TKMLTE 101

CHAPTER 101

Translator: Rae

***

Good Sense

"Is this your second time?"

A sense of relief washed over her. Whitney clung to the strong arms holding her as if seeking refuge. Her fingers tightly grasped the soft fabric of his clothing.

She had never imagined that something like this would happen at Helene’s mansion. It was her fault. No—if she thought about it, wasn’t it the fault of the one who had orchestrated this incident?

Whitney lifted her head to see the face of the person who tried to kidnap her.

"I think you'd better not look.”

"Ugh."

A painful groan was followed by his words.

“...I want to. I need to see him.”

Her feet lightly touched the ground as she was set down. Whitney looked at the man sprawled on the floor, blood pooling beneath him. Cheston’s foot was pressed firmly against the man’s face.

“Ah, we can’t see his face this way.”

As Cheston lifted his foot, the man gasped for breath and slowly raised his head. Cheston lowered his voice, his tone carrying an unmistakable warning.

“If you even think about running away, you’ll have to say goodbye to your legs.”

Although his face was adorned with a smile, his words were merciless. And the sword in his hand—poised and ready-made it clear that the moment the man had any other ideas, his legs would be severed without hesitation.

“How did Your Highness know he was trying to move?”

“My instincts are just that good. Maybe because I’ve been through situations like this far too many times.”

The fact that he had sensed something was amiss despite leaving to meet the Count of Owen was surprising. He spoke again after noticing her gaze.

"If you were born and raised in the royal palace, you’d naturally develop a sense for these things.”

“…Is that so?”

Witney smiled bitterly at his words.

"What do you think, are you familiar with him?"

"No, I've never seen him before."

“Sir Aaron has gone to inform Lady Helene, so she should be here soon. And don’t worry, we’ve already arrested those involved with this man.”

Just then, Zegmon emerged from the building, striding toward them swiftly. Taking in the situation at a glance, his face hardened with guilt as he bowed his head. He knelt while clenching his fists tightly.

“My deepest apologies. I lost sight of you amidst the crowd, and in that brief moment, such an incident occurred. This is my failure.”

He looked tormented as if weighed down by guilt for having left her side and allowing such an incident to occur.

"Raise your head, Sir Zegmon."

He slowly lifted his head at Whitney’s words. The pain on his face made her feel bad.

Zegman turned his head to the man lying on the ground.

“...I believe I’ve seen him before.”

Did he?

“Sir Zegmon, nothing serious happened this time. Just be more careful next time. But more importantly, what do you mean you’ve seen him before?”

“I’m not sure if you remember what I mentioned last time, but I ahd seen the men who were harassing Mr. Linze. This man appears to be one of them.”

“…Ha!"

Witney looked down at the man, trembling while lying face down on the floor.

‘Is that why they tried to kidnap me?’

No fool would take such a risk without a clear purpose. There must be something else they were after Perhaps Aaron had already informed her of the situation because Helene soon emerged from the mansion with knights at her side.

“Goodness gracious! Your Grace! What on earth happened here?”

"Lady Helene. Lower your voice.”

Helene immediately bowed her head at Cheston’s warning. A brief glance at her gaze revealed genuine confusion. She clenched her fists, seemingly feeling responsible for what had happened, then lifted her head with determination.

"I have a list of all the attendees at the banquet. I'll bring it right away."

"Yeah, and do so discreetly.”

“Please let me guide you two to a private chamber.”

“I’ll take this man for interrogation myself.”

"Understood."

Whitney decided to return to the banquet hall. To gauge the reactions of the guests, she and Helene casually stepped back inside.

“This incident is unfortunate, but I don't think you're involved."

"Thank you. Do you have any suspects in mind?”

"I do. It’ll likely be in the newspapers tomorrow.”

Since the unfortunate incident had occurred at Helene’s banquet, her stance must have been unpleasant. However, she dismissed it as a natural risk and reassured Whitney.

"If there's anything I can do to help, please just say the word."

"Thank you for saying that. Please check if there are any unfamiliar faces among the guests.”

Helene immediately ordered her maids to report on the movements of everyone who had attended the banquet.

"Helene, was he originally invited to the banquet?”

“Ah! If you’re referring to the Marquis of Aroche, then yes. He’s well-known as a businessman, so I sent one to him. Many people are interested in him.”

Whitney narrowed her eyes while staring at the Marquis of Aroche. She understood that the reputation of a banquet could change depending on its attendees, but she hadn’t expected to see him here.

“Your Grace, fancy meeting you here.”

“...Indeed. The marquis always manages to stand out, no matter where he goes.”

“The wine is truly excellent. it was a business venture I had always wanted to be part of, and I must admit, I still find it quite tempting.”

PAGE 4

“I do acknowledge your persistence. But surely, you didn’t come on your own.”

At her words, Helene looked through the guest list.

“It says here that the marquis has a business partner as your companion. Where have they gone?”

"Oh, they had an urgent matter to attend and left during the banquet. You’re welcome to verify it.”

Helene immediately asked the servant. Seeing them nod, it seemed confirmed that his companion had indeed left. However, suspicions about him still lingered.

“Is something the matter? Your Grace don't look well."

“It’s nothing. I must be overreacting to hope that something happened.”

"Of course. I hope your business will flourish further."

“I appreciate the sentiment. But, when exactly is this companion of his leave?”

“I think it was about an hour ago.”

Hearing Lady Helene's words, Whitney lifted the corners of her lips.

“That’s interesting… because that’s about the same time I stepped out for a walk. So why didn’t I see him?”

There was no doubt in her mind now—this man was involved.

The sudden appearance of the Marquis of Aroche in the capital, the unexpected trouble surrounding the business—there had to be a connection.

***

Cheston went to the private chamber with the Count of Owen and interrogated the man who had been brought in. They raised their voices in frustration, claiming they were merely hired for the job and had no deeper involvement.

“So you accepted the job, but you’re saying you have no idea who hired you?”

“Y-Yes! That’s right! They just offered us a large sum to secretly get her out of the estate—nothing more!”

"You're not telling me to believe that.”

His eyes turned fierce. If things continued like this, they might cut ties and escape. The informant had promised to track down the nobles involved within the capital, but they needed more time.

If he had arrived any later, and if those unfamiliar figures had successfully distracted him from her…

Cheston bit down on the soft flesh inside his mouth, recalling the way her body had trembled.

“Cut off his fingers until he starts talking. If he lies, their tongues should be cut—but then they won’t be able to speak, will they?”

Aaron gave a silent nod at his words. The servant quickly left the private chamber to increase the volume of the music in the ballroom. Soon, the agonized screams of the men began to echo, one after another.

“AGH!”

“A mouth isn’t meant for screaming—it’s meant for speaking the truth.”

“Kh…! If I talk, I’ll be finished! Please spare me!”

Cheston’s lips curled into a smirk. Their words were nothing more than a desperate plea for survival, but within them lay a wealth of hidden meaning.

“You heard that just now, didn’t you?”

"Yes, I have.”

“As a prince, when I interrogate you and demand the truth, it means your life are guaranteed. But if speaking dooms you, then it seems there is someone of higher standing than me involved.”

 

“...T-That’s…!”

Seeing their faces turn d*athly pale, it was clear Cheston’s assumptions were correct.

"Please leave this matter to me."

The Count of Owen declared that he would take the man directly to the king. If he went himself, the queen would inevitably interfere, so it was better to let Owen discreetly reach his father.

“You’d best bring me a satisfactory result. Otherwise, you’ll have to take responsibility for what happened here.”

"Your Highness will be satisfied."

He looked determined. Since he was on the king’s side, he wouldn’t dare pull any tricks—at least, he wouldn’t do anything that might benefit the queen.

‘Once all of this is over, I’ll have to k*ll them all.’

Cheston recalled Whitney’s terrified face. Just the thought of it made his blood boil. Even if he were to cut off the hands that had dared to touch her, it wouldn’t be enough to quell his fury.

Before stepping out of the private room, he forced himself to suppress his anger. At the very least, he didn’t want Whitney to see him with such a monstrous expression.

“Sir Aaron, it seems the Queen is up to something quite interesting.”

“I think so too. We must inform His Majesty the King that the funds of the Kingdom of Luowen are leaking abroad. If we don’t take actions soon, war may break out.”

War, huh? Perhaps the queen had even considered that possibility. If the crown prince's position were to fall into Cheston’s hands instead of her son’s, she would have no reason to remain loyal to the Kingdom of Luowen. No—she had likely been thinking only of herself from the very beginning.

Ultimately, it was the current king who had set all of this in motion, but Cheston could only hope things wouldn’t spiral out of control. With the succession still uncertain, dealing with both internal instability and the threat of war would be disastrous. If that happened, the Kingdom of Luowen would face an immense trial.

“In a way, this might actually work in our favor. His Majesty the King will have no choice but to take action, and the queen has essentially handed us the perfect excuse.”

“Now that we’ve gained some insight into the Queen’s intentions, I suppose that’s one way to see it.”

His father could no longer afford to stay in the shadows, merely observing. For the first time in a long while, Cheston felt he had the upper hand in his battle against the queen, and the thrill of it set his blood aflame.

***

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