How annoying. Rebecca suppressed a sigh and irritably brushed her hair back.
The hunting competition, which had been relatively peaceful, had turned into a mess due to the sudden appearance of mutated monsters. Rebecca, who had joined the competition with Millard, couldn’t avoid encountering the mutated monsters either. It wasn’t long after they heard the screams echoing through the forest that they were surrounded by serpent-like mutated monsters.
“W-What is this…! Your Highness! I will protect you!”
Millard stepped in front of the serpent-like monsters, trying to shield Rebecca. He was likely doing it to make a good impression on her. Still, Millard was neither an exceptional knight nor a skilled elementalist. It was already the third time that Rebecca had saved him from getting hurt while he was trying to stand against the monsters.
…Hold it in.
Rebecca wanted to grab Millard by the scruff of his neck and pull him out of the way immediately. However, she still needed him if she wanted to regain her former power. More precisely, she needed the wealth of the Viscount Sudsfield family, which she could obtain through Millard.
But I can’t afford to waste too much time here.
Rebecca held back a curse and allowed Millard to play hero for a little while longer before pulling him back just as the monster was about to bite his neck.
“That was close, Lord.”
“Oh…!”
Feigning a concerned expression, Rebecca saved Millard from the monster while simultaneously striking the back of his neck hard enough to knock him out. Millard immediately lost consciousness. This way, she could excuse herself by saying she accidentally collided with him while trying to save him.
Rebecca clicked her tongue in annoyance and belatedly swung her sword. White flames swirled around her, following the movement of the blade.
Kiiik! Kiiik…! Before long, Rebecca had no trouble slaughtering the mutated monsters that had surrounded her. If Millard hadn’t been in the way, the situation would have ended much faster.
“…Of all the idiots to be stuck with him.”
After dealing with the last monster, Rebecca kicked the unconscious Millard, who was lying face-down on the ground. She then dispelled her sword with a frown.
The problem now is how to get him out of the forest.
Rebecca had volunteered to attend the hunting competition alone with Millard to secure his loyalty. As a result, there was no one around who could act as a servant. The other nobles were likely scattered, dealing with their own encounters with mutated monsters, as she heard no signs of anyone nearby.
…The spirits would probably refuse if I asked them to carry him.
Spirits often empathize with their contractor’s emotions. Although Rebecca outwardly played the role of a kind fiancée, she secretly found Millard distasteful, so the spirits would likely be unwilling to carry him.
Rebecca was considering whether she should just drag him by the ankles when she noticed a figure moving in the distance through the trees. Duke Findlay?
Recognizing him, Rebecca’s face lit up. Although the duke was old, it would be easier to carry Millard together rather than doing it alone. Moreover, Duke Findlay was someone who wanted to see Rebecca on the throne, so he would surely help her with this.
It would be better if he had servants with him. Why is he here alone? With a slight sense of curiosity, Rebecca began to move in the direction where Duke Findlay had disappeared. She hadn’t gone far when she saw the duke’s back, standing still among the trees.
“Du…”
But she abruptly stopped speaking when her eyes took in the scene before her, causing her to frown.
“…”
Fortunately, there was a young man who appeared to be a servant beside the duke. However, instead of assisting the duke out of the forest, the young man was kneeling on the ground in front of him.
What… is he doing? Instinctively quieting her movements, Rebecca moved a few steps closer. Over the young man’s shoulder, she saw a small cage containing a thrashing creature. Her light blue eyes widened. A monster…?
The creature inside the cage looked vaguely like a puppy but had bizarre features, as if parts of its body had been mixed with those of other animals. The young man was inserting something into the monster’s body with a thin needle.
Kaeng! Kaeng! The monster let out cries of pain and anger, but the young man remained expressionless. He acted as if he had done this many times before, showing no emotion. The duke, too, watched the scene without any visible reaction.
Just as Rebecca was about to call out to the duke, sensing something strange, the monster suddenly stopped moving and began to tremble violently. Then, without warning, its body swelled rapidly, and with a loud crack, the cage shattered.
Kuaaaargh! In an instant, the monster had transformed into a ‘mutated monster’ and charged off in the opposite direction of the duke and the young man.
The young man rose to his feet with a troubled expression as he watched the creature flee. He bit his lip and bowed his head before the duke. “My apologies, Duke.”
“Another failure?”
“…Yes.”
“…I see.”
While Rebecca was still in shock, struggling to believe what she had just witnessed, an indecipherable conversation took place between the duke and the young man. The duke looked down at the young man with cold eyes, and the young man closed his eyes tightly, his face pale.
“Then you must die.”
Rebecca snapped back to her senses just as the duke’s sword slashed through the young man’s neck.
“Ah.” A brief gasp escaped Rebecca’s lips as she watched the young man’s body collapse lifelessly to the ground.
The sound caused the duke to flinch, and he quickly turned around. The murderous expression on his face vanished as soon as he recognized Rebecca, and he froze.
“…First Princess?”
A fleeting look of surprise crossed his face, but he soon regained his usual blank expression. Clicking his tongue, he swung his sword, shaking off the blood before it soaked into the ground.
As he sheathed his sword, the duke spoke in a calm tone. “Why are you alone? Your foolish fiancé… don’t tell me you’ve killed him?” The duke paused, asking as if it were a possibility.
Even in her confusion, Rebecca managed to stammer out a response. “…Of course now. He’s just unconscious over there… I was hoping you might help me carry him out if you had servants with you.”
“Well done. As foolish as he is, the Viscount Sudsfield family is still useful. Try not to kill him until we’ve secured ownership of the Opera Diamond Mine.”
“Why are you stating the obvious… No, that’s not the point right now.” Rebecca barely managed to stop herself from being swept up in the duke’s attempt to change the subject. Frowning, she asked. “What was all of that just now, Grandfather?”
At her question, the duke looked at her as if she had asked something odd. He tilted his head slightly and responded in an indifferent tone. “What do you think?”
“…”
“Naturally, I’m clearing away anything that might hinder you from ascending to the throne.”
“…What?” Rebecca’s voice trembled with confusion.
No matter how she looked at it, what she had just seen was the process of the monster turning into a ‘mutated monster’ because of whatever the young man had injected into it. And yet… he claimed it was all to help her?
Rebecca’s voice rose with frustration. “When did I ever ask you to do such things for me? That’s something I should be handling myse—”
“And yet you’re failing to handle it. Look at your recent situation, Your Highness. I trusted that you could manage on your own, but what has that trust brought us?”
“…”
“Does Your Highness truly believe you can do better than this without my help?”
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