Accidents Always Happen Suddenly
I hurried toward the area where Franche and Somire were. Since sprinting in the middle of a banquet hall was out of the question, I maintained the fastest walking pace I could manage.
The ballroom, which had briefly quieted down, instantly erupted into a fresh wave of commotion. Every noble in the room was staring at Franche and Somire, whispering amongst themselves.
— "Is that Lady Decartes again?"
— "What is it this time?"
— "She suddenly slapped the Saintess!"
— "Perhaps she was jealous of all the attention the Saintess was receiving?"
— "Lady Decartes really is a simple-minded creature, isn't she?"
Hey, don't just blindly blame Franche. Look at the situation properly first, you idiots.
The sheer level of these damn nobles.
By the time I reached Franche, it was already too late to salvage the situation. The Crown Prince, Rejef Fedelian, was already standing before Franche, practically vibrating with rage.
The arrogant bastard scowled, his face contorting in fury as he barked at Franche.
"Lady Decartes! What in the world do you think you are doing? How dare you suddenly slap her!"
"Your Highness. Do you have any idea what this commoner just said to me?"
"Somire is no mere commoner! She is the Saintess who wields Holy Magic!"
"And what of it? It does not change the fact that she insulted me."
Even Rejef couldn't easily dismiss a lady of a ducal house. That was likely why he was merely glaring at Franche, gritting his teeth in sheer frustration.
But one question remained.
Why on earth did Franche do something so reckless?
From what I had seen of Franche so far, she might seem a bit clumsy at times, but her ability to read a room was exceptionally sharp. She must have known that acting out like this would only disadvantage her.
Just what did Somire whisper to her?
I shook my head. Now was not the time to ponder that.
Stepping up behind Franche, I asked quietly, "My Lady, what is the matter?"
Franche snapped her fan open, concealing the lower half of her face. Her eyes narrowed into sharp slits as she glared coldly at Somire.
"That so-called Saintess openly insulted me."
"...An insult?"
"Yes. A thoroughly vile one, at that."
Her brow twitched. For Franche, who was usually so adept at wearing a mask, to lose control of her expression like this... just what kind of venom had she been forced to swallow?
"For now, we must extricate ourselves from this situation."
"I am well aware."
"Let us leave before things deteriorate further."
Just as I was about to lead Franche away, a voice halted us.
"Lady Decartes. Where do you think you are going?"
That absolute dog of a bastard... No, the Crown Prince had caught us.
"Is there something else, Your Highness?"
"Are you not going to apologize to Somire?"
"I see no reason why I should."
"You slap her across the face with such force, and yet you claim you find no reason to apologize?"
Rejef let out a hollow, incredulous laugh.
"The rumors were true—you really are a madwoman, Lady Decartes. Do you even comprehend the gravity of the situation? The man standing before you is the Crown Prince of this Empire."
Is he seriously trying to threaten Franche with his royal title? What a lunatic. Using his authority for a petty personal grievance—he was exactly the arrogant, brainless bastard I remembered.
Franche merely offered a serene, unbothered smile.
"Is there anyone in this room who does not know you are the Crown Prince, Your Highness?"
"Why, you...!"
"Me? I am Franche Decartes, the daughter of Duke Decartes. Surely even the Crown Prince cannot afford to disregard me so lightly."
Rejef ground his teeth, his forehead wrinkling like crumpled paper. Careful there, buddy, you'll get permanent wrinkles.
In any case, Franche was handling this surprisingly well. I suppose her experience wearing a mask and dominating the social circles wasn't just for show.
As their murderous glares clashed, Somire, who had been cradling her cheek, stepped forward with a flawless, gentle smile.
"Your Highness, please do not be so angry. It was merely a slip of the tongue on my part."
It was a smile without a single crack.
"Ah... Somire. How can you be so incredibly merciful...?"
And of course, the brainless bastard ate it right up, looking absolutely smitten. What an idiot. A man completely whipped by a woman, dragging the royal name through the mud.
Whoever coined his nickname of 'good-for-nothing bastard' deserved a medal.
Oh, right. I was the one who came up with it.
"Lady Decartes, I apologize for my rudeness. I pray you can find it in your heart to forgive me," Somire said.
Franche's brow furrowed as she glared silently at Somire. It seemed her anger was far from resolved.
I leaned in and whispered to her.
"My Lady. It would be wise to take a step back for now. The tide is heavily against us. Please, look around."
Only then did the agitated Franche turn her head.
Every single noble in the banquet hall was watching us. If we let this drag on, Franche would be the only one to suffer.
On one side was the Saintess, backed by the absolute trust of the Crown Prince. On the other was a ducal lady notorious for her extravagance and iron-fisted rule over high society.
"Very well. It is best we withdraw for now."
"A wise decision, My Lady."
At that moment, Rejef, who had been glaring at Franche with venomous eyes, shifted his gaze and flicked his eyes toward me.
"Well, well. Look who it is. If it isn't the prince of that fallen kingdom?"
That piece of trash. Of course he had to open his mouth.
"I greet the Crown Prince," I replied, keeping my voice level.
"I believe I ordered you to be branded a slave. Why are you here?"
At Rejef's words, the surrounding nobles began to whisper. They were undoubtedly curious as to how a slave had managed to enter this exclusive banquet.
"Ah. Did Lady Decartes purchase this slave, perhaps?"
"..."
"What a hilarious joke of a lady. A slave as your personal guard? Ha."
Rejef sneered at Franche with an arrogant smirk. Yet, Franche's expression didn't waver in the slightest.
