I Became the Abandoned Prince Whom the Saintess Is Obsessed With

24 – Shaky Judgment

It had been quite some time since the prince left.

Yet.

Barth, the Duke, still sat quietly in the bedroom.

Candles flickered on the stern face.

Deeply engraved worries.

The black shadows swayed restlessly.

On the golden candlesticks, the slender candles, unyielding in their precarious dance, seemed to represent the Marquis’ state of mind.

On the other hand, the thick curtains on both sides of the wide-open window, as if not knowing anything, swayed gently.

The prince went out there.

That guy, who had now become a beggar, jumped out without a moment’s hesitation.

At first, I suspected my eyes.

The third floor was certainly not a low height.

If unlucky, he could have died, and at the very least, he couldn’t have avoided one or two fractures.

But as soon as the prince went out the window, he seemed to disappear as if erased.

Prince Eos, the beggar.

To the Marquis, he was a series of surprises.

Because he was in charge of a massive upper echelon that traveled throughout the continent.

He thought he was unmatched in terms of information power.

But today, all of that was shattered.

He had heard countless stories about the wickedness committed by the beggar prince.

So even today…

If I were to cause a disturbance, he had instructed his subordinates to be prepared to immediately subdue me.

But why?

As soon as I woke up, Hwangja immediately apologized for the sharp pain he had inflicted on me.

It was unbelievable.

I had heard that Hwangja was not good at controlling his anger.

No, it was more than that.

It was a vivid testimony from those who had directly suffered at his hands, that he didn’t even make an effort to control himself.

If he was in a bad mood.

Whether it was a maid, a courtier, a soldier, or a knight, the rumor in high society was that he would start with a slap, as it was a well-known fact.

He had even killed over ten people who had taken care of him just four years ago, all in one night.

But the Hwangja I saw in front of me had a face that seemed completely unrelated to those facts, a face that was too harmless.

Even though I intentionally spoke harshly.

Strangely, I couldn’t sense any hint of anger in his vacant expression, not even a trace.

The Hwangja I had experienced firsthand was completely different from the things I had heard.

And what was with that deep gaze that seemed to understand all of his own misfortunes?

His sympathetic gaze was so bewildering that I even forgot the scathing remarks I had been about to make.

That’s why I had asked if he truly wanted to be engaged to Elaine.

When my words failed me, I couldn’t think of anything else to say in that situation.

And what was even more shocking than that was the response that came back in a solemn voice.

Leading the upper echelons for many years, the Marquis had encountered all kinds of people.

He had experienced numerous frauds and betrayals.

He had witnessed talented individuals bloom and shine after being brought in, at least dozens of times.

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That’s why the Marquis could take pride in himself.

In this world, there was no one who could understand people better than him.

There was no need for separate proof.

His past footsteps were the evidence.

At some point.

He no longer fell for deception, and the talents he placed in the right positions always showed their worth without fail.

Now, he had reached a point where he could easily determine whether a person was sincere or not just by looking into their eyes and facial expressions.

That’s why it was inevitable for him to be surprised.

He was certain.

The Crown Prince genuinely desired an engagement with Elaine.

His desperate gaze and urgent expression could never be false.

If only there was enough time, the Marquis wanted to have more conversations with him.

But the Crown Prince left in a hurry, promising to come back another day after secretly sneaking out of the palace.

“……”

The Marquis wiped his face with both hands.

It was a kind of ritual, a way to bury the lingering questions deep in his memory.

In any case, the most important confirmation had been made.

The prince truly loved Elaine.

Elaine also genuinely desired the prince.

After the emperor’s proclamation, they had left together, and she had rushed ahead to propose with such enthusiasm that she shouted loudly. There was no doubt about that fact.

Finally, the time had come.

The viscount looked towards a corner of the bedroom.

Still hidden in the unlit darkness.

A man, whom he had brought here unconscious, was silently concealed.

“Gerald.”

He was the one who had brought the unconscious prince here.

“Speak.”

The viscount looked at the faint light in the distance through the window and spoke.

“We must start the hunt in earnest. Move all the troops and ruthlessly slaughter every hidden vermin without leaving any behind.”

He had been waiting for this moment for so long.

It was a plan to completely erase the influence of Shurain, which spread throughout the upper and viscount’s domains, before the next dawn.

That was.

What should have been naturally possessed.

It was the top priority task to recover what had been lost due to lack of strength.

Looking at the dawn that was slowly brightening in the distance.

The viscount laughed bitterly.

I swiftly left the Count’s residence, feeling the wind wrap around my body.

I savored the refreshing morning breeze, flying as if I could, and quickly arrived at the Imperial Palace.

It felt as if I had been reborn; energy overflowed from my body.

In the endless expanse of the sky,

There were shades of gold, blue, and darkness,

Coexisting harmoniously in a gentle spectrum.

I approached the window of the bedroom, gradually turning red.

Glentino must have been guarding all night, so there should be no issues.

After Geronde’s tragic state of being imprisoned,

I informed Glentino of Duke Shlain’s misdeeds.

In response, he swore loyalty to me once again, even shedding tears,

And vowed to exact revenge on the Empress and Duke Shlain, who had abandoned my father.

Of course, I don’t trust him.

From the start, Glentino was someone who could betray me at any moment if his own life was in danger.

However, that man…

He was still unable to forget the pain that imprisoned his heart.

Since the retrieval of the spirits was kept a secret, he still firmly believed that if anyone were to oppose me, their life would be taken immediately.

So, even if someone were to come looking for me, he would have hidden my absence at the risk of his own life.

Based on that judgment,

I cautiously opened the window and entered the bedroom.

“Your Highness…”

As soon as I entered, I was greeted by an unsettling sight.

Glentino was kneeling with a dazed expression on his face.

And in front of him…

Astia sat on the bed, crossing her legs, sharpening a knife with a grindstone, sparks flying.

Her hair, reddened by the sunlight, somehow felt threatening.

“Oh, you’re here?”

The greeting she casually threw without even looking at me was reminiscent of a street performer.

I clearly said I was going to sleep.

I explicitly told her not to come into the bedroom.

Yet, she couldn’t resist and sneaked in.

“…”

On Astia’s face,

A fleeting smile that had appeared just once vanished without a trace, like receding waves.

Now, all that remained was a distinctly hardened expression.

“Look at this, Your Highness. Even I, your escort, don’t know where I went and came back from. Do you want me dead?”

In the smile that reappeared after “Do you want me dead?”,

My body involuntarily flinched.

***

In the end, it had to be Astia.

Changing clothes, I had no choice but to tell her some truth.

“I regained the abilities of an elf.”

“Investigating the secret behind the tragedy four years ago.”

It wouldn’t be a problem at that level.

In the first place, the reason for bringing Astia back under my protection was to make use of her incredibly powerful strength that only grew stronger as time passed.

Of course, her skills as a knight were too unique, so I had no intention of using her from the beginning.

But her thoughts seemed to differ greatly from mine.

“Wherever you go, I’ll go with you from now on. Got it?”

“….”

“What? No response?”

Astia had already reached a considerable level of skill.

If I set my mind to it, I could easily overpower her.

As she spoke, gripping my collar and even raising her fist, I had no choice but to accept.

The Emperor arrived around that time.

No matter how much of an Emperor he was.

It was somewhat irritating to have him barge in without saying a word.

However, the Emperor’s face looked a bit strange.

The Admiral was perfect, but now he seemed strangely pale.

He still seemed addicted to the extreme.

But what could be causing this unpleasant reaction?

Even though I saw Astia, who had a firm grip on my collar, I let out a sigh of relief instead of scolding her.

Somehow, I couldn’t suppress the feeling of disappointment.

***

Until I reached the Hwangja Palace.

The Emperor must have hesitated a lot.

It was because he had a foreboding that the assassin who stabbed his heart might be his son, or he might be.

For the sake of marrying a human like himself, Wiblea had sealed her own elven abilities.

From the time before she became the Empress, there was always a strong scent of the forest emanating from her.

And that scent was the same as when Eos lost his abilities.

Also.

The assassin who sneaked into the bedroom and put his hand on her ankle, he had the same scent as when his heart was pierced.

So perhaps.

It might have been a mistake to mistake his son for an assassin.

At first, it was just a mere thought that came to mind.

But as morning approached, it was gaining more and more trust in the Emperor’s heart.

After the visit of the person suspected of being the assassin.

The heart that was heavy until yesterday suddenly became light.

And the tightness in my throat had also cleared up as if it had been pierced.

The poison that had been devouring his body for a long time.

Finally seemed completely detoxified.

That’s when the thought occurred to him.

Suddenly, his throat tightened.

It was because of the plausible assumption gradually turning into certainty, causing an overwhelming storm on the plains that was difficult to withstand.

Perhaps his son secretly treated him.

But that couldn’t be true.

Because Eos no longer had the abilities of an elf.

Even the secretly summoned court physician was still an excruciating poison that he couldn’t detect.

How could his son, who had become a beggar, possibly detoxify it?

That was truly unbelievable.

But even as he thought that, his hands kept sweating.

If his son had regained the abilities of an elf?

And if he was detoxifying his own poison with those abilities?

Thump! Thump! Thump!

His heart pounded fiercely, just like when he faced Wibrea’s death.

It was because he had already experienced the despair of when assumptions became reality.

The emperor tore at his hair with both hands.

“No… It can’t be… it can’t be like that…”

Clearly, it pierced his heart.

I couldn’t help but know, as I had experienced countless battles.

If my guess was correct.

Eos would never be able to escape death.

With a pierced heart, she would have fallen to a cold corpse before even reaching the Imperial Palace.

Sweat had formed on the Emperor’s forehead.

The worst-case scenario that he unconsciously kept envisioning was causing sweat droplets to form incessantly.

But there was still nothing certain.

It was highly probable, but only a possibility.

Until confirmed with his own eyes, it remained unknown.

He wanted to immediately go to the Imperial Palace to check on his son’s safety.

But his feet wouldn’t move.

He couldn’t bring himself to open the tightly shut doors.

He couldn’t even send someone to confirm.

It was because he had no courage to face the convincing speculation that had already reached the verge of certainty.

The hesitation lasted for a while.

Then, finally, the morning sun rose and began to devour the darkness of dawn.

It was then that the Emperor made up his mind.

The reason he forcefully opened the bedroom door was for that very reason.

Fortunately, Eos’ silver hair was shining brilliantly in the morning sunlight.

His son was unharmed.

“Thank goodness!”

I must have shouted that phrase silently thousands of times more.

My racing heart still wouldn’t calm down.

Even after Astia left, the Emperor remained silent for a while.

It was then that the scent of a dense forest wafted in.

Sniff, sniff.

The Emperor’s trembling eyes turned towards the black cloth peeking out from under the bed.