The Prince Seduces Me with His Body Chapter 149

“What?”

 

Kayden frowned, turning around when he heard Diana muttering. But Diana stood frozen in place. He approached to check the seal, and, his expression sinking, murmured, “…It’s true. That’s the crest of Baroness Pamela.”

 

“…It’s true. That’s the crest of Baroness Pamela.”

 

Only then did Diana manage to pull herself somewhat out of shock. She bit her lip lightly. Unconsciously, her grip on the promissory note tightened. Was I wrong after all…?

 

Rebecca, having been recognized for her part in apprehending Xavier Findlay by preventing his escape at the last moment, lost her status as imperial but received a non-hereditary barony, leaving the palace with the first concubine. In fact, when Kayden first brought up this matter, Diana hesitated until the end. Could she trust ‘Rebecca Dune Bluebell’? That was the lingering doubt. But Kayden had given her a gentle smile.

 

“Deep down, you want to trust her too, don’t you?”

 

“But…”

 

“If you’re truly uneasy, trust me. Me, whom you chose.”

 

In the end, Diana relented and agreed to Rebecca inheriting the title of Barony Pamela. But now, seeing this promissory note, her mind grew muddled with doubt over whether she’d misjudged everything.

 

“…For now, let’s just hold on to it.” After a long silence, Diana tucked the note into her pocket and said this.

 

Even if Rebecca really was behind all this, their first priority was to rescue the captured people before they were completely taken into the Kingdom of Rabik. Interrogation could come later. But even as she and Kayden led the people down the mountain, her heavy heart would not ease.

 

* * *

The gatekeeper Diana had knocked out woke only after the couple handed the bandits over to the guards and finished making sure they’d keep their mouths shut.

 

“What on earth…?”

 

Glancing around in confusion, he started in fright when he saw Diana nearby. She spoke first. “Another hideout at the border—”

 

“I-I’ll tell you everything! Please, just spare my life!” He fainted so quickly before that they couldn’t get the details, but now, driven by pure survival instinct, he confessed everything without needing any persuasion or threats.

 

Thanks to this, Kayden and Diana were able to reach the other bandit—no, slaver—hideout in the border village very quickly. However, an unexpected situation awaited them.

 

“Don’t move! Take even one more step and this person dies!”

 

There was a barricade set up at the village entrance, and beyond it, heavily armed slavers were holding hostages, faces twisted in menace.

 

Diana quickly whispered to Kayden. “What’s going on?”

 

“Looks like someone managed to alert this branch during our fight.”

 

“Damn…” She trailed off, frustrated. Kayden’s brows also drew together in worry.

 

They’d cleared out the mountain hideout so swiftly, and moved so quickly themselves, they hadn’t expected word to spread to this branch so soon. That’s why they hadn’t concealed themselves with Muf’s barrier.

 

If we tried to cast a barrier now… They couldn’t predict how the slavers would react if they suddenly disappeared from view. The risk was high. Diana bit her lip.

 

What should we do?

 

Just then, the man holding the hostage raised his voice, threatening again. “This side has an elementalist too! If you try anything—!”

 

But at that moment. Fwoosh—!

 

“Ahh, aaagh!”

 

Suddenly, white flames engulfed the hostage’s entire body. The man holding them screamed, dropping the hostage and stumbling back in terror.

 

It was a sudden turn of events, but the response was quick. Kayden, who had been on high alert, immediately lunged forward and subdued the man who’d claimed to be an elementalist, while Diana ran to the hostage.

 

“No…!”

 

The hostage was still wreathed in flames. Diana hurriedly summoned Yuro, planning to find a river or at least a well nearby. But as she reached into the flames and grabbed the hostage’s shoulder, she felt something strange and hesitated.

 

“…Huh?” Diana reached in, bracing herself for burns, thinking she could heal with the potion she’d gotten from Mizel. But the flames were unbelievably gentle. She couldn’t see well because of the light, but the hostage, while startled, was completely unharmed. What on earth…

 

Just then,

 

“Well done, Salamander.”

 

A quiet voice whispered in her ear. Diana’s eyes widened as a figure shot forward like an arrow, kicking away one of the approaching slavers at close range. Wham!

 

“Gaaah!” The slaver who took the kick to the chin dropped his weapon and was sent flying.

 

Diana, still a bit dazed, stared at the back of the figure standing before her. Even when she blinked, the long, snowy-white hair swaying near her shoulders didn’t vanish.

 

“Lady Pamela…?”

 

Perhaps hearing her murmur, Rebecca glanced over her shoulder, but instead of answering, she conjured a sword and began to attack the slavers. Kayden, off in the distance, looked shocked.

 

“Ah.”

 

Still caught up in the unbelievable scene, Diana looked down to feel something nuzzling under her hand. The high-level fire spirit, Salamander, was rubbing its head against her hand.

 

Can Rebecca summon a high-level spirit now?

 

Rebecca had always been a mid-level elementalist. Kayden and Diana were special cases due to the nature of their attributes, but the level of spirits a summoner could call was basically set from birth. That made it even more astonishing that Rebecca had summoned a high-level spirit.

 

After a moment’s hesitation, Diana asked carefully, “Could you put out this fire for me?”

 

At her request, Salamander blinked and purred. The white flames quickly faded and disappeared. As soon as the fire vanished, the hostage, perhaps relieved, fainted, and Diana quickly caught and laid them down carefully.

 

Meanwhile, all the surrounding slavers had been subdued. Kayden alone could have handled them, but with Rebecca joining in, it was over in a flash.

 

“Whew.”

 

After knocking out the last slaver, Rebecca dismissed her sword and brushed off her sleeves. She turned gracefully and bowed elegantly to Kayden and Diana. “Your Majesties Emperor and Empress.”

 

“…Lady Pamela.”

 

With a stern expression, Kayden quickly stepped between Rebecca and Diana. It was a rather blatant gesture of caution, but Rebecca showed no sign of displeasure. Instead, she said, “What a coincidence to meet you here.”

 

“That’s what we should be saying.”

 

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

 

Rebecca raised an eyebrow as if she truly didn’t understand. At that, the previously silent Diana stepped forward and spoke.

 

“We found a promissory note with the Pamela baronial seal at another slaver branch.”

 

Rebecca’s eyes widened slightly at this. Diana retrieved the note from her pocket and held it up so the seal could be seen. In a quiet voice, she said, “If you don’t mind, I’d like to hear your explanation.”

 

“…”

 

Rebecca was silent for a while, then swept her bangs aside with one hand and sighed. Then she spoke.