Chapter 18
Despite the ridiculous excuse, the Crown Prince still looked at Uncle with that cute, affectionate gaze and took the lead as he walked ahead.
I was about to follow them when I noticed the gem on my magical bracelet glinting, so I headed toward a secluded corner of the garden.
The bracelet’s effect was about to wear off.
It recharges under sunlight, after all.
I glanced around and, seeing that no one was nearby, pressed the gem to cancel the invisibility.
Then I placed the bracelet on a sunlit stone and hid in the shade of a tree.
“Ha…”
What a grueling day.
I crouched and let out a long sigh.
The magical bracelet would take about ten minutes to recharge.
In the meantime, I hid behind a tree trunk to keep my presence secret.
I was just about to glance up at the sky when—
Shing-
A sharp sound, and something cold pressed against my neck.
My pale, frightened face was reflected on a well-polished blade.
“So that’s why I felt like someone was watching. A little mouse sneaked in, huh?”
Wait… why is the Crown Prince here?
The blade at my neck made it impossible to swallow.
I scanned the surroundings with tense eyes, but Uncle, who had gone with the Crown Prince, was nowhere to be seen.
Even if I tried to hide again, the problem was that the magical bracelet wasn’t in my hand.
I swallowed hard and stared down at the gleaming blade.
“Hands up.”
I raised both hands obediently.
“Turn your head.”
“Th-the blade…”
“Turn it.”
The Crown Prince showed no mercy for my predicament.
I carefully turned my head, avoiding the edge of the blade.
The chilling sensation of steel pressing against my neck was horrifying.
I felt warm blood trickle down my neck as I looked at the Crown Prince.
“Miss…”
The Crown Prince frowned.
Had he recognized me?
We’d met before at the Marquis’s residence, and I had introduced myself… maybe he remembered.
I bit my lip nervously as the Crown Prince asked softly:
“Who are you?”
Wait… he can’t even remember after I introduced myself?
I stared at him in disbelief.
“I’m Renée of the Sober family.”
But with a blade at my neck, I kept my introduction brief and polite.
“Ah, Miss Sober. What business do you have sneaking into the First Princess’s palace?”
He asked without lowering the blade.
I swallowed dryly and racked my brain for an excuse.
There was really only one option.
Sighing internally, I looked at the Crown Prince with teary eyes and said:
“To be honest, I’m a huge fan of Your Highness. I never had the chance to see you, but I heard you were attending the First Princess’s tea party today…”
I had intended to see him…
“Hey, you little—!”
Suddenly, Uncle appeared.
I widened my eyes as I watched him running from afar, and then…
“Who do you think you’re pointing a blade at?!”
He literally flew across the distance—well, briefly—and kicked the blade away in a spectacular display.
Clang!
The sword flew across the ground with a loud crash.
Uncle scowled at the Crown Prince, while the Crown Prince’s eyes grew huge, as if they might pop out of his head, flicking between the fallen sword and Uncle.
And then I saw it.
[World Destruction: 13%]
A window appeared in my vision.
Rumble-
Thunder cracked, and a crimson fissure stretched across the sky, growing larger.
I hurriedly grabbed Uncle’s arm.
But he wasn’t calming down easily.
“U-uncle… Beatrice. Calm down.”
“That idiot pointed a blade at you! How can I calm down? Didn’t you say the blade wouldn’t hit?!”
“That was your story. I…”
Being an extra, it’s probably fine if I get hit.
I swallowed the words stuck in my throat and focused on calming down Uncle.
“Beatrice, go to the carriage first. I’ll talk to His Highness for a moment…”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Or are you planning to get stabbed again?”
“You weren’t hit…”
“Let’s wipe the blood off my neck first, then talk, okay?”
Ah, right. I did have a cut on my neck.
I hurriedly covered it; my hands were smeared with slick blood.
Seeing me check my neck, Uncle grimaced and reached out, then firmly grabbed my neck.
“So when exactly do you plan on stopping the bleeding?”
His firm hand pressed on the wound, nearly making me scream.
Bleeding control really hurts.
Following Uncle’s guidance, I pressed my neck and looked at the Crown Prince.
“Your Highness.”
The Crown Prince, who had been staring blankly at Uncle, finally snapped out of it and looked at me.
I bowed deeply, apologizing.
“I’m sorry. I was too carried away by my admiration for Your Highness and did something I shouldn’t have. If punishment is warranted, I will accept it…”
“Punishment? No, that idiot should be punished for pointing a blade at you.”
Uncle, please, just stay still.
He had handled himself well at the tea party, but in a crisis, he seemed to forget where he was.
I discreetly elbowed Uncle’s side to signal him and continued.
“If punishment is necessary, I will accept it willingly.”
“You did it out of admiration for me?”
“Yes. Exactly.”
“And you said you’re my fan.”
Fortunately, he seemed to remember my excuse.
I had worried that Uncle’s shocking entrance might have made him forget.
“Yes. That’s entirely plausible.”
The Crown Prince was delightfully self-absorbed.
It was far better to indulge his ego with “I like you, that’s why” than to drag out excuses.
Sure enough, he finally nodded, as if he understood.
“We’ll talk more about this later. For now, go get treated.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
The Crown Prince picked up the fallen sword, sheathed it, and then looked at Uncle.
“And Miss Sober, he was your close friend, right? I understand your anger at seeing someone you care about get hurt. I apologize for that.”
Wow… 100% affection really is scary.
Despite kicking his sword and cursing, the affection remained maxed.
Shouldn’t it have dropped? Then I realized why: the Crown Prince really liked Beatrice’s face.
Even in the original story, Beatrice could do anything, and he’d forgive her just by looking at her.
Ugh, cursed appearance worship.
Kicking the Crown Prince’s sword and cursing him would have been a capital offense anywhere else, but he actually apologized.
Feeling the heroine’s power, I jabbed Uncle’s side with my elbow.
We needed to restore narrative consistency.
I signaled Uncle to say he was okay, but he folded his arms and scoffed instead.
“Just apologizing won’t do it.”
Uncle, your politeness alone isn’t enough.
Hiding my frustration, I called out:
“Beatrice?”
“Your Highness has apologized. Why not let it go? I was also wrong for sneaking into the palace.”
Uncle moved his lips to argue, but I quickly jabbed his side again.
With a groan, he shut his mouth, glaring at the Crown Prince with sharp, blue eyes.
Why glare at the Crown Prince when I’m the one hitting you?
I jabbed him once more, signaling him to stop that disrespectful gaze.
He sighed, clicked his tongue, and conceded.
“Fine, fine. Let’s call it even.”
