The Dead Villainess Had A Child With The Male Lead

Chapter 67 Hostage

“No, you are wrong. Your life is not worth the slightest bit, and your very existence is an embarrassment to our empire! The world would benefit from your disappearance!”

Caspian’s angry voice echoed through the plaza, and the people who had been looking on in amusement were now tense. Some gulped and swallowed hard, others gulped and swallowed dry.

Everyone’s faces were tense, with a hint of doubt. While it was true that the pickpocket was a bad man, and certainly deserved to be punished for his crimes, it was doubtful that he deserved to be executed without a verdict.

It was then that Princess Espin stepped forward.

“Your Highness, Prince Caspian.”

“Speak, My Lady.”

“I want this villain handed over to the capital scouts as soon as possible, not here.”

“…”

“For stealing and for causing a carriage accident, please make sure he gets the punishment he deserves in prison.”

“You are a very generous lady.”

Snorting, Caspian laughed again. Of all the people gathered here, Caspian was the only one laughing. It was an eerie laugh.

“Arghh!”

That was it. The pickpocket, who had been kneeling on the ground the entire time, jumped up and kicked Caspian in the stomach, sending him sprawling to the ground, completely unaware of the attack.

The pickpocket was holding a dagger in his untied hand, which he had apparently stashed somewhere on his person.

The pickpocket grabbed Veronia in front of him and held the knife to her throat.

“Stay still! If you move, she dies!”

The pickpocket cackled as he held Veronia tightly.

“She seems to be a woman of exceptional divine power, and unlike my life, her life must be a great asset to the Empire, an asset that must never be lost!”

The pickpocket grabbed Veronia and slowly backed away. Her hood, which she had been wearing the entire time, was ripped off, but she didn’t care. Veronia did as she was told so as not to provoke the pickpocket.

“If you leave me alone, she won’t be hurt, so don’t move!”

But Caspian didn’t seem to care about her life. She might be a skilled healer, but she was still just one of the commoners.

Caspian barked orders at his cowering escorts.

“What are you doing? Hunt him down! He dares to harm the imperial prince! He must be caught and beheaded!”

Caspian was furious that he had been knocked down by the pickpocket’s kick. He seemed to think he had suffered a humiliation that could not be washed away.

His escorts, however, were not getting close enough to the pickpocket. They couldn’t risk killing a woman who might be a saint, if not exactly a saint.

“Get away from her now,” he said, “for if you do, I will spare your life.”

Killion spoke in a calm voice. He threw his sword to the ground and slowly raised both hands.

“But if you hurt her, even by a hair’s breadth, you will not walk out of here alive today.”

“I’m going to die anyway, so I might as well die here with her!”

The pickpocket cried out in despair, trembling and shaking. It seemed that it was impossible to get out of here alive after all.

Veronia spoke in a low voice. Only the pickpocket could hear her.

“Calm down. Trust him. He’s Chancellor Killion Drea, and he’s a man of his word.”

“Uh…”

“He said he’d let you live, and he’ll do whatever it takes to keep his word, so don’t give up. Put down your sword and…”

“That’s enough, don’t say that!”

The pickpocket shouted, smiling bloodily.

“I’ve heard so many plausible lies from those in high places! You think I’m going to believe your bullshit?”

“Please… don’t do this, I… have a little child to raise, his name is Jediel, and if I die, he will be an orphan.”

As a last resort, Veronia thought to seek the pickpocket’s sympathy. The pickpocket hesitated for a moment, the tip of his blade trembling slightly, as if her plan had worked.

“I didn’t mean to do this! But… but…!”

That’s when Caspian leapt to his feet and lunged straight for the pickpocket, knife in hand. 

He didn’t seem the least bit concerned that his hostage might die. He was not a man who valued the lives of others.

“Argh! Die, you bastard! You, filthy human being! You’re worse than a worm!”

