Crowning My Feral Prince

As soon as she got out of the carriage holding Leone’s hand, he let go of her hand.

 

“Uh, Leo-”

 

Then he grabbed her waist with both hands and lifted her up easily. The hem of the skirt puffed up slightly due to the sudden movement, but soon unfolded beautifully.

 

“Huh, Leone… sir!”

 

While she was shouting in embarrassment, she almost said something informal. She quickly corrected this in case there were any ears listening. The carriage was also high, and since Leone was tall, it was raised high as if it would reach the sky. The moment she was in the air was only for a short time, and fortunately, Leone let her down quickly. Looking closely, it seemed like he was trying to get her off the carriage. It’s like an escort in its own way.

 

‘There’s no need to make a big fuss like this…’

 

She could feel the attention, and her face felt hot. Attention must have already been focused on the appearance of His Highness the Prince, but it was a very noticeable action. Was he trying to change the main character of this banquet to her?

 

“What are you doing, really?”

 

She hurriedly leaned closer to Leone and whispered in a voice loud enough for only the two of them to hear. Leone grinned.

 

“Maybe it’s because Trixie is my master, so I want to treat her properly.”

 

“If you think I’m the master, you should only do as I command.”

 

“Are you going to give me an order?”

 

“…I have a knack for picking only the questions I can’t answer.”

 

“Haha. It’s a spectacular appearance, isn’t it, Trixie?”

 

“I’ll die if I show off twice.”

 

She just rolled her eyes and glanced at the atmosphere. The expressions on people’s faces looking at them were quite sighting. Shocked face, bewilderment, anger, bewilderment. Anyway, no one had a good expression…

 

‘There is one.’

 

Only his lover, Melody, who stood next to Adler, was watching them with a dreamy, happy face. Adler was clenching his teeth. She felt like she was going to get scolded a lot later. First of all, getting in was the priority. Leone held out her arm. He placed his arm on top of me, trying to look as graceful as possible. The people were astonished, and the band’s exciting performance welcomed Leone’s arrival. It was so hectic and noisy that the little conversations they had in whispers were easily drowned out.

 

“Why did you just do that?”

 

“Trixie. Because I was nervous. I thought you might get hurt coming down.”

 

“It’s okay…”

 

“And I definitely wanted to brag that you were my partner.”

 

Leone looked at her. How could he say something like this so calmly, and at a time like this? She was embarrassed and happy, but at the same time, she was embarrassed because it was difficult to manage her facial expressions. She pursed her lips and lowered her gaze.

 

‘Don’t laugh, don’t laugh. If you laugh now, you’ll end up like the Joker.’

 

No matter what state she was in, we kept going and soon started climbing the stairs. The red carpet on the floor was very soft.

 

“I’m grateful, but everyone seems angry.”

 

“Is it?”

 

It was the first banquet held by the prince after the Archduke’s influence disappeared. Most single women would have come looking for a seat next to Leone. The prince, who had just debuted in the capital, had no lover, no connections, and no close friends. Everyone had a chance. Today’s banquet was practically a battlefield for wild beasts trying to hunt down the best groom. However… Of course, she appeared.

 

So gorgeous.

 

The eyes of the wild beasts that had suddenly lost their prey became somewhat fierce.

 

“It’s obvious that they all came here aiming to become the princess.”

 

“It’s better. It’s better to show it clearly what my relationship with Trixie is.”

 

“But people’s eyes have become very ugly.”

 

“Well, the more the prince’s affection for his lover is seen, the more his will will be broken, right? There will be some who are already discouraged. It’s great for a first start.”

 

“…is it?”

 

But before she knew it, she was convinced by Leone’s words. It was not something a noble or royal family would do in front of others. Even if they did it, it was something only a couple with a lot of chickens would do, and it was an act that would be criticized for not having a good head. Nevertheless, it was actually an excellent choice to make her presence known in this competition to find a husband. Regardless of whether you had a partner or not, if you were not married, nobles would approach you eagerly. In the meantime, the more the prince took actions such as saying that he was so in love with his partner and that he was so in love with her that he would die, the more ironclad he would become. Leone was comfortable, and for her, it’s nice that she didn’t have to confront people who chased after her and gave her sharp looks. When she thought about it, it seemed like a really good start. Even after entering the ivory palace, it was a bit difficult to get rid of chicken meat. They soon entered the Ivory Palace and stood in front of the huge doors of the grand banquet hall.

 

“His Royal Highness Leone Atarta, First Prince of the Atarta Empire, and Miss Beatrice, the eldest daughter of Baron Hermann, are coming in.”

 

A loud voice announced the prince’s arrival and the door opened. There were quite a few people standing on the stairs outside the Ivory Palace to greet us, so we thought there would be few people inside, but there was a similar number of people gathered in the main banquet hall. Were there so many nobles in this country? She was surprised. But even for a moment. She felt a little bad. Although there were many in number, they were a very small minority when compared to the total population of the empire. Only these few gain wealth and live a life of luxury. This minority enriched themselves by exploiting the majority of the people of the empire. Just like what happened to her. Now that Leone was thinking about the republic and there was hope that something might happen, dissatisfaction began to rise.

