In the lounge on the second floor of the party venue, two men and women are facing each other.
The air between them was heavily charged.
“What happened to the plan?”
In the heavy atmosphere, Cassis Renokhonen spoke up.
His murky, purple eyes were fixed on Violet.
“I did everything I could. To be honest, I didn’t expect him not to come over after going this far. Was the comfort of Princess Ferbache that good?”
“Watch your words.”
“Am I wrong? It’s obvious that the two of them are already…”
Thud! Cassis lightly slammed his hand on the table between them.
His eyes were burning with anger.
“Well, fine. I won’t talk about this anymore.”
Violet glanced around cautiously and continued.
“Hmm. I don’t think my charm was lacking. It’s just that Yohan Harssen’s walls were too thick. It was nice to see someone so devoted to their lover. I envy Princess Ferbache.”
The two of them had devised a plan.
First, Violet would catch Yohan.
She planned to use the broken shoe that she had prepared in advance.
Then she would get the drunken Yohan to spend the night with her while Cassis would lure Princess Ferbache there to witness the affair.
That was the plan.
“I already knew he was weak to alcohol, but he still couldn’t forget Princess Ferbache, even when drunk. Should I have made him drink another glass? I should have made him completely lose his senses.”
It was a somewhat clumsy plan, but it was feasible because they knew that Yohan Harssen was very weak to alcohol.
They had gotten this information at the public official’s welcome party.
It was evident that the firm walls Yohan had built were falling apart as he allowed female contact with his blurry gaze.
“Ugh, nothing is going right.”
Cassis rubbed his temples and closed his eyes tightly.
Violet narrowed her eyes.
“And what about you? You didn’t even manage to start properly. Are you in a position to blame me?”
“This plan was destined to fail anyway. It was impossible to threaten a family or take his family hostage, especially with the Ferbache family backing him. Let’s just forget about it since it’s in the past, okay?”
Violet chuckled lightly, raising an eyebrow.
“…That’s true. Anyway, I have something prepared for times like this.”
“What is it?”
Cassis put on his outerwear and stood up from the lounge seat.
Violet frowned and asked again.
“What is that preparation? You’re not planning to kill Yohan Harssen, are you?”
“You will regret it for the rest of your life if you do. Just try to touch my things.”
“I think I’ll take my leave now.”
Watching Cassis leave without a proper answer, Violet bit her nails.
‘If it’s that man, he’s definitely aiming for his life.’
That can’t happen.
She had her sights set on him; she couldn’t let him die in vain like this.
The reason she showed strong affection for Yohan Harssen was for her own self-esteem.
His strong loyalty and perfect appearance were the best combination to satisfy Violet’s self-esteem.
And Yohan Harssen was a well-known figure in high society, someone even Violet, who had no prior connection, had heard of before.
If she could have such a trophy, she would feel more than just simple satisfaction and, in addition, would attract many envious glances from those around her.
Everyone would envy her.
The jealous looks they would send her way would further elevate Violet’s self-esteem.
The fact that he was the third son of a self-made family was a flaw, but that issue wasn’t too important.
Hadn’t he already proven his genius talent as a wizard?
The issue of his title could easily be covered under the name of Marquis Latalen.
Just making him Yohan Latalen would suffice.
‘I have to let him know.’
Violet stood up and strode out of the lounge, heading down to the first floor.
She looked around the party venue, but there was no sign of Yohan Harssen.
‘Did he already leave…?’
She couldn’t hide her dismay.
By the time the party was nearing its end, Yohan and Francia were riding in a carriage, returning to the Ferbache mansion.
“Was there anything that happened while I was gone?”
“Not particularly.”
Yohan averted his gaze as he spoke.
Sensing something suspicious, Francia narrowed her eyes.
“Is that so? Really?”
Francia, who had been sitting across from Yohan, moved to sit beside him.
“Hmm.”
She nestled into Yohan’s arms, smelling him, and then asked with a sinking gaze, “But why do I smell another woman on you?”
“This isn’t just the scent of another woman touching you, is it? It’s pretty strong.”
Francia grabbed both of Yohan’s cheeks and turned his face toward her.
“Especially here, I can smell a lot of it. The scent of alcohol and a woman.”
“How does she know? Cold sweat was trickling down Yohan’s back.
“Well, I didn’t say anything because I thought Francia would get angry.”
“What is it? I won’t be mad, so just tell me.”
“Lady Latalen, in a drunken state…”
“Did you kiss her lips?”
“Hmm.”
The air in the carriage turned cold.
A chill ran down Yohan’s spine.
“Well, it’s okay. Yohan wouldn’t betray me. I’m sure that Lady Latalen took advantage of Yohan being drunk and forced a kiss. And Yohan must have been furious. Right?”
Yohan’s eyes widened slightly at her accurate deduction.
“You figured it out precisely.”
“You can’t ignore a woman’s intuition.”
Francia laughed lightly and kissed Yohan.
As she slipped her tongue in, she wrapped her arms around his neck.
As their passionate kiss ended, a transparent thread stretched between their lips.
Francia looked at Yohan with dazed eyes and gently caressed his lips.
“Haha. I covered your scent with mine.”
