Chapter 28
Four days ago, Deneb, the lord of the Altair territory, publicly announced the outbreak of an epidemic. The residents of the Altair Duchy were increasingly worried as the situation grew more serious by the day.
āDid you hear about that?ā
āHear what?ā
āWell, I heard the imperial family is sending someone. And not just anyoneāthe Crown Prince himself.ā
āSigh⦠Letās just hope he doesnāt interfere with the lordās directives.ā
āWhat do you mean by that?ā
āZhang, you havenāt lived in the duchy for long, right? I might get arrested for treason just for saying this, but the imperial family has always been the worst to us. Whether it’s a year of plenty or famine, they always take our wheat. Itās a miracle our lord hasnāt raised the taxes yet.ā
As soon as he finished with a sigh, a dust cloud appeared in the distance. Zhang nudged the man next to him.
āSpeak of the devil, there he comes.ā
Crown Prince Respan Procyon of the Empire and his retinue were just entering the duchy. The two commoners bowed their heads respectfully.
* * *
Lemine stood with a hand on his hip, openly displaying his boredom. He spoke to Arin beside him just for something to do.
āNo new orders from the lord?ā
āHe just told us to do our assigned duties well.ā
āAre you contacting him again today?ā
āUnfortunately, the crystal orb ran out of power two days ago. Honestly, itās a miracle it lasted this longāit was only a 10-minute recording orb, after allā¦ā
Arin trailed off as she straightened up. In the distance, she spotted thirty riders approaching on horseback.
āTheyāre here!ā
A soldier on recon duty shouted through a magical telescope, and the other knights also straightened up. As the dust settled, the man who had mentally tormented Arin these past days appeared.
Respan Procyon. The title āprince on a white horseā fit him perfectly. His radiant golden hair, almost translucent pale skin, and dimples that deepened when he smiled only amplified his charm.
āLemine Abistane, Second Knight Commander of Altair, greets the Empireās Little Sun.ā
At Lemineās greeting, everyone who had come to welcome the Crown Prince bowed their heads. Respanās pale blue eyes calmly took in the well-armed and disciplined formation. He immediately sensed that Altairās subordinates were no ordinary soldiers.
An army so desirable it made his mouth water. Respan hid his greed and put on a picture-perfect benevolent smile.
āIām curious to know the current situation.ā
Just like the novel described, Respan was a man who captured people with smooth talk. Even though he spoke formally, those icy blue eyes were impossible to defy. He was the epitome of soft charisma.
āHaha! Allow me to escort you to your quarters. We can speak more there.ā
Even as he chuckled, Lemine never let go of the upper hand. Respan could tell it wouldnāt be easy to gain control in Altair.
They moved to a temporary command room in the village of Cogain. The space was cramped, so only four people entered: Lemine, Arin, Respan, and one of his knights.
āI am Count Giran Reiss, Crown Princeās escort knight.ā
Giran, known for his nosy personality, played a comic relief role in the novel. Arin felt a strange sense of familiarity toward him.
āOnce again, Iām Lemine Abistane.ā
āArin Yan, Vice Commander of the Second Knight Order.ā
In that era, it was rare for a woman to become the second-in-command of a group. A female knightāespecially a vice commanderāwas almost unheard of. Both Respan and Giranās eyes landed on Arin. For a woman to hold such a position meant she possessed overwhelming skill.
RespĆ”n greatly favored talented individuals, regardless of their origin, gender, or age. Convinced of Arinās ability, he turned his attention toward her.
āA pleasure to meet you.ā
As their eyes met, Arin awkwardly bowed. In moments like these, it was best to avoid direct eye contact.
RespƔn began with a harmless-looking smile.
āIāve heard the situation around the duchy is grave. Iād like to go to the Altair stronghold as soon as possible.ā
āAs Your Highness mentioned, there is currently an epidemic. The Duke is focused on quarantine measures. I suggest you wait until things stabilize.ā
The four exchanged sharp words, each trying to steer the situation in their favor. Arin was impressed at how Lemine could endlessly rephrase the same message: āYour Highness, why would you walk into a plague zone?ā
āThen how about thisāIāll send a fast messenger to the castle and wait for three days.ā
When Respan proposed a compromise, Lemine laughed foolishly.
āOf course, Your Highness. As you command.ā
He accepted the proposal with exaggerated politeness, offering to show Respan to his lodgings. Respanās eyes sparkled at Lemineās sly diplomacy.
