Chapter 61

In the end, Saisu declined the arranged marriage.

For Saisu, who only held a hereditary noble title for one generation, this was the best possible match, and his brother questioned him about his reasons. However, he could not reveal that he was in love with the person who had become the prince's concubine, even if his mouth were to be torn apart.

His brother regretted it to the end but ultimately respected his youngest brother's decision.

Just before parting, his brother asked, "Why were you chosen as the princess's guard in the first place?" with a puzzled look, and Saisu could not answer that question either.

Come to think of it, he had never really considered why he was chosen.

He had simply thought it was because his sword skills were praised by his deputy right before he was chosen as a guard, but upon closer reflection, there were plenty of other knights who were better than Saisu.

Although he had doubts, he was not dissatisfied with being chosen, so Saisu decided not to think about it any further.

As he watched his brother's retreating back, he recalled his brother's worried words, asking if he would regret rejecting this offer, and a small smile appeared on Saisu's lips.

His brother might be right; he might one day regret making such a foolish choice.

However, if he married for titles and land and ended up not loving his wife, he felt he would be left with nothing.

He felt guilty for making his brother, who had come all the way to the capital, worry, but he could not lie to himself.

He was hopelessly captivated by that person.

Just being looked at with those lake-blue eyes made his heart soar uncontrollably, and everything else seemed to fade away.

He had never wished to stand by her side.

He knew his place and had no intention of overstepping it.

All he wanted was to be her sword.

No matter how foolish it might seem to others, that was Saisu's way of life.

As long as he could live without shame, that was enough for him.

On the other hand, after her debut, Princess Via began to receive invitations from various quarters, and whenever she left the Crystal Palace, Saisu always accompanied her as her guard.

Ultimately, her days became so busy that she had no time to warm her room.

The most challenging part, of course, was Princess Via herself, who was often invited as the guest of honor to luncheons and tea parties.

Invitations to the Crystal Palace were endless, and she carefully chose which to prioritize with the head maid, Mrs. Amelie, and when she had to decline, she made sure the recipient felt appropriately considered.

If the recipient felt neglected by Prince Alex's concubine, it could lead to resentment against Prince Alex.

Princess Via rarely forgot the faces of those she had met.

When asked how she could remember so many, she said she repeated the features in her mind to solidify the image.

It was a kind of talent.

Watching her converse with the ladies with a refined demeanor, hiding her mouth behind a fan, it was hard to believe that she had once engaged in verbal battles with money changers in the lower town and mingled with commoners to eat street food.

Saisu was deeply impressed by how well she could put on a facade, but Princess Via was not just a beautifully dressed lady laughing with the other ladies.

She knew that not everyone who approached her with a smile was necessarily a good person and quietly assessed them beneath her refined manners and elegant smile.

She paid attention to every word to avoid being caught off guard and responded to venomous remarks with witty repartee.

In the court, caution was necessary, but dullness was not tolerated.

She remained vigilant at all times, yet showed no signs of it, responding to flattery with a smile and enjoying light wordplay.

What Princess Via was most wary of was standing out too much in the court.

Therefore, at banquets and other events, she always deferred to other royals and never tried to create a following, but people were drawn to her beauty and cheerful personality, and in the shadows of her radiance, darkness was quietly born.

The prince's favor probably only exacerbated the situation.

The seeds of malice against Princess Via grew in places unknown to her, and then the incident occurred.

That day, an intimate banquet for the empress's relatives was to be held at the Empress's Palace.

Prince Celtais visited the Crystal Palace to change into the attire prepared for the empress, and after exchanging a few words with Princess Via and her younger brother, she hurried to her room to change as well.

At that moment, she passed by the son of the head maid, Mrs. Amelie, in the corridor.

He was a man with a nervous, unfocused gaze, and Saisu still remembered the unpleasant feeling he got from him.

Looking back, that must have been the dark fear the man carried within.

However, at the time, Saisu could not articulate that feeling and jokingly commented to Princess Via, "He looks like a man with a face full of gloom and doom."

Princess Via, who had been gently scolding him for his blunt words, suddenly stopped as if she had realized something.

"Dark blue jacket with two star medals...?"

Saisu did not understand what she was saying, but the next moment, Princess Via called out her brother's name in a pained voice and turned on her heel, discarding her high-heeled shoes.

"Princess?"

Saisu immediately tried to follow, but he kicked the discarded high heels to the garden to prevent them from causing trouble for Princess Via later.

This delayed his response.

When Princess Via arrived at Prince Celtais's room, Saisu was a few steps behind.

"Get out of the way!"

Pushing aside the two guards trying to stop her, Princess Via opened the door.

Saisu, who had finally caught up, reached out to grab her shoulder, but his hand slipped off.

That split-second delay decided everything.

"Celtais!"

Princess Via's scream, filled with terror, was cut off by a dull thud.

When Saisu rushed in, he saw Princess Via slowly collapsing to the floor after a moment of recoiling.

"What are you doing!"

The man inside turned to Saisu in panic. The moment Saisu saw the blood-stained blade in his hand, his head went blank with rage.

His body moved before he could think.

He delivered a spinning kick to the man's face, knocking him to the ground, and pounced on him, pinning him down with his knee.

While restraining the man's arms, the two guards who had arrived late rushed to Prince Celtais.

The maid who seemed to be the man's accomplice was quickly apprehended, and a maid who had collapsed in the corner of the room crawled over to Princess Via.

It was Eimi Laranada, Princess Via's personal maid, whom she trusted and with whom Saisu had spoken a few times.

"Princess, oh, what has happened... Please hold on!"

Eimi tore a piece of her dress and pressed it to Princess Via's wound, while Prince Celtais ordered the guards to call for help with a scream-like voice.

It was then that the man, who was being restrained, uttered shocking words.

"No! If you expose me, Prince Alex will be ruined!" he shouted, and only then did Saisu realize the man was Eiden Amelie, whom he had passed in the corridor earlier.

"If you expose me, Prince Alex will be ruined!"

With his lower face covered in nosebleed, Eiden's voice trembled.

Saisu stared at him in shock, not understanding what he was saying.

His words made it sound as if Prince Alex had planned the attack.

Saisu shouted in anger, but at that moment, Eiden's sister, who was also restrained, desperately interjected.

"Please believe me.

If this becomes public, Prince Alex will be in a difficult position!"

Saisu did not believe their words, but considering the worst, he secured the room tightly.

He asked Eimi to fetch a doctor urgently and, while she was stopping Princess Via's bleeding, he bound Eiden and his sister with cloth and rope he found nearby.

The head of the Crystal Palace guards, Raphiel, arrived with a doctor and began preparing a bed for Princess Via, bringing in necessary items one after another.

It was fortunate that Princess Via had called two young maids from the Purple Jade Palace, who were not under Mrs. Amelie's influence, and he could trust them to take care of Princess Via.

The head maid, Mrs. Amelie, who had arrived on the scene with a calm face, was restrained by Prince Celtais's guards as soon as she entered the room.

Eiden's sister, Yulia, had brought Eiden into the room, and Mrs. Amelie had assigned Yulia to Prince Celtais's preparation. It was necessary to secure her before she could cause any trouble.

Leaving Princess Via in the hands of the head of the guards, Saisu rushed to the prince's office to inform him of the attack.

He did not know what was happening around the prince, who was behind the attack, or whose words to believe.

But from what Saisu had seen, Prince Alex truly loved Princess Via.

For Princess Via's sake, he wanted to believe that.

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For this publication, I received many recommendations from various people. Thank you very much. The exciting messages of support were also published on the book's cover, and I was very happy (they are also introduced on the label's Twitter). I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude again.