Chapter 26

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A Beautiful Envoy.

Whatever her status was, she could not have treated the Grand Duke so casually unless she was a member of the Imperial Family.

No, even the Imperial Family wouldn’t be able to treat the supercilious Lionel Blanc so carelessly.

Lionel seemed as if he was about to unsheathe his sword and point it at the girl, so Rubel shut his eyes. 

But even after a few seconds had passed, there wasn’t any sign of displeasure from the grand duke. 

Rather, Lionel looked at the girl with an affectionate expression on his face.

“As expected, why don’t I stay with you too? That man’s eyes are so impure that I don’t want to leave you alone with him.”

It was an extremely sweet voice that’s completely different from the chilly tone that was directed towards Rubel.

“That’s different from your promise. Didn’t you say that if I spent time with Your Highness, you’d allow me to chat with the chef alone?”

As the woman rebutted sharply, she folded her arms and leaned backwards languidly while staring at the grand duke. 

It was a posture that ordinary young ladies would never use. 

Surpassing the realms of misconduct, it was already a movement used by gangsters in the underground world. 

Although it was only in name, a nobleman was still a nobleman. Hence, Rubel frowned at the woman’s crooked posture. 

However, Lionel didn’t seem to be offended in the slightest by the woman’s inelegant appearance. What’s even more surprising was…

“I really hate people that break promises. I don’t even want to see their appearance.”

Upon realising that the ‘people that break promises’ was referring to him, Lionel’s face quickly paled. 

“You’re mistaken. I’m good at keeping my word. The number of times I’ve broken my promises can be counted with my fingers. Please believe me.”

“Is that true?”

Atalante asked with a questioning face, and Lionel nodded his head faithfully. 

“I’m not the type to make a lot of promises, but… Oh, up till now, I’ve killed all of those that I’d said that I’ll kill. There has never been an exception.”

Can that even be called a promise?

It’s obvious that the lofty grand duke didn’t exactly know the universal definition of a promise. 

If she were to continue her conversation with Lionel, the head chef, who was trembling like a leaf, might lose his mind soon.

“Although that’s not the type of promise I’m talking about… for now, I understand.”

“Do you believe me?”

“For now.”

Lionel’s eyes sparkled upon receiving her affirmation, like a child that had received the gift he wanted. 

He seemed like a dog that had been allowed to walk with its owner for the first time in a while.

Lionel Blanc had an obedient face on, as if he would give his hand when asked for his hand, and his foot when asked for his foot.  

‘No matter how I look at it, the grand duke looks like he’s whipped for the young lady…?’

Although the girl had radiant features that was evident at first glance, that alone wasn’t enough for the grand duke of Blanc to yearn for her. 

As Rubel stared blankly at Atalante while deep in thought, he didn’t detect the grand duke’s chilling gaze that was directed at him. 

“I want to keep my promise, but I can’t bring myself to be satisfied with those eyes.”

Shall I dig them out?

Lionel added with a refined smile that did not match his gruesome words.

As soon as the grand duke’s words had concluded, Rubel stiffened in place. 

It was as if time had stopped in only his vicinity.

Looking at his pitiful appearance, Atalante let out a brief sigh. 

“Excuse me, do you bear a severe heart towards me?”

Before she could finish her question, the grand duke’s fierce glare shot straight through Rubel.

Perhaps the saying that people can kill with their eyes was the truth. Rubel, who had just met his eyes, almost died of cardiac arrest. 

“N, n, no! How could I dare to!”

The answer was obvious. Turning ghastly pale, Rubel waved his hand to deny the suspicion.

Today was his first time knowing that he could wave his hands that quickly. 

‘He must be very good at making meringue.’

Immediately, Atalante looked at the grand duke with an indifferent gaze,  and shrugged her shoulders. 

“He already said no.”

“Do you trust that man’s words?”

“Whether I’m deceiving or being deceived, both are dangerous possibilities. It isn’t a loss on my part to trust.”

Although she spoke as if she was at an advantage, the truth just happens to be the opposite. 

If he was the head chef of a high ranking aristocrat’s villa, then the man that’s trembling before her would at least be a low-ranking aristocrat. 

On the other hand, Atalante… was nothing.

Although cooking wasn’t considered noble, apparently a family that has been serving as a head chef for generations has its own pride.

All of a sudden, the face of a man born with a talent that didn’t match with his family’s colour came to Atalante’s mind.

‘Archiralph, is he dead?’

She wanted to pretend that she didn’t know him, but it bothered her. 

She’ll find an opportunity to ask Lionel about the events of that day. After Atalante made her decision, she continued speaking. 

“Please leave for a while. I have to teach that chef a lesson.”

Teach a lesson?

It was only then that Rubel realised it was the girl who had called for him, and not the grand duke.

Soon after, Lionel nodded, a displeased expression still on his face.

“I hope that it won’t take too long.”

“Is it because we’re leaving for the capital in the afternoon?”

Although she couldn’t understand why he would want to take her, who was on the wanted list, to the capital, there was no reason for her to not go. 

For now, the grand duke of Blanc as her backer meant that at the very least her safety was guaranteed. 

