Reasons to Protect the Witch's Son

Dusk was slowly falling over the city. The carriage with Ash in it sped down the road toward the palace.

Elaine rode a horse and glanced at the carriage ahead. Once Ash’s figure disappeared from sight, her pounding heart from earlier seemed to subside.

But her worries only increased. No matter how handsome Ash was, if she got excited this often, it wouldn’t be surprising if he found out about her feelings at any moment.

In that sense, it was a little dangerous earlier. Ash was so handsome that she’d stared at him blankly without realizing it, but she was concerned that her excitement might’ve show on her face.

Ash was already quick-witted, so she had to be careful about even the smallest things. What she’d been hiding so well, trying not to show, was almost revealed.

‘This isn’t important right now.’

Elaine shook her head trying to shake off her thoughts.

When she rose her head, she saw the tall and magnificent royal palace in the distance. Even before the sun had completely set, the beautiful palace was already twinkling with lights.

 

‘You’re going to the birthday banquet?’

 

Suddenly, she remembered the conversation she’d had with Espel before coming to the capital.

 

‘Yes. We’re leaving the day after tomorrow.’

‘But will you be okay? That… It’s where the royals are.’

 

Espel looked worried after hearing her story. A place where royals gathered. That meant she might meet the culprit who caused the terrible massacre and killed Bella.

She knew what Espel was worried about. An enemy who made her lose someone who was more precious than her life and her blood-related family. It was impossible to identify who it was, the King or Duke Diallo, but would she be able to stay calm after seeing them?

However, even though there was no evidence, in fact, she had a rough guess as to who it might be based on her intuition.

King Chelsea de Philion.

This is because the king gained too much from the Seveka incident.

With Lloyd and the previous king gone, he ascended to the throne and gained more power than anyone else.

On the other hand, Duke Diallo did not gain any significant benefit. Moreover, she found out that he’d developed a chronic illness a few years after the Seveka incident and was unable to do many outside activities.

Because of that, he could not attend the birthday banquet every year. It was mandatory for titled nobles to attend the banquet, but it was possible for him to decline due to his chronic illness.

In conclusion, if she had to choose between the King and Duke Diallo as the culprit, she was more likely to suspect the former.

Still, she had to persevere because there was no evidence. Elaine knew that better than anyone else. She nodded her head slowly.

 

‘Don’t worry. I will never make that mistake.’

‘…’

‘But… I’d like to take a look.’

 

She wanted to see with her own eyes the face of the culprit who had committed such a terrible act and was shamelessly still alive.

 

‘… Be careful.’

‘The King may not know your face, but someone could recognize you.’

 

Even 20 years ago, Elaine had never met the king. Therefore, there was no way he would recognize her.

The probability of someone else recognizing her was also not high, but as Espel said, there was still a need to be careful.

Elaine looked up with deeply sunken eyes.

The royal palace, stained blood red by the sunset, was getting closer.

 

* * *

 

The sound of music flowed from a hall with a high, antique-patterned ceiling. Many people had already gathered in the banquet hall, where a gorgeous chandelier sparkled.

The King and Queen would be the last to enter. Ash passed through the magnificent door with an eagle pattern engraved in gold.

As he entered, the attention of the nobles enjoying the banquet immediately focused on him. Contempt and disgust were immediately directed at him, as if they’d seen something unpleasant. When they saw him enter without a partner, a subtle sneer followed. Low whispers spread.

It was a reaction so familiar that it felt like a cliché. The funny thing was, there were also people who glance at his handsome appearance as if they were lusting after him. Ash ignored the stares and walked forward without changing his expression.

At that moment, the band that had stopped playing began again. The whispers were drowned out by the sound of the music. As people started dancing one by one, the attention that had been focused on him gradually dispersed.

Ash stood near a pillar and drank wine alone while listening to the melody that echoed throughout the venue.

No one came near him. A guest who was not welcome by anyone. As he looked at the people dancing under the sparkling chandelier, he suddenly thought of Elaine.

She was waiting outside the venue with the other knights. He couldn’t see her until the banquet was over. When he thought about it that way, the banquet, which had not even formally started yet, felt even longer.

“You were here.”

The performance was slowly coming to an end when a man with blonde hair that stood out clearly among the crowd spoke. Crown Prince Michael was approaching, his men following close behind.

Next to Michael was a pretty woman wearing a fancy dress. Michael, who arrived in front of Ash, spoke.

