Chapter 95
Chapter 95
“Your Highness. I know it may be presumptuous of me to say this, but Your Highness also bears a great deal of responsibility for this situation.”“…I know that too.”
Cantares readily acknowledged Diana’s calm words. It was none other than himself who had freed that bastard’s reins.
Laius opened his mouth with a noticeably haggard expression.
“Do you know, Your Highness?”
“What?”
“Now the healer just looks at my face and gives me stomach medicine.”
“…”
Clack, Kendrick put down his teacup and patted the promising young knight commander on the shoulder.
“But he always brings about certain results, doesn’t it? The method is a bit… outrageous, though.”
“If you like him, you can take him.”
“No, I’d like to decline that.”
Kendrick straightened up.
Diana, who had been looking at the two of them with pity, shook her head.
“More than anything, Sir Laius. Is that werewolf Warren’s testimony trustworthy?”
“With the help of Lord Neumann, I have confirmed that his testimony is true.”
Laius nodded heavily.
It was confirmed that there was a village growing herbs in the place he told them, and that a suspicious armed group was located right nearby.
“And above all, since Arendt said so, it probably won’t be a problem.”
“It’s good to trust your subordinates, but I think the other person is a bit wrong.”
Kendrick joked, but Laius didn’t respond.
“Then we have no choice but to move, before the neck of an unnecessarily brave apprentice knight is cut off.”
“Please.”
In response to Diana’s joking remark, Laius slowly clenched and unclenched his fist repeatedly.
Unlike usual, the feel of his hands wearing half gloves felt unusually foreign.
Since it had already started, it was impossible to turn back.
All that remained was for them to do their best.
The men who saw Warren rushing in covered in blood shouted in surprise.
“Mr. Warren! Are you okay?”
“Yeah, what about Rebecca?”
Before he could catch his breath, Warren asked him fiercely.
The servant handed him a glass of water and answered quickly.
“She is out of town. I heard you were arrested by the Imperial Knights…”
“It looks like we can’t meet, but the mission was accomplished.”
He carelessly threw down the man he was carrying on his shoulder.
Only then did they identify the man Warren had brought with him: a young, silver-haired apprentice knight who lay unconscious and limp.
“…!”
As if to prove that there had been a fierce fight, his appearance was also telling.
Warren spat out the blood, roughly wiping it away.
“Put him somewhere so Rebecca can come and question him.”
“Ha, but… Warren, didn’t you go to kill him? Why did you capture him alive…”
“There’s something I need to find out from him. Don’t just stare, move.”
Warren’s icy eyes turned to his men. Only then did they begin to move Arendt.
“Ah, I’ll call a healer. Please wait a moment.”
“No need.”
Warren, who spat out coldly, glanced at Arendt, who was being carried like a piece of luggage. Arendt, who had opened his eyes slightly, winked at him without the others knowing.
Warren quickly averted his gaze, feeling goosebumps running down his spine.
He got swept up in it by accident, but was it really okay?
‘I don’t know anymore.’
Even if he died like that, it wasn’t his fault.
Warren turned away from him, his hair tangled in annoyance.
Rebecca returned less than a few hours later.
Rebecca’s eyes opened wide as Warren, who had been waiting in her room, sat up abruptly.
“Warren! You’re safe!”
“Welcome back, Rebecca.”
Warren looked at her and smiled faintly. Rebecca threw down the bag she was holding and ran straight into Warren’s arms.
Warren naturally embraced her.
“I’m sorry. I was worried.”
“No, I’m just glad you’re okay.”
Rebecca narrowed her eyes as she met his gaze.
Even thinking back on it, she was truly a beautiful woman, with jet-black hair, skin so white it almost looked pale, and alluring lips…
“You captured the target?”
“Uh, uh, there was a little problem. I had to sort it out properly, sorry.”
“Problem?”
And there was a unique atmosphere that made it difficult to relax even though she spoke in an extremely calm tone.
Warren hesitated for a moment, then opened his mouth again.
“…The thing you were looking for. He didn’t have it.”
Rebecca’s eyebrows arched slightly.
Perhaps one of his charms was that he was not good at lying.
“I see.”
Rebecca tilted her head, muttering vaguely. Her black hair flowed like a waterfall as she moved.
‘Should I praise him or criticize him? I don’t know yet.’
Their biggest goal was to retrieve the artifact that the apprentice knight had, but they wanted to keep it as secret as possible that it was what they wanted.
Rebecca hesitated for a moment, then smiled and pulled Warren’s chin towards her.
Warren bowed his head obediently. Then he calmly accepted the lips that touched briefly and then parted.
“Still, you’ve worked hard. I’ll take care of the rest.”
Rebecca patted his head once as if praising a well-behaved puppy and then turned around without any hesitation.
“Dear Warren, you know this well… I don’t like lovers who aren’t honest with me. You know that?”
