Bon Appétit

“Argh, this is enough.”

“I want this to stop, too.”

“Then let me go to the market comfortably!”

“What if there’s another strange man?”

“There won’t be! There won’t!”

“There is one now.”

Luana sighed in frustration because this conversation would only be back in the circle, but suddenly she heard an urgent knock.

“Come in.”

As soon as the duke gave permission, the maid ran in pale and said,

“A man was sent from the Imperial Palace!”

“At this night?”

He was a duke in the name. No matter how the emperor loved to do anything he wanted, it was unreasonable to send someone on this night, and most of all, it was the knight who could use force. As the duke went outside after hearing what the maid said, the duke looked at the knights lined up with cold expressions.

“What is going on this late at night?”

Albert, who was standing at the front, stepped forward and said,

“It’s His Majesty’s order. He asked me to bring Princess Luana.”

“What if I don’t want to?”

The Duke crossed his arms and glared at Albert, standing in the way. Albert dealt with him calmly.

“Are you going to disobey His Majesty’s orders?”

His tone was calm, but its meaning was not small. Disobeying the emperor’s orders would mean treason, so it was right to listen to his orders here. It would have solved everything if he had given Luana to him. But even though he knew it, he couldn’t bear to do that.

‘What does the emperor want to do to Luana? Although he was always smiling, he was actually the scariest person. But without the reason why the emperor wants her, why would I send Luana to someone like that? Even though she says what we have was a contractual relationship, I’m still his lover.’

It was nonsense. The duke gritted his teeth and did not move away from the door.

“Please step aside while I can still show my respect.”

Albert once again persuaded the duke. He also knew that fighting the duke would be a loss. The best thing was to take the princess without fighting the duke.

However, as the duke did not back down, the atmosphere worsened. Luana was worried that something might happen at this rate. And at that moment, Luana stepped forward.

“Can I go?”

The duke hurriedly held Luana as she stepped forward calmly.

“Do you know where they were going to take you?!”

“But isn’t he looking for me?”

At that, Albert stepped forward.

“That’s right.”

“I can’t let you go like this. Get back in.”

“But there seems to be no other way.”

Even though Luana seemed like she knew nothing, Luana still had memories of her previous life. She was fully aware saying no to His Majesty’s order could cause damage to the duke. It wasn’t that she wasn’t scared, but she couldn’t stay still. She had to make her choice either way.

“We will ensure her safety.”, said Albert.

Luana gently patted the duke’s arm as he held her tight.

“I’ll be back safely.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“Your Highness has also been given a separate order.”

Then he gave the duke a letter. As soon as he opened it, a wrinkle appeared on his forehead, and he realized why this bad thing had happened.

Ingrid escaped with the help of an unknown group. Now the emperor was telling the duke to find her. Bringing in Luana was to hold her hostage just in case. The relationship between the sisters didn’t seem too bad, so he would use her to convince Ingrid.

“I will follow your orders.”

As soon as the duke said that, half of the knights standing behind Albert went behind the duke. Half of the knights would find Ingrid, who ran under the command of the duke and Albert. In the meantime, Luana also had several knights. They’ll be the knights who would protect Luana on the way to the Imperial Palace.

Luana rode in the small black carriage, and just as the door was about to close, a hand blocked the door. It was a duke.

“Luana.”

“Legion.”

“Stay calm. I’ll look for you soon. If someone gives you a hard time, just say my name.”

Legion, a duke famous for being a slayer in the Empire, would pose a sufficient threat to others. She was pleased that he said that without hesitation. That’s how much he cares about Luana.

“Yes, I’ll be fine, so come pick me up quickly.”

Luana looked at the duke and smiled.

“I’ll go as fast as I can.”

“Yes.”

The carriage closed as soon as they finished talking. At that moment, Luana’s smile disappeared from her face. At first glance, she heard Ingrid run away from the palace. Because of that, she was taken to the Imperial Palace, and the duke chased Ingrid.

‘Finally, you ran away towards your goal.’

