Get to Work, Prince! Chapter 11 - Good-for-Nothing Madman

Reflexively, Renata twisted her neck not toward Marex, but toward Theodore, sneaking a glance at him.

 

He was glaring with fierce eyes, the corners of his mouth twisted into a smirk.

 

…He is smiling… right?

 

Then Theodore slowly tilted his head at an odd angle and gradually rolled his eyes downward.

 

Still staring at Renata’s hand, which was being held by Marex, he repeatedly closed and opened his eyes in slow motion.

 

‘The mere act of forming a friendly relationship with the Magic Tower already poses a major threat to enemy nations. It’s an extremely efficient method of deterrence.’

 

His blue eyes slowly shifted and fixed on Renata.

 

Theodore mentally weighed the pros and cons.

 

She was quite quick-witted and had a temperament that tried her best not to cause harm to others as much as possible.

 

For the Tower Master to show such keen interest in someone like her…

 

Then, strategically speaking, it would be rational to hand her over to that side and use her to win him over.

 

And if he were to create conflict with the Tower Master over something trivial, the consequences would be difficult to bear.

 

A gentleman kissing the back of a lady’s hand is a fairly common sight, after all.

 

‘Right. It’s nothing.’

 

Of course, hand-kissing is generally something done to highborn noblewomen, but since the other party knows Renata is the woman who will become the princess, it’s only natural…

 

‘Wait a second. Don’t nobles always say they must remain chaste and virtuous? Then what’s with this contradictory, libertine etiquette?’

 

The longer his thoughts dragged on, the more the boiling emotion refused to subside, instead it surged endlessly higher. 

 

The corners of Theodore’s mouth gradually sank.

 

Everything started to feel unbearably irritating.

 

The crowd gathered because they thought there was an amusing spectacle to watch, the prince standing among them ,pretending not to monitor him, the Tower Master casually scratching at his insides while acting innocent.

 

And even Renata’s riding outfit, which he had so strongly opposed, yet she still wore anyway, the one that perfectly revealed her silhouette from waist to calves.

 

Shouldn’t have bought those damn clothes in the first place…

 

Even I’ve barely ever seen her like this properly, and yet I have to let those damned bastards see it?

 

Is this just pointless possessiveness, you ask?

 

She knows exactly who I am, we’ve kissed, shared everything that should be seen and even things that shouldn’t, we spend every day together except weekends,so in reality, isn’t she already no different from a princess?

 

And after the hunting festival ended, even the weekends got taken over. 

 

How is that any different from being lovers?

 

Whether she’s an aide or the crown princess, it’s only a hair’s breadth of difference.

 

So if I feel just a little greedy toward someone like that…

 

“Your Highness, you mustn’t.”

 

Renata caught the dangerous, eerie gleam spreading in Theodore’s eyes and whispered softly.

 

“…Mustn’t what?”

 

“That thing you’re about to do right now.”

 

“Then how about he lets go of that hand first?”

 

“I’m… trying. I was hoping he’d let go and leave right away…”

 

Even though her hand was still held by that outwardly respectable yet inwardly pitch-black old man, Theodore found the sight of her eyes fixed only on him utterly absurd—and at the same time, strangely exhilarating.

 

The mere fact that no matter who she was with, those eyes contained only him was enough for him to accept her words however he pleased.

 

Renata was telling him not to get involved with that guy, saying she didn’t want to spend even a single second together with him.

 

If she’s so repulsed that she even forgets the etiquette of releasing hands after greetings when dealing with an elderly man so frail he’s practically decrepit, then there’s no helping it.

 

I didn’t like it either, coincidentally.

 

“Sir, let’s end the greetings here.”

 

Theodore wrapped his arm around Renata’s shoulder and slowly drew her back to his side.

 

The moment she came into contact with Theodore, Renata, who had been unable to escape Marex’s grip because of the mana he was channeling into her, easily pulled her hand free.

 

She looked momentarily bewildered, then quickly turned back to Theodore and hooked her fingers around the tips of his.

 

It was an instinctive action, born from the feeling that being with him somehow made her safe.

 

That small gesture set Theodore’s irrational thoughts ablaze.

 

‘Why is she holding his hand…’

 

It means an alchemist who possesses power equal to or greater than the owner of that mana, or someone who holds a weapon unknown to the world.

 

If Marex were truly the great sage that the rumors paint him to be, he would have reacted with admiration or fascination toward such an ability. 

 

But he doesn’t seem to be that kind of person at all.

 

Being able to block the mana of an archmage is, in other words, equivalent to being fully capable of toying with and subduing the lord of a magic tower.

 

Therefore, anyone with a belligerent and rough temperament would likely try to eliminate a dangerous element that could threaten them in the future.

 

“The key question is which of the two it is…”

 

Renata seemed to have reached the same conclusion. Her face turned deathly pale, and rather than merely tugging Theodore’s hand to protect him, she practically clung to him, almost burying herself in his arms.

 

Of course, to onlookers, it probably just looked like the much smaller Renata was hanging desperately onto his arm.

 

‘This is troublesome.’

 

Theodore had originally intended to reveal his abilities and propose a strategic alliance on equal footing. But now he found himself unexpectedly troubled.

 

Renata’s reaction, using her entire body to silently beg “Please don’t step forward, it’s dangerous, just stay still”, was oddly pleasing to him.

 

Maybe he could enjoy this a little longer.

 

And so Theodore simply stood there.

 

Literally doing nothing at all, expressionless, or rather, with the faintest trace of a smile, just standing idly.

 

“Your Highness…?”

 

But Renata, unaware of his inner thoughts, reached the peak of anxiety and ended up thinking of a plan she would never have considered under normal circumstances.

 

The so-called “emergency escape method” is sometimes whispered about in high society: pretending to faint.

 

‘I really didn’t want to stoop to this kind of detestable acting…’

 

Just the thought of pretending to be frail made goosebumps rise all over her body, yet at that moment, no other solution came to mind.

 

Having made up her mind, Renata went completely limp and tilted her body forward…

 

“Hm? What are you doing?”

 

At just that moment, Theodore turned slightly to the side, and she fell neatly into his arms.

 

She shot him a glare as if to say Can’t you tell?, then tried to sink to the floor, but his arm slid under her armpit and stopped her cold.

 

“Just let me faint already.”

 

“…Why would you do that?”

 

“Right now, everyone’s eyes are on us—this is the only way to get out of this awkward situation. So let go. Quickly.”

 

Renata squeezed his arm as hard as she could, even adding a kind of desperate, wordless pressure, but he didn’t budge an inch.

 

In the end, with an Oh, whatever, I give up attitude, she let her upper body droop completely and launched into a full dramatic performance.

 

“Ah… suddenly… I feel so dizzy…”

 

It was acting that, in her own opinion, drew from the very depths of her soul.

 

Impressed by the sheer caliber of her performance, Theodore’s body shook faintly as he desperately held back laughter.

 

This damn prince really doesn’t help at all, Renata thought as she started to straighten up again—

 

“…Tsk. Does fainting at the drop of a hat run in that family?”

 

Unexpectedly, the one who put a stop to the mischievous prank was Marex.

 

“I trust the prince will take good care of her.”

 

He even added a grumble about someone calling a physician already, then turned and strode off first.

 

After Marex’s footsteps had faded into the distance and the surrounding gazes had finally scattered, Renata straightened her posture and thought:

 

Wow… maybe my acting was actually pretty good?

 

Just as she was about to bask in the appreciation of her own versatility.

 

Theodore interrupted her self-congratulation.

 

“Looks like they’ve completely bought that you’re the princess. Want to give it a real try while we’re at it?”

 

“No, thank you.”

 

And, as always, she answered crisply and decisively.

 

“You—! You talk about a marriage proposal like you’re assigning paperwork…!”

 

“Marriage proposal? I was merely suggesting I need a personal aide who’ll handle even the ledgers.”

 

“…A position that comes with tremendous authority and power as compensation, you mean.”

 

“I’m not particularly interested in that sort of thing.”