“Haha…”
“Hmm. Anyway, I’ll have to have a talk with Lady Latalen. How dare she touch my man!”
Francia’s expression turned icy.
Even Yohan could feel the murderous intent she was harboring.
At that moment…
“I’m sorry. It’s an emergency.”
Suddenly, the carriage window opened, and one of the guard knights spoke.
“The wild dogs are upon us.”
“Wild dogs?”
Francia tilted her head.
Yohan’s expression hardened as he asked, “They’re not just a simple band of thieves, are they?”
“That’s correct.”
Yohan stroked his chin and fell into thought.
Had the shadows attached to them crossed the crown prince? That shouldn’t be the case.
‘The crown prince is probably being cautious right now.’
If they moved rashly, they might leave evidence behind, which would seriously damage the flawless image of the crown prince.
There was little chance of that happening.
‘Then there’s only one left.’
Someone who could attach a tracking device to the Ferbache family’s carriage and have a separate group that could act from behind.
Cassis Renokhonen.
I don’t know why Cassis Renokhonen has started moving already, but one thing is certain:
He’s after me.
It is already widely known among the public officials that we are in a romantic relationship, and he has solidified that by entering the social party as Francia’s partner.
He must think that the man Yohan Harssen will be a hindrance to the plans that will unfold in the future, so he is probably thinking of dealing with him here.
That means there are four of us who can engage in combat, including me.
Three knights from the Ferbache family and myself.
Francia is also present, but she is not a combatant.
Although she is a senior mage, her focus is on enhancing or recovering the physical abilities of others.
In that case, it would be better to send Francia away first and face them alone to avoid unnecessary casualties.
Yohan said.
“Stop the carriage.”
“Stop the carriage? What do you mean?”
The knight’s eyebrows twisted in confusion.
He seemed to not understand Yohan’s words at all.
“I’ll face them. You guys call for reinforcements.”
“That’s absurd! There are quite a few of them. It would be better to just keep fleeing…”
“They’re attacking the Ferbache family’s carriage without fear. It could harm the princess for no reason.”
As Yohan adjusted his clothes, Francia grabbed his arm with worried eyes.
“Yohan, please don’t do that. Wouldn’t it be better to escape together? It would be better to send one knight first to call for reinforcements.”
Yohan shook his head.
“No. Didn’t you say there are quite a few of them? It could endanger Francia.”
“But…”
At this point, it was clear that they were targeting him.
They probably wouldn’t think of kidnapping Francia.
If they were careless, it could lead to a war between the Grand Ducal’s family and the Ducal’s family, which would never happen again in the Empire.
But there are always uncertainties.
Yohan wanted to eliminate all variables perfectly.
“Don’t worry. I’m stronger than you think.”
Yohan smiled gently while holding Francia’s shoulders and shouted again at the knight.
“Stop the carriage! I’ll get off and face them.”
“Yohan!”
“Yes, yes!”
Clunk! The carriage stopped.
Yohan quickly got off the carriage and gathered his magical power.
“Go. Make sure to protect the princess.”
“Yes!”
The carriage moved away.
With his magical power raised to the limit, Yohan sharpened his senses.
The numbers… are over twenty.
He hadn’t learned detection magic, but he could tell that there were at least twenty of them.
They were emitting an aura comparable to a second-level public official.
No matter how much of a senior mage Yohan was, it was nearly impossible to face a group of that level.
They were as easy to catch as mages without vanguards.
But…
Whoooosh!!
He was far from an ordinary mage.
Crackle!
The mana around Yohan swirled around him like electrical currents.
Waves in the air quivered, and it felt like lightning was circling around him silently.
“Come out. I know you’re watching.”
As Yohan nodded, shadows appeared with a soft sound.
Wearing tattered black robes, they held long curved blades.
Were they hyenas?
He thought they were the Black Knight Order, but they were hyenas responsible for all sorts of dirty work.
They’re planning to completely kill me here.
This isn’t just a warning.
Their combat power couldn’t be underestimated.
While their individual strength wasn’t great, their combined effort was tricky when gathered.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that hyenas are weak individuals.
Their strength was comparable to second-level knights.
Some of them would likely be able to manifest mana blades.
Still,
It didn’t seem like he would lose.
“Hey, are you going to stay here alone?”
The leading hyena said.
Although his face was hidden beneath the black ragged robe, Yohan could tell he was smiling from his tone.
“I have some confidence.”
Yohan, raising his magical power, continued,
“If you retreat now, I won’t kill you.”
“Ha, would we listen to that? Noble.”
The hyena raised his finely honed curved blade and slowly walked forward.
“Would you just retreat after coming this far? Seriously, the arrogance of the noble class is at a level that would make the Emperor blush.”
He infused the blade with aura as he shouted,
“Hey, everyone!”
That’s when the previously hidden hyenas revealed themselves.
More than thirty of them.
Yohan frowned.
Did they prepare this much?
It signified that they intended to handle the job thoroughly.
Yohan smirked.
“I guess this will be my first time killing someone.”
Woosh!!
Blue magical energy swirled around him, forming a massive storm.
The flow was not suppressed and exploded outward.
Even the surrounding air seemed to tremble.
“I’ll leave only the one to deliver a message to your master.”