"Lady Decartes, you have acquired a bodyguard perfectly suited to your savage tastes. I must commend you for that, at least."
This absolute dog...
I narrowed my eyes and glared directly at Rejef.
"...Did you just glare at me?"
Thwack!
Rejef's boot slammed into my abdomen.
But Jin's body was S-rank. It wasn't the kind of body that would groan from a mere kick. He'd need to bring a leather whip at the very least to make me feel anything.
Franche's eyes widened in shock at the sight.
"What do you think you are doing to my personal knight?"
"Can you not see? I am simply educating a beast that doesn't know its place."
A crack finally formed on Franche's otherwise impenetrable mask. I felt a small pang of emotion.
"Though he may hold the lowly status of a slave now, he was once royalty of a sovereign nation. Surely you must remember seeing him at past diplomatic summits, Your Highness."
Are you actually defending me? Thank you...
Though brief, it was the best treatment I had received since waking up in this body.
While I was busy being touched, the verbal sparring between Franche and Rejef continued.
"What meaning does the royalty of a dead kingdom hold? Lady Decartes, you truly are amusing."
"He is a Sword Master. Even the Empire possesses very few who have reached such a realm."
Hearing the words 'Sword Master,' Rejef flinched, instinctively pulling his head back.
"Ha! Even if he is a Sword Master, he is nothing more than a lowly slave now. What relevance does his strength have?"
"That alone makes him a slave of incomparable value. And above all, he is my personal knight—stronger than anyone else."
Franche... My loyalty and all those dramatic performances have finally paid off...
"Tsk. It seems talking to you is a waste of breath. We shall take our leave. Somire, let us head to the parlor."
Rejef took a step forward, but Somire didn't budge.
"Somire...?"
"Your Highness, please go ahead. I still have some business to attend to here."
"You still have things to discuss?"
"Yes. I would be grateful if you could head inside first."
At Somire's request, Rejef reluctantly nodded and made his way toward the parlor.
Fortunately, the situation was defused before it could escalate any further. With so many nobles watching, it was the smartest move.
"Let us move as well, My Lady. Too many eyes are on us right now."
"Yes. That would be for the best."
Franche downed the champagne in her hand. A clean, fiery one-shot.
"Whew. Even so, my anger refuses to subside. Let us step out onto the terrace for some fresh air."
"Understood."
Click, clack.
The sharp click of Franche's heels echoed as she headed toward the terrace. I naturally followed behind her.
"Excuse me."
Someone called out to me. It was Somire.
Why is this woman talking to me?
"You were the prince of that fallen kingdom, correct? To think you lost your country and ended up a slave. How truly tragic."
What is she suddenly on about? What does my fallen kingdom or my enslavement have to do with her?
"Ah, yes," I replied curtly.
It was a clear signal that I had no interest in conversing. But Somire wasn't about to back down so easily.
"I have an enticing proposition for you."
"A proposition?"
"How would you like to become my knight?"
"I am the slave of Lady Decartes."
Somire smiled faintly. She leaned in close, whispering in my ear.
"If you ask me, I can free you from your status as a slave. What do you say?"
"How could you possibly manage that?"
Once again, Somire glanced around, checking to see if anyone was nearby. After confirming we were alone, she smiled brightly and continued.
"I will speak to the Crown Prince. He will surely grant my request."
"How can you be so certain? The very man who branded me a slave is His Highness."
"He does whatever I ask of him."
To be completely honest, it was an incredibly tempting offer. The shackles of this slave status had been a constant thorn in my side, and she was offering to break them in an instant.
Any ordinary person would have betrayed Franche on the spot and sided with Somire.
But for some reason, I felt a deep, psychological aversion to her. A voice from the depths of my soul seemed to scream at me to reject her.
Was this also Jin's lingering emotion?
Fine. I don't like this woman either, so I'll grant your wish.
I decided to reject her offer without a second thought. While Jin's emotions played a part, I simply couldn't bring myself to abandon Franche Decartes just to save my own skin.
If I betrayed her here, Franche would be left entirely alone. In her despair, she might even take her own life.
I wondered if a mere slave like me should even be worrying about such things, but after learning of her past and understanding her heart, I couldn't just leave her to rot.
More than anything, I had already resolved to act for her sake.
I spoke.
"I am honored, but I belong to Lady Decartes. I obey only her commands."
A shadow fell over Somire's eyes.
"...What remarkable loyalty. Do you not hate the Empire? The Decartes Ducal House is the very pillar of the Fedelian Empire. Does it not disgust you to serve the lady of such a family?"
Well, that would apply to the original Jin Barenberg. But I'm Kim Gongryak, a YouTuber with a million subscribers.
"That is a meaningless question. Since it seems you have nothing left to say, I shall take my leave. My master is waiting."
With that, I turned my back on her. I heard Somire call out, "Wait...!" but I simply pretended not to hear and stepped out onto the terrace.
"You are late."
"My apologies, My Lady."
"Did something happen?"
"The Saintess, Somire, spoke to me."
Franche's brow furrowed instantly.
"...And what did she say?"
"She offered to remove my Slave Brand if I became her knight."
Silence.
A heavy, suffocating silence descended upon the terrace.
Franche was so visibly tense that I could practically feel her body stiffen.
"...And. How did you answer?"
"Naturally, I refused."
"Why?"
Because I've resolved to save you from this godforsaken world.
I didn't care if anyone called me an idiot or a fool. I would not regret my decision.
I offered her a gentle smile.
"Because I have yet to fulfill my promise to you, My Lady."