than him, didn't back down. He firmly rebuffed any attempts to stop him. It's the result of Julius's training.

"Or... shall I call Kistaria-sama, your younger brother? Or Mikaelis-sama, your childhood friend? Or Julius-sama, who has served you for years? Or Duke Grail, your father, who is on his way to the capital?

If you want to spread your incompetence and mistakes further, please do as you wish."

I've never seen Raven speak so fluently and at length.

But, why is he so agitated? His brows have been furrowed the whole time. It ruins his cute face.

Oh, my head is getting dizzy. Maybe I'm relaxing and letting my guard down?

My head is throbbing, and my knees and palms are hurting more now.

It's getting hard to keep my eyes open, and my vision is blurring. As my forehead rested on Raven's shoulder, my head, which had been wobbling, stabilized.

"Milady Albert!?"

I can't take it anymore...

When I regained consciousness, I saw a ceiling. The canopy, like gauze, was layered, diffusing the light from outside and creating a soft, dim atmosphere. Lying on a soft bed, I slowly looked around with a fuzzy head.

It was an unfamiliar place.

But, it was a comfortable place with just the right amount of darkness and light.

Looking down at myself, I was wearing a negligee with a wide décolletage and frills. Usually, I wear something that covers my neck even in warm weather to avoid catching a cold or feeling cold.

Who changed my clothes?

With such a well-endowed chest, it's a hindrance. I pulled at the negligee, looking for any logos or monograms. It was a Rose brand product. No wonder it felt so comfortable. So, this must be a loaned item from a noble lady or a noble daughter?

I must have been moving around, as a loud thud came from the next room.

The door burst open, but it was surprisingly quiet.

"Milady, you're awake...!?"

"Anna...!"

Anna, with a large bandage on her left temple, rolled in with red eyes. Her usually neatly tied hair was slightly disheveled.

She quickly knelt beside the bed and held my hand. Her warm hand was comforting.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't protect you...!"

"No, you did everything you could for me. I don't know if that person was really a prince, but it would have been difficult for a servant to stop him."

"No, no! I should have acted faster! I swore to protect you, no matter what happened to me..."

Indeed, Anna, who had tried to protect me without regard for her own safety, was roughly pushed away by a muscular knight and fell unconscious. From the treatment on her head, she could have died.

Anna, you're safe! I'm so relieved!

She is one of the few people I trust. She is always quietly following me like a shadow, and after Dora disappeared, she is the only one I can rely on for my bathing and dressing.

Father's intention is to minimize the number of people who see my back. Essentially, she is the only one who has seen my body in its entirety.

Julius used to be like that, but it's impossible now. No, I'm not sagging. I have a curvy body!

Anna immediately reassured me, "I changed your clothes, Milady."

"You're safe... Oh, where's Raven?"

He is usually quiet but always on standby as my guard.

At my question, Anna's face tensed.

Her face, which had been red with emotion, suddenly turned pale and began to tremble.

"Um..."

"What's wrong?"

"The, the Duke came back to the academy right after... and..."

I have a bad feeling about this...

The dress prepared to replace the soiled one was pink, with a rather revealing neckline. The back was well-covered, but the design emphasized the chest by tightly cinching the back and waist. It seemed to be designed with a relentless obsession to push and lift the chest area. The chest part could be adjusted with ribbons, but...

I thought there might be a more modest color, but Anna said, "The, the size that fits Milady's chest..."

Fortunately, I had been riding and training my back and abdomen, so the bust didn't get too big.

A frilly A-line dress that screamed "princess" with rose corsages accenting the neckline and hem.

I usually avoid such designs, but I never thought I'd end up wearing one in such a situation. It's a romantic, up-to-date dress with the latest corsages and lace, but...

I felt bad for the injured Anna, but I begged and pleaded for her to guide me to Father.

If left alone, I'm sure someone's head would roll.

To others, I might be damaged goods, but Father treats me like a precious treasure.

If he hears that I was hurt by a royal brat he despises, he won't be able to contain his anger.

I abandoned all decorum, gathered the hem of my dress, and ran with large strides. The hem flipped up several times, but I didn't care.

"Father!!!"

"Ah, Albertina. How are you feeling? You've been through a lot."

The dance hall, spacious enough to accommodate many people, had a short-pile carpet. The contrast with the pure white marble was beautiful, and the magical stones above sparkled.

In the center of the hall stood Father.

Opening the heavy door, a sea of red greeted me. In the center, like a single, resplendent bloom, stood Father, the spotlight of the room