After Putting the Slayer of the Night to Sleep, I Ran Away - Chapter 40

“I believe the Count is already aware of this, but still…”

Ayla had been thinking about this for days.

What roles and responsibilities would come with marrying Leo? What could she contribute? What was she actually good at?

“I am the second daughter of Duke Everett. My father is Duke Marcus, and the Empress is my aunt.”

From what she had seen, Leo was a rough and straightforward man.

The Ashen Knights were the same, and so were Lady Diana and Count Hanover. They were nothing like the nobles of the capital.

She personally appreciated that difference, but she knew very well that the capital nobility would not.

They would mock them as uncivilized barbarians from a harsh land, treating them with arrogance and contempt.

She had already sensed this during the imperial banquet, when Rodrigo had spoken to Leo without an ounce of respect.

The words and attitude Rodrigo used were unthinkable for a mere son of a count to use toward a prince.

Even the surrounding nobles, who had witnessed the scene, had done nothing to stop him.

But what if it had been the Second Prince Edward standing there instead?

There would have been no question. The reaction would have been completely different.

That thought still bothered Ayla.

“An invitation arrived for me today.”

She picked up a luxurious envelope from the table and shrugged.

“It was sent by the Empress. She wrote that she wanted to congratulate me on my engagement. But my name was the only one on the invitation. Since my fiancé is a prince, you’d think she would invite both of us.”

Even if he was not her biological son, Leo was still royalty. As a senior member of the imperial family, the Empress should have included him.

Sending an invitation to Ayla alone, while deliberately excluding Leo, hardly seemed like a sincere gesture of congratulations.

It was clear that her father’s influence had something to do with it.

But regardless, this was a direct act of disrespect toward Prince Leomond.

“This is the reality of the imperial family. Even the Empress does not acknowledge Your Highness.”

“Does it matter? I was not planning to attend anyway.”

Leo shrugged as if it meant nothing, but Ayla shook her head seriously.

“It does matter. If the Empress continues to show that she does not acknowledge Your Highness, the capital’s nobles will follow her lead. Especially the ones aligned with her. The problem is that her faction controls nearly half of the capital’s social circles.”

“Even so, I do not particularly care.”

“Do you really not care? At the upcoming banquet, Count Hanover and Lady Diana could be mocked just for wearing clothing that doesn’t fit capital trends.”

Ayla remembered how Vivian, a noblewoman from the provinces, had been ridiculed for that exact reason.

If they treated a provincial noblewoman that way, what would they say about northerners who had only recently been integrated into the empire?

“Your knights are already being looked down on because their uniforms aren’t standardized like those of the capital’s guards. The people of your territory are being called savages just because they live in a land where monsters and pirates still roam.”

“Even if I dislike it, I am not going to do anything about it. There is no need.”

“Perhaps not for you. But what about Lady Diana, if her feelings are hurt? What about the pride of your knights and your people?”

Leo looked like he wanted to respond, but he fell silent. He ran a hand roughly through his hair, clearly frustrated.

Ayla took a deep breath and continued.

“I understand that my family has been a terrible presence for both Your Highness and the North. But it still holds influence.”

Now that Leo had decided to marry her, he could not completely detach himself from the Everett name.

As much as he hated it, that name was the only power Ayla had. If that hated power could help him even in the smallest way, why not use it?

“It is a name I can only use while I am in the capital. So as long as Your Highness remains here…”

She paused for a moment and looked at him.

“I plan to use the weight of that name. I will not overlook what needs to be challenged.”

Leo stared at her. His expression was unreadable.

“What exactly do you refuse to overlook?”

“The capital nobility’s false assumptions and attitudes toward the North.”

At Ayla’s firm declaration, Leo and Lucas exchanged a glance.

Neither had ever seriously considered confronting that issue. But they understood exactly what Ayla meant.

They had just never thought of it as a problem that could be solved.

In the North, life was too demanding, too survival-focused to bother worrying about how others judged them.

But now, perhaps…

As if reading Leo’s thoughts, Lucas gave a slow, deliberate nod.

“That is your choice. I respect your intent.”

“Thank you, Count. I understand that His Highness will remain in the capital for the duration of this social season. I will do what I can during that time to raise Eisenfelt’s standing, even if it’s just a little.”

At that, Leo suddenly raised his hand as if something had come to mind.

“That reminds me. There is something I forgot to mention.”

He looked between Ayla and Lucas with an awkward expression, then scratched his brow.

“I might need to stay in the capital longer than expected.”

“Why?”

“Because… I decided to participate in the Crown Prince succession competition.”

“What?”

“What?”

It was a declaration no one had expected.

Ayla let out a long sigh and dropped onto the sofa, completely exhausted.

She felt as though a storm had swept through her body, leaving her drained and hollow.

Only after experiencing Count Hanover’s fiery temper for herself did she fully understand why Leo had told her to stay in her room.

“So now there’s a crown prince competition…”

According to imperial law, the title of crown prince could only be granted once a prince turned eighteen.

Sometimes, when there were multiple potential heirs, a formal competition would be held to decide who would become the crown prince.

But no one had expected that to happen this time.

Everyone simply believed the position would go to the Second Prince Edward, the Empress’s son.

To most of the empire, the First Prince, Leomond Zigranta, had already been written off as the discarded prince.

Though the newspapers mentioned him from time to time, he was more widely known by the nickname Slayer of the Night, a label that made him seem cruel and dangerous, more like a barbarian than a future ruler.

No one in the capital would ever consider someone like him fit for the throne.

More importantly, Empress Tatiana and Emperor Friedrich were on good terms.

They respected one another, and their son Edward was famously kind and gentle.

“This is going to be a problem…”

Although Empress Tatiana was her aunt, Ayla had barely seen her in person.

They had met once when Ayla was a child and then again at the debutante ball. Tatiana had been kind, but only in a formal, distant way.

Even the timing of the invitation felt too perfect to be coincidence.

“I guess I’ll have to go and see for myself. Maybe it will help in some way.”

There was at least one thing that eased her worries. It was Leo’s response to Count Hanover during the argument.

“Calm down, Count. I said I’m entering the competition. I never said I plan to become crown prince.”

When the Count demanded to know what he meant, Leo simply told him not to overthink it and said no more.

Ayla had already heard from Leo that he had no real intention of becoming crown prince. She chose to believe him.

But Count Hanover looked far more shaken than she had expected.

Leo had to coax him out gently, calming him down like someone handling a wild beast. Ayla could not help but worry a little.

Still, she had no time to dwell on that.

If she wanted to attend the Empress’s upcoming banquet properly, she needed to start preparing immediately.

“There’s the dress to choose, and I need a return gift too…”

As she ran through her mental checklist, Ayla sighed and rubbed her forehead.

She had hit a problem she could not solve on her own.

After thinking for a moment, she made up her mind and left her room.

When she reached Leo’s office, the door was open. She could already hear him and Dex still arguing with Count Hanover.

It was surprising to hear the conversation still going. She felt lightheaded just listening to it, but she knew she could not delay any longer.

Standing in the hallway, she gently knocked on the open door.

“Excuse me. May I come in? I have something I need to discuss.”

“Of course. Come in.”

Leo welcomed her with a smile that held a hint of relief. He looked toward Dex and Count Hanover and motioned toward the door, clearly asking them to step outside.

But neither of them moved. They had no intention of leaving.

“If this is not something we absolutely have to leave for, please speak quickly and let us get back to business,” Count Hanover said firmly.

“Understood,” Ayla replied with a polite nod.

She took a deep breath, then turned to Leo and spoke with calm determination.

“Your Highness.”

“Yes?”

“I need to borrow some money.”

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