Chapter 72
Chapter 72
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: The Prince's Suspicion
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The person who entered the room was Carion.
“Greetings to the noble of the royal family. To what do we owe the honor of your visit?”
Lady Menoa greeted him first, and Rachel bowed her head politely as well.
“I have business regarding your reward. Are you busy, Lady?”
“We were in the middle of etiquette lessons.”
“Skip those. Anyway, once you receive your reward, you won’t have reason to come to the palace...”
“Your Highness, you must not be negligent in learning etiquette.”
Lady Menoa’s lecture began like that and continued for over two minutes.
Carion tried to escape from the nagging, but he was hit with more scolding about how it was rude to leave while someone was speaking.
Perhaps because she was a countess and of advanced age, Carion quietly endured her words.
Watching the meek Carion, Rachel thought she needed to mind her manners in front of Lady Menoa.
“Won’t you ease up on the scolding? Being reprimanded in front of a young lady makes me lose face.”
“Ahem, I got a bit carried away. Your Highness, you can no longer act so recklessly as you did in your youth.”
“I’m reflecting on it. To think I acted that way toward you of all people.”
“Your Highness, you are our one and only hope. If a degenerate like the Third Prince becomes master of the palace, I’d rather die of thirst.”
“I was wrong, so please don’t say such things.”
Carion soothed the lady. Afterward, Lady Menoa left the room, and Carion wiped cold sweat from his brow with a sigh. He dismissed everyone except posting his guard knight outside the door.
“I’ll sit here.”
“Yes.”
Carion sat on the sofa. He glanced around the room for a moment.
Thinking he looked thirsty, Rachel fetched a water pitcher and handed it to him.
“Thanks. Lady Menoa, the countess, used to be my mother’s maid. That’s why she’s hard to deal with.”
“I see.”
“I heard from Enoch. If you’re rewarded, you want a mansion near the palace?”
“Yes.”
Rachel answered Carion’s words while observing his actions.
He pulled a paper from his bosom and carefully unfolded it. Inside was some powder, which he added to the water pitcher and shook.
‘Medicine? Does he have a chronic illness? Or supplements?’
Since he was doing it in front of her, she assumed it was for himself. Surely he wouldn’t prepare something to give to someone else right here?
“Why near the palace of all places?”
“My father has lived alone at Flora House, separated from his family, for fifteen years now.”
“So you want to live in the capital with your family?”
“Yes.”
“Drink.”
Carion held out the pitcher—the very one he’d just mixed the mystery powder into.
“Do you know what that is?”
“A royal is offering it—think you can refuse?”
Rachel was flustered by the situation: a royal offering something suspicious and asking if she wouldn’t drink.
As Rachel hesitated, Carion stood, took a sip of the water, then kissed her.
“Mmph.”
Caught off guard by the sudden, unprecedented event, Rachel panicked. She pushed against his body, but his arms and chest were firm.
Water flowed from his mouth into hers, and Rachel tasted something odd, trying to spit it out.
But Carion’s lips sealed her mouth, and his hand pinched her nose. His lips finally parted, but his hand gripped her chin.
“Swallow.”
‘Do you even know what this is!’
In the end, the water slid down her throat. Only then did Carion release her.
“What kind of shameless act is this?”
“Oh, can you hear properly?”
“You rub your snout against someone’s lips and that’s the crap that comes out?”
Rachel snapped in anger and embarrassment. Her opponent was high nobility, royalty no less. She usually gauged people carefully.
No matter how much Carion tried not to assert his authority, he was born royal. So Rachel maintained a minimum of courtesy.
Yet now, her mouth ran away with her thoughts unchecked.
“Why are words flying out of my mouth like this?”
“Because I gave you medicine.”
“What medicine works the instant you swallow it? Why feed something like this to me?”
She should have spoken formally, but the aftershocks of the kiss made her words curt.
“Something like a truth serum. Don’t glare like that—it’s different from truth serum; no side effects.”
Not only had her first kiss been stolen out of nowhere, but the culprit was acting so brazenly that murderous intent flared for a moment.
Carion, unperturbed, continued with what he had to say.
“The effect won’t last long, so I’ll ask quickly. Are you a spy?”
“No!”
“Oh, my guess was wrong. Or part of the Third Prince’s faction?”
“Absolutely not!”
“Really? Then, any relation to the crown prince’s poisoning?”
“No, none!”
After hearing her answers to the three questions, Carion crossed his arms and rested his chin on his hand. He seemed lost in thought, furrowing his right eye.
“I thought the youngest was bewitched by a woman and you approached him on purpose, but that’s not it?”
“Enoch and I aren’t like that!”
“Eh, you even know Enoch is my brother? Doesn’t seem like he’d tell you. More importantly, he said you absolutely refuse a title—what’s the reason?”
“Hate doing paperwork approvals!”
“You look young, but you can do that stuff?”
“I can, but I hate it!”
Unable to control her mouth, Rachel clamped her hand over it. But Carion’s guesses and questions didn’t stop.
“I hear you’ve had a lot of work lately. It’d be a waste to let a capable person idle.”
“Rweally hawte it (I really hate it).”
