What Your Majesty Desires - Chapter 1.5

Jerome, not wanting to miss even that small intention of his, looked at the man with utmost sincerity and paid his respects. It was hard to believe he was the same Jerome who had glared at her like an icy blade just moments ago.

“Just now, the word ‘Princess’ was mentioned, so I’ll go and find out what’s going on…”

“They’ll handle it outside.”

“Ah? Yes, of course.”

Luckily, the man didn’t seem too interested in the situation outside. Jerome didn’t even dare to try persuading him and immediately stepped aside. Soon, the sound of swords clashing fiercely began to fill the air.

‘There must be more than just a few people out there.’

What should she do?

Marilyn, worried that Aiden might die at any moment, clutched her bath towel tightly and stared blankly at the door. She was the only one who seemed anxious.

“He seems quite spirited.”

“Spirited, more like stupid.”

Unlike Marilyn, who was burning with anxiety, the men in the bathroom seemed calm. The man stood silently, listening to the clashing swords with a bored expression, as if he just wanted the fight to end and the noise to stop. Jerome and the other knights guarding him also looked bored, as if wondering, ‘How long do we have to wait?’

“Ugh!”

Just then, a knight stumbled backward into the bathroom, a sword pointed at his neck. Aiden, knowing it would be disadvantageous to be surrounded by multiple people in the small bathroom, had taken the opposing knight hostage to confirm if she was here.

“Well done,” the man sneered. “Becoming a hostage.”

“Pathetic. You should go back to farming.”

“I’m, I’m sorry.”

That was all the reaction he got. Regardless of whether his weak subordinate lived or died, the man leisurely scanned Aiden from head to toe as he carefully took each step. As if he was estimating how many seconds it would take to deal with him.

“Your Highness!”

Aiden wasn’t interested in confronting the men right away either. As soon as he spotted Marilyn sitting against the wall in the center of the bathroom, he immediately abandoned his hostage and rushed to her.

“Aiden.”

He shouldn’t have come.

“Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere…?”

“I’m fine.”

Now wasn’t the time to worry about her safety. Judging by what happened on the way, his quiver, which he always kept full, was empty, and his uniform and face were covered in splatters of blood. Moreover, he was in a perilous situation where he could lose his life if anyone standing on either side of the wall extended their sword.

But Aiden seemed to see nothing but her, his eyes fixed only on Marilyn’s face.

“Thank goodness you’re unharmed.”

Only after confirming that she was safe did Aiden let out a sigh of relief.

“That’s not what’s important right now. How did you come back? I thought you said you had business at the Baron’s estate.” Marilyn asked softly, barely audible.

“I turned back on the way. I saw the flags being lowered at the castle.”

“The flags are being lowered?”

That was something that only happened when the empire was falling. Disturbed by the ominous news, Marilyn looked at the men beyond Aiden with a confused expression.

She had assumed that the men had easily entered the west tower because of the Empress’s permission, but after hearing Aiden’s words, it seemed like it was more than that. Perhaps… Could it be that the master of the Imperial Palace had changed?

“Is the reunion over?” Jerome asked from behind in a bored voice. He was almost at the breaking point, as if he had waited long enough.

Then, Aiden’s eyes narrowed sharply for a moment, and he slammed his hand on the floor as he stood up.

“Knights who corner a woman who isn’t even dressed! You should be ashamed of yourselves!”

“What is he talking about?”

They hadn’t cornered Marilyn. They had simply been watching her in the corner. Jerome scoffed, finding it absurd that someone who didn’t know the situation well would show up late and start lecturing them.

“Seeing as you risked your life to come and save her, she must be quite precious. Is that right?”

“She is a Princess. How dare you corner a Princess in a place like this…”

“Ah, a Princess?”

A very important point. Check complete.

“Alright, you can leave now.”

“What? Didn’t you hear me? This person is from the Dextin Empire…”

“Yes, she’s a Princess, right?”

That’s why she was even more necessary.

“Bring her.”

Without further explanation, Jerome gave a simple order. The knights, who had been standing like statues against the wall, quickly and efficiently split apart, surrounding Aiden and Marilyn.

“A, Aiden?”

Faced with the sudden threat, Marilyn clutched her bath towel tightly, her shoulders trembling. But Aiden wasn’t intimidated at all. Instead, he spread his arms wide to protect Marilyn.

“Can’t you step back? Even in times of war, for a mere knight to point a sword at a Princess who isn’t even armed is something only barbaric beasts would do…!”

“We were short on royals to execute tomorrow anyway.”

“What?”

Royals to execute?

“Some of the kids were so weak that several of them already died while being dragged away.”

“Huh?”

How could he say something like that?

“Princess Talia committed suicide, so we were especially short on female royals. This is perfect.”

They would just have to take that woman to make up the numbers.

Marilyn flinched at Jerome’s chilling announcement. But what she couldn’t understand in the midst of it all was the news of Princess Talia’s suicide.

‘I heard she was going to be happy because she was marrying a prince from a powerful empire, so why…’

But suddenly, she had committed suicide. Marilyn looked at Aiden with a confused expression. Aiden was busy dealing with Jerome.

“Princess Talia’s suicide was something we didn’t expect either. Your justification for holding us responsible is understandable, but Princess Marilyn has nothing to do with this. She’s only a Princess in name…”

“Yes, as long as she’s a Princess in name.”

Aiden couldn’t hide his bewilderment at Jerome’s firm words. He had revealed that she was a Princess to prevent them from treating Marilyn carelessly, but his words had backfired. He should have just said she was the daughter of a minor baron.

“Actually, this person isn’t a Princess…”

“She is a Princess, you said that yourself not even a moment ago.”

“That’s…!”

She was a Princess, but she was about to be deposed. Jerome sneered at Aiden as he tried to take back his words. Aiden couldn’t easily continue, even with Jerome’s mocking gaze that seemed to say, ‘Go on, let’s hear what kind of excuse you come up with.’

He was willing to tell them everything about Marilyn’s situation, if necessary, but he had to choose his words carefully. He was afraid that speaking carelessly might hurt Marilyn. Jerome stared at Aiden with disdain as he struggled to find the right words.

Then, he politely turned his head towards the man next to him, following Jerome’s gaze as he waited for his superior’s final instructions. Aiden could tell who the man was at a glance just from his uniform, which was adorned with noble medals and various emblems.

‘Hernis?’

It must be him. Hernis van Arkanswein, the Second Prince of the Gler Empire, who had come to hold an engagement ceremony but, when things went wrong, had simply occupied the entire Dextin Castle. The mad killer who had committed so many massacres on the battlefield that nothing grew where he had passed, or rather, only red flowers bloomed.

With an emotionless, indifferent gaze and a noble aura that overflowed even when he was just standing still, he was exactly as Aiden had heard.

The only difference from the image he had vaguely imagined was that the face of the notorious warmonger was clean, without a single scar.

It was ironic.

Support What Your Majesty Desires