Chapter 278
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 278
Chapter Title: 77. The Real Gift Was Something Else (2)
The moment I opened the door, three shields immediately caught my eye.
The crest engraved on the pitch-black background was one I knew well.
I tilted my head up slightly.
Vincent was looking down at me.
Tsking his tongue as if I were utterly pathetic.
"What."
I mumbled awkwardly and glanced toward the back of the audience hall.
I couldn't see anything.
Vincent's unnecessarily massive bulk made it impossible to peer inside.
"Let's go, Your Highness."
"Who the hell came, anyway."
I asked in a low voice, and Vincent furrowed his brow.
"I'll escort you personally, Your Highness."
Ignoring Vincent as he emphasized each word, I twisted my body this way and that.
But no matter how hard I tried, Vincent blocked everything.
When he'd sworn his oath, he'd called me his lord—never did I imagine he'd turn into a literal fortress wall in front of me.
Trembling with betrayal, I glared at Vincent.
Of course, it had zero effect.
Vincent just snorted in response.
Thud.
I was helplessly pushed back as Vincent stepped forward heavily.
Unlike the royal knights who hesitated to touch me,
"H-Hey."
I stumbled backward from Vincent's relentless physical pressure.
"A-Alright, I get it. I'll go, okay."
Even after I said I understood and would leave now, Vincent showed not a shred of carelessness.
In the end, I could only dazedly watch as the doors to the audience hall closed.
I'd cleverly shaken off the royal knights for once, but all that effort went to waste in an instant.
"Shall I escort you back to your palace as well?"
"I'll walk on my own two feet. Go."
I grumbled as I left the front of the audience hall.
Then, after a brief pause, I turned back around.
Vincent was still standing by the door, looking my way.
With a mocking expression that said he'd known exactly what I'd pull.
I scowled.
Evading stuffy royal knights was one thing, but Vincent was a different story.
Lingering any longer would just dig my own grave, so I half-gave up and turned away.
I headed straight to my palace.
Sitting on a corner of the garden, I replayed the earlier scene in my mind.
I hadn't been able to see inside properly because of Vincent, but it wasn't like I'd seen nothing at all.
Just before the doors shut, I'd glimpsed some strangers over his shoulder.
Mysterious figures cloaked head to toe in brown mantles.
They had to be the rumored guests.
"Who the heck were they."
Standing rigidly in the heart of the royal palace, before the monarch of a nation, without even removing their cloaks.
With my current knowledge, I couldn't even guess their identities.
"Guess I'll find out if I wait."
Once their business was done, Vincent would come to my palace. Holding out until then should satisfy my curiosity.
But.
"Why hasn't he come!"
Vincent didn't show up at my palace even as night deepened.
The next day was the same.
I knew it instinctively.
He was deliberately avoiding me.
He knew what questions I'd hit him with if we met, so he was steering clear of my palace altogether.
"Fine, then I'll go to him."
I was about to leave the palace to track down Vincent or whoever could tell me about the guests when a messenger arrived.
A royal decree forbidding access to the main palace until further notice, with a warning that any violation would result in severe punishment—not for me, but for the royal knights involved.
"Argh, seriously! That's so cheap!"
If they'd just punished me directly, I could've ignored it and stormed the palace anyway. But with other knights paying for my curiosity, I couldn't bring myself to do it.
"Why not just tell me!"
Frustrated and indignant, I yelled it out—then suddenly felt eyes on me.
Adelia was watching me.
With a face full of worry that I might throw a fit and pass out alone.
Seeing her concern drained all my steam in an instant.
Maybe cheating death wasn't all upsides.
Not even being able to vent properly like this.
"What about the Grand Marshal or the Prime Minister? Arwen?"
I asked Kals about the others' whereabouts.
"They're all with His Majesty in the audience hall, as far as I know."
"Hah."
I let out a hollow chuckle in exasperation.
They were dead set on ditching me, and I had no counter.
Back in the day, I'd have hopped the walls to sneak a peek at the guests.
"Hop the walls?"
A sudden idea flashed through my mind.
"His Majesty only banned me from the main palace."
I pieced it together as it came to me.
"Meaning anywhere outside the main palace is fair game."
Kals narrowed his eyes.
"What exactly are you saying, Your Highness...?"
"What do you think."
I shot back nonchalantly, meeting his gaze.
"I'm saying I'm heading outside the palace."
Kals blinked at me with a dumbfounded look.
Swoosh.
While Kals stood there stunned, Adelia quietly began moving in and out of the room.
She gathered furs and various items, bringing them before me.
"Lady Adelia?"
Kals, still dazed until then, asked her what on earth she was doing.
"It's chilly out, so I'm preparing properly."
Adelia replied as if it were the most obvious thing.
Kals gaped like a fish.
"Not these clothes. Too flashy. Something plain. Like..."
Ignoring Kals, I gave Adelia my order.
"You know, those unprincely ones."
This outing would be incognito, so gear up accordingly.
"Your Highness! You can't!"
Kals finally snapped out of it and cried out in