The Kidnapped Prince is Mine Now - Chapter 66

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 66
“…What are you asking me?”
“You must be occupied with settling your startled mind for now, so I shall call upon you again at a later time.”
“….”
“Until then, I pray you remain in good health. Farewell.”
The man bowed deeply in courtesy, then turned without hesitation. The Head Maidservant appeared to wish to stop him and speak, but he left no opening for her to do so.
Clara whispered to me as I watched the man’s retreating figure.
“That is Leopold, Commander of the Imperial Guard. I understand he is a prominent member of the First Prince Faction.”
“…Yes.”
I had known from the moment he appeared before my bedroom with the Head Maidservant.
I had seen him often in Maximilian’s chambers as well. The mad First Prince had enjoyed receiving Leopold’s reports while indulging in my intimate caresses.
“….”
No. Let me bury that memory away.
What I could discern was that today’s events would reach Maximilian’s ears in meticulous detail. How it would influence what lay ahead, I could not say.
‘He will absolutely demand to know how I killed the Assassin.’
Having come this far, there were limits to how much I could conceal the power I possessed.
I would do only what I could. For now.
“Head Maidservant.”
At my quiet summons, the Head Maidservant’s shoulders trembled. I had to commend her for the composure that had settled over her features in the interim.
“You called for me, Your Highness?”
“As I said before. I cannot trust anyone except those who are mine.”
“….”
“From this moment forward, all matters concerning me shall proceed through Clara and Hilda, my two maidservants. Should anyone approach my bedroom without their permission, regardless of who they are, I shall regard them as an Assassin. See that you understand this.”
“But Your Highness. I am the Head Maidservant of this place,”
“If you cannot accept this, then leave the Princess Consort’s Palace. This space exists for ‘me’, not for you.”
At my final words, the Head Maidservant fell silent. In that moment, I saw an emotion flicker across her face.
‘How dare she.’
It was the gaze of one enraged as though suffering grave insult from one of lowly station.
Yet even that vanished behind a rigid mask in the blink of an eye.
“…I understand, Your Highness. What shall be done about tidying the bedroom?”
“I shall send Clara down shortly. Choose three or four maidservants from among those with idle hands.”
“Understood. Then I wish you rest. Should you have need of me, please call at any time.”
“Very well.”
The Head Maidservant bowed quietly and withdrew.
Thus those remaining were only Clara, Hilda, and myself.
“Hilda, the door.”
At Clara’s words, Hilda closed the bedroom door as though she had been waiting for the signal.
Clara withdrew a handkerchief from her bosom and wiped my face, murmuring softly.
“For Your Highness to suffer such indignity on your first day…. I am sorry for failing to protect you.”
“No, I anticipated it to some degree.”
“Please tell me in detail what happened.”
I recounted everything that had occurred in the bedroom while Clara tended to my face with gentle hands.
Upon hearing the story of how Irma had spewed vile insults before meeting her end, Hilda stamped her foot in indignation.
“How dare she speak such nonsense to the Crown Prince’s Consort! I shall kill her myself!”
“I’ve already killed her.”
“Ah, of course! You did wonderfully!”
Perhaps it was her youth.
Observing her carefully, Hilda seemed to be a different breed of Staufen than Rotar or the Staufen Margrave.
Like a spirited young gorilla, one might say.
Clara, who had listened to my account with careful attention, seemed to have grasped something but held her tongue.
Instead, she squeezed my hand firmly and nodded.
“I understand. There will be much to investigate, but first….”
“First?”
“You must bathe.”
Ah, of course.
Clara rose and immediately divided the tasks with Hilda.
“Hilda, I’ll go downstairs and select the maidservants who seem trustworthy. In a situation like this, they won’t be able to do anything anyway.”
“Yes, then I shall assist in preparing your appearance. You must meet with Rotar today after all!”
Hilda responded cheerfully and helped me to my feet.
I surveyed the ruined bed and blood-stained room, scratching the back of my neck.
“Have I made too much of a mess?”
“Not at all, Your Highness! It was necessary to humble her once and for all!”
Clara nodded in agreement with Hilda’s words.
“Indeed, Your Highness. Now that she knows you possess the strength to defend against assassination, she will not attempt such attacks again.”
That much was a relief. I too had no desire to engage in periodic battles of kill-or-be-killed.
‘Did Rotar often face such incidents within the Imperial Palace?’
Clara left the bedroom to summon the maidservants.
I moved toward the bathroom with Hilda, reflecting on the final engagement of a grueling day.
Meeting with Rotar.
‘I wish to see him soon.’
To learn what had happened to him. To share what had befallen me this day.
Like conversations on the bed before sleep, I wished to speak with him. Though I knew not if sufficient time would be granted for such intimacy.
“….”
I longed to see him. My husband.
***
Rotar was imprisoned in a basement at the Northern Outskirts of Imperial Palace.
Near the Misty Lake, the lowest level of the towering Iron Tower was said to be where political prisoners were confined.
Normally, a body search before visitation would be mandatory, as would an escort guard.
However, members of the Imperial Family naturally became exceptions to all rules. As though no one dared lay hands upon celestial beings.
‘Damn it.’
Of course, for me right now, it was a blessing.
I left Hilda at the top of the tower and descended the underground stairs slowly.
The number of guards stationed at each level’s entrance diminished as I went deeper. The humid, frigid air grew progressively more glacial.
I drew a thick shawl across my shoulders and set foot on the lowest level’s floor. The guard at the entrance, having heard of my arrival, bowed without a trace of surprise.
“Welcome, Second Prince’s Consort. The Second Prince awaits you in the Visitation Room.”
I followed the guard’s guidance down the corridor.
So this was where political prisoners were held. I glimpsed inside, but saw only ash-gray stone walls and a succession of iron doors. The structure revealed nothing of who was confined in each cell.
The Visitation Room was not far from the lowest level’s entrance. The guard opened the door and informed me of the rules.
“Forgive me, but I must remain inside and stand guard at the door. Please note that physical contact between you and the prisoner is prohibited.”
“Understood.”
I hadn’t intended to kiss Rotar in the Visitation Room anyway. Though I must admit, it was disappointing.
I passed through the door the guard held open and stepped inside. And I saw him.
“…Rotar.”
His ash-brown hair had grown slightly longer than when I last saw him. His sharp features suggested he had lost some weight.
Yet the green eyes that held my gaze remained unchanged—it was Rotar, the man I knew.
He rose from his seat as though to embrace me at once. But then he noticed the guard who had entered behind me, and he stood motionless, restraining himself.
I offered him a bitter smile and moved to the opposite seat.
Between us lay a wide table. The distance was too great to reach across.
I wanted nothing more than to climb onto that table and throw myself into his arms. To breathe in deeply the scent of him I had missed for so long, to feel the warmth of his body and the firmness of his skin against mine.
When had it begun? When had I come to crave one man’s soul so desperately?
It was an unfamiliar, unsettling sensation. I had never imagined I could love someone like this.
Rotar’s state seemed little different. His gaze lingered upon my eyes, my cheeks, my lips—so intently it burned.
Without the guard present, we would have kissed and shared breath in an instant.
Yet the time granted to us was not generous.
‘Thirty minutes.’
Within that span, I had to share what had happened to each of us and discuss our plans ahead.
With the guard standing watch at the entrance, I could not speak of anything that others must not know.
“I was attacked on my way here.”
So I began with what could be safely revealed.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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