The pickpocket, terrified by Caspian’s unyielding momentum, pushed Veronia aside and tried to flee, the tip of his blade grazing her earlobe, sending a trickle of blood down from the deep cut.

“No!”

Killion moved quickly. He leapt up with his sword, which had fallen to the ground, and parried Caspian’s sword as it was aimed at the pickpocket’s shoulder.

“Ouch!”

“Ugh!”

The pickpocket’s shoulder was slashed open by the Swordmaster’s mighty blade, and Caspian was sent sprawling into the distance.

To the scouts who had arrived in time, Killion barked out orders.

“Pickpocket caught in the act. He caused a carriage accident on his way out, causing casualties. Take him in!”

“Yes, Sir.”

The scouts moved swiftly, almost too swiftly for Killion’s command to be given. They cuffed the wrists of the pickpocket, who had a deep but apparently non-life-threatening gash in his shoulder, and led him away.

Killion turned to the fallen Veronia.

“Nia, are you okay?”

“… Yes”

Veronia nodded, but she didn’t look very well. The gash in her ear from the pickpocket’s knife was deep and bleeding profusely.

It was then. Killion’s mouth dropped open as he recognized Veronia’s face.

‘Ah!’

The scars and tattoos on her face had disappeared.

He quickly scanned the ground, and it wasn’t hard to find the magic stone piercing lying on the ground. 

He quickly picked it up and pulled off his cloak, placing it over Veronia’s head. No one was to see her face.

Startled by his sudden action, Veronia’s eyes widened in confusion. The cloak blocked her view, and it was frustrating.

“Why…?”

“Hold still, you’re losing too much blood. I think we should go to the nearest clinic and have your wound treated. You may need stitches.”

“Ah…”

Veronia was still puzzled, though she hoped she wouldn’t have to cover her face like this.

Had he read the doubt on her face? Killion explained.

“I thought it would frighten Jediel if he saw his mother bleeding, so I covered it with a cloak.”

“Ah… thank you.”

Veronia nodded. Killion was right. Jediel was already frightened. He’d seen his mother being held hostage by a man with a knife from start to finish.

Killion turned to Onyx.

“That’s a pretty bad wound. I think we should get her stitched up.”

“Okay, but what’s with the cloak?”

“The cloak is… because I don’t think Jediel should see his mum bleeding.”

“I see. Good.”

While Onyx helped Veronia, Killion went over to Princess Espin and Jediel and explained the situation.

“Mum’s a bit hurt, not much, just a tiny cut on the tip of her ear.”

“Huhuhu… mum…”

Tears were already streaming down the child’s face, but the mention of his mum’s injury brought him back.

“We’ll go to the doctor with Mr Onyx and he’ll stitch it up, and you’ll be fine soon, and then we’ll go home and wait for you, and your mum will be able to go home for dinner.”

“Can’t I go to the doctor with my mum?”

“Let’s wait patiently so your mum can be treated in peace. Can you do that, Jedidiah?”

“Yes, … I’ll do that.”

Jediel barely nodded. Killion gently wiped away the tears that trickled down his cheeks.

Then Killion stood beside Jediel and Princess Espin and watched shyly as Veronia and Onyx rode away in the carriage. 

The truth was, he wanted so badly to climb into the carriage with her, to stand by her side, but he had to resist.

‘I’ve got some cleaning up to do and… wouldn’t want you to show your face to me with a missing piercing.’

Killion folded his arms in disappointment and slipped the piercing in his palm into his pocket.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly. The parties to the incident, as well as the onlookers, breathed a sigh of relief as the dust settled.

Prince Caspian, however, was having none of it. 

Helped to his feet by his escorting knights, he quickly sheathed his sword and charged back towards the pickpocket. His voice, fueled by evil, echoed sharply in the square.

“Aaaah! You should just die, you filthy little bastard!”

There was no dodging. Caspian’s sword plunged into the back of the pickpocket as he was dragged by a scout in handcuffs up to the cart jail.

“Hu!”