The Savior Who Bites My Neck - Chapter 61

“I think that seat will be the best. Don’t you think so?”

It wasn’t just Duke Heswin who stiffened his face at Sinclair’s words. The nobles who were eavesdropping on their conversation while pretending not to were also the same.

“…Your Highness.”

“I promise. I’m telling you I won’t ruin your party.”

Sinclair said while patting Duke Heswin’s shoulder. As if telling him not to worry.

“No matter how much of a rascal I am, I know how to maintain that level of etiquette.”

“……”

“And well, His Highness the noble Crown Prince wouldn’t engage in a fight with someone like me in a place like this. Don’t you think so?”

“…I understand. Then I will guide you to Sir Hister’s side seat.”

Only then did Sinclair show a satisfied smile, and Duke Heswin began to guide the prince and princess with a slightly heavy face.

“Hello, Hister.”

And so, right next to Hister.

“It’s a very good evening.”

Sinclair, who took the only empty seat among the head table, stared intently at his younger brother and opened his lips.

“It would have been nice if we had come together from the palace, but only the poor coachmen had a hard time.”

“……”

“Or were you in such a hurry that you arrived even before me and had to flap your mouth reluctantly.”

‘…Everyone is staring.’

Elaina, who was sitting next to Sinclair, easily noticed that all the nobles seated in the hall were looking at them without exception.

What is attracting their interest right now?

Rumors about me?

Or is it the rascal Sinclair who’s stepping on Hister’s toes?

Hister’s counterattack to that?

Maybe it’s all three of those things. Elaina was also well aware. The most important business of the nobles was to take excessive interest in everything that happens in the social world and to constantly gossip about it.

And it was at that very moment.

The ones she never expected appeared in front of her.

‘…Lord Ryan?’

Of course, it’s not like Ryan wasn’t qualified enough to come to a place like this. Rather, it was the opposite.

Ryan, who appeared in the main hall very politely, briefly greeted those who approached him to talk, and slowly began to look around.

Ryan’s appearance looked very leisurely, but it was a very strange thing. Clear worry was evident in his green eyes that were scanning people here and there.

Ryan looked like someone urgently searching for somebody.

‘Wait a minute… It’s not just the lord?’

The ones who appeared following him were none other than Perin Iline, Voltaire Denhel, and Viscount Dwaine.

Anyway, the three people except for Ryan also belonged to families that had built up merit in Edenbell for