Chapter 239

“Are you going home right away?”

“Why? Do you want to have a cup of tea or something?”

“Not that… What about the banquet?”

“Banquet? What banquet?”

“The royal castle is holding a banquet to celebrate the troops’ departure.”

Yelena scowled. “What?”

“I’m dumbfounded by it too.”

Yelena scoffed in disbelief.

She understood if there was a banquet after the troops won the war and returned safely. But how dare they have a banquet right after sending people off to the war?

‘I don’t know whose idea that was, but…’

She wished them the misfortune of slipping on a handkerchief or something. And hopefully they fell and hit their head.

“I’m not going. You shouldn’t either.”

“Don’t fret. If I was planning on attending the banquet, I wouldn’t have come wearing this.”

True to his word, Aendydn was dressed in simple work clothes.

Yelena regarded her childhood friend quietly and then turned around.

“See you later.”

“Yeah, keep in touch.”

Then, Sidrion activated the transportation magic. A white light enveloped the two of them.

***

“What?”

Surrounded by maids who were decorating his appearance, Crown Prince Bartèze’s eyes flashed with anger.

“Who did what?”

“Duchess Mayhard returned to the fief right after the send-off ceremony ended.”

“At whose discretion did she leave?!” The crown prince shouted as he jumped out of his seat, bumping into a maid.

The maid whimpered as she staggered slightly, but the crown prince didn’t even spare her a glance.

Fire blazed in his eyes.

‘Who am I getting all dressed up for?!’

The host of today’s banquet was the crown prince. From the start, he had planned this banquet solely for Yelena Mayhard, begging and pleading to his father for permission.

‘I was going to approach her at the banquet and seduce her there…’

But to think that Yelena had returned to the fief without even attending the banquet?

“Send someone at once! Tell him to chase her carriage down!” The crown prince roared.

The servant seemed uneasy.

“My deepest apologies, Your Highness. The duchess did not take a carriage. With the help of a sorcerer, she…”

“Sorcerer? So you mean to tell me that she’s already arrived at the fief?”

Even so, he couldn’t give up. He shouted a new command.

“Send a carrier pigeon, now! If she’s already returned, I can just call her back here. No, I should go myself…”

The crown prince shuffled urgently towards where the carrier pigeons were.

But then.

Slip, CRASH!

“Kyaaak!”

“Your Highness!”

“His Highness has fallen!”

“His Highness slipped on a handkerchief and hit his head!”

“Hurry, call the court physician!”

With a stroke of bad luck, the crown prince slipped and had a bad fall. Blood gushed out from the back of his head.

The commotion at the royal palace lasted for a long time.

***

“Rebecca.”

Rebecca turned her head in the direction of the voice that called her. Ovell Mark entered the room and approached her, smiling warmly.

“How’s your appetite?”

Rebecca looked down at the tray that held a bowl of rice porridge. It was half-empty.

“…So-so.”

“That’s good.”

Slide. Ovell pulled a chair towards the bed and sat down.

“You’ve gotten much better. You could barely even move when you first woke up…”

“…”

Rebecca regarded Ovell in silence. Her eyes sank down.

“Th-the patient has woken up!”

“The Young Master! Call Young Master Ovell immediately!”

When Rebecca had first regained consciousness, she couldn’t understand her current circumstances. Perhaps she didn’t want to.

But after two months of recuperation, she really couldn’t keep herself in the dark any longer.

‘I can’t believe I’m a fugitive.’

She had heard this from her subordinate Michael. Michael had held her when she was unconscious, fled from the capital, and ran all the way over here. He informed her of what was currently going on at the capital and of the ongoing search for her.

‘To think that we fled to this fief…’

Ovell Mark, the bachelor who had persistently tried to court her in the past, despite being rejected several times.

After hearing of his engagement to another woman, Rebecca had thought that he’d finally distance himself from her. But to think that they had become acquainted again like this.

Rebecca sneered, but then she quickly hid her expression.

Actually, this worked out for the better. If it was this punk, if it was this foolish and impulsive simpleton…

“Count.”

Rebecca put her tray to the side and looked into Ovell’s eyes.

“No, Ovell.”

Ovell stared at Rebecca, surprised by her gentle voice.

“Did you just… call me by my name?”

It wa the first time that she had done so.

Rebecca’s eyes crinkled beautifully.

“I have a favor to ask.”

While Ovell was entranced by her sorrowful yet captivating smile, Rebecca whispered.

“Please take me to the capital.”