Chapter 53
Chapter 53
Translation: godsn
A thick-bodied, half-naked man with a massive belly charged across the banquet hall like a mad rhinoceros.
The guards protecting the banquet belatedly sprang into action, but the Minister was already much closer to the Princess than they were.
"Uwaaaaah—!"
Medeia calmly stared at the Minister rushing toward her.
Her small hands neatly folded her fan, adjusting its tip—ready to pierce through him in one strike.
'Now.'
Just as Medeia was about to thrust the fan's tip into the charging toad's solar plexus, her body was suddenly lifted into the air.
'What—?'
Cesare had swept Medeia into his arms, swiftly moving away like a gust of wind.
His movement was as swift and soaring as an iron butterfly taking flight.
As he retreated, his long, extended leg lashed out, kicking the thick ankle of the charging Minister.
"Guh—!"
Medeia lifted her head from the arms enveloping her vision. A mercenary in an iron mask was looking down at her.
"...Acares?"
The man seemed startled that she knew his name, but soon, the corner of his lips curled up.
'Light enough to lift with one hand.'
Cesare narrowed his eyebrows. The slender waist in his grasp, along with her weight, was far too light.
They called her a wretch—had the royal family not even fed her properly?
In the brief moment they caught their breath—
"Kyaaaaah—!"
A bloodcurdling scream erupted.
Just moments ago, Virna had been watching with delight as the mad Minister charged at her cousin.
But then, the Minister's steps tangled from Cesare's kick, causing him to wobble as he struggled to regain balance.
His direction changed.
"Eek! He's coming this way!"
"Run!"
Now, there was no obstacle between the Minister and the crowd where Virna stood.
Amidst the chaotic scrambling, someone stepped on Virna's dress.
"Ah, my dress!"
Riiip—!
At the sound tearing through her ears, Virna froze—just as a massive shadow loomed over her.
"Lady Virna—!"
With terrifying momentum, the Minister's enormous body crashed down onto Virna, crushing her beneath him.
It had been a hair's breadth.
Had her dress not torn, she could have escaped like the others.
Under normal circumstances, a mere step wouldn't have shredded it so easily—but Catherine had personally "worked her hands" on it, and the result was disastrous.
The tangled pair, carried by their momentum, slammed into the dessert table.
The table shattered under the heavy weight, sending all the food atop it cascading over the two.
Virna's tattered dress was now a mess of spilled food, her carefully styled hair disheveled and dripping with juice.
"Aaah! Ugh! Wh-what is thiiis?!"
Virna shrieked at the ruined sight.
"My—my lady, your dress...!"
Her friends hastily reached out to help, but the deranged Minister wouldn't let go easily.
As they struggled, the already precarious hem of Virna's dress finally tore away completely, leaving her lower half exposed to the air.
"Good heavens, how could you—?!"
"Virna! Minister! Release my sister at once!"
While everyone hesitated to intervene against the Minister's rampage, Samon bravely rushed forward.
But far from saving his sister, he was instead seized by the Minister.
"Heeey? You're quite the pretty one, aren't you? Come along quietly. Then I'll let this wench go."
"What absurd nonsense is this?! Have you lost your mind?!"
'This damn lunatic—why is he so strong?!'
Samon recoiled in disgust, shoving him away. But the Minister only pressed closer, his flushed cheeks looming toward Samon.
Unable to endure any longer, Samon swung his fist in fury, striking the Minister's face.
"Guh—!"
The Minister's face turned beet red.
The Regent and his wife, returning belatedly, were aghast at the scene before them.
Why was Minister Etienne crushing their son and daughter?!
Foam gathered at the corners of the Minister's mouth like a rabid dog. He seemed completely out of his mind.
"Get a hold of yourself!"
"What are you all doing?! Seize the Minister at once!"
"Good grief, why won't you let go?!"
The Regent's guards swarmed over the flailing Minister, piling onto him.
They had to lift him like a sack of goods to pry him away from the siblings.
Exposed to the entire world with her torn dress in disarray, Virna, unable to withstand the stress, fainted on the spot.
"She's unconscious! Take her to the physician at once!"
