The Prince Seduces Me with His Body Chapter 148

After much hesitation, the priest finally explained the situation:

 

“That… the priestess assigned to your ceremony hasn’t been seen since the day before yesterday.”

 

It was customary for the officiating priest to sign the marriage certificate issued by the central temple ahead of the wedding. The priestess assigned to Diana and Kayden, ‘Christina,’ had signed the certificate when it arrived the day before yesterday, then left, saying she’d visit a nearby village—but she hadn’t returned since.

 

“For the marriage to be recognized, the priestess who signed the certificate must be present at the ceremony. If we request a new marriage certificate from the central temple, we have no idea how long it will take. We checked with the neighboring village, but they say Priestess Christina never arrived. And with all the recent rumors of bandits kidnapping people in this area… If she doesn’t return by today, we were planning to report it to the guards.”

 

The priest repeatedly bowed in apology, but Diana and Kayden reassured him it wasn’t his fault and left the temple for now. Back in their inn room, the two sat down facing each other, both looking serious.

 

“Do you think it’s really a kidnapping?”

 

“…Who knows. But we should look into it. Even if it isn’t, she could be in some kind of danger.”

 

Diana nodded at Kayden’s words.

 

Half their vacation was already over. They didn’t have time to wait for a new marriage certificate from the central temple. And more than anything, someone’s life might be at risk. Both of them were too capable—and too conscientious—to just ignore it.

 

“There’s only one road connecting to the next village, right? We should start by searching there.”

 

Kayden and Diana threw on their cloaks and decided to trace Christina’s steps. The mountain path leading to the next village was reasonably well maintained. The two of them advanced carefully, watching the road for clues.

 

“Nothing looks out of the ordinary so far. If someone did this on purpose, they probably erased any traces…”

 

“We’ve done about all we can with our eyes. After this, it’d be faster to ask Elfand or Yuro.”

 

For things like this, the spirits—with their much keener senses—would be more useful than humans. As Kayden and Diana neared the middle of the mountain path, they were just about to summon the high-level spirits.

 

“Don’t move!”

 

Suddenly, a harsh shout pierced their ears, and several people leapt from the bushes, aiming their bows at the two.

 

“…Oh.”

 

Kayden and Diana blinked, momentarily confused by the ambush. Their soft exclamations slipped out as the bandits appeared as if from nowhere.

 

“Didn’t you hear me? Don’t move! Hands up!”

 

Thud. A normal person would have screamed and collapsed in terror, but Kayden and Diana showed no real sign of fear. The apparent leader slammed his sword into the ground with a glare. Only then did the couple come to their senses; after a brief glance at each other, they calmly raised their hands in surrender. The bandits, seeing no resistance, quickly rushed over and tied their hands behind their backs.

 

“You know what’ll happen if you scream, right? Move!”

 

The bandits dragged Kayden and Diana up to the mountain summit. Pushing through dense undergrowth, they discovered the entrance to a surprisingly large cave, cleverly concealed.

 

“You’re back.”

 

“No trouble, I assume?”

 

“Of course not.”

 

Inside, the guards on duty bowed their heads. Behind them, through iron bars, a group of people huddled together, fear on their faces. Clang! Kayden and Diana, too, were shoved roughly inside the prison.

 

When one of the captives let out a sob of terror, a bandit banged on the bars and shouted, “Quiet!”

 

The people shrank away, desperately gathering in a corner. Kayden and Diana discreetly checked the group, but none were wearing priestly robes.

 

Did that priestess disappear for a different reason? Or… Frowning slightly, Diana rose and approached the door. With an innocent tone, she asked the guard, “Excuse me, are we the only ones who’ve been captured?”

 

The guard, unconsciously swayed by her calm, unbothered voice, answered without thinking, “No? Half of them have already been sent to the Rabik Kingdom border—”

 

“Hey, rookie! What are you blabbing about? Shut up!”

 

“S-Sorry!”

 

Before the guard could finish, a rough shout came from deeper inside. Flinching, the guard looked at Diana with annoyance.

 

“Now I’m in trouble because of you! How are you going to make up for it?”

 

He was just venting, but Diana nodded and smiled warmly. “Thank you. I’ll make sure you’re handed over to the guards in one piece.”

 

“Wha… What?” The guard blinked in confusion, but before he could process her words, a violet energy struck him at Diana’s gesture, and he collapsed, unconscious.

 

At the same moment, Kayden drew his white sword and smashed the prison open. Diana quickly cast a barrier over everyone’s heads to keep them from getting hurt. Crash! Boom!

 

“Kyaaah!”

 

“W-What’s happening?!”

 

Suddenly, with the prison collapsing as if blown away by the wind, both prisoners and bandits alike stared in shock as if witnessing a natural disaster.

 

Kayden kicked aside the debris with a grumble. “Don’t talk about being responsible for other men. It makes me jealous.”

 

“There you go again…” Diana murmured in exasperation. Their playful banter and unhurried attitude seemed utterly surreal to the others.

 

“What are you standing around for? Catch them!” The bandits, stunned into inaction, were a beat late grabbing their weapons and charging.

 

“Elfand.” At Kayden’s low call, white panthers bared their teeth and appeared. The bandits, seeing them, hesitated in fear.

 

“A hi-high-level elementalist?”

 

“I-In a rural village like this…?!”

 

“It’s a trick! It has to be! Grab them again!”

 

The bandits clung to denial, but it changed nothing. They were the ones being captured now.

 

Since Diana was known as the empire’s only darkness-attribute elementalist, she only needed to summon a bit of her power to subdue the bandits. Meanwhile, Kayden swept through the cave. Thanks to their efforts, in about ten minutes, all the bandits in the cave were tied up in one place.

 

“I-Is this real?”

 

“Goodness, Tilia…”

 

“Thank you! Thank you so much!”

 

By now, the prisoners had realized Kayden and Diana were rescuing them. They broke into tears and laughter, pouring out thanks to the couple.

 

The two first advised everyone to stay calm and then began searching the cave. Kayden, overturning a box, spoke with a suspicious tone. “That guard earlier definitely said ‘Rabik Kingdom’.”

 

“Yes. He said the other prisoners were sent across the border.”

 

“Rabik Kingdom, huh… are they just ordinary slave traders?”

 

“I’m not sure…” Diana murmured uncertainly as she rummaged around. As she pried open a box that looked like a safe, she found something unexpected.

 

“…This is.”

 

Inside the safe were several gold bars, jewels, and a few promissory notes. Diana picked up the notes, her expression hardening. An elegant white lily crest was stamped clearly on the paper. A white lily crest. That was…

 

“…Rebecca?”

 

It was the crest of Rebecca’s family—now known as ‘Baroness Pamela.’