The drug was so potent that even covering her mouth couldn’t stop her babbling.
“Not just sorting reports, but approving them too—that means you held such a position. What’s this little lady’s true identity?”
“Identity, schmidentity—just Rachel, daughter of Baron Henri Oasis.”
Her mouth returned to normal. Rachel gritted her teeth. She was furious but had to hold back. He was royalty; she was practically a commoner.
‘Damn this class system!’
If she’d acted on her whims, Carion’s tongue would be cut out by now, and she’d be sliced by the guard’s sword.
“I had so many questions, but the effect wore off quick.”
“You said it was about the reward, yet you resort to such cowardly tactics, Your Highness.”
Rachel pondered for a moment. Could she support this bastard for king? Was he really better than Demian?
‘Damn it—even this guy’s better than Demian.’
Rachel covered her face with both hands. Life was truly hard.
Why had Carion done something so out of character? Why suspect her all of a sudden?
Her mind spun in circles.
“Did you get all your burning questions answered? Not an assassin, spy, or Demian’s underling—good to know, Lady.”
“You steal someone’s first kiss and call it ‘good’? How brazen can you get?”
“First kiss? Sorry about that. But it was just to get the medicine in, so don’t make a big deal—call it invalid.”
And Carion’s attitude only fueled her rage further.
“You owe me an explanation. Why treat me like this? I only told Enoch what I wanted as a reward, and you barge in using truth serum crap.”
“Really sorry.”
Not a shred of sincerity laced his light apology.
“Why the face? I apologized, so we’re square, right? Ah, the informal speech bothering you? I’ll pretend I didn’t hear yours.”
Rachel seethed.
Ordinary people would freak out at royalty apologizing and insist it wasn’t necessary.
Why? This was a class-based society. Royalty could beat a commoner to death without consequence. That was the world here.
Rachel’s head cooled. She’d viewed Carion favorably until now, but this erased all goodwill.
“Yes, of course. How dare a lowly one like me object when Your Highness has apologized.”
“Uh, huh?”
Rachel had seen Carion from previous loops and thought he didn’t flaunt authority.
She’d thought his endless casualness, unbefitting royalty, wasn’t so bad.
But she was wrong. He was royal, and wielding power came naturally to him.
His earlier “treat me casually” was mere indulgence toward an inferior, not seeing her as an equal.
“I’m disappointed in you, Your Highness. No, saying that is absurd. It’s all my own foolish imaginings about you.”
Was there lingering effect? Normally she’d swallow it down, but now she couldn’t control her mouth.
If the consequences weren’t endless regression loops, Rachel would have stormed out of the palace.
“Listen,”
“Your Highness, I assume you’ve resolved all your curiosities? I’d like you to leave now—I’m very tired.”
Rachel flashed a perfectly crafted smile of disgust and issued her dismissal.
Carion seemed about to speak but closed his mouth.
“Fine. Rest well.”
He left the room. Rachel immediately scrubbed her lips and rinsed her mouth with clean water.
“Son of a bitch. Thinks he’s all that because he’s royal? Forcing truth serum down my throat.”
After fuming for a while, she pummeled the bed pillow, imagining it was Carion.
“You jerk. Hope you get shat on by birds on your way!”
***
The door closed. Carion emerged from the room, chin in hand, lost in thought.
Just then, Enoch approached from the opposite end of the hall. Spotting him, Carion waved.
“What brings you here?”
“I stopped by about the reward—got something to discuss. Got time?”
Enoch glanced at Rachel’s door, then back at Carion.
They’d talked plenty the day before, but some things might not have settled.
With more favors to ask in the future, Enoch nodded.
“Yes. If it’s brief.”
After moving to Carion’s palace, Enoch felt an urge to punch him.
“You were rude to Rachel?”
Enoch’s fists trembled. Carion spread his palms like soothing a feral beast, signaling no hostility.
But his mouth spat obnoxious words.
“Gonna hit me over it?”
“I would’ve if no one was watching.”
“That what they teach at the temple?”
Enoch squeezed his eyes shut. She was his precious friend, and hearing Carion had suspected her and been rude ignited his anger.
“Enoch, honestly, I don’t get your attitude. Makes me suspect you’re bewitched by a vixen.”
Enoch glared at Carion with fierce eyes.
“Rachel isn’t that kind of person.”
“Whoa, whoa—calm down and hear me out. That girl wanted money and a house near the capital, right? And access to the palace library.”
“What of it?”
“Normally fine, but at this time when my brother was poisoned? Plus, her father’s a doctor—handles plenty of poisons.”
In short, Rachel was suspicious.
“You’re suspecting Rachel?”
“Well, yeah. She could’ve asked for more, but just money and a mansion? Shady.”
A sigh escaped Enoch. In the 20th loop, when Rachel demanded big riches, it was ignored for a title and land.
He’d adjusted the reward to her requested amount out of consideration, only for it to be deemed too modest and suspicious.
Enoch shook his head in rebuttal.
“That’s not it.”
“Little bro, you’re temple-bound, so you don’t know—women are cunning. Greedy too. She knew you’re royal, targeted you, seduced you on purpose.”