CHAPTER 67……………………………………………
“The arrangements are solid. Even if some unforeseen accident happens, you’ll be fine. Any trouble the princess encounters will all be blamed on Egrain.”
“Is that so? The evidence has been perfectly fabricated, after all.”
Finally feeling reassured, Aris relaxed her expression and leaned comfortably against Jacques.
A thick, sticky atmosphere unique to a relationship that had crossed the line of man and woman lingered between them.
“Jacques, I’ll trust only you.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll reclaim every right that was taken by the daughter of a lowly maid.”
Jacques took Aris’s slender, pale fingers and pressed his lips to them.
The words were sweet beyond measure. Aris closed her eyes, satisfied.
Holding her as she surrendered herself completely, Jacques smiled faintly.
‘Once I have the princess in my hands, I can take her hostage and escape the kingdom…’
His gaze glinted ominously in the shadows of the temple.
Sunlight danced playfully across the surface of the water.
Princess Laratu arrived at the lakeside with her attendants and looked around before speaking.
“The weather is lovely.”
“…….”
“Today will be fun as well, won’t it, Karsatuna?”
The following Karsatuna gave a weak smile.
Though she had been tired from sleeplessness the previous night, under the sunlight, the princess sparkled without a hint of fatigue, looking genuinely happy.
The place chosen for boating was a remote lake, vast and silent.
Only quaint little boats and their boatmen were on the water.
The lake’s ripples were calmer than usual.
At the princess’s gesture, the maids moved busily. In no time, a table was set with cookies and cakes, along with steaming hot tea.
These were for eating and drinking after the outing.
A guard lowered the gangplank to connect the boat to the shore.
“Shouldn’t we put up a canopy?”
Princess Laratu shook her head.
“I don’t like it if it feels cramped.”
“Very well. There’s a parasol anyway.”
The parasol was handed to a guard.
Soon, the boat moved toward the center of the lake, slicing through the sparkling sunlight on the water.
Watching the princess’s cheerful expression, Karsatuna spoke cautiously.
“Are you upset about Egrain?”
“I don’t want to talk about her.”
Disheartened, Karsatuna fell silent. The sound of the water brushed past her ears. Then it happened.
“Egrain deceived me.”
Karsatuna looked up sharply. Princess Laratu was staring only at the lake.
“She lied, saying she had no connection with the prince.”
“…….”
“They’re far from ordinary friends, those two.”
Her voice was like delicate glass, fragile enough to shatter at the slightest shock.
Karsatuna, aware that Princess Laratu’s feelings for the prince were growing deeper by the day, was surprised. At the same time, realization struck. That’s why she acted that way toward Egrain.
“Were you disappointed?”
Quietly asked, Princess Laratu replied in kind.
“By whom?”
“By anyone.”
“Yes, I was disappointed.”
“…….”
“By me.”
As the boat rocked, Princess Laratu’s face turned pale. She muttered,
“I truly… didn’t know that they were like that. Egrain also told me otherwise.”
“…….”
“But seeing them with my own eyes…”
She bit her lip painfully.
“They didn’t look ordinary at all!”
“Princess.”
“They said they were nothing, but behind my back, they were laughing at me.”
“Egrain wouldn’t have done that.”
“Then how do you explain it?”
Princess Laratu glared sharply. Karsatuna fell silent.
“I trusted those words and revealed all my feelings. I’m disappointed in my own foolishness. That’s the biggest part.”
It was then.
Splash!
Perhaps due to the boatman’s inexperience, the boat rocked violently.
Seeing the princess pale, the guard snapped angrily.
“Be careful!”
“Ah, sorry. It’s my first time rowing a boat.”
“What?”
Thunk!
In an instant, a short dagger pierced the guard’s neck.
He collapsed forward without a chance to swing his sword. Blood spurted like a fountain.
“Kyaaah…!”
Karsatuna opened her mouth to scream, but the boatman’s rough, dry hand silenced her.
The boatman covering her mouth grinned.
Under the wide brim of his hat, shielding from the sun, his unusual features were revealed.
His dark skin was marked by a white scar stretching from his cheek to his eyebrow.
Seeing Karsatuna’s terror-stricken eyes, the boatman pressed a finger to his lips.
“Shh! If you scream, this blade will cut your pretty neck. Will your companions reach you first, or will I?”
