CH 122

“2nd Prince.”

She thought that the Empress would frown, but instead, she saw a smile on her face. With great kindness. 

“It’s been a long time. It’s been a while since you’ve been to the palace, and you’re showing your face now, isn’t it too indifferent?” 

“That’s because I’ve been busy. Were you sad?”

“I always feel sad everytime. Do you know how worried I was about sending you to that dangerous place?”

“Haha. Why? Are you afraid I’ll come back alive again?”

As expected, Falden laugh and strikes back with a sword in his mouth. 

Then Serdel looked around carefully. The eyes of some nobles turned in this direction. Since both of their voices are so small, they will look close from afar. 

However, they won’t believe everything they see. It’s a fact that everyone knows the Empress is driving the 2nd Prince, who doesn’t have enough support, outside.

“2nd Prince.”

“Yes, please say it. Mother.”

The Empress placed her hand on Falden’s cheek. The touch itself was different from when she touched Serdel. The long, colorful nails of the Empress barely swept his skin. 

“Didn’t I warn you to watch out for your mouth?”

Her thumb reached the tip of Falden’s lips. 

The Empress drew closer and wrapped her other arm around Falden’s back. 

“I have already told you that if you make a mockery of me, I won’t let you go. How dare you come forward?”

When the Empress looked at Falden, she had fierce eyes. 

“Your dead mother did the same. She didn’t know when she should stop, so I just stepped forward. How could you be similar to her? Tsk.”

The Empress took a step back and lowered her eyes. When she looked into her eyes again, a smile filled her face.

“Lord Serdel. I’m waiting for the day when Lord Serdel comes to visit me. Come here and play comfortably.”

The Empress glanced at the 1st Prince. 

Just as he was about to reach out to Serdel, Falden grabbed her arm. 

“Lord, don’t you have something to talk about with me?” 

He naturally approached Serdel and quickly widened the gap so that the 1st Prince couldn’t catch up. Because of that, Serdel had to leave the banquet hall.

“Don’t get close to the Empress as much as possible. Because she is a dangerous person.” 

“Your Highness, please let me go.”

“Close to the Empress—”

“My arm hurts, Your Highness!”

Falden, who had been walking without hesitation and looking ahead, stopped at that moment. It didn’t hurt because he didn’t hold it too hard, but she thought it would be better to calm him down first. 

“…Sorry, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Surprised, he quickly took his hand off her arm. 

“I’m really sorry. I was angry… for a while. I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

As he washed his face dry with a deep breath, he looked at Serdel’s arm. 

“I’m fine. Your Highness?”

There was no way it would be okay with the mother in the mouth of the Empress. His reddened eyes resembled Cartal, who the Empress had recently provoked.

“…It’s okay. No, it’s not okay.”

He reached out his hand.

Fearing that she might say she was in pain again, he gently grabbed Serdel’s shoulder and leaned down to make eye contact. 

“…In the future, the Empress will approach and try to attach the 1st Prince next to the Lord. Don’t get too close… there is a high possibility that it will become dangerous.”

Falden’s eyes slowly became more worried about Serdel.

“I don’t know what they’ll do to the Lord if you get close to him half-heartedly. It’s better not to deal with it from the beginning.” 

He continued to talk, afraid that she might get hurt. 

“Do you remember that I have Count Sollette locked up separately?”

“Yes.”

“I found out something during the interrogation.”

He said after hesitating. He seemed to be thinking about where to start and where to go. 

“…A part of the profits from slavery is flowing into the Empress’s back pocket.”

Serdel’s eyes widened. The fact that he got that information from Count Sollette meant that the Count hadn’t just been coming and going to enjoy the slavery up until now. 

This also explained why Falden sent his subordinates to the slavery market. 

From the beginning, she thought there was a connection between the slave market and someone from the royal family, which was the reason for the attack. Then she came to monitor Count Sollette.

Serdel thought a high-ranking noble would own the place when she first went there to save Laura. As she got closer to Falden, she had a vague feeling that there might be a bigger, darker secret, but she didn’t look into it. 

At the time, there wasn’t enough manpower to find out, and it was more important that Hershe Maient was using Count Sollette to covet Count Deriens’ shadow business. 

So she didn’t care about anything else.

‘How far did Falden find out about the Empress?’

Serdel, who was just about to ask him, closed her mouth. 

What should she ask?

‘Should I ask if the Empress kill Countess Robbesta?’

Startle. Even just thinking about it makes Serdel shiver. 

Is it okay to make such a dangerous statement only by heart without any physical evidence? 

