“The assassin last night—”
Siegfried’s words trailed off as his lips tightened into a thin line. He must’ve sensed my puzzled gaze because he soon resumed speaking.
“The assassin came for me. You weren’t hurt, were you?”
“I’m fine. But it seemed like the assassin got hurt.”
“…How do you know that?”
Siegfried’s long eyes narrowed. I hurriedly replied.
“That’s why I asked you before—if you’d made any enemies. And after all that, you kicked me out last night.”
“That’s exactly what’s been bothering me. I couldn’t sleep at all after you left.”
Siegfried let out a slow sigh. Then he stepped back slightly and gestured toward me.
“Come in. I have a feeling you have a lot to say.”
“Ariel?”
As I entered the drawing room, someone called my name. Abusion, who had been sitting on the sofa, looked up in surprise.
“Good morning,” I greeted him with a bright smile.
But Abusion’s face remained serious.
“Why are you here…?”
“Well, I didn’t realize he was an assassin when I met him last night. We ended up drinking together.”
No wonder. When I’d met Killian at the tavern, he barely touched his drink. I’d thought he was just too distracted by me, but now I understood—he was planning to assassinate Siegfried afterward.
If I had known, I could’ve made him drink so much he wouldn’t be able to hold a dagger. This is why not knowing the details of the novel is such a pain.
Is Siegfried going to keep getting targeted like this? Maybe I could’ve prevented this one if I’d acted sooner.
I suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for Siegfried. A fifteen-year-old boy forced to endure so much already.
“What? When? Where? How? And wait—does that mean you saw the assassin’s face?”
“Why don’t you ask one question at a time?”
Abusion quickly stood and questioned me, completely ignoring my suggestion to calm down. He rushed over, grabbed my shoulders with his large hands, and turned me this way and that. After inspecting me thoroughly, he finally relaxed a bit.
“You’re not hurt.”
“Obviously. I look perfectly fine.”
“Still, just in case.”
A faint smile tugged at Abusion’s lips. He must have truly been worried about his only little sister.
“Let me sit down too.”
I gently pushed him aside and sank into the plush sofa. Abusion followed and poured me a cup of tea.
I stared down at the steaming teacup. Moments later, Siegfried entered the room, having shut the door behind him.
“Well, looks like this is the perfect moment for me to be helpful.”
It was pure chance that I’d gone out drinking and met him. I beamed brightly. I didn’t care how the original novel played out—that wasn’t my concern.
Still, I hadn’t expected Eisa to be this dangerous. Sending an assassin all the way to southern Elifritz from the capital?
If something had gone wrong, not just Siegfried but everyone in the mansion could’ve been in danger.
It would probably be best for me to go after Killian now. Either way, Eisa was officially off the list of potential husbands.
“His name was Killian Ifression. He had silver hair and was a bit over 180 cm tall. Oh, and he came into my room last night.”
At that, Siegfried froze and stared at me, stunned. His pale face flickered with complicated emotions.
The ones I could most clearly read were guilt and regret—probably because of how he’d kicked me out last night. I was certain.
“Thankfully, he didn’t harm me. The knights arrived soon after, and Killian fled. But there was blood where he’d been standing, so I figured he must’ve been injured.”
When I finished, Siegfried looked like he had a lot to say.
“…If only I had listened to you more carefully.”
“I’m just glad you’re listening now. Killian had a portrait of Your Highness. That’s why I came to find you.”
To be fair, it was quite late when I visited him last night. So I couldn’t exactly blame him for how he reacted.
I smiled gently at him, as if to say it was okay. He lowered his head slightly, touching his lips thoughtfully, and asked,
“Even if you were angry, I wouldn’t blame you. But this isn’t something you should be saying with such a cheerful smile. You were in danger—because of me.”
“You were the one in danger, Your Highness.”
Now that I thought about it—Killian was injured, but what about Siegfried? He looked fine on the surface, but that didn’t mean much.
He was wearing his usual dark, fully covering shirt today.
“This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. Besides, I was awake after you left, so I was able to respond quickly when the assassin came.”
“So it was you who hurt Killian, then?”
“I didn’t manage a full counterattack—my wrist is still like this.”
Siegfried rolled up his sleeve slightly. The handkerchief I’d wrapped around his wrist yesterday was still there.
“You should’ve used a bandage.”
“You tied it well. It doesn’t hurt.”
Well, that was a relief. I nodded in satisfaction.
Once he lowered his sleeve again, we returned to the previous topic.
“So, was Killian hired by the Crown Prince?”
“How much have you heard?”
“Just starting from that part.”
Siegfried let out a faint sigh and rubbed his eyes wearily.
“The only one who would go this far to kill me is Eisa. I’m sorry for dragging you all into this.”
“Please don’t say that. Of course Your Highness’s safety is the top priority,” Abusion replied firmly.
At that, a hint of relief softened Siegfried’s expression.
“I’m glad to hear that.”
He looked visibly lighter. Good. No fifteen-year-old should have to carry the weight of death threats.
I couldn’t help but smile too.
Siegfried glanced at me, then suddenly pointed to his upper arm, as if he remembered something.
“About here—I cut the assassin’s arm. The wound was deep. He won’t be returning anytime soon.”
“Still, we’ll assign a guard to you from today, just in case.”
“I can handle myself.”
“But—”
“Sir Abusion, I’m truly fine.”
At Abusion’s worried insistence, Siegfried chuckled. The way his lips curved was beautiful. It felt like roses were blooming behind him—though of course, that was just my imagination.
As I stared at his smile in awe, Siegfried suddenly grew serious again.
“The one who needs a guard is your sister. She saw the assassin. It wouldn’t be strange if he targeted her next.”
“Oh, I’m fine.”
I waved my hands in protest. Having a guard would be a hassle. I could handle myself just fine.
Besides, with Siegfried having injured Killian, surely nothing else would happen for a while.
“Don’t refuse. I’m worried.”
But Siegfried didn’t agree. He frowned slightly, displeased with my response.
This wasn’t the image I had of him when I read the book. I’d imagined someone colder, sharper—more distant.
But he was… surprisingly gentle? Maybe it was because he was still young?
“I really am fine…”
“But I’m not.”
“Why not?”
“What do you mean, why?”
Siegfried fell silent. His expression briefly clouded with confusion.
“…Don’t be stubborn. Get a guard. If something happened to you, of course I’d feel awful.”
His tone was brusque. But if he was going that far, I couldn’t argue anymore. Just as I was about to protest again, Siegfried raised an eyebrow, and I quickly changed my tune.
“Fine. Only until Killian is caught.”
“Good.”
Only then did his eyes return to their usual calm. I pouted slightly, still unhappy, but Siegfried turned his head as if to pretend he hadn’t seen.
Then, after hesitating, he looked back at me.
“Thanks to you, nothing serious happened. I owe you a proper thank-you.”
Siegfried smiled brightly, his long eyes curving beautifully. So that’s what they mean when they say someone’s smile is dazzling.
I was so struck by it I forgot to respond, just staring at him in awe.
He flinched slightly and slowly erased the smile from his face. Then he returned to his usual stoic expression—
—or rather, one that looked a bit more flustered than usual.
“…What are you staring at?”
