Translation provided by - Shy heaux Translations
"No, no. There's no need to apologize. Go on."
Edwin grabbed my hand, placing it back on his head, and moved it to stroke his own hair.
He closed his eyes as if he was savoring my touch.
'Why are you doing this?'
It was embarrassing, but Edwin seemed to be in a good mood, so I did what he wanted.
It only became a problem when he didn't tell me to stop after a while.
'My arm hurts. What should I do?'
I was pondering on how I could pull my hand away naturally when a cotton candy seller caught my eye.
"Ed, I want some cotton candy. Can you come with me?"
"Huh? Cotton candy?"
Fortunately, Edwin opened his eyes and looked where I pointed.
"If my bride wants it, I will go."
As he got up from the bench and was about to walk, Beryl came up and whispered something in Edwin's ear.
Then Edwin sat me back on the bench.
"How about you sit here and wait instead? I'll buy some cotton candy for you and bring it back."
"What's wrong?"
Something big must have happened if Edwin, who hates being separated from me, could meekly leave me behind.
Suddenly, my heart sank.
Most importantly, I was terrified of being left alone in an unfamiliar place outside Edwin's estate, especially in such an open space.
Afraid that Edwin would leave me behind, I quickly grabbed his sleeve, and he lowered his gaze.
"I'll be right back. Rest assured that the escorts are guarding you."
Edwin patted my hand to comfort me.
'He's not going far, he's only a few steps away, so why am I so anxious?'
My feelings resembled the times when I was separated from my mother as a child.
'This is because I encountered the Ravens.'
Didn't the Ravens follow us just a few hours ago? Even if he had taken care of everything, they could show up again.
But I couldn't delay him any longer, so I reluctantly let him go.
Edwin smiled and headed to the cotton candy seller with Beryl following closely behind.
Once they were some distance away, Beryl started talking to Edwin.
'What's going on? I hope it's not related to the Imperial family.......'
As I anxiously watched Edwin, something rolled by my feet.
I looked down and saw a gray ball lying there.
"Miss, please roll back the ball."
Perhaps due to the knights surrounding me, the group of boys stood at a distance and shouted.
I considered kicking the ball, but since it might fly in the wrong direction, I picked up the ball and walked over to the children.
I handed it to the boy standing in front, thinking it would be safe as the knights did not restrain him.
"Here you go."
"Oh, um, thank you." The boy looked at me and blushed.
He smiled and quickly grabbed the ball, his face growing redder as he ran to his friends.
After watching the children play happily, I bumped into someone the moment I turned around.
"Oh."
"Are you okay?"
When I raised my head at the polite yet gentle voice, a sturdy man wearing a heavy hood stood before me.
"Oh, it's okay. My apologies, I didn't see you there."
He lowered his head, then lifted his hood, revealing a pair of shimmering green eyes.
'Does he know who I am? Surely, he isn't looking for a Jueri, right?'
Once I reached that conclusion, fear overtook me.
I wanted to run away, but I was frozen in place, unable to move.
Then a warm touch wrapped around my shoulders.
"I told you to sit and wait for me."
Normally, the soft reproach would have made me nervous, but now I felt nothing but relief.
I leaned against Edwin as he hugged me tightly.
"Who are you? What business do you have with my bride?"
Contrast to the way he spoke to me, his voice was cold.
"...Bride... ...Your bride?"
Embarrassed, the man lowered his hood once again.
"Yes, my bride."
Edwin hugged me tighter as he claimed me as his.
I noticed the man's jaw tense under the hood.
"If you don't want to die, act accordingly," Edwin sneered after leaning in close.
Then walked away while carrying me.
The man, who was still standing in the same spot, reached out his hand slowly, but I was out of his grasp.
I turned away and hugged Edwin.
For some reason, the man stared at me with a sense of loneliness.
"I told you to sit still, but you couldn't listen and wandered away. My bride is very impatient."
"It was... ...A ball rolled over, so I went to return it, but when I turned—"
"I know what happened."
"How?"
He hadn't looked back at me once, his attention was primarily focused on the cotton candy seller and listening to Beryl.
As I tilted my head upwards, Edwin tapped my nose.
"My bride is far too weak for me to take my eyes off her. It takes a lot of effort to keep you out of trouble," Edwin sighed and shook his head.
I sulked as I didn't appreciate him treating my like a child who couldn't do anything alone.
Edwin glanced at me, swiped the cotton candy from Beryl, and placed it into my hands.
"Here, eat this. I asked him to make it especially big."
My cotton candy certainly looked a bit larger than what the children were being served.
When I went to take a bite of the cotton candy, I thought of Edwin and decided to offer him a piece first.
"Don't you want to try a piece?"
"You said you wanted to eat it."
"Even so, eating alone..."
"You are so troublesome," Edwin grumbled while taking some of the cotton candy.
However, rather than eating it himself, he pushed it right into my mouth.
Seeing my surprise, he grinned and wiped my lips.
"My bride should eat first since you wanted to eat it. How is it? Tasty?"
I nodded and Edwin smiled with satisfaction, then ate a piece himself.
"Okay, done. Are you happy? Now, eat it all. My bride has childish tastes."
His playful words were embarrassing, but I could not turn away from the sweetness of the soft cotton candy melting in my mouth, which I devoured in an instant.
