Ch.296Explosion (1)

Hyria’s meeting with Marie reached my ears not long after it happened. Marie herself told me while grumbling about it.

For a moment, I worried she might have been harmed, but fortunately nothing concerning happened, and things went as expected.

Especially when the topic of my father came up, she accepted it too easily. The influence of the Red Lion seemed much stronger than I had thought.

Anyway, Marie explained that Hyria left with a sinister smile, whatever scheme she was plotting.

Since I had completely dispelled her suspicion of me being Xenon, she would likely approach me directly soon. She might even extend her claws toward Adelia.

Marie advised me to always keep Adelia with me to prevent that in advance. Now that she had abandoned her suspicion of me being Xenon, she might act recklessly.

I had no idea when that would be, but given Hyria’s devious nature, she might approach on an unexpected day.

Adelia was more of a concern than Hyria. Given her personality, she might think she was becoming a burden.

Even if Hyria “types” weren’t a problem for me as Xenon, Adelia might certainly leave, claiming she was becoming a nuisance.

To prevent this, I needed to keep Adelia firmly by my side. Conveniently, academy regulations allowed staying with a knight escort for special reasons.

In other words, Adelia would now stay in my dormitory rather than her personal one.

I thought it would be better to change her status to personal maid and had applied to the academy. Known for their quick processing, the administration office would issue the permit within two days.

It felt strange that while my fiancée lived separately, I would be sharing a room with my personal maid, essentially Adelia, who was practically a concubine.

Though Marie understood the necessity, she was still jealous and bit my cheek during our date.

“Aang!”

“Ack!”

Biting my cheek was Marie’s usual display of affection.

But perhaps due to stress from recent incidents, today’s bite was particularly painful.

“Ow, ow. What’s wrong?”

“I’m trying to make you ugly! Ang!”

“Aack!”

Afterward, Marie spouted nonsense about how this mess happened because I was unnecessarily handsome, and that Hyria wouldn’t have shown interest if I were a little uglier.

I wanted to protest, but fearing more bites, I simply agreed.

But then she bit me harder for accepting it. What am I supposed to do? I let it slide because she’s cute.

Anyway, after successfully concluding my date and discussion with Marie, I headed to the dormitory to inform Adelia of this news.

I wanted to see Cherry too, but since things weren’t completely resolved, I planned to meet her later. I even sent her a letter so she wouldn’t feel neglected.

‘She’s practically the hero of this incident.’

What was just suspicion when I received the letter became certainty thanks to Cherry.

Cherry essentially exposed all of Hyria’s cards. If things go well, I plan to give her a small gift.

Of course, she would happily accept anything from me, even something strange. But I’m not that kind of trash.

Pondering what gift to give her, I headed toward Adelia’s dormitory.

“Huh?”

A sight that made me doubt my eyes unfolded before me. Despite the distance, a sky-blue color caught my vision.

In front of it stood a woman with familiar light brown hair. Both women were of similar height, so their eye levels matched.

No. Damn it. Why is that woman there again? Does she have nothing better to do?

I hurried my steps while cursing inwardly. I hadn’t expected her to visit Adelia just one day later.

At the same time, I felt relieved. If I had delayed even a little, I wouldn’t have witnessed this situation.

“Adel noona!”

“?”

“Ah?”

When I shouted loudly, fearing I might be too late, both women turned their heads as expected.

As soon as I made eye contact with them, I moved even faster. As I approached, the blue-haired beauty, Hyria, smiled meaningfully.

Is it my imagination that her smile feels somewhat unsettling? First, I need to quickly assess the situation.

Contrary to my concern, Adelia is in workout clothes. She seems to have been exercising until Hyria called her out.

“Ah, Issac?”

Not expecting my appearance, Adelia widened her eyes in surprise. Bewilderment colored her sky-blue eyes.

What conversation had they been having to make her react like that? I looked at Hyria as calmly as possible.

Hyria maintained a confident attitude, whatever gave her such assurance. I felt a strong urge to hit her but suppressed it.

“…Princess Hyria. What business do you have with my knight escort?”

Even maintaining composure, I couldn’t prevent my voice from sinking. My opinion of Hyria had hit rock bottom long ago.

However, Hyria just maintained her smile, whatever she was thinking.

“How timely that the handsome prince has arrived. Isn’t that right?”

“… …”

Hyria ignored my question and spouted strange words. Her statement was clearly insulting Adelia, making me frown.

Adelia seemed uneasy about the current situation, her usual confidence nowhere to be seen. It was pitiful to see her trembling eyes darting between Hyria and me.

