Chapter 37

Due to the audacious incident of an attempt to assassinate the prince, the hunt was abruptly halted. Count Gilan was disheartened, drenched in cold sweat, wondering how such a disturbance could have occurred at the very timing he was hosting.

“M-My apologies, Your Highness. I never thought that a man like Balhail would dare to commit such an outrageous act...”

Fearing that the prince’s wrath might fall upon him, Count Gilan bowed deeply, almost touching the ground. Though numerous eastern nobles were watching from behind, this was not a time to consider his dignity. To dare to lay a hand on the royal family! Treason! Regardless of the truth, the mere association with such a crime made his skin crawl.

“It is not the count’s fault. It is impossible for the host to verify the innocence of every guest.”

To Count Gilan’s relief, Prince Orca understood the situation with a broad mind. Gilan inwardly sighed with relief and cautiously observed Prince Orca’s demeanor.

‘They say the Third Prince is the least like the lion-like emperor among his children.’

The rumors were accurate. The First Prince resembled the emperor in appearance, and the Second Prince in temperament, but the Third Prince bore no resemblance to the emperor at all.

‘That’s why there are even whispers that the Third Prince is not the emperor’s child...’

Just as he was continuing his sacrilegious thoughts, a chilling gaze made Count Gilan flinch. Lifting his head to where the gaze came from, he saw Prince Orca still smiling at him.

‘Was it just a mistake?’

A weak prince would not emit such a presence, so it must have been a mistake. Count Gilan quickly regained his composure and straightened his bowed back.

“I will end the gathering here and investigate the guests. There might be accomplices... which could pose a great threat to Your Highness.”

“Ha ha. Who would dare to target someone like me? Still, I will trust the count’s handling of the situation.”

“I am deeply sorry that such an unpleasant incident occurred during your first visit to the eastern gathering. If you would give me a chance to make amends, I would like to invite you again on a better day.”

“I welcome your invitation at any time. However...”

Prince Orca, looking at the gathered nobles, asked:

“Wasn’t the Lady of Eilsworth involved in this incident and nearly in trouble?”

“Yes... that’s right. The criminal, while fleeing, happened to enter the tent where the lady was...”

“Oh, I see.”

“The criminal seemed to have intended to take the lady as a hostage for negotiation. Fortunately, the Black Dragon Knights arrived quickly, and there were no major issues.”

Prince Orca’s eyes briefly sparkled, as the facts differed from what he had been told.

‘It seems Eilsworth acted.’

Being embroiled in unpleasant rumors is a very tiring affair, so it was a wise choice.

“I am concerned that the lady was involved in such a frightening incident because of me. I would like to meet her and offer my condolences...”

“Currently, she is still recovering from the shock and is not in a state to receive visitors.”

Before Prince Orca could finish, a cold male voice abruptly joined the conversation. It was Lord Altear of Eilsworth, and he was not alone.

“Ah!”

A high-pitched scream echoed as a middle-aged woman was thrown to the ground. She was Countess Gilan’s maid.

“W-What is this...”

At the sight of a familiar face, Countess Gilan turned pale and her hands trembled. The nobles, who had been murmuring, stopped and began to cautiously observe the situation. Count Gilan was the first to regain his composure.

“What is the meaning of this, Lord Eilsworth!”

Regardless of any fault, the right to punish a household servant belonged to the head of the household. Treating a servant poorly was seen as treating the household poorly, so the servants of powerful families were as proud as lesser nobles. Yet, Altear had ignored this social rule and thrown the maid of the higher-ranking Count Gilan to the ground.

“To touch our household servant without my permission is a grave insult. Do you know how serious this is?”

Count Gilan loudly protested, but Altear remained calm. He looked coldly at the trembling maid on the ground and explained the situation clearly.

“This maid dared to participate in the assassination attempt on the prince, which is why I brought her here despite the rudeness.”

“What?! Assassination!”

“Yes. Our knight saw this maid in contact with Balhail.”

“Such...”

If the maid was involved in the assassination attempt, it was obvious that her master, Count Gilan, would be suspected. Therefore, this had to be a misunderstanding.

“Without proper evidence, this is a false accusation, Lord Eilsworth!”

“Do you think I would do this without evidence?”

Altear smirked and pointed at the maid.

“Our knight saw this maid receiving gold coins from Balhail. She didn’t have time to hide them, so she still has them.”