“…Of course.”
Warren tugged at the corners of his mouth into a semblance of a smile.
Rebecca glanced at him once more, smiled, and left the room.
Rebecca.
She was a colossus of the underworld.
There was nothing in the underworld that she did not touch, and everyone feared her.
Rebecca knew it too. She believed in her own ability to get herself to this point, so she could be sure that Warren was lying.
‘Why is that?’
She walked along the long corridor at a leisurely pace. Occasionally, she would meet subordinates who would hastily bow their heads and greet her, but Rebecca, accustomed to it, ignored them. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ N0v3l.Fiɾe.net
Warren had never lied to her before. He had always blindly followed Rebecca, and never fought back.
The reason was simple.
Because he loves her, and because he has something to protect.
But, of all times, at this time, after making contact with the royal family, he lied to her.
A smile appeared on her lips.
“That’s funny.”
Was he betraying her or trying to cover up his mistake?
Either way, it was interesting.
The key was probably held by the young knight who was captured.
“Where’s the kid Warren brought?”
“I locked him in the basement.”
“Is he quiet?”
“Yes, I think he must have been injured… he came to his senses but he didn’t seem to resist.”
The subordinate who had said so politely extended his hand forward before the order was even given. It was as if he was offering to guide her.
Rebecca followed her subordinate, lost in thought.
‘I wonder if Warren is thinking of something strange.’
Of course, that was a possibility. With his family held hostage, there was a good chance he would fight back.
It was a little early to jump to conclusions, but it was probably best not to rule out the possibility.
As she descended the stairs to the lowest level, she felt the cold, damp air. Rebecca left her men to wait outside and entered the underground prison alone.
Under the dim light, a silver-haired young man leaning comfortably against the wall came into view.
Clack.
The high heels of her shoes made a sharp sound as they hit the floor.
The young man raised his head at the deliberately exposed presence. His face, still young, was clearly visible, and Rebecca’s brow furrowed slightly.
“…”
The delicate face seemed to have been sculpted by a nervous artist. It was covered in scars, but that did not hide its cool demeanor.
Even in the prison where only minimal light came in, the silver hair that seemed to shine on its own had a secret glow.
But what caught her attention more than anything else were his golden eyes, like those of a captive wild animal.
The corners of his statue-like mouth moved into a sinister smile.
“…Are you the owner of that son of a bitch?”
And at the spiteful, beautiful voice that was heard, Rebecca also curved her lips.
“You’re full of poison even though you were captured.”
“Since I don’t have a sword, I need to have poison.”
The answer came back, completely undeterred by his situation.
Rebecca stared at him through the bars for a long time. Arendt also took in her gaze.
It felt sharp enough to cut her if she touched it. It seemed like the kind of danger that a cornered person wouldn’t inevitably emit, but Rebecca soon changed her mind.
The refined sensitivity and coolness he displayed were undoubtedly his own.
A snicker escaped her lips. It was incredible that such an atmosphere was possible for a young man who looked to be in his early twenties.
“…This is interesting.”
“What about me?”
Arendt asked provocatively, tilting his head to the side with an expressionless face.
“Why did you bring me here? To kill me?”
“What else?”
“I have to try not to die.”
A calm, unvarnished answer came back.
Rebecca became more and more interested.
“How?”
“Well… What should I do? Should I leak some internal information? Or, what about giving you something you want?”
Arendt burst into laughter as he pretended to think about it.
Rebecca said, taking a step closer to the prison cell.
“I’m careful to only listen to information from trustworthy people. And if I want something, I should get it myself.”
“That’s a bit of a shame.”
“Are you going to beg for your life pathetically?”
“I guess so. I am the kind of human being who believes that my life is the most precious thing.”
As expected, the voice she heard was indifferent, but the desire to jump out and wring her neck right away was clearly flowing out of his eyes, which were like knives sharpened with ice.
A mouse about to bite a cat, a beast hiding its teeth, a look of hatred that wants to pounce but cannot.
Rebecca smiled and burst into laughter.
“I like how sassy you are. Are you willing to risk your life to make a deal? Is it worth it?”
“The Frosty Touch.”
But her laughter quickly died down at the words that followed.
Instead, Arendt pursed his lips.
“If my neck falls off, you will probably never get what you want.”
“…”
Rebecca didn’t answer.
A heavy silence flowed as the two people stared at each other.
And after a while, a line appeared at the corner of her mouth.
“It’s fun?”
She knew this was wordplay. There was also a possibility that that young guy used Warren to infiltrate on purpose.
Rebecca knew better than anyone that the one watching her back was the royal family of this empire, and that she was the open enemy part of ‘them’, to whom she had devoted her passion and devotion.
But that made it even more…
This young man was a toy that fit her tastes perfectly.
CIATB