The Strange Hostage
She had never paid the coachman much attention before. Today, however, something felt wrong. His uniform was undoubtedly that of a palace driver, yet...
The moment one detail struck her as odd, everything else unraveled. Apart from her own carriage, the surroundings were unnaturally quiet. Too orderly, as if deliberately arranged.
Her mind, which had been tangled with thoughts of Raphael only moments ago, cooled to ice. Cayena turned to Olivia with a soft smile and a perfectly composed demeanor.
“Now that I think about it, I forgot to return the book I borrowed from the Imperial Library.”
She sensed the coachman and escort knights sharpening their gazes. An instinct warned her against giving any impression of trying to flee. Cayena summoned a servant in her usual manner and ordered him to fetch the book.
“I’ll wait in the carriage. Could you return it for me, Olivia?”
If anything happened to her, Olivia would notice.
Olivia faintly sensed that Cayena’s behavior was off, yet objectively there was nothing overtly suspicious about it.
“As you command.”
She took the book and withdrew.
The escort opened the carriage door. Cayena kept her tension hidden behind an easy smile.
“The weather is fine. I think I’ll take a short walk until Olivia returns.”
“Understood.”
The knight agreed without protest.
Was she being overly sensitive, or was something truly amiss? Either way, caution couldn’t hurt. The moment Cayena took a step forward, someone seized her from behind and clamped a damp cloth over her face.
“Mmph—!”
Consciousness slipped away instantly.
Olivia headed toward the library with the book in her arms. She had not gone far when someone yanked her back violently.
“...!”
She tried to scream, but a calloused hand clamped over her mouth. She couldn’t comprehend the situation, only that this brute meant to drag her into the shadows.
Thud!
“Aah!”
The thug suddenly tumbled backward. When she spun around, Raphael stood there.
“Are you all right?”
“Y-yes.”
Her hands shook uncontrollably as she watched his attendants bind the attacker.
“Where is Her Highness? Why are you here alone?”
Olivia’s head jerked up.
“Her Highness is in the carriage—!”
Raphael’s expression froze over.
“Search the entire area! Detain anyone suspicious!”
“Yes, my lord!”
He raced toward the waiting area. A dark premonition gripped him.
Please. Please—
But against his desperate prayer, the carriage was gone.
A yellowish glow appeared. Cayena realized it was lamplight.
Where am I? She forced her foggy mind awake and tried to rise.
“......”
Her body was bound.
A kidnapping.
A man entered the dim room. She had never seen him before. He carried a bowl in one hand and a loaf of bread in the other.
“You’re awake, Your Highness?”
He knew her identity. He had to be a subordinate of whoever had ordered this.
The man felt uneasy. Instead of crying or raging, the princess simply watched him with a blank face. Her eyes in particular sent chills down his spine. He cursed under his breath and approached. He slammed the bowl onto the floor, splattering its contents. The bread landed with a dull thud on the filthy ground.
“Eat.”
With that, he flung himself onto the sofa.
Cayena studied the faint sunlight filtering through the heavy curtains. The reddish tint suggested late afternoon.
She examined every corner the lamplight reached. From the interior, she could guess her location.
“This is a temple annex.”
The man stiffened.
“Don’t bother screaming. There’s no one nearby. Keep making noise and I’ll gag you.”
Despite the threat, Cayena remained calm. The princess was undeniably beautiful, yet something about her felt wrong. The man trusted his instincts on such matters.
“Once night falls, you’ll move me elsewhere, won’t you?”
“Hey, Your Highness.”
“The way you’re handling me so carefully tells me your employer doesn’t want me damaged. In that case...”
Bang!
The man kicked the table threateningly.
“This isn’t the time for your little deduction games, is it?”
Several more men burst in from outside. They glanced at the commotion, confused.
“What’s going on?”
“It’s nothing—”
Before he could finish, Cayena spoke.
“One of you is undoubtedly a spy for Grand Duke Heinrich, so let me make this clear. If I am not returned to the Imperial Palace unharmed, troubling information will reach my brother. The location of a certain secret organization, for example.”
Several of the men’s faces changed color. The first man twisted his features into a demonic scowl and moved to silence her.
“You really need a gag to shut that mouth—”
“I have always considered the possibility of being kidnapped.”
Her eyes were utterly devoid of emotion.
“If I am not back in the palace within a day, you will learn firsthand whether my words are true.”
The man recoiled as though he had seen a monster.
“...You’re a mad princess.”
Even as the victim, she was threatening her captors. Cayena gave a small shrug.
“I’ve heard that often enough. It no longer stings.”
Of course, that had been before her regression.
The instant he saw Cayena at the academy, Raphael realized he had been anticipating this day far more than he cared to admit. The previous day had dragged on with excruciating slowness.
It had been almost unbearable. The only tolerable part had been reserving the restaurant. The finest table at the establishment Baston had passionately recommended had already been booked a full week in advance.
“Find out who holds the reservation.”
It belonged to a young, soon-to-be-married couple. Raphael sent word that he would like them to yield their table, accompanied by a modest wedding gift to their family. Should they agree, the heir of House Kidrey would remember the kindness and attend their wedding in person.
Raphael attending their wedding! He could easily picture high-ranking nobles scrambling to secure invitations to the event.
It would instantly elevate the couple’s family status. On top of that, the wedding gift was an entire mansion on the capital’s outskirts—an extremely expensive one.
The young lovers had simply booked a popular date-night restaurant early and ended up catching a far greater prize than expected.
“That mansion would have been better saved for the young master’s future heir...”
Jeremy felt genuine pain at the thought of surrendering such a fine property over a mere dinner reservation. He shot a glare at Baston, who had recommended the restaurant. This was all that cursed tongue’s fault. Baston whistled innocently and avoided his gaze.
“It doesn’t matter. I can simply purchase an even better one later. Or build a new one.”
“......”
Jeremy knew his lord was talented, yet he sometimes despaired at the man’s complete lack of financial common sense. Of course, the ducal house was wealthy enough that such concerns were trivial. The fortune Raphael had amassed during his minority through his chosen field was already astronomical.
Still, that mansion is far too valuable to waste on a princess he isn’t even marrying...
If the expenditure was meant to coax her into an actual marriage, it would make sense. As that thought crossed his mind, Jeremy stole another glance at his master with an odd expression.
Could he truly harbor feelings for Her Highness?
Yet Raphael seemed too detached for a man in love. He lacked the buoyant energy that usually accompanied new romance.
Or is this reckless spending the very sign of it?
The suspicion was not entirely without merit.
The Villainess Is a Marionette