As soon as Altear finished, one of Prince Orca’s subordinates searched the maid and found a small pouch. The pouch was handed to Prince Orca, who opened it to reveal a substantial amount of gold coins.

“T-There’s no proof that these gold coins are from Balhail!”

Thinking his words had some merit, Count Gilan wiped his cold sweat and raised his chin with a slightly more confident voice.

“Anyone can have gold coins. Just because she has them doesn’t mean she’s in league with Balhail! I thought well of you, Lord Eilsworth, but to accuse people like this!”

But Altear ignored Count Gilan’s outburst and approached Prince Orca.

“The gold coins are not proof. However, the pouch is special. Would you like to smell it?”

“Smell?”

Prince Orca, though puzzled, brought the pouch close to his nose. His eyes widened as he realized something significant and looked at Altear.

“This is...”

“Balhail likes to show off and uses his own unique perfume, the formula of which only he knows.”

“The same scent is coming from this pouch.”

Prince Orca clicked his tongue, indicating that there was no more room for argument. Count Gilan, pale with fear, waved his hands.

“No, no, no! I really don’t know anything, Your Highness!”

Prince Orca was silent, his soft smile now gone. Seeing this, Count Gilan, even more anxious, began to kick the maid on the ground.

“You damned thing, how dare you pull such a stunt! Who were you trying to ruin? Huh?”

“I didn’t know! I just did what I was told... I didn’t know he would plan such a terrible thing...!”

Seeing the maid trying to block the kicks, Countess Gilan, shocked, fainted. However, no one dared to help her, fearing they might be misunderstood. In the midst of the chaos, Altear silently watched the maid being kicked.

‘Hmm...’

Prince Orca was carefully observing Altear’s reaction.

‘He’s even more impressive than I expected.’

Prince Orca’s lips curled slightly.

‘This eastern tour will yield good results.’

***

Count Gilan’s maid could not withstand the kicks meant to prove her innocence and died on the spot. Though it was proper to collect the body, no one dared to step forward, fearing they might be suspected of treason. The maid’s body remained there until everyone dispersed, and she would eventually become food for the many beasts in the forest, returning to nature. The gathering was over, and it was time to return home. However, despite successfully eliminating a troublesome enemy, Altear’s face was far from cheerful. Cain cleared his throat to lighten the mood as he watched Altear, who walked with heavy steps.

“Balhail has been properly dealt with.”

“...”

“He’s in a notorious prison, so it will be hard for him to return alive. Once we reclaim the land unjustly taken from us, this long-standing feud will be over.”

“...”

“And the maid was also handled well, so...”

As soon as he mentioned the lady, Altear, who had been walking silently, stopped. Cain, flinching, observed Altear and then scratched his head in frustration.

“The lady understands the situation. So, you don’t have to be so...”

“I’m not being gloomy.”

“You look it. You look like a dog with drooping ears.”

“You’re just a low-class metaphor...!”

Altear, irritated by the baseless metaphor, lowered his voice as they approached the carriage. He felt that even getting angry at Cain’s nonsense was meaningless.

“First, you’re under house arrest for insubordination. You didn’t follow my orders in the designated situation.”

“Yes. I will explain to the lady.”

“Explain?”

Altear, somewhat deflated, frowned and glared at Cain.

“Don’t overstep. Explaining is my job. No commander in the world delegates explanations to a subordinate. Are you the leader?”

“...No.”

Despite being scolded, Cain’s lips twitched. Annoyed by this, Altear slapped Cain’s back, but his smile did not fade.

“Now that I think about it, just talking won’t do. The lady is very upset, so perhaps a gift would be good?”

“...A gift?”

Altear seemed intrigued. Encouraged by Altear’s interest, Cain nodded and lowered his voice to a whisper, careful not to be overheard by the lady. After listening to Cain’s whisper, Altear frowned, disbelieving, but Cain nodded enthusiastically, urging him to trust him.

“...Can I really trust this?”

Altear, conflicted, sighed and glanced at the carriage where Nadia was.

‘Well... at least I should try something.’

Having never tried to please anyone in his life, this moment was very unfamiliar and difficult for Alteer. He had never felt so uncomfortable because someone was angry or upset with him. He always thought, if they hate me, let them. But he didn’t want to be that person to Nadia. He wanted to be a good person, a trustworthy person, and a husband closer to her than anyone else.

He made up his mind. Altear clenched his fist and lightly punched Cain’s chest, lowering his voice solemnly.

“...If it doesn’t work, I’ll really die.”