Translator and Editor: Nana and Ishy

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Chapter 5

Ash suddenly said,

[This one looks strange.]

I was still angry with it, but as the situation was urgent, I had to ask,

“Isn’t that just a tea leaf?”

[Look closely. It has a different shape from the other tea leaves. It is subtle, but there is a color difference.]

I furrowed my brow, staring at the damp leaf.

‘…Really?’

It was longer than the other leaves and had an unusually pointed tip.

The color was also darker.

[Something smells suspicious.]

“Like what?”

[It’s a bit difficult to explain. What can I say… if I had to describe it, it’s a smell that is not suitable for this land.]

‘How strange.’

“But you don’t even know what these leaves are.”

[Yes, not a clue.]

I laughed out loud when I saw it confidently answer that it didn’t know.

Well, without Ash, I wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference between the leaves.

[By the way, did you say your sister’s name was Carinne? She must have studied herbal medicine. I know a lot of stuff, but this is the first time I’ve seen it.]

“Don’t praise Carinne in front of me.”

Ash was startled when I scolded it, and then nodded its head.

‘Anyway, I now know that the leaf is the problem, so I can find out about it.’

I pulled out a piece of paper and started making a plan to identify what the leaf was.

* * *

It was no exaggeration to say that the heart of the current Balkan Empire was the Crown Prince’s Palace.

The emperor collapsed since his chronic illness rapidly deteriorated his health, so he gave up all of his duties.

The emperor was suddenly absent.

Fortunately, however, the internal affairs of the empire went on smoothly.

It was thanks to his son, Crown Prince Edwin.

It had already been several months since Edwin started to lead on behalf of the immobile emperor.

Everyone quickly adapted to the change.

The imperial palace, which had been in turmoil, soon entered a period of stability, and the daily life of the royals gradually became peaceful.

And so, this morning,

“Wait a minute, please wait a minute!”

A servant in the imperial palace who was restless ran after a man.

But the man did not look back and walked through the hallway of the imperial palace without hesitation.

Those who saw the man who had many rumors for the first time held their breath.

Still, they couldn’t stop looking at him.

He was a man with such a magnificent appearance that they could not take their eyes off him.

Adding to his wonderful aura, his black hair made him all the more mysterious.

His eyebrows were hidden by his bangs that naturally flowed down to the forehead, and below them were a pair of dazzling red eyes.

A high and neat nose bridge, seductive red lips, and a sharp jawline would make many people enticed in an instant.

The word beautiful or handsome was not enough to describe his face which has clear contours and elegant lines.

He was a head taller than many people.

His smooth, toned body was reminiscent of an elegant leopard.

As if an angel of war had incarnated, this perfect man’s true identity was……

“Your Grace the Duke of Kravant!”

The chamberlain called him desperately.

“…”

Lennox, the Duke of Kravant in question, was now walking through the hallway leading to the crown prince’s office.

But no one dared to stop him or point out his arrogance.

It was not just because of his title and his reputation as the guardian of the empire.

There was an overwhelming atmosphere surrounding him that made people get goosebumps when they saw his expressionless face.

His presence was very overwhelming.

“Your Grace, please…!”

The chamberlain spread his arms wide and stepped in front of Lennox.

But he didn’t even dare to look at him, so he closed his eyes tightly.

This was because he already knew what the crown prince had done.

He also knew how uncomfortable the duke must have felt.

“His Highness the Crown Prince is busy with important things right now. Please make an appointment first…”

“Move.”

“I’m begging you. You know you can’t do this, right?”

But the poor chamberlain’s choice of words were not very wise.

Instead of answering, a strong force went to his body.

“Akh!”

The chamberlain knelt on the smooth marble floor.

Following the pressure that made it difficult to even breathe properly, a creepy sensation came as if the fangs of a wild beast were slowly digging into his neck.

A cold sweat ran down his body.

In the surrounding area, the knights and servants escorting the crown prince were in the same situation.

“Rest assured. Your master will be safe.”

A dry voice entered their ears, who could not even lift their heads under pressure from the power.

“Not yet.”

Lennox, who spoke briefly in a low voice, opened the door to the crown prince’s office without hesitation.

The Crown Prince, Edwin, met Lennox’s eyes calmly, even though he knew what was going on outside.

“You’re here?”

The prince thought he still couldn’t get used to that face no matter how many times he saw it.

“Loosen up your face, you’ll kill people with just your eyes.”

It was a friendly joke, but Lennox didn’t even respond.

Instead, he released something he had been holding in his hand firmly on Edwin’s desk.

“What is this?”

Edwin pretended not to hear and picked up a piece of paper that had been crumpled like a ball.

“What is this?”

The crumpled paper was unfolded to the point where the shape was almost unknown.

It was a page of a newspaper.

‘Oh, they’ve done well with the headlines.’

Edwin sighed in admiration.

The title of the article was provocative.

Thanks to this, he was able to bring the duke, who had rarely moved from his southern estate, to the imperial palace.

He smiled in satisfaction and read the headline again.

[Secret Guardian, the special bride that Duke Kravant is looking for?]

Even amid Lennox’s rage, Edwin was calm.

“When did all of these articles come out? I don’t know who wrote this, but it’s interesting.”

Lennox’s patience ran out.

“Duke, I’m just saying this just in case, I swear it has nothing to do with me… Ah!”

“I’m running out of patience.”

Lennox expressed his current mood with actions instead of words.

Suddenly, a sharp sword was in his hand.

“Wait, wait!”

Edwin got up from his seat, stretched out his hands in front of him, and stepped back.

“Lower your sword first. Once you calm down…”

But Lennox had no intention of following Edwin’s words. He responded by infusing the sword with his power.Edwin exclaimed hurriedly.

“I’ll tell you in case you forget, I’m the Crown Prince of Balkan Empire!”

Unfortunately, however, his words did not impress Lennox.

The sword vibrated lightly with a sound.

The cold air that seemed to freeze at any moment flowed around Lennox.

Edwin quickly added.

“You know it’s treason if you point that at me, right?”

‘So what?’ A faint annoyance was visible in Lennox’s face.

The Duke of Kravant was, after all, just as strong as he was rumored to be, as he was the sword of the empire and the strongest guardian.

This young man, who ruled the vast southern area under his feet, naturally hated people who annoyed him.

Even more so if it was a person who had been bothering him for decades.

Edwin, who had felt as if he lost his mind, shook his head.

“First, don’t use your sword. Why are you so impatient?”

“Explain.”

“Why is the duke always like this? I’m not a pushover…”

“You haven’t come to your senses yet.”

“O-okay! Okay!”

It was only after Edwin raised both hands in surrender that Lennox picked up the sword.

The sword, which had been flashing due to his power, disappeared.

Lennox naturally walked into the crown prince’s office as if it were his own room.

After sitting on a sofa, Edwin sat in front of him and grumbled.

“I called you to help me even though I was busy, but you threatened to kill me instead.”

“What bullshit are you spouting?”

Lennox cut off his words.

“I don’t have time, so just tell me. Why did you do such a foolish thing?”

Edwin’s face suddenly became serious.

“The oracle came down last night.”

A slight ripple was seen in Lennox’s eyes but soon it calmed down.

Edwin raised one eyebrow in surprise..“You already knew? But how?”

Ignoring Edwin’s curious gaze, Lennox opened his palms silently.

“Huh? Did you know the oracle was coming? How?”

“Give it to me.”

“You’re so heartless.”

“I trusted you but you treated me like this.”

Edwin grunted, took something out, and handed it to Lennox.

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Join our discord to receive the latest updates as soon as possible!