“It’s been a long time since last year’s banquet. I’m glad to see you’re doing well.”

He smiled, and his voice was friendly, like the cousins were close.

What kind of trick was he going to pull this time? His attitude was completely different from usual, and he was acting as if he was seeing him for the first time this year, even though he’d seen him just a few months ago. Ash stared coldly at Michael without answering.

Michael, who normally would have immediately gotten angry and called him arrogant, only twitched his eyebrows and did not show his anger. Instead, he smoothly smiled and introduced him to the woman he was escorting.

“Now, say hello. This is my fiancée, Princess Elisabeth Fernand.”

The princess, who was elegantly waving her feathered fan, glanced up and down at Ash. She then lifted the hem of her dress in greeting.

The Duke of Fernand was one of the most powerful families in the kingdom. He was a maternal relative of the Duke of Bassen, the queen’s family, and could be called the richest in the kingdom in terms of his wealth.

He knew that Michael had gotten engaged. He heard about big things like the crown prince’s engagement even though he wasn’t curious about them. But why was he talking to him about this?

The reason was obvious.

“However…”

Michael spoke and slowly looked around Ash. After confirming that he was alone, Michael continued.

“Why are you alone? Where is your partner?”

His mouth curled up like he didn’t know anything. Michael sighed and asked as if he just realized something.

“Oh, could you not find one?”

As expected, he didn’t deviate at all from Ash’s expectations. Michael used to laugh at Ash whenever he attended a banquet alone. He’d always been openly sarcastic, but this time he seems to have changed his methods a bit.

Ash thought he’d be gnashing his teeth quite a bit since he went through so much humiliation when they met at the Lakers. The reason he introduced the princess to Ash was probably to avenge the humiliation he felt at that time.

If he put his mind to it, he could easily get engaged to a girl from a high-ranking family. On the other hand, wasn’t Ash in a lonely and miserable situation because he couldn’t even find a partner? His intention was to ridicule him and make him feel humiliated.

“Oh my, that’s pitiful. It breaks my heart to see you alone every time.”

Michael said with an expression that seemed to show genuine pity. Then the princess covered her mouth with her fan and let out a small chuckle. The nobles who followed Michael also let out low laughs.

The other nobles in the venue glanced at their group. They were quite far away from them. But, even though they didn’t hear the conversation, they could still roughly guess the situation, and giggled.

However, Ash faced Michael with an indifferent expression.

Michael’s eyes showed not only the intention to mock, but also a desire to display his superiority. To show the difference between Ash and himself.

Ash knew that Michael hated him.

The reasons why people disliked him were generally similar. Because he was the son of a witch. That was enough of a reason. Michael was not much different. Whenever he saw Ash, he expressed contempt and hostility like everyone else.

But something was fundamentally different. If he hated him simply because he was the child of a witch, was there a need to be so obsessed with showing his superiority?

It was close to an obsession.

The emotion that Michael revealed to him was one of inferiority. Why? He was born with so much, so what was he lacking?

“Well, there is no way a lady would want to partner with something as shameful as you.”

“…”

“The same goes for your fiancée. If you want to save your fiancée, you’ll have to at least give up that worthless manor.”

From long ago, Ash could not understand Michael’s actions. However, it may be necessary to cut out that voice that was starting to become annoying.

“Is that so. Thank you for your concern.”

Ash smiled calmly and tilted his head to the side with a cool look on his face, as always.

“However, Your Majesty must be very heartbroken, there is no need for you to worry about me.”

“What?”

Michael frowned wondering what he was talking about. Instead of explaining, Ash slowly raised his eyebrows.

“Does Your Highness not know? His Royal Majesty asked the Lady of Lakers to get engaged.”

The king probably didn’t know about the events from before. He was a person who valued power and honor more than anyone else, especially his pride in his kingship. It would be unthinkable for the crown prince, the heir to the throne, to go on his own initiative to visit someone from a lesser family.

In fact, Ash did not completely understand why Michael went to the Lakers. How would the King, who cannot tolerate even the slightest insult to his supreme pride, react if he found out? That is, if he knew that the person his son proposed to rejected him without even meeting him.

“What…”

As expected, Michael looked speechless for a moment after hearing Ash’s words. His fiancée’s expression became strange as she looked at Michael, as if asking what this meant.

Michael, who was chewing his lips in embarrassment, made an effort to smile calmly.

“… Why should I care about the Lakers? Your stories are getting very creative.”