Catherine had several guards surround her daughter and swiftly escorted Virna away.
Samon, who had barely managed to free himself from the minister, drew his sword.
As the sole heir of Duke Claudio's household, coddled and pampered his entire life, when had he ever suffered such humiliating disgrace? And to be subjected to it by force, in front of everyone!
"Young Duke, please restrain yourself!"
"I'll kill that bastard today!"
"Y-You dare insult me like this?! You want to see what I'm truly capable of?!"
"Take Samon away. And get the minister to the royal physician at once! Hurry!"
The Regent belatedly ordered his men to intervene, but it was already too late to prevent the spectacle.
The banquet hall had descended into utter chaos.
"Acares."
Amid the uproar caused by Duke Claudio's household, Medeia called the name once more.
"......Acares."
The man paused, then lowered his head toward Medeia.
Cesare only now realized that he had been holding the princess throughout the entire commotion.
The weight in his arms was so slight and insignificant that he hadn't even registered it.
The shallow breaths brushing against his neck made his body stiffen.
Is she even human? With her half-blood lineage, he wouldn't be surprised if she had some trace of fairy or spirit blood.
Unaware that this was an utterly subjective thought—devoid of any objectivity by his own standards—Cesare found himself genuinely astonished that such a physically fragile being could exist in nature.
Medeia, too, was equally bewildered.
They were close enough that she could see the vivid golden eyes behind his iron mask.
This man... is terrifyingly strong.
Just moments ago, in the blink of an eye, he had swept her into his arms and dodged while simultaneously kicking the minister's foot—a movement so precise it confirmed the rumors of his infamous skill.
At the very least, there was likely no one in this banquet hall who could match him.
Medeia blinked.
"Put me down."
"My apologies."
Her feet lightly touched the ground again.
Though he had snatched her up like a swooping hawk, his hands were surprisingly gentle as he set her down.
"When I saw Your Highness in danger, I acted without thinking."
Even as he spoke deferentially, his tone carried an unhurried amusement, flawless in courtesy yet laced with a hint of laughter.
Medeia's eyes flickered over the mercenary.
Men like him—who oscillated between rudeness and politeness—weren't simply capricious by nature. No, they were accustomed to unsettling their opponents to seize the upper hand.
Having no intention of being swayed by him, Medeia turned her chin dismissively toward Gallo, who stood behind him.
"How presumptuous. You don't even know who your master is."
Gallo scratched his head awkwardly.
The mercenary he had brought as a guard hadn't even bothered to protect him—instead, he had flung himself to rescue a princess he'd never met before. It was more than a little embarrassing.
"He's not my employer yet."
Unfazed by the reprimand, Cesare picked up the fallen fan and handed it to her, then let out a quiet chuckle.
If he had the skill to recognize the White Light Bomb, he must have easily noticed that the ribs of the fan she had picked up earlier were reinforced with steel.
"Well, it seems I've prevented a major disaster today."
At Acares' shameless remark, Medeia pretended not to hear, blinking innocently.
If anything, the way he feigned ignorance and curled his lips only irritated her further.
Who does he think he is, barging in and interfering, then acting like he's done some great service?
She turned away from the mercenary entirely, facing Gallo instead.
"Sir Gallo, I wasn't aware you kept stray dogs that stick their noses into everything."
Cesare hadn't expected to be so thoroughly dismissed.
"Be careful. Facade is an arms dealer, not a kennel, is he not?"
"Huh?"
"Exactly."
Leaving behind Gallo, whose eyes had widened like lanterns, Medeia departed with a frosty nod.
"You know that wasn't very boss-like, right?"
Gallo pouted.
Cesare scoffed.
"You tripped the minister on purpose to change his direction. You can fool others, but not me."
Gallo pointed at his own eyes with two fingers, then jabbed them mockingly toward Cesare.
"Nonsense."
"Come on, if you were going to save someone, why not rescue poor Lady Claudio while you were at it? Wouldn't have been hard for you."
Cesare didn't answer.
It had been unconscious. The moment the minister's bloodshot eyes locked onto Medeia, his body had moved before his mind could catch up.