Troublesome Prince (2)
At the Fourth Prince’s words, the maids gathered there lowered their heads and glanced at each other cautiously.
There had been talks of marriage between them.
Does that mean the Duchess was originally supposed to marry that good-for-nothing Prince?
Meanwhile, Leonhardt spoke with an even colder expression than usual.
“I’m afraid my wife won’t be able to greet you today.”
“Why not?”
“She’s not feeling well and is resting in her room.”
“Oh my, is the Duchess unwell?”
“It seems the sudden change in environment has taken a toll on her body. I’m afraid she won’t be able to leave the bedroom.”
“What a shame. To fall ill just when I’ve come to visit. How disappointing.”
Justin crossed his arms, shrugging his shoulders as if truly regretful.
“By the way, I guess not all Bashars are as sturdy as I thought. You must be worried, Duke. After all, the Duchess needs to be healthy to bear an heir quickly.”
“…I appreciate your concern, but we’re not yet at an age to think about heirs.”
“Haha, that’s right! Our Duke of Esbaden is still so vigorous that news of his exploits reaches the capital daily!”
The Prince burst into hearty laughter at Leonhardt’s stiff response and lightly slapped his shoulder.
“Well, I’m hungry. Shall we eat first? There’s alcohol too, I assume?”
At Justin’s question, the head maid who had been standing silently stepped forward.
“As per the Duke’s instructions, we’ve prepared the sweet wine that Your Highness enjoys.”
The Prince’s lips curled up at the mention of sweet wine prepared especially for him.
“Haha! The central nobles should learn from the Duke’s thoughtfulness! Well then, shall we go?”
Following the head maid, he seemed much more cheerful than before, apparently quite pleased with the Duke’s unusually accommodating attitude.
*** *** *** *** ***
“My sister is indeed a very clever person. But I think she’s lacking to become an emperor.”
Justin continued speaking as he cut into the steak served for the meal.
“Why? Because she’s a woman. Women are too weak. They are unsuitable for the heavy responsibility of being an emperor. After all, women are fragile beings that can break with just a little force, aren’t they?”
He threw a heated gaze at the Duke, as if seeking his agreement.
Leonhardt, who was quietly eating his meal while sitting across from him, reluctantly opened his mouth.
“From what I know, Her Highness the First Princess is not someone who would break easily.”
“Well, that’s true. Even though she was born a woman, she has exceptional magical talent. Though I’m not sure how useful a frail magician would be.”
Justin clicked his tongue in annoyance.
His only older sister, the First Princess ‘Yulia von Bentrum,’ was currently the first in line for the throne and one of the strongest magicians in the empire.
She was also a thorn in Justin’s side.
If it weren’t for her, the throne would practically be his. A few years ago, Justin had hoped that her frail constitution would lead to an early death, but that was no longer the case.
“There is an order to the world, you see. Healing magic disrupts that order. People are supposed to live out their natural lifespans.”
He shrugged his shoulders regretfully and tapped the empty wine glass beside him with his fork.
However, despite the signal that the glass was empty, the maids were too busy watching for cues.
This was because the head maid had left strict instructions that no one but herself should approach Justin.
Unfortunately, the head maid had temporarily left to instruct the next course.
In the end, one of the maids stepped forward with a nervous face.
The prince was known to be a tyrant who would behead someone for the slightest offense, so it was natural for her to be more nervous than usual.
The maid approached the prince and carefully tilted the wine bottle.
But perhaps due to her excessive nervousness, she ended up spilling some wine on Justin’s hand.
The faces of the maids watching the scene turned pale.
“So, sorry, Your Highness!”
The maid who was pouring the wine knelt down with a face as pale as a sheet.
Meanwhile, Justin nonchalantly extended his wine-soaked hand towards her.
“Wipe it.”
“Excuse me?”
The maid was bewildered by the prince’s action of extending his hand without even looking at her.
“I said wipe it. You spilled the wine, so you should clean it up.”
At Justin’s words, the maid seemed to come to her senses and crawled on her knees towards the prince.
Just as she took out a handkerchief from her bosom to wipe the prince’s hand, Justin’s large hand grabbed the back of her head and pulled her close.
“Aagh!”
The maid let out a scream as she grabbed her own hair.
But the prince seemed to have no intention of letting her go.
He gritted his teeth as he watched the maid burst into tears with a scream.
“How dare you try to use such a filthy rag on me?”
