Beneath the ashen-gray hair, sharp eyes swept over the scent of the sleeping agent lingering in the air. His gaze narrowed.
Even with a colorless, odorless sedative, this kid was still holding on. That meant the little one had also undergone the grand duke’s training.
High-ranking nobles sometimes exposed their children to poisons and drugs related to abduction to build resistance.
So, even the so-called abandoned grand prince had been educated? The woman and child before him were different from the rumors.
Hmm. What should I do?
“You’re quite different from the rumors, young master.”
Ashdel crossed his arms arrogantly, his soft, childlike face still carrying the remnants of baby fat.
“Oh, my reputation? Yeah, I know. They call me the ghostly grand prince, right? A pitiful child being used by Milena Lastia.”
Since he had never shown his face to the public as the grand prince, the rumors had spiraled out of control.
Why did Milena become a villainess?
A mere count’s daughter liking the grand duke was a trivial matter, but the grand duchess’s younger sister passionately pursuing him was a whole different story.
On top of that, she stayed in the grand duchy and interfered in internal affairs. To the world, she was an impudent woman playing mistress despite knowing her place.
For gossipers, whether a rumor was true or not didn’t matter. Her strong features and assertive demeanor were twisted into savagery.
Whenever someone died in the grand duchy, people attributed it to Milena’s jealousy.
It was said that Ashdel being treated as invisible, and the grand duke still not taking a second wife, were all because of Milena. She was painted as a woman who controlled the grand duke and his heir to her liking.
Ashdel and Calion—neither had been directly harmed by her, yet the rumors persisted.
Ironically, the one who had fueled these rumors in the first place was Grand Duke Calion himself. How unfortunate.
Ashdel sighed whenever he heard them.
My aunt may seem intimidating, but she has a soft heart. She’s not ruthless at all.
That’s probably why someone like this could approach her.
Since she couldn’t be cruel, Ashdel had decided he would be.
“They say I turned out this way because I was raised under abuse. So what?”
“……”
Ashdel glared fiercely at the man, his eyes wide like a startled rabbit.
“You still haven’t answered. Who are you?”
Faced with the sharp-tongued child, the man rubbed the area around his mouth, the unruly hair failing to fully conceal it.
He was choosing his words carefully, unsure of how to respond to this bold little brat.
“Hmph. I see. You’re even craftier than I expected, hiding your true nature behind the rumors.”
This child wanted to hide his real self from his aunt.
It was obvious from the way the little one, who had acted like a baby around Milena, was now speaking with maturity.
“But does Lady Milena know about this?”
“She doesn’t need to know anything! Because I’ll protect her! Mmph!”
Well, look at that. He was much more expressive when talking to people other than Milena.
“Shh—”
A large hand firmly squeezed the child’s plump cheeks. The man leaned down, his gaze meeting the pink eyes staring up at him.
“What are you going to do when the lady you cherish so much wakes up?”
“Mmph! Mmmph!”
Ashdel grabbed at the man’s wrist, but it was useless. The solid, muscular arm didn’t budge an inch.
“Here’s a piece of advice.”
The presence of the otherwise unnoticeable man suddenly flared.
The chilling intensity made Ashdel frown.
“When facing an opponent whose strength you can’t gauge, you should stay quiet and wait for the right moment. Instead of openly showing hostility and demanding answers.”
Just looking at their physiques, the difference was obvious.
The kid seemed to have some confidence, but the man easily snatched away the dagger Ashdel had been secretly trying to pull out.
“Ack!”
Having his weapon taken away only made Ashdel struggle harder.
But the man remained calm, as if the resistance didn’t faze him.
“Growling like a little kitten is cute, but you should learn when to back down, kid.”
He tossed the dagger onto the plush carpet.
His tone shifted as he slowly ran a hand through his unruly ashen-gray hair, pushing it back.
Ashdel froze.
As the man swept his hair back, its appearance changed like magic.
What had been a dull, gloomy gray turned into a brilliant silver.
His previously rough and stiff hair now flowed smoothly, glistening under the light.
A man with an entrancingly beautiful face revealed himself, crimson eyes gleaming.
“Mmph! Mmph!”
Ashdel’s eyes widened.
He had seen that face before—in the empire’s gazette.
An article had described him as someone who could captivate both men and women with his delicate yet alluring charm.
What kind of nonsense embellishments were those?
Whoever wrote that must have been a devotee of this man.
A man who had once turned the central social scene upside down.
A high noble whose list of women left in tears was longer than those who hadn’t.
A notorious playboy said to have even captivated the imperial princess.
The third son of Duke Silbert—Lexion Silbert.
As if he found Ashdel’s incredulous gaze amusing, Lexion flashed a sly grin.
“Hm, so even in the North, news from the capital travels well?”
His decision to reveal himself was purely impulsive.
Coming here, he had stumbled upon several interesting things, Milena included.
He was in such a good mood that he felt like offering this much of a ‘service.’
Besides, it wasn’t as if this isolated little noble would go blabbing to anyone.
He had come to the grand duchy, taking on all the risks, because there was something he absolutely had to do.
And using this kid might just make things easier.
“Mmph.”
“Well, now that you know who I am—what do you say, young master? Want to join hands with me? I’m always open to working with useful children. I don’t discriminate by age or gender.”
You don’t discriminate by age or gender?
“MMPH!”
Pervert!
Ashdel’s face turned pale as he bit down hard on Lexion’s hand.
“Ow.”
Not that it actually hurt.
Lexion let go, pretending to be in pain, while Ashdel furiously yelled,
“You came here to approach my aunt, didn’t you?!”
“Hm?”
Ashdel hurriedly stepped between Milena and the intruder.
“How did you know my aunt was beautiful?! You disguised yourself just to get to her, didn’t you?!”
Lexion blinked slowly, then burst into laughter.
No matter how much this kid tried to act like an adult, he was still just a child.
He crouched down, lazily resting his chin on one hand.
“Yes, she’s far more beautiful than the rumors say. But do you really think you can protect her?”
Ashdel glanced at the dagger Lexion had so effortlessly discarded.
“……”
“I can.”
Ashdel’s pink eyes flickered with hesitation.
Lexion smirked.
“Then what is it you want?”
Clever little thing.
Lexion’s smile deepened.
“That would be…”
Milena’s safety.
And the secret map of the grand duchy.
Each of them had something to gain from a mutually beneficial deal.
“Auntie.”
Milena had yet to wake.
Had the sleeping agent Lexion sprinkled worked too well?
She had been asleep for an entire day.
“Auntie, wake up.”
At the soft voice calling her, Milena furrowed her brows and slowly opened her eyes.
Through her fluttering lashes, deep green eyes peeked out.
She looked at the child waking her, then closed her eyes again.
When had she fallen asleep?
“Ash.”
Her voice was hoarse.
“Auntie, did you sleep well?”
“Mm. I don’t think I even dreamed.”
She just wanted to burrow back into the blankets and keep sleeping.
Her headache was gone, and her body felt light.
“Auntie, even if you want to sleep more, you have to get up.”
“Why? Can’t I sleep a little longer?”
Then, Ashdel’s next words made her eyes snap open.
“They called you to try on dresses. You need to prepare for the wedding.”
The moment she woke up, reality crashed down on her.
She wanted to run away.