She knew I was Xenon but was restraining herself to avoid causing me trouble.

She would probably endure and hide it even if Hyria physically assaulted her.

‘I was too complacent.’

Due to Adelia and Hyria’s long-standing feud, my identity was destined to be revealed someday. Even if I denied it to the end, Adelia would face difficult situations like now.

Of course, my complacent handling aside, Hyria’s recklessness was the biggest issue.

Who could have predicted she would charge forward like cavalry as soon as she became certain? Despite different personalities, Hyria’s vindictiveness was hardly befitting royalty.

She’s just a physically large person steeped in a sense of superiority.

This moment made me reevaluate Rina and Leort, who had treated me like gentlemen before the hiatus.

“Issac Ducar Mayshall.”

“What is it?”

“I’ll give you one more chance. Become the consort of the Kingdom of Teres.”

Did she no longer intend to hide it? Hyria boldly declared in front of Adelia.

At first, I frowned, wondering what nonsense this was, but Hyria clearly told me to become her consort.

Consort means the king’s son-in-law, in other words, her husband.

Despite Marie’s existence as my fiancée, Hyria had finally crossed the line.

“…I’m sorry, but could you please repeat that? I think I misheard, as it doesn’t seem like something royalty would say.”

“Even your evasiveness seems cute now. I’ll say it again as you wish. Break off your engagement and become the consort of the Kingdom of Teres.”

“… …”

Princess Hyria kindly confirmed it again, though there was no need. I felt anger rising in my chest, followed by inexplicable deflation that made me sigh.

Adelia was rolling her eyes, unable to interject in the situation, while Hyria just wore an irritating smile.

I understand why she’s saying this in front of Adelia rather than Marie. Her ultimate goal is revenge against Adelia, who humiliated her.

Marriage to me is just part of that plan. If Adelia follows me to the end, she’ll torment her outside my sight, and if not, that alone is sufficient.

This situation arose because she knows Adelia loves me.

If she were secretly dating like Cecilly, it would be different, but Adelia openly volunteered to be my knight escort. It’s a situation that naturally invites suspicion.

‘But does the Kingdom of Teres teach such family education? I’m genuinely curious.’

A princess of a nation marrying into a baron’s family with no particular merit. If this news spreads, there would be backlash within the Kingdom of Teres.

Especially King Friedrich of Teres would be furious. Moreover, if he learned Hyria’s true purpose, he would collapse in shock.

Why would she make such an unreasonable move, no matter how foolish and blinded by revenge?

Let’s put aside complex thoughts and answer first. My head is already throbbing.

“…Princess Hyria.”

“Speak.”

“Are you complicating the situation just because of that revenge?”

“Revenge? I don’t know what you mean. I’m simply proposing because I like you. Nothing more, nothing less.”

What utter nonsense. This is the most fitting description for Hyria right now.

Even Adelia, who had been trembling like a drenched puppy, was looking at her with a “what the hell?” expression.

She gave Adelia an indelible trauma in childhood, and now she’s trying to steal the man she loves while spouting such words. It must be absurd.

“…Adel noona.”

“Y-yes?”

“Can you tell me what you discussed with Princess Hyria while I was away?”

It’s better to ask the person directly rather than Hyria, who would likely give strange answers. With this judgment, I questioned Adelia.

Adelia seemed to ponder my question momentarily, then looked at Hyria instead of me. Hyria was now crossing her arms, displaying confidence.

However, it contained an unspoken threat: try to speak if you can.

I want to comfort her that she doesn’t need to worry. The problem is that given Adelia’s personality, she’s likely not to speak.

*nod*

I answered by silently nodding. It was a gesture meaning it’s okay since she couldn’t speak openly.

Fortunately, Adelia seemed to gain confidence from my gesture, sighed while tapping her chest a couple of times.

Eventually, with sky-blue eyes sharper than before, she looked at Hyria and spoke in the most calm voice possible.

“…She told me to leave.”

“To leave?”

“Yes. She said she couldn’t stand seeing a nobody by your side, and that I shouldn’t think about staying close to you anymore.”

Adelia answered politely in formal speech, perhaps because I was present. And the content was as I expected.

How can someone be so petty and vicious? How can someone be so simple and predictable?

Even someone obsessed with revenge doesn’t become this simplistic. Rather, they typically establish thorough plans and gradually break down their target.

Perhaps this is preliminary work to make me angry? That seems more plausible.

“…You babble thoughtlessly just like your mother.”

