The Prince Seduces Me with His Body Chapter 150

“That promissory note was used by my mother.”

 

At Rebecca’s unexpected words, both Kayden and Diana paused.

 

“…Your mother?”

 

“The former first concubine. She is now Baroness Pamela.” Rebecca continued her explanation in an even tone.

 

Rebecca had been stripped of all her rights as imperial, including her right to the throne. Despite having accepted this decision without much objection, her mother, the first concubine, couldn’t do the same.

 

“She tried to bribe a count from the Kingdom Rabik. Her plan was to kidnap imperial citizens and hand them over to the kingdom, using the money she received to raise a private army.”

 

The promissory note that Kayden and Diana found had been given by the baroness as payment to the bandits she used for her scheme. And surprisingly, there was someone else who was the first to notice the baroness’s suspicious activities and inform Rebecca.

 

“Baron Ollio?” Kayden muttered in surprise, and Diana’s eyes also widened at the unexpected name.

 

Baron Ollio was Ludwig, who, like Rebecca, had been demoted from marquis to a local baron.

 

“At first, my mother tried to use Ludwig for her scheme. But when Lubi made it clear he supported my position, she backed off. Still, he found her unreliable and had someone to keep watch over her.”

 

Ludwig’s habit of doubting others had, at least in this case, worked out for the best.

 

“As soon as I heard the news, I came here to stop the deal. My mother is being restrained by Lubi as we speak.”

 

“…”

 

Kayden narrowed his eyes at Rebecca, a hint of suspicion in his gaze. Noticing this, Rebecca looked down slightly.

 

“Of course, this is clearly treason, and traitors are to be executed without exception. But if you would show a little mercy to me, since I came here on my own as soon as I found out, to help set things right…” Rebecca trailed off, then continued in a resolute voice. “I will personally escort my mother to a monastery and ensure she remains there for the rest of her life—never able to leave.”

 

“…!” Kayden and Diana both stiffened at her words.

 

Considering that the former first concubine wasn’t only Rebecca’s biological mother but also her lifelong political ally, such a statement was shockingly cold. Of course, she could just be sacrificing her mother to avoid total destruction…

 

Diana frowned unconsciously. Knowing Rebecca, she was probably abandoning her mother to secure her own future, but for some reason, it didn’t quite feel that way.

 

After a moment of silence, Kayden finally spoke. “…Let’s discuss that matter later.” He glanced at Diana, who nodded in agreement.

 

“We need to find the captives first.”

 

Although they had rescued the hostage used by the slavers, according to the gatekeeper, there were more people who had been brought here. They had to find where they were being held. The group decided to wake one of the unconscious slavers for questioning.

 

“Ugh, ah…”

 

“The people who were brought here—where are they?” Kayden asked flatly, sword pointed at the man.

 

Having already experienced Kayden’s overwhelming strength, the slaver trembled and confessed. “In the warehouse behind the village… But p-people from the Rabik Kingdom have already come…”

 

Kayden knocked him out again without hesitation. “Let’s go.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Kayden and Diana started toward the warehouse, but soon stopped when they heard footsteps following them naturally. He turned to Rebecca with a slightly displeased expression. “Wouldn’t it be better for you to stay and deal with the unconscious?”

 

“Unlike the two of you, I’m not one to court danger.” With that, Rebecca snapped her fingers, and several knights wearing her family insignia quietly emerged nearby. She ordered, “Clean up.”

 

“Understood.”

 

The knights bowed respectfully and began to tie up and gather the slavers scattered around. Rebecca shrugged at Kayden and Diana, as if to say, ‘See?’ Though it was unsettling in some ways, the people Rebecca brought were undeniably helpful, so Kayden and Diana chose not to object and continued with her.

 

The three crossed the village quickly and headed for the warehouse. Finding it empty, they followed the sounds of movement nearby, just as the slaver had said, and saw a group of soldiers leading imperial citizens bound with rope. When Kayden and Diana blocked their path, the soldiers quickly raised their weapons.

 

“W-Who are you!”

 

“Well, that’s what I’d like to ask. Does the King of Rabik know you’ve crossed the border with this many troops—and with so many imperial citizens in tow?” Kayden folded his arms and smiled, though anger colored his voice.

 

The soldiers, realizing their secrets were out, fell silent for a moment before murmuring among themselves.

 

“W-What should we do?”

 

“…We have to take care of this quietly if possible. The count said he’d cover for us.”

 

The one who seemed to be the commander drew his sword, and the rest of the soldiers followed, ready for a deadly fight. It was clear they intended to silence witnesses by force.

 

Hmm. Diana hesitated slightly. Defeating them wouldn’t be a problem. In fact, even without Kayden or Rebecca, she could handle this without a scratch. Her concern was whether this incident could spark a war.

 

Suppose another war breaks out just as the Xavier Findlay incident is being resolved. In that case, there’ll be great unrest among the people. Even if we have the justification, they could use Baroness Pamela as a pretext to attack us in return. But such worries were, unfortunately, pointless.

 

“They’re coming at us like that. Wouldn’t it be impolite to dodge now, would it?” As he murmured, Kayden conjured a sword glowing with white light and grasped it tightly.

 

From Diana’s right, another mocking voice followed. “If only people knew what kind of man their emperor really was, they’d stop calling him a ‘wise ruler’ without reason.”

 

And why exactly are you summoning a spirit too? Diana swallowed her question as she stared at Salamander, the high-level fire spirit Rebecca had called forth. It snorted and stomped as if responding to its master’s fighting spirit.

 

Diana’s vision blurred. Why are they both so eager to fight instead of preventing the war? She couldn’t help but sigh.

 

* * *

“D-Don’t be scared! It’s just three of them!”

 

Someone shouted, and it was certainly true. But those three happened to be high-ranking elementalist and the contractor of the Spirit King. No matter how great the numbers, the soldiers of Rabik—who didn’t even have an elementalist—were no match.

 

“I a-a-apologize!!! W-We didn’t know you were the emperor and empress…!”

 

Once the situation was resolved, the count responsible for the trouble was dragged before them by Yuro, shaking in terror and bowing to the ground. That statement meant that if they hadn’t been the emperor and empress, they would have been killed to keep things quiet, so Kayden and Diana’s faces were icy cold. Ignoring the sobbing count, they checked on the rescued captives.

 

“It’s a relief that no one seems to be seriously hurt. Is Priestess Christina here, by any chance…?”

 

While looking for a priestess’s robe among the people, Diana suddenly froze in place. A long-forgotten, but unforgettable, word escaped her lips in a whisper.

 

“…Mother?”