A Guest in the Third Prince's Palace (3)
Aurel shrugged with his arms crossed.
"I didn't intend to exaggerate quite that much."
Aurel's expression was utterly serious, without a trace of playfulness.
"Still, shouldn't we remain vigilant? According to the spies planted in the Holy Kingdom, the internal atmosphere is extremely chaotic because of the papal election scheduled for the year after next."
It was the perfect opportunity while the Pope and the other high priests were preoccupied with domestic affairs.
"How about discreetly sending reconnaissance teams to the areas surrounding the Holy Kingdom? We could limit the investigation to regions where monsters frequently appear."
Kaiden pondered for a moment.
If they were discovered, it could seriously damage relations with the Holy Kingdom.
But right now, eliminating even one more monster rampaging across this land was far more important than improving diplomatic ties.
"Fine. As you said, there's no harm in being cautious. After all, our kingdom and the Holy Kingdom of Leon share only a single mountain range between us."
If the Holy Kingdom truly was in trouble, the repercussions would hit Adamanth first.
"Select only those with exceptional mobility and send them."
"I shall obey Your Majesty's command."
Aurel bowed his head with a grave expression that allowed no room for jest.
But that lasted only a moment.
"Oh, and don't forget to earn some points with those nephews of yours..."
"What? Those brats should be the ones earning points with me. Why would I need to earn points with them? If you're done talking, I'm cutting the connection."
Kaiden grimaced and reached out to withdraw his mana from the crystal orb.
"Ah, wait, I'm not finished yet. Also, make sure you don't earn a reputation as a womanizer while you're there. And try to restrain yourself from losing your mind every time you see green eyes..."
Splash.
The crystal orb fell before Aurel could even finish speaking.
Kaiden had cut off the communication, deciding there was no more value in listening.
"Tsk."
He clicked his tongue and rose from the bath.
Across his perfectly sculpted, rigorously trained body lay a dense map of large and small scars.
Many of them looked like the remnants of wounds that had once brought him to the brink of death.
Squelch. Squelch.
Kaiden strode out of the bath without a care and slipped on the robe that had been left by the door.
When he stepped outside, the head maid was standing there holding a tray with a wine glass.
Her gaunt frame and pale hair color somehow reminded him of something.
I thought someone had set up a scarecrow.
Kaiden picked up the wine glass from the tray.
"U-um..."
Catherine, the head maid, flushed bright red under Kaiden's unwavering gaze.
No! I have Sir Philip! Get a hold of yourself, Catherine Veil!
She tried to regain her composure by silently chanting her prospective husband's name in her mind.
But the sight of an impossibly handsome man standing before her, still damp from the bath, was far too stimulating to calm down easily.
"That was excellent. Thank you."
Kaiden downed the wine in one gulp and set the empty glass back on the tray.
"And thank you for guiding me earlier today."
"O-oh, not at all, Your Majesty."
Catherine was so startled by the words of gratitude that she bowed her head deeply.
She had never dreamed she would receive thanks from the king of a nation—especially not from the King of Adamanth.
"What was the head maid's name again?"
"Pardon?"
Catherine's eyes widened into perfect circles at Kaiden's question.
"My name, you mean?"
Fear flickered across her large eyes.
"C-Catherine. Catherine Veil."
"Catherine, is it."
Kaiden wiped the wine from the corner of his mouth with his thumb.
He stared at her and offered a faint, crooked smile.
"Then may I ask you for one favor, Catherine?"
"...A favor?"
What kind of request required him to flash a smile so devastating it made her heart sink?
Catherine's pupils trembled faintly.
"What brings you here at this hour?"
It was late at night. I had just finished settling the exhausted Edwin and Emilia into bed after they had spent the entire day greeting the delegation, and was on my way back to my own room.
"Do you have business with me, Catherine?"
The familiar silhouette waiting in front of my door belonged to the head maid, Catherine.
"Nannyyyyyy!"
Catherine, who had been stamping her feet in place, rushed toward me the moment she saw me.
She grabbed the hem of my skirt and clung to it, sniffling.
"Nanny, please save me! Huuuuurgh!"
"My skirt is sliding down. Let go first and then speak."
"What am I supposed to dooooo!"
It didn't look like she was going to calm down anytime soon. I had no choice.
I held my skirt firmly in place so it wouldn't slip any further and asked,
"So what exactly happened that has you in such a state..."
"The guest at the Third Prince's Palace told me to attend him for the night!"
What?
I furrowed my brows and repeated her words.
