LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 23
“Gasp!”
At that moment, before anyone could see, I quickly hid behind the Grand Duke’s broad back, which was as vast as the Pacific Ocean.
Then, peeking out just enough, I looked up at the sky again.
But no matter how many times I blinked or rubbed my eyes, the fact remained painfully unchanged—the flag up there was indeed Salt’s.
‘Why are they here…?’
My frozen gaze naturally drifted downward.
They hadn’t noticed us yet, but the people huddled under that flag were all faces I recognized.
Especially Count Tonals, who stood proudly at the front as the envoy’s representative. I knew him all too well.
At that moment, a long-forgotten memory suddenly resurfaced in my mind.
“Ah, so you’re Miss April.”
“This is His Majesty the King’s—”
“I know. But she’s an unacknowledged bloodline, isn’t she? There’s no need to treat her as royalty.”
The way the count looked at me back then was filled with unmistakable contempt.
And the moment he realized I was useful, he began scheming to shove tasks onto me at every opportunity.
In fact, he even tricked the clueless Lemeia into taking on his own work.
He was utterly devoid of business ethics.
‘Even from a distance, those eyes of his are repulsive.’
I had been steadily gathering evidence of his corruption to someday settle the score. Seeing that wretched face again only reignited my long-forgotten desire for revenge.
‘But I can’t get caught.’
Exhaling deeply, I withdrew my head like a turtle and quietly stepped back.
No matter how much I wanted revenge, I had to endure it for now.
With his insatiable greed, Count Tonals would drag me back to Salt the moment he caught even a glimpse of my hair.
“Why are you hiding?”
“Well…”
Losing my comfortable sleeping quarters was bad enough—I certainly wasn’t about to return to a wretched life of servitude.
But before I could respond, an eerie smile spread across the Grand Duke’s face.
“W-what does that smile mean…?”
“I thought you wanted to return.”
“H-hahahaha. Of course not.”
“Then does that mean you want to stay with me?”
Wait, why would he phrase it like that? I mean… it wasn’t exactly wrong, but…
Conscious of my voice growing louder, I shut my mouth and quickly changed tactics, putting on my saddest expression.
“No, no, that’s not it. Of course, I want to return to Salt, my homeland and birthplace… but I can’t, and that makes me sad.”
If I outright admitted I had nowhere to go, this devious Grand Duke would definitely start working me to the bone.
“And why can’t you?”
“Because I have a duty to uphold my trust with Your Grace.”
“Or I could simply say that I’ve been protecting a lost princess.”
‘Is he insane?’
“W-w-would you really go that far? Haha…”
A cold chill ran down my spine.
But then, as our eyes met, he let out a quiet chuckle.
…No doubt about it—he was thoroughly enjoying teasing me.
“Let’s go. To the residence they’ve prepared for us.”
“Huh? Huuuh?!”
Suddenly, the ground disappeared from beneath me.
It wasn’t until my feet were dangling in the air that I realized the Grand Duke had hoisted me up.
“You can barely walk properly. Isn’t this more convenient?”
“Ugh…!”
I lowered my head, making sure my face wasn’t visible.
In situations like this, one is supposed to feel flustered or even a bit thrilled.
‘I feel like throwing up.’
All I could think about was how my stomach, pressed against his solid shoulder, was threatening to expel everything I had eaten.
And another pressing concern—
‘My hammer… It won’t fall out, will it?’
Worried that the loosened leather strap might slip, I clenched my legs tighter, swallowing back my tears.
* * *
The top floor—reachable only by the magical elevators exclusive to the Mage Tower—was finally in sight.
Being the Grand Duke of Blaire, the residence provided for him by the Mage Tower was nothing short of extravagant.
Even compared to the chambers he used in his own grand estate, the luxurious furnishings, the massive windows opening onto a balcony, and the breathtaking view of the violet sky under the ever-present silver moon were a sight to behold.
Of course, Kayan Blaire was someone who had seen such scenery countless times before, so he remained unimpressed.
“Ugh, my stomach…”
“You’re being overly dramatic.”
“Hahaha…”
April’s face stiffened awkwardly at his half-scolding remark.
She always seemed like she had plenty to say but kept it bottled up.
And for some reason, that only made him want to provoke her more.
Not long after, an unexpected visitor arrived.
Knock, knock.
At the sudden knocking, Kayan turned and touched the desk lightly.
In the air, a translucent name appeared—Tomald Tonals.
“Tomald Tonals.”
Muttering the name to himself, Kayan noticed April’s eyes widen in alarm as she bolted upright.
“He’s here?”
“Do you know him?”
“Uh… He’s probably the envoy from the Salt Kingdom.”
“I see. It seems he’s here to request an audience.”
“C-can’t you refuse?”
“Unless there’s a special reason, it would be rude to turn away an envoy from another nation. You should know that, Princess. The Mage Tower serves as a diplomatic bridge for multiple kingdoms.”
April’s already pale face turned even whiter.
Kayan barely managed to suppress a laugh.
Did April Salt even realize?
That every single thought and emotion of hers was completely visible on her face?
He had no idea what was going through that small head of hers, but truthfully, the person most troubled by the presence of the Salt Kingdom’s delegation was none other than Kayan Blaire himself.
If they found out the missing princess was with him, they would demand her return.
And yet, for some reason, April seemed even more desperate to avoid them than he was.
Her horrified expression upon spotting the Salt flag was truly a sight to behold.
‘I don’t know why she’s so adamant… but it works to my advantage.’
Now that he knew she wasn’t the rumored Lemeia Salt, returning her seemed like the logical thing to do.
But personally… he wasn’t too keen on giving away someone this useful for free.
And yet, how ironic.
Just as they were together, the Salt delegation arrived.
“Hmm.”
Judging that he had teased April enough, Kayan pretended to ponder his next move.
Truthfully, he had already decided to decline the meeting.
But then—
“Ah, whatever!”
April, who had been sitting far away, suddenly scrambled toward him.
And to his surprise, she crawled straight under his desk.
“What are you doing?”
Kayan’s voice, tinged with confusion, slipped out.
“You said refusing would be rude, right?”
“Princess.”
“I’ll just stay here, completely silent. You can meet with them as if I don’t exist.”
April Salt had a peculiar talent—the ability to leave people utterly speechless.
Kaiyan’s lips curled into a smirk.
“Fine.”
With that, he tapped his desk twice, signaling for the door to open.
Eagerly waiting outside, Count Tonals rushed in, rubbing his hands together like a fly.
A stark contrast to how he had treated April.
“Ohhh! Grand Duke Blaire! To witness Your Grace’s radiant visage with my own eyes—what an honor for my humble family! Hahaha!”
But at that moment, what caught Kayan’s attention was—
Under the desk, April was scrunched up, making exaggerated gagging motions as if she were about to vomit.