There wasn’t anyone in the Empire that could treat Atalante, who stood beside Lionel, recklessly, even if it was the Emperor who ordered for her assassination.

However, Lionel shook his head lightly.

“No.”

“Is that so?”

“I don’t want you to disappear from before my eyes, even if it’s for an hour.”

“Shi–”

Atalante, who was about to curse thoughtlessly for that absurd reason he gave, managed to shut up.

“Shi?”

“It… looks like the seeds are well spreaded. The garden looks beautiful with so many flowers planted.”

No matter how outstanding her courage was, she wasn’t reckless enough to curse in front of a madman. 

At Atalante’s awkward equivocation, Lionel smiled affectionately, the truth whether he was really deceived by Atalante’s words or pretending to be so was unknown.  

“If we go to the Blanc Castle, I will show you even more beautiful flowers.”

“I said that I’d leave the possibilities open, but I didn’t say that I’d follow Your Highness to the grand ducal castle.”

“You definitely did so. However, I too, am not the type to miss an opportunity I’m presented with.”

As he whispered softly, his smile deepened. 

“In that case, I hope that you’ll have a pleasant conversation.”

After kissing Atalante’s hair courteously, Lionel glanced at Rubel. 

How could a person’s complexion change in an instant?

Rubel, who was frightened by his chilling gaze, almost unwittingly bit on his tongue. 

“Be mindful to not be impolite.”

After leaving behind a cold warning, Lionel slowly left the garden. 

It would have been great if he left nicely, but he didn’t forget to look back many times in the middle of his departure.

‘The one that’s being impolite is His Highness.’

Swallowing down the rising words, Atalante pointed towards the seat that was across from her. 

“Have a seat.”

As soon as her words left her lips, Rubel sat down at the seat she pointed at.

After the grand duke’s departure, the tense atmosphere seemed to have lightened. 

Of course, he didn’t commit the discourtesy of leaning his body on the chair and showing signs of exhaustion. 

No matter what, it was obvious that the girl before him was favoured by the grand duke. 

“I had to call you here today because I have something to tell you.”

“P–Please speak freely, Young Lady,”

“Ah, I’m not a Young Lady.”

Atalante scratched her ear while smiling awkwardly. 

It was also a movement that wouldn’t have been seen in a ‘noble young lady’ that was raised with strict education.

Only then did Rubel manage to observe Atalante’s face in detail.

While he has heard that there’s a noble family with bright red hair, but her hair contained a subtle black colour, so it couldn’t be described as completely red hair. 

The most eye-catching feature of hers was her bright purple eyes. 

To think that she had purple eyes, it was a colour that he had never seen in his life.

Rubel’s face, who was facing her directly, slowly crumpled. 

‘What was it, that insignificant and indecent colour?’

The longer the history of a family, the more typical the colour of their pupils were. 

The eyes of the Imperial Family of Thessalia were blue, and other aristocrats had relatively ordinary colours such as green, brown, and gray.

On the contrary, commoners having unique eye colours was a common occurrence.

Amongst them, the more unusual the colour was, the more vulgar it was considered to be. 

While it was indeed evaluated to be an endlessly indecent colour in the eyes of the public, he had to admit that it was very beautiful. 

‘Wait a minute. A girl with dark red hair and purple eyes…’

He suddenly remembered that wanted posters that were plastered all over the square. 

Was it because the effect of rote learning was so effective? He had only looked at it a few times when he passed by the square, but Rubel unintentionally managed to memorise its contents. 

The description of the villain written on the paper, no, to be exact the wanted poster, and the girl that was seated facing him was… too similar. 

“You seem to have recognised me.”

After identifying the odd light that was filling Rubel’s eyes, Atalante grinned, and confirmed his suspicions. 

“Ah, the bo–boss of A–argo…!”

Ghastly pale, Rubel fell backwards to the floor.

“Oh dear, you should have been more careful.”

With an exaggerated look of surprise, Atalante stretched a hand out to him, but Rubel only stared at her with trembling eyes.

“W, W–Why are you here…? H–how are you with H–His Highness the Grand Duke…?”

Like an overloaded man, Rubel started to speak gibberish. 

Well, it wasn’t strange for him to start trembling like that.

While meeting her, a criminal wanted by the emperor, was surprising, what was even more surprising was that that boss was beside the grand duke. 

‘He’s so frightened that I feel sorry for him instead.’ 

It definitely felt pleasant for an arrogant person that doesn’t know his place to prostrate himself at her feet. 

But it didn’t feel very pleasant to scare people, who hadn’t done anything to her, like that. 

Even if he was a nobleman.

‘Because I’m not like Lionel Blanc.’ 

Why did his name suddenly come to her mind?

Shaking her head lightly, Atalante sat on her knees right before Rubel. 

‘That’s why I feel like I’ve done something wrong to you.’

As Atalante whispered amiable words, she gave him the friendliest smile that she could make. 

However, contrary to Atalante’s intentions, as her smile deepened, Rubel’s face gradually grew darker and darker.

As if he was facing a beautiful envoy.

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