As I stared at the empty stick absentmindedly, Edwin made a sound of disapproval, but in the end, he bought me another one.
As my tension eased, I couldn't let go of my curiosity for the man I ran into at the fountain.
"Ed, can you find out who that person was?"
"Why?"
His brows furrowed and his expression seemed quite unpleasant.
"Um, it's just that his reaction was a bit strange."
"How was it strange?"
"I think he may have recognized me."
"What do you mean?" Edwin's expression turned serious at once.
"I couldn't tell if recognized me or if he knew I'm Jueri."
"Do you know him or seen him somewhere before?"
When I shook my head, Edwin asked Beryl, "Have you killed that man yet?"
"He noticed us immediately and ran away. He's quick on his feet."
"Tsk. Should I say it's a relief?" Don't kill him. Tell them to capture him alive."
"Yes, my Lord."
I remained silent until some of the knights departed at Beryl's instructions.
'What did I hear just now?'
"Did you order him to be killed?"
"Yes. I can't allow him to live after looking at my bride in such an indecent way."
When I saw the look on his face as he answered my question, I became speechless.
I couldn't reprimand Edwin for thinking of my safety, but this act was clearly outside of normal moral standards.
But am I in a position to teach him now?
I swallowed my words and stayed quiet since he now prioritized finding the man alive.
"It won't be difficult since he's still within my territory. There's no need to worry."
Edwin's words soothed my anxious mind.
"Your Highness, I have a matter of interest to report."
The Crown Prince was busy working but sat upright when Kassan appeared and kneeled before him.
"Concerning?"
"It's about Crawford."
Genoa put his pen down on the desk and gestured towards Kassan.
Kassan rose and handed him a portrait drawn on a piece of paper.
"She is the fiancée of the Duke of Crawford."
"Did you finally succeed in infiltrating the duke's residence?"
When Kassan shook his head with a dark expression, Genoa made a sound of disapproval.
"Then the Duke must have brought his fiancée out with him. Isn't that surprising?"
'If she was mine, I would have been hidden her from everyone, even the imperial family.'
'Did he take her out for the purpose of showing her off?'
"How many people have returned?"
"Only one."
Genoa tapped his finger on the desk.
So far, none of those sent to the Mujas Desert or the Duke of Crawford's territory have returned alive.
But somehow one managed to survive?
Gradually, his doubts hardened into certainty.
However, the reports that followed soon led to confusion.
"At least one person was able to survive, thanks to the different methods deployed during the mission."
"Please elaborate in detail."
Kassan slowly began to explain.
The Ravens always move in two groups, leaving one to deal with any counterattacks.
It was the same method used when monitoring Edwin. Nevertheless, they were always caught and killed by him.
This time they changed their method, thinking the number of escorts would be increased to protect his fiancée.
They increased the groups to three, and the third group moved independently from the others.
Any information obtained by the first and second groups were sent directly to the third team.
It was a desperate measure used to ensure they didn't lose the acquired information.
Once again, the first and second groups were captured by the duke knights, who were known as the Wolves.
Fortunately, the third team fled quickly, but they noticed too late and were pursued by the Wolves.
Thus, it was a significant achievement for even a single person to come back alive.
Genoa's brows furrowed after hearing Kassan's explanation.
"What is the status of the one who have returned alive?"
"He was seriously injured."
"Did it appear to be a planned outing?"
"It seemed like a purposeful outing. He chose the busiest area downtown and carried his fiancée the entire time."
"Wait, who was he carrying?"
Genoa's expression was filled with disbelief.
"The duke carried his fiancée from the moment he exited the carriage."
"Ha!"
Genoa smirked enthusiastically.
The man, who can't control his madness or bloodthirstiness, has been seen carrying a woman?
'Has his mind reached its limit due to the madness?'
Otherwise, there was no other explanation for the duke's actions.
'No. If he had gone crazy, he would have killed the woman, not carry her around.'
Genoa examined the portrait of Angelina.
"Are you sure she is really blonde? Did you get a closer look at her eyes?"
"Yes, several people have confirmed it."
"Have you checked whether her hair is dyed or not?"
"After two hours, her hair color didn't change."
"There's no way to permanently alter one's appearance in this way, so she can't be Jueri."
Nothing made sense.
'Why is he acting like he cares for his fiancée if she's not even a Jueri?'
Of course, Angelina was a beauty, even in a portrait, which meant she would be exceptionally beautiful in person.
'But where did the duke find this beauty?'
The duke always seemed repulsed by everyone, regardless of age or gender.
"Did you notice any special abilities?"
"There was nothing particularly special about her."
As Cassan continued his report, Genoa's brows furrowed more and more.
He glanced at the portrait of Angelina again.
A beautiful woman, who was also a commoner, with no special ability or connections.
However, the duke seemed to enjoy dating, was buying expensive jewelry, and acting as if he cherished her.
'Is that the only reason?'
Perhaps something was wrong with his body, therefore he needed a successor.
The Crawford Family has been blonde for generations. His fiancée also happens to be blonde.
Regardless of the Duchess' hair color, she always birthed a child with blonde hair.
'But what if it wasn't possible to produce any successors?'
Then the Duchess must be blonde to ensure the legitimacy of the successor.
If you knew what to look for, eventually, all the pieces fall into place.