She remembered Ingrid’s words that said she would definitely get out of this situation. She achieved that goal today. If there was a problem, it seemed that she had not yet completely escaped the Empire’s capital. She must be mobilizing the knights from within. Luana bit her lips.

‘She should be safe.’

Luana was worried for both Ingrid and Legion.

“Let’s go!”

Meanwhile, the carriage began to roll. Luana prayed silently, unable to control her nervousness. 

‘May both of you be safe.’

***

How far did the wagon travel? Luana opened the window curtain and began to feel strange. She has been to the Imperial Palace from the duke’s mansion multiple times. This time, they took a different direction. The knights running around the carriage seemed to have noticed too.

“Stop the carriage!”

She shouted at the coachman, but he didn’t stop. He blew a whistle sharply, and masked men who ran out of nowhere began to attack the knights.

‘What? What’s going on?’

Luana panicked and grabbed the handle of the carriage. She tried to open it, but somehow, she couldn’t. She seemed to be locked from the outside.

‘No, there is no carriage like that!’

She clenched her fist, lay down on the chair, and kicked the door with all her might.

Bang bang!

She did her best to kick the door in the shaking carriage, and finally, the moment she stretched out her foot with all her strength, the door suddenly opened, and a person climbed in.

Still wearing the mask, he looked at Luana’s legs and smiled. As she was about to kick him, he grabbed her foot.

“You have to sit still, princess.”

“Do I look like I’m going to stay calm when I’m being kidnapped?”

Luana tried to kick him again, but he didn’t budge. He quickly caught her no matter how mad she wanted to attack him. In the end, Luana got tired first.

“Are you calm now? So, would you like to hear the story? We did not kidnap the princess.”

“Taking someone to the place they don’t want isn’t kidnapping?”

“But what if we’re going to the place you want?”

Having said that, the masked man bowed his head and greeted her politely.

“It’s late, but I’d like to greet you. I’m Cain, Duke of Elrond. You’ve already met my acquaintance, haven’t you?”

“Your acquaintance?”

“They said they picked up your coins at the market.”

As soon as she heard that, she could realize their identity. These were death squads made of survivors from the fallen kingdom. They must have been the ones who helped Ingrid escape. But why? Luana was embarrassed to be called a princess.

“I think I know. But I am a person who has nothing to do with the kingdom. Will you let me go?”

“What do you mean? Didn’t you have inherited the wonderful royal’s blood?”

“And I was wonderfully abandoned. Excuse me, could you stop over there?”

“I’d like to do you a favor, but I can’t.”

“Isn’t it enough to have my sister?”

“It’s better to have several helpful cards.”

To treat a person like a card, this man’s personality is terrible. Luana was only looking for a chance to escape. But this person seemed to be quite talented. She didn’t see any gaps.

‘Oh, God, I promised the duke I would never leave, but I got kidnapped like this.’

This absolutely can not happen. So far, the figure of the duke, who had just gained some weight, flashed in her mind. She had to be by his side to maintain it.

“I swear I won’t help anything. Maybe I’m just going to interrupt your plan.”

“That’s all right. We can make you helpful.”

“Just let me go!”

“No.”

Meanwhile, the carriage continued to run fast.

“Hmm, it looks like I have to do this. Then, princess, please sleep for a while.”

“I don’t want to! No! Go away!”

She desperately tried to avoid Cain by moving her body, but eventually, he grabbed her by the nape, and then she didn’t remember anything. Luana fainted.

“They say she is a princess who doesn’t know anything, but that doesn’t seem to be the case either.”

Therefore, it was not normal for her to talk back or struggle her way.

Cain smiled and looked at Luana, who had fainted. Considering Ingrid’s appearance and elegance, she didn’t look very much like her sister. But the king’s blood also runs through her veins. Whatever she looked like, she will be useful. In a way, this could have been better than the smart Ingrid.

“So, stay quiet.”

Cain spoke to Luana, who could not hear him, and then looked forward again. Having obtained both targets, it was time to leave the Empire’s capital.