Hyria speaks in a chilling voice, perhaps not expecting Adelia to answer. Adelia visibly flinches at the mention of her mother.

But only momentarily, as she fixed her gaze on Hyria with steadfast, shining eyes. She clearly showed her determination not to back down.

Hyria faced Adelia and merely clicked her tongue without saying anything. It’s my turn to step in.

“Princess Hyria. I repeatedly state that I have no intention whatsoever of marrying you. This is not only for my fiancée but also for my knight escort.”

“For your knight escort… How strange. If you come to the Kingdom of Teres, I can provide you with far more capable personnel than this woman.”

“It’s not about ability. It’s just…”

“Don’t tell me you’ve mixed bodies with this lowly woman?”

Hyria cut me off and delivered a sharp counter. Like an innocent stone killing a frog, it was a powerful blow to the solar plexus.

As a result, I couldn’t help but flinch and show a bewildered expression. The same was true for Adelia.

In fact, this is one hypothesis that could be established if one thought carefully. Moreover, since Hyria shows a different kind of interest in Adelia, she might have anticipated this.

However, now it only provides ammunition for attack. Sure enough, Hyria smiled slyly and then burst into laughter.

“Hahahahaha! Interesting, so interesting! Hahahahaha!!”

“… …”

“…What’s so funny?”

As I asked, I looked around. My hair alone is eye-catching, and with Hyria here too, passersby are increasingly giving us attention.

Moreover, Hyria is the princess of the Kingdom of Teres. Just being seen with someone could cause all sorts of rumors, and right now she’s with none other than me.

“Look over there. That red-haired boy. Isn’t he Lady Reckyless’s fiancé?”

“Yes, he is. But Princess Hyria is with him too?”

“What’s going on?”

Already an attention-drawing combination, Hyria’s laughter draws even more gazes.

We’ve already crossed a river that can’t be turned back. I narrowed my brow and then shifted my gaze to Hyria.

She was still chuckling, muttering in a voice that suggested absurdity.

“Hahaha. They say blood doesn’t lie, and indeed, like mother, like child.”

“… …”

“Are you going to say it this time? That you don’t care about yourself, but please raise your child in a warm place? That it’s your child, so please just raise it properly?”

Is this what Adelia’s mother said when she visited Friedrich? As everyone knows, Adelia’s birth mother was a prostitute.

However, judging she couldn’t raise her daughter in a brothel, she directly visited Friedrich. But Friedrich only accepted Adelia and cruelly drove out her birth mother.

The whereabouts of that mother remain unknown, and since it was during a cold, snowy winter, she likely died. The mortality rate for prostitutes was very high in that era.

In other words, Hyria is carpet bombing with family insults. Moreover, her words must have properly touched Adelia’s sore spot.

Looking at Adelia, I could see a side of her I’d never seen before. Her tightly clenched fists were trembling, and her sky-blue eyes were bloodshot.

I exhaled a long breath through my nose and restrained Hyria in a calm voice.

“…That’s enough, Princess. Adel noona was directly chosen by me. This was also approved by my fiancée.”

“Oh? That’s an interesting story. After desperately trying to receive a royal surname, has she finally realized her place?”

“Princess.”

“Yes, one should know their place. Better than rushing to become the king’s concubine like someone…”

“You…!”

Unable to endure anymore? Adelia gritted her teeth and raised her arm.

Even with her strong patience, she couldn’t tolerate attacks on her birth mother. It touched not just a trauma but her very core.

Just as Adelia was about to swing her raised hand to slap Hyria’s cheek.

*thump*

“Calm down, noona.”

“Ah, Issac. B-but…”

I grabbed her arm and barely restrained her. When I grabbed her arm, Adelia looked at me and Hyria alternately with a face mixed with half surprise and half anger.

She probably didn’t understand either. In a moment of anger, the situation could have become seriously complicated.

She might even feel guilty. I slowly lowered her arm that I had grabbed, signaling her to calm down.

“Princess.”

“What?”

“You started it first.”

If Adelia had hit Hyria, the responsibility would lie with Adelia. But…

*SLAP!!!*

If I hit Hyria, that’s a different story. I can take the responsibility.

With the sound of a refreshing slap, Hyria’s head turned sideways, followed by silence.

I could hear the gasps of onlookers, but it doesn’t matter. The water has already been spilled.

Then Hyria touches her swelling cheek and looks at me. Her eyes contain disbelief.

“Fine. I’ll tell you.”

I’m not sure if this is the crossroads Mora told me about.

“I am Xenon.”

At least I feel I should tell Hyria.

“You bitch.”

You’re fucked now.