“I’m, I’m sorry! I’m so sorry…”
“Oh? Are you truly sorry to me?”
“Yes, yes! Please, please forgive me, Your Highness!”
Justin raised one corner of his mouth as he looked at the maid begging with her hands clasped together.
“My forgiveness is expensive. How do you intend to pay for it?”
“That… that is…”
As the flustered maid stammered, Leonhardt spoke up.
“That’s enough, Your Highness.”
Leonhardt was now staring at him with fierce eyes.
His eyes, reminiscent of a cold winter sky, gleamed chillingly.
Justin frowned, seemingly displeased with the Duke’s attempt to stop him.
“Did the Duke not see the disrespect this wench committed against me? Yet you tell me to stop?”
He bared his teeth while shaking the maid’s hair.
“She has defiled a member of the imperial family, so her crime deserves death…”
“Your Highness.”
At that moment, a voice much lower and more chilling than before pierced the prince’s eardrums.
“That’s, enough.”
It was a short but powerful statement.
At this threatening suggestion, Justin turned his head with a face as stiff as plaster.
Leonhardt, sitting across from him, was staring intently at the prince while emptying his wine glass.
Under that intense gaze, Justin unconsciously shrank back.
Though his pride was hurt, it was instinctive and unavoidable.
Who wouldn’t freeze when being glared at by the knight known as the strongest in the empire?
Even the Emperor would have to back down in the face of such a look.
Finally, when not a single drop of wine remained in the glass, Leonhardt quietly put it down and spoke again.
“I don’t wish for a commotion on the day Your Highness has come to congratulate my marriage. Please be lenient.”
“Ahem! If you put it that way, I suppose I have no choice.”
Justin released the maid with a disgruntled expression.
The maid, unable to even think about fixing her disheveled hair, sat trembling on the floor.
It was the head maid, who had just returned, who quickly helped the maid up and managed the situation.
“I apologize, Your Highness. I will make sure she is severely punished so that such disrespect never happens again.”
“Forget it, just get out of here. Looking at that ugly face is ruining my appetite.”
As Justin waved his hand dismissively, the Duke supported him.
“Everyone, leave.”
At Leonhardt’s single command, the maids waiting in the dining room hurried away like the tide.
The only ones left in the now silent dining room were the Grand Duke of Esbaden, the Fourth Prince, and the Prince’s bodyguard.
“I’ve thought this for a while, but the Duke has quite the peculiar taste.”
Justin leaned back in his chair, twirling his fork.
“Just look at the maids. How did you manage to pick such ugly ones? If it were me, I’d be so disgusted I wouldn’t even be able to lift a spoon. Ah, or do they have some other exceptional talents?”
For someone of noble status, his words were incredibly vulgar, but Leonhardt didn’t bat an eye.
He knew better than anyone that this was just how the Fourth Prince was.
“Well, thanks to the Duke’s peculiar taste, I managed to save my life.”
Justin shrugged his shoulders and then asked the Duke with a curious look.
“So, what does our Duchess look like? Is she as hideous as the rumors say, so much so that you can’t even look at her?”
“……”
At the Prince’s question, Leonhardt unconsciously recalled the day he first met his wife.
That day, the face that slowly emerged from beneath the red hood was far from being plain.
No, in hindsight, she was rather dazzling.
Of course, it was probably because of the sunlight she was standing against.
“Oh dear. It must be quite unpleasant if you’re frowning like that.”
Perhaps because he frowned while recalling her silver hair reflecting the sunlight, Justin chuckled as he watched the Duke’s expression.
“Haha, that’s unfortunate. If she were that hideous, I would have refused to meet her even once.”
The Prince smacked his lips as if he were genuinely disappointed.
“Still, I couldn’t refuse a woman who is practically a symbol of the alliance in a fit of anger. But I never imagined the Duke would accept this marriage so readily.”
“…It was only natural to accept it for the sake of the alliance with Bashar.”
“Haha, I can see why His Majesty cherishes you. Such fervent loyalty, he must be very reassured.”
Leonhardt lowered his eyes as he watched the Fourth Prince, who was amusing himself with his own words.
Fourth Prince Justin von Bentrum.
Though he was known as a good-for-nothing prince, he was also known as a devoted man who had remained celibate after losing two wives in accidents. At least, that was how the public saw him, but the truth was far from the rumors.
The two wives who were said to have died in accidents were actually beaten to death by the Fourth Prince himself, unable to control his anger. And Leonhardt was one of the few who knew this fact.
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