The Kidnapped Prince is Mine Now - Chapter 78

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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 78
I knew it well. Far too well.
I smiled faintly in place of Leopold, whose composure had completely vanished.
“I was only joking. Surely the Commander of the Imperial Guard isn’t so easily frightened?”
Of course, I didn’t forget to needle Leopold’s temperament one last time.
I handed him the pistol and added, “Study it carefully. After all, there’s no one else in this world who can use this weapon.”
Someday, ordinary firearms would be invented in this world as well.
However, the magical guns of Lumeknia, which were founded on ancient magic, had a fundamentally different structure from ordinary pistols.
Ordinary people without magical power could spend all day holding them and still find nothing but connections to ancient magical weapons.
Yet Leopold’s expression became noticeably more at ease the moment he took the gun. It seemed he was relieved now that the weapon that had nearly blown his head off was in his hands.
“Thank you, Your Majesty. I will return it after my investigation.”
“Yes, let’s hope that’s true.”
“How could I ever deceive Your Majesty?”
True. That was simply who you were.
I gripped the staff in my hand tightly as I watched Leopold tuck the pistol into his coat.
‘Yes, be satisfied with that.’
I had never intended to reveal all my cards from the beginning. He wouldn’t suspect that I possessed two such mysterious weapons.
‘In close combat, the pistol would be far more advantageous, but it can’t be helped.’
I rose from my seat, already thinking of the day I would truly crack Leopold’s skull and reclaim the pistol.
“Is there anything else you need from me?”
But Leopold didn’t let me go so easily.
“No, Your Majesty. You must also explain the circumstances of that day.”
“….”
Right. A Commander of the Imperial Guard remains a Commander of the Imperial Guard.
In the end, I had to sit back down and explain the situation according to the questions Leopold posed.
Of course, I left out everything related to Frederike’s hint.
When asked how I knew the Assassin was hiding under the bed, I gave the most convenient answer available to me in this world.
“The Pelmira Goddess told me in a dream.”
“….”
Leopold merely raised one eyebrow and didn’t press the matter. The impression from the shooting demonstration I’d just shown him must have been quite profound.
‘Now that I think about it, I haven’t met the Cat in my dreams lately.’
That pristine white tuxedo cat that had visited my dreams during the difficult times in Graupels.
I hadn’t seen it since learning how to shoot. What on earth had it been?
***
***
Leopold’s questioning continued for nearly thirty minutes.
As I awkwardly dodged several leading questions, I felt my energy draining away.
Watching him rise from his seat with composure restored, I silently cheered inwardly.
“Thank you for your cooperation with the investigation, Your Majesty.”
Fine, you bastard. I’m going back to drink milk tea with honey poured generously into it.
I left the Reception Room through the door Leopold had opened for me.
“Please return safely, Your Majesty.”
I deliberately ignored his farewell as he bowed his head.
The moment I stepped out of the main building of the Imperial Guard Headquarters, I encountered Hanna.
“Your Majesty!”
Hanna clung to me with tears glistening in her eyes, as if she were reuniting with a long-lost family member.
“Why did you take so long coming out! This place is so frightening!”
“You didn’t have much to testify about anyway.”
I took Hanna’s whimpering hand and looked around. Clara was nowhere to be seen.
“Where is Clara?”
“She hasn’t come out yet. But, Your Majesty, that’s not it.”
Hanna pressed herself against me excessively, lowering her voice.
Wondering what was wrong, I turned my head to find Hanna’s face drained of color as if she’d seen a ghost.
“I received a note from one of the Imperial Guards as I was leaving the Reception Room.”
“…A note?”
Hanna pulled out the note from her bosom and handed it to me.
As I carefully unfolded it, a strange sense of déjà vu washed over me.
The texture of the fine paper and the way it was folded.
‘Could it be.’
And there it was—a familiar handwriting.
「I wish to meet in secret. Right now.」
-Frederike
It was her.