"The guest asked you to attend him at night?"
There was only one person currently staying in the Third Prince's Palace who could issue such an outrageous order.
The King of Adamanth? That bastard?
I recalled Kaiden's face from earlier that day.
I did sense something perverted about him...
The despicable man.
So he finally decided to lay his hands on one of the maids working in the prince's palace.
If he had any sense at all, he wouldn't do such a thing.
"Nanny, what should I do? What if I refuse the king and he has my head cut off? But I already have someone I've decided to give my purity to!"
Catherine clung to me, her eyes rimmed red with tears.
I let out a small sigh as I watched her sob miserably.
"Catherine, what exactly did the King of Adamanth say?"
It was possible he hadn't used the phrase "attend at night" in the usual sense.
At my question, Catherine stammered out her answer.
"He said... to come to his bedchamber at night. That I just need to stay with him until morning..."
Stay with him until morning, huh.
I sighed after hearing her response.
"How on earth did you end up receiving such a request?"
"It happened while I was attending his bath..."
"Aren't you the head maid? And yet you were the one assigned to attend his bath?"
"Do you think I wanted to do it?!"
Catherine thumped her chest as if deeply wronged.
"All the other maids kept pushing it off saying they didn't want to do it, so it eventually came around to me! There was no one else who could do it, so I was forced to take the job!"
The day the news spread that the King of Adamanth would be staying at the Third Prince's Palace, the maids had all eagerly volunteered to attend him.
"He's rumored to be the most handsome man on the continent, so everyone was very interested."
Although he carried the terrifying nickname of Warmonger, those who had seen him from afar claimed his beauty was enough to take one's breath away.
However, the maids who actually faced him in person had scattered like frightened herbivores trying to hide.
He's devastatingly handsome, but getting too close feels like it might actually kill you.
The King of Adamanth was a man who traversed battlefields every day, annihilating enemies and somehow surviving.
There was no way ordinary people could withstand the oppressive aura he radiated.
"But you managed to endure it, Catherine."
"Hic... That's all because of you, Nanny."
"Because of me?"
Catherine wiped the tears pooling at the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand and continued.
"It's similar to the atmosphere you give off sometimes when you make that scary face without saying a word. Anyway, when I imagined an extremely angry Nanny standing in front of me, it somehow felt less terrifying."
In other words, Kaiden standing still is scary, but angry me isn't. It was a strangely insulting remark, but my irritation lasted only a moment.
Catherine grabbed my hand and began stamping her feet again.
"Nannyyyy, please help me! I beg youuuu!"
"What can I possibly do?"
"C-couldn't you tell him I suddenly fell ill and can't come?"
"You want me to lie on your behalf."
"But I can't think of any other way!"
Attending a handsome man would normally be a welcome task, but the situation changed completely when that man was the God of War who spawned every gruesome battlefield legend.
"I could barely stand in front of him without collapsing! What if he gets angry and tears me limb from limb?!"
"Catherine, this is the imperial palace. Do you really think the King of Adamanth would do something so insane?"
At my words, Catherine silently hung her head.
Her slender shoulders trembled like a sparrow caught in the rain.
"...Sigh. Fine, I understand."
I eventually accepted Catherine's suggestion.
"I'll speak to His Majesty on your behalf. Is that acceptable?"
"Nannyyyyyy!"
Catherine lifted her head sharply and threw herself into my arms.
"Thank you! You're the best, Nanny! I'll definitely repay this kindness! If there's anything you want to eat, just say the word anytime..."
"That's enough. Get off me."
I finally managed to peel the leech-like Catherine away from me.
After sending her back to her quarters with repeated bows of gratitude, I turned and headed in the opposite direction.
Toward the room where the guest of the Third Prince's Palace was staying.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
I knocked on the door exactly three times, but there was no answer.
They had definitely said Kaiden was staying in this room.
I absolutely detest wasting time.
After hesitating for a moment, I turned the doorknob anyway.
The door wasn't locked.
Creeeak.
I slowly opened the door and stepped inside. Pitch-black darkness greeted me.
Without any lights on, the faint glow from the corridor lanterns seeped into the room, dimly outlining its shape. No one could be seen on the massive bed.
Creeeak. Click.
As I took one more silent step into the room, the door closed behind me.
In an instant, darkness swallowed everything.
"This is unexpected."
A low voice came from behind me, accompanied by the sound of floorboards creaking under weight.
"I didn't think it would be you, Rachel Brown."
I froze where I stood in the darkness.