Serdel reflected on what the Empress had done to her. Earlier, she had secretly devalued Addis and Redan and mercilessly dug up her mother’s accident, which had left a great scar on the family. Then, in a subtle tone that seemed to recall memories, she felt her strange obsession with her mother. 

Serdel clenched her fist.

‘If I ask, will you answer my questions?’

Indeed, is Falden a reliable person?

She came to her senses after a moment as if she was drenched with cold water. Her shaky eyes also calmed down.

“Is Count Sollette deeply involved in the slavery business?”

“No, he wasn’t. But he is following the Empress’s family. So there was quite a bit of information that I knew.” 

“Are you saying that it is highly likely that the owner of the slave market is… the Empress’s family?” 

“That’s not it either. There seems to be a third person with that the Empress has colluded with her family secretly. Count Sollette, this little bastard knew such information by himself without reporting any such information to the superiors.” 

Maybe he was trying to hide a weakness in case the Empress and her family abandoned him later. 

“….!”

She wants to ask a lot more questions, but the story can’t go any deeper than this. 

“Now you know how dangerous the Empress is, don’t you? So keep your distance. You don’t have to accept the Empress’ invitation.” 

Serdel didn’t answer.

“As long as you become the heir of a family, you will be exposed to many risks. By the way, I hope you don’t get caught up in the Empress. It would be great if I could always protect you by your side… but there might be situations where I can’t.”

Serdel pushed his hand away from her shoulder.

“I am not as weak as you think. Also, I am not weak enough for Your Highness to protect me.”

“I know. I know, but I’m worried.”

“Your Highness.” 

“Lord is strong and never weak. I admire your strong will and good judgment. But there are times when you don’t take care of yourself to the point where you’re reckless.”

A bitter smile came out for a moment. With that reckless act, she met Blenn, rescued Laura and Dell, and has received great and small help from Dell until now.  

She even gained the power of Radun, and now knows she is the real Serdel.

‘I’ve already been on the unstoppable train, Your Highness.’

It was full of things she couldn’t find out unless she were reckless. 

There were still many things she didn’t understand. 

She is Serdel, but what is the twist of the original work? What is the relationship between the female lead and the male lead? And why does she still feel trapped in the game? 

“There’s nothing I can do to satisfy this thirst.”

If she has to be reckless, she has to be reckless. And as she was about to say that she was fine.

“Lady.” 

Blenn and the Lord of the Wizard Tower approached in stride. 

“Oh no, I’ve been away too long. I have to go back.” 

“Lord Serdel… Please, don’t put yourself in a dangerous situation.”

Falden has shown signs of desperation.

Then Serdel spits out words that could not be kept to end the situation.

“Okay.”

“If you get hurt, my heart will hurt a lot.”

“I won’t get hurt. Don’t worry, Your Highness.”

He smiled as gently as he could so as not to be anxious. Only then did Falden slowly turn around. The look of his distant back looked lonely.

Serdel whispered to the Lord of the Wizard Tower who was standing nearby.

“Lord of the Wizard Tower, I have a request.”

“Say anything. I’ll listen to everything.”

“Can you use your magic to track down the location of the 2nd Prince? You have to keep it secret, so you don’t get caught.”

“It’s possible.”

“Please. His Highness has locked up a person somewhere, and I think the atmosphere will be dealt with soon. Before that, you have to hide the person.” 

[Is it something to do with the Countess?]

The Lord of the Wizard Tower’s voice resounded in her mind. Serdel nodded her head.

“All right.”

His answer cleared her heavy heart.

Relaxing her stiff face, Serdel walked right to the banquet hall.

The aristocrats who saw her being dragged out by Falden and finally returned after a long time were whispering. 

“What is her relationship with His Highness the 2nd Prince?” 

“Did they get close while exploring the forest?”

“No way, they’re not in that kind of relationship, right?” 

“Ey, what happened to the prince who fell off the string—.”

“I don’t think that’s the case. I heard that His Majesty often visits His Highness the 2nd Prince these days.”

“Oh, I heard that, too. Besides, if it were me, I would have sent him somewhere else right away, but he’s staying in the palace all the time.”

When Serdel looked at them, those who were whispering shut their mouths tight.

She walked toward Cartal with her eyes fixed.

“Is it okay?” 

“Yes, it’s nothing.”

“Then that’s fine.”

Cartal nodded and gave Serdel a plate of cake. 

“I kept it because it looked delicious.”

As he lifted the fork with a fresh smile and a gloomy voice, a status window popped up.