āI want to take everything they have.ā
Sensing his predatory intent, both Lemine and Arin shuddered instinctively.
* * *
Yellow (Yello) stared intently at a man who smelled strangely familiar. That man was Respan, and his golden hair was so bright it hurt to look at.
[He smells. Definitely smells.]
Yello decided he needed to keep an eye on him. To assert dominance, he enlarged himself and prowled around Respanās lodging.
As soon as Respan stepped out of the Cogain village quarters, he was startled to see a massive creature staring right at him.
[Suspicious. Very suspicious. Who are you?]
Respan watched in disbelief as the massive beast circled him slowly, growling softly like a street thug.
[Hey! I asked who you are!]
Not getting a response, Yello smacked Respanās rear with his thick paw.
Feeling the soft impact on his backside, Respan was utterly stunned. Not even his parents had ever hit him. And now, an animal?
Thud.
He turned at the sound behind himāonly to find his escort knight, Giran, had dropped his sword and was covering his mouth in shock, eyes wide.
āA knight, dropping his sword? How disgraceful.ā
RespĆ”nās gaze turned cold.
āY-Your Highnessā¦ā
Then Respan noticed Giranās eyes were fixed on his buttocks. The blatant stare filled his mind with question marks.
Trying to recall what had just happened:
Touched (??) by an animal.
Rubbing his own butt while awkwardly laughing.
Smiling after being smacked?
Putting it together⦠didnāt that look like someone discovering a new āinterestā?
RespƔn stared piercingly at Giran, wondering if he had misunderstood.
Giran, meanwhile, was traumatized seeing his prince giggle after getting slapped by a giant leopard. When Respan locked eyes with him, Giran averted his gaze dramatically.
Seeing that, a vein popped on Respanās forehead. He wagged his finger and smiled coldly.
āGiran, are you thinking strange thoughts again? Donāt misunderstand. Thatās not what this is.ā
Giran flinched at the tone shiftāRespanās eyes werenāt smiling at all.
āCome here. Now.ā
āI didnāt think anything weird! I was just⦠facing reality. Also, Your Highness, your eyes⦠arenāt smiling.ā
Respan ground his teeth. His once-pretty dimples quivered with fury. He began ranting while smiling murderously.
“How could you interpret it like that? Are you blind? Whatās wrong with you?”
After a five-part lecture, Respanās expression finally softened. Meanwhile, Giranās face had turned white as a sheet.
Just then, Yello, annoyed by the noise, smacked Respanās butt again.
[Hey Yellow-Hair! Youāre too loud. You gonna keep making a scene in my territory? Iāll eat you in one bite!]
Touched again in that sensitive area, Respanās face flushed bright red.
Arin, passing by, whispered āOh dearā¦ā and clutched her head.
It was Yelloās mistake, so punishment was unavoidable. Arin rushed in and smacked Yelloās back like a scolding mother. The endless scolding was a bonus.
Yello pouted at the nagging. Recognizing his bratty attitude, Arin narrowed her eyes and warned:
āNo snacks. Got it?ā
Threatened, Yello had no choice but to offer a handshake of peace to Respan. He stuck out his tongue and gave a goofy face. Jerky was worth it.
[Sorry for hitting you. But hey, you didnāt dodge. So thatās kind of your fault, right?]
Respan stared at the adorably crying leopard. Unaware of Yelloās thoughts, he awkwardly shook the animalās pawādeclining would make him look petty. And the mewling was just too cute to resist.
The paw was soft and squishy. Respan couldnāt help but press the pink toe beans. When the hidden claw popped out, he looked amazed.
[Yikes! The yellow-hair is squeezing my paw!]
Yello dramatically flopped over, pretending to cry. It was obvious he didnāt want to keep holding hands. What a drama queen. Arin stifled her laughter.
āThank you for your forgiveness.ā
āYes, please be more careful next time. By the way, Sir Arin, your skills are quite impressive. I didnāt know you had mastered both swordsmanship and magicāand now beast-taming too?ā
Calling someone by name so casually usually implied a certain closeness, and Arin was a bit taken aback.
āHeās trying to get closerā¦ā
His sparkling gaze made her uncomfortable, like he was about to investigate every corner of her life. But before she could dwell on it, someone shouted urgently.
āVice Commander Arin! Urgent news. The duchy is under attack!ā