Unlike the previous note, this one even had her name written on it. Below it was a small sketch of a map.
An empty Attendant’s Quarters between the Imperial Guard Headquarters and the Inner Palace—a security blind spot cleverly hidden from the Guard’s patrol routes.
Even from the brief description, it seemed fitting for a clandestine meeting place.
Had Frederike anticipated that I would be at the Imperial Guard Headquarters at this hour? Had she planted someone inside the Guard, unknown even to Leopold, to deliver this note?
“…”
What should I do?
This required careful consideration. I didn’t know Frederike’s intentions. I couldn’t yet be certain whether she wanted to help me or if she was setting a trap to harm me.
However, it was undeniable that I had received genuine help from Frederike on the day I entered the palace. Without her hint, I likely would have missed the Assassin beneath the bed and met a dog’s death.
Then was accepting this meeting the best choice?
‘Of all times, Clara is absent.’
The only person beside me to consult was Hanna, who was nervously shifting her weight from foot to foot.
What could I ask her? It was better to decide alone.
I swallowed hard, biting at my lip.
“Your Majesty, I…”
Hanna opened her mouth carefully, her voice barely above a whisper.
“The Imperial Guard who gave me the note said there would be no need to meet again.”
“…!”
No need to meet again.
On the surface, it seemed like words meant to comfort Hanna, who was anxiously awaiting her interrogation as a witness.
But if the Imperial Guard who delivered the note had spoken those words, the meaning changed entirely.
They were not directed at Hanna—they were meant for me.
A warning that if I did not go now, there would be no opportunity to meet him again.
“…Hanna.”
“Yes, yes?”
“When you’re torn between going and not going, what do you usually do?”
“Oh, um, I….”
Hanna hesitated at the sudden question before answering carefully.
“I go. I hate being left with regrets or lingering attachments later….”
That was so like Hanna. After all, she had even gone through with an affair despite her hesitation.
Thinking this way, it felt wrong to ignore what she had said.
“…Let’s walk a little toward the Inner Palace. I need a change of scenery.”
“Ah, yes!”
I had no time to wait for Clara. I had made up my mind to meet Frederike.
No matter how I thought about it, there was no reason for her to lure me to a secluded place just to harm me.
And if she truly wanted me dead, she would have tried an easier method first.
Poison, for instance. Had my first life not ended that way?
‘Hanna’s words are right.’
I should have gone then. Clinging to regrets did not suit my nature.
***
The location Frederike had indicated was an abandoned building just a few minutes’ walk away.
‘So this was the Attendant’s Quarters.’
They say the darkest place is beneath the lamp. I never imagined I would be meeting in secret right under the nose of the Guard Corps Headquarters.
The vacant quarters felt desolate and eerie in ways I couldn’t quite name. I recalled the map from the note and made my way toward the back of the building.
“Um, um, Your Highness.”
Hanna followed behind me the entire way, her anxiety evident in every step.
Rather than turn around to face her trembling voice, I surveyed my surroundings as I responded.
“What is it?”
“Well, actually, there’s something I should tell you….”
“Yes, go ahead.”
According to the map, this should be the meeting place.
Not a trace of Frederike—not even an ant in sight.
What is this? Have I been stood up?
“Your Highness, the truth is, in the Reception Room…. Gahhk!”
“…?”
A strange sound.
I spun around reflexively, and my body went rigid.
“…Hanna?”
Eyes wide open in an uncanny, unnatural way.
Her mouth hung open as if to speak, yet would not close.
Hanna’s severed body lay scattered across the floor.
“Hanna.”
Just seconds ago, she had been alive. Something was terribly wrong.
The shock reverberated through my skull like a bell. I stumbled backward, reaching for my cane to draw the rifle concealed within.
A soft tap.
Something hard pressed against my back.
And in that same instant, I caught a scent I knew all too well.
“Hello, Elise.”
A deep bergamot fragrance.
Maximilian stood behind me.

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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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