 

“There is a woman next to him. Oh my god.”

 

“No, I haven’t heard that he had a partner!”

 

“She might just be a random girl…! Calm down.”

 

“Yeah, she won’t be a big deal.”

 

As she started walking across the grand banquet hall, all kinds of voices poured out. It was amazing how clearly they could hear it, even though they were probably whispering to each other and making an effort. There were no harsh curses, but it didn’t feel very good, so she lowered her head. She wanted to pass by quickly. But Leone suddenly stopped.

 

“Good afternoon.”

 

He let out a drowsy yet somewhat irritated voice. She raised her head and looked at Leone.

 

‘Well, what is it? Why are you so scared?’

 

Even to her, he had a scary, cold expression, as if he was going to catch and kill someone. At the end of his gaze, there were about three ladies gathered together.

 

“Prince. Jo, Jo Ho-eun is… majesty.”

 

She couldn’t tell because the voice was vibrating, but she figured it out right away. Those were the ladies who just saw her and started whispering.

 

“…It’s okay.”

 

She laughed for no reason. It wasn’t a big insult, and she could just ignore it and pass by, but when he stopped and took his side, she felt a tickle in her stomach. At that moment, Leone, who had given enough warning with his eyes, was about to take another step.

 

“But something… I feel like I’ve seen her a lot somewhere. Why, long ago.”

 

“Quiet, quiet.”

 

She heard the story she hated the most. Could it be that they recognized her? She was startled and her heart was pounding. She said it wouldn’t matter if she found out, but what if she actually found out? As Beatrice Giuseppe, she had been avoiding encountering nobles for a long time, and her body had become stiff out of habit.

 

“Beatrice.”

 

“Yeah? Majesty.”

 

She was momentarily surprised by Leone’s voice calling out to her while she was frozen. Leone asked her in a slightly loud voice, as if she was deliberately trying to make others hear.

 

“You only stayed at Baron Hermann’s estate. It was my first time at a banquet in the capital.”

 

“Yes… to.”

 

“It’s the first time. I’ve never seen it all, so it might be unfamiliar, yes?”

 

“Ah. Yes, yes.”

 

Leone put special emphasis on the word “first” and slowly looked up and down at the person who had just opened his mouth before walking away. It was a march filled with warnings like, ‘If you touch my partner, I won’t let you go.’ Perhaps it had some effect, as people’s whispering suddenly stopped. Although it was fortunate, it was uncomfortable to be met with silent gazes the entire time she walked to the head table at the front of the banquet hall. Those who were waiting outside to welcome Leone also returned and the palace was filled with people. They walked along the path among the people. Every time she walked, the hem of her dress swayed and made a noise.

 

“Trixie.”

 

Leone slightly lowered his head towards her and whispered.

 

“Thank you for walking next to me.”

 

Those words were so sweet. Did he even notice her discomfort? The feelings that were starting to become slightly sensitive spread out and subsided. Leone walked neatly and held her arm tightly for support. The hands he held against each other gained strength.

 

‘I can stand side by side with Leone in front of so many people. Without hiding or disguising…’

 

She felt strange. She was now doing something she had never been able to do before. In front of all these people, she was revealing her existence that she had been busy running away from and hiding. She finally felt it as the discomfort disappeared. How daunting was this? Standing next to him, doing something that would attract attention, and not having to worry about anything else.

 

“Thank you too, Leone.”

 

She whispered back with her head tilted towards her. He nodded and stood upright. They were greeted by the pitch-black Marquis of the North and the Earl of the West, dressed in overly flashy attire, in the center of the grand banquet hall. Looking at the Marquis, Leone’s all black outfit felt even more special today. Leone also seemed to be glancing at her reaction. She held back the laughter that was about to come out. How cute it was to look at the details. After the two Margraves’ polite greetings, they finally walked to the head table at the very front of the banquet hall. Originally, the Emperor was supposed to sit in the highest center, but today the Emperor was said to be unable to attend due to health issues. It wasn’t really painful, Leone asked for it. If he wants to hand over the throne quickly, he needs a good excuse, so he asked him to at least pretend to lie down. She thought it was reasonable, but she thought his true intentions were different. Adler and the Emperor would be the ones who would have the greatest repercussions if they brought me in as a partner. So, Adler went to Melody, and the Emperor took advantage of plausible persuasion in advance.

 

‘I feel like I’m getting smarter…’

 

Anyway, the highest place naturally became Leone’s seat. He and she walked, climbed the platform, and stood there. Leone opened his mouth. It was the last thing she had to do before sitting down.

 

“As this is a banquet for the Marquis, it would be nice to spend time focusing on the Marquis and the Count rather than on myself. I hope you have a good time.”

 

As soon as Leone’s light greeting ended, the people who had been standing quietly became noisy. They were… They sat side by side on two chairs. It was her first time. Sitting next to Leone in front of so many other people.

 

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Translator Note: