His hand slowly caressed the soft skin of her inner thigh, as if contemplating whether to advance further or tactically retreat.

 

However, contrary to her expectations, Theodore simply stayed there stubbornly.

 

Worried he might suddenly make a move, Renata held his hand for now while she agonized.

 

In any case, she couldn’t leave it in such an embarrassing place. The question was where to move it…

 

As if reading her thoughts, Theodore slowly moved his hand up to Renata’s waist.

 

Waist should be fine, she thought, trying to focus on the continuous kisses. But at that moment, his hand was stealthily creeping into an unauthorized zone.

 

‘Stop!’

 

How far does this man plan to go!

 

There’s a famous saying on the streets: faster than words is a fist.

 

Renata struggled with all her might, trying to push him away somehow through physical force, when she was startled by something warm and firm brushing near her thigh.

 

It was probably… that thing she had seen once before.

 

The tongue that had been freely roaming inside her mouth suddenly stopped. Theodore pulled his lips away and spoke in a husky voice.

 

“Renata… don’t stimulate me like that.”

 

“Haa!”

 

Having suffered from breathing difficulties the whole time, she gasped for air and shouted urgently.

 

“I didn’t do it! And I won’t! I’m not doing any more!”

 

“Why? You said you didn’t hate it.”

 

“I hate it!”

 

At her firm refusal, Theodore reluctantly sat back. Taking the chance, Renata quickly pulled down her skirt that had ridden up to her stomach.

 

It wasn’t just her who was out of breath. 

 

Theodore was also breathing heavily with a disheveled appearance.

 

The situation his blue eyes, clearly revealing his desire yet unfocused, staring intently at her, felt strangely familiar.

 

However, Renata, who was already quite physically exhausted, gave up on trying to decipher the meaning behind those eyes.

 

“Don’t come near me and stay right there!”

 

She could only repeatedly think about how this had happened and why he was acting this way toward her.

 

“…Alright. Let’s stop here for today.”

 

Today? For today?

 

Renata was about to snap that this was the end and there would be no next time, but she shut her mouth tightly upon seeing him smile with a flushed face.

 

Yet this prince had no conscience. Despite clearly saying he would stop, he slyly moved closer again.

 

When she scrunched her eyes and scooted toward the headboard of the bed,

 

“You said it was hard to breathe. I was just going to help you finish breathing and leave.”

 

Theodore shrugged his shoulders as if he were purely innocent and only trying to help.

 

And the place his hand touched was her waist, specifically, the area with the knot that secured the dress tightly to her body.

 

It had already been loosened considerably below at some point.

 

Realizing that his earlier lewd groping of her leg had an unexpectedly pure reason, Renata felt her strength drain and allowed his touch as she answered.

 

“You don’t yank a dress off. You have to loosen the knots at the back little by little. This side, yes, that one.”

 

The reason she explained this was not to warn him to be careful next time because he really seemed clueless, but…

 

“I’m just… telling you so you know.”

 

Finding something amusing about her explanation, he let out a low chuckle and wrapped his arm around Renata’s waist.

 

“Anything else you want to say?”

 

“What about tomorrow’s work…”

 

The rest of her words were blocked by his lips that suddenly crashed into hers without warning.

 

Renata, momentarily frozen in surprise, picked up the pillow beside her to punish him for not keeping his word. 

 

He said he wouldn’t, he said this was the end!

 

“I don’t want to hear about work right now.”

 

Theodore whispered languidly.

 

“And you shouldn’t throw that. It overlaps with my image.”

 

As his face came so close, their breaths tangled again, Renata readjusted her grip on the pillow.

 

If she swung it now…

 

“Alright, I’ll really stop.”

 

“I don’t trust you, so could you please leave now?”

 

Pushed by her, he stood up, looked down, then sat back down again.

 

“I do have to go because of work, but I can’t right now.”

 

When Theodore shamelessly tried to settle down close again, Renata shoved him hard, knocking him onto the floor.

 

“Then rest there before you go.”

 

🦋

 

While the prince and his advisor were spending a chaotic night, a carriage came to an abrupt stop in Glimford, a port town near the Opus Strait, shrouded in thick twilight.

 

A man inside kicked the carriage door open with enough force to nearly break it and stepped out.

 

A knight who had been following closely hurried to his side and reported.

 

The crown prince was known to be staying alone in the palace under house arrest, and to create a perfect alibi, all those who had been staying at the crown prince’s palace had been sent away.

 

“Chief Advisor Claubalt is currently managing and supervising the scene, so there is no need to worry.”

 

The knight scanned the surroundings warily, checking for anyone tailing them.

 

“Many nobles left the banquet hall. If the incident is not quickly cleaned up, there is a high chance that unexpected rumors will spread.”

 

“Deal with anyone suspected of being a reporter or showing excessive interest in this matter.”

 

“Yes, understood.”

 

The man pulled his hood deeper to hide his face and stared at the large shadow beyond the horizon before adding,

 

“It seems that Theodore bastard knows something and is pulling that kind of shit. The ones I planted on his side are all incompetent, so clean them up when you return as well.”

 

The shadow in the shape of a tilted triangle was part of a sinking cargo ship.

 

It had been reported that it hit a reef, but judging by the broken mast and sinking speed, it looked as if it had been attacked.

 

Some speculated it was the work of pirates attacking merchant ships, but the possibility was slim.

 

It was publicly known as an empty cargo ship that had returned after delivering aid to a neighboring country, carrying nothing but five surviving crew members.

 

“Survivors?”

 

At the man’s question, the knight glanced at the fishermen behind them. They all shook their heads.

 

“…They say they still haven’t found any.”

 

“There were dozens of people on that ship, yet they can’t find even one?”

 

The man narrowed his eyes fiercely and whipped his head around to glare at the fishermen.

 

“If you have low status, you should at least be diligent or capable! It’s been three hours since the search started, yet there are still no results!”

 

Unable to control his anger, he moved roughly, and his robe slipped down.

 

As the hood fell back, the man’s identity was revealed.

 

“Your Highness, there are many eyes watching around us.”

 

It was the crown prince, Karlheinz.

 

“Why should I fear something that will disappear?”

 

Karlheinz raised one hand and pointed at the fishermen with his index finger, then gave a slight nod as a signal.

 

The knights waiting around the carriage simultaneously drew their swords.

 

Sensing the killing intent, the fishermen dropped the fishing nets they had been pulling and ran away, screaming.

 

Karlheinz frowned as if their noise was annoying and covered his ears.

 

“Tsk, I need to find corpses at least to absorb their power.”

 

The moment he turned his body to look at the cargo ship again, a sword flew through the air and grazed past his ear.

 

“What crazy bastard…!”

 

Karlheinz turned his gaze toward the direction the sword came from and froze, unable to continue speaking as he went on high alert.

 

“I was curious what the alchemists were being captured for, and what kind of madman was trying to write a new history this time.”

 

Black hair, red eyes.

 

“To think someone of such great stature was doing such dirty work behind the scenes.”

 

The arrogant man who had stayed shut in during the hunting festival with almost no presence, and who barely responded even when the crown prince requested meetings multiple times.

 

The Tower Master, Marex, was sitting on a small hill, looking down at Karlheinz.