“…….”
“You can stay quiet, right?”
Princess Laratu and Karsatuna nodded, pale as death. The boatman, Shinu, grinned widely.
“I thought I’d only get to play with filthy wretches, but even a beautiful woman…”
“…….”
“Feels amazing.”
As he licked his lips, Karsatuna and Princess Laratu were gripped by fear.
Shinu hummed a tune and tossed the guard’s body into the lake.
Splash!
The corpse sank quickly. A miserable death.
Sweating profusely, Princess Laratu spoke in a low voice.
“My father would know I came boating. If you do such things, you won’t get away with it.”
“Oh, the highborn princess worries about a lowly man like me?”
Shinu’s chuckle held no trace of fear. Perhaps he was confident he could handle things before the king found out.
His ease and confidence deepened the terror.
“Princess, this way.”
Summoning courage despite the dizzying fear, Karsatuna calmly guided Princess Laratu’s arm to her side.
Seeing the two women relying on each other and staring at him, Shinu’s lips twitched. It was a scene that fueled his sadistic desires.
As he suddenly leaned forward, Princess Laratu let out a small scream.
Shinu buried his face in her neck, inhaling her scent.
“Mmm, you smell good. Behave, and I’ll spare you the worst.”
“Move!”
Karsatuna pushed him strongly. Shinu glared at her with glistening eyes.
Her arm trembled as courage fled.
“I’ll let it slide this time.”
His fake smile and teasing tone were both repulsive and terrifying.
‘Egrain was right.’
A few days ago, Egrain had come to Princess Laratu without invitation, angering her, and her request was absurd.
[You mean to use me as bait?]
[If the princess goes boating again, someone will be targeting her.]
[You want to use me as bait to find them?]
[If the princess goes boating again.]
The audacity to use the princess as bait left Karsatuna speechless.
At that moment, she understood why Princess Laratu treated Egrain coldly. The words were so rude and boundary-crossing.
Despite the princess’s icy reaction, Egrain remained calm.
Only Karsatuna was unsettled.
Even trying to appease the angry princess wouldn’t be enough—what did she intend to gain by provoking her further?
Princess Laratu, glaring at her, smirked.
[You keep saying it’s dangerous outside, but nothing happened a few days ago.]
[Maybe they’re still observing me.]
[Then they’ll keep watching.]
[These days, you seem to be going out more. Are you going out more because of what I said?]
[No! Egrain’s words had no effect on me.]
[So if I told you not to go boating, you wouldn’t listen?]
[Of course not.]
Princess Laratu’s eyebrows twitched with each syllable.
[No matter what Egrain says, my decision won’t change.]
Intense eyes exchanged.
[Do as you wish. I’ll protect the princess in my own way.]
Princess Laratu swallowed Egrain’s words with a scoff.
Since then, several boating outings had occurred without incident.
Initially cautious, Princess Laratu soon dismissed it entirely.
But now, facing the boatman’s glistening eyes, that past came vividly to mind.
There was madness in his gaze—something ordinary people did not possess.
It was impossible to guess what kind of life he had led.
He must have experienced things unimaginable to them.
Could they escape safely?
Perhaps it would be better to jump into the lake now.
Karsatuna’s mind filled with grim thoughts.
But she was not alone.
“Princess, are you okay?”
Watching the boatman, she whispered to Princess Laratu.
With no guards and only the two of them on the boat, they were like mice trapped in a jar.
Shinu only smiled unpleasantly.
If they were dragged away, they wouldn’t survive.
Startled by her own instinct, Karsatuna shook her head violently.
“So Egrain was right.”
“…….”
“Princess?”
Her pale face was expressionless. Shock had frozen her.
‘Then this is serious.’
Karsatuna was about to call her again.
“What Aris Dolencia said… was true.”
“Excuse me?”
A sense of inexplicable unease washed over her.
Karsatuna worried. Lately, Princess Laratu looked fragile even to her.
What kind of person was she?
A precious treasure of the kingdom. A beautiful first lady. Loved by the royal family. She had never failed to get what she wanted.
Princess Laratu was not an ordinary person. She had not been raised that way.
Even enjoying outings, she never truly delighted to the depths of her heart. Even savoring delicious food, she never genuinely admired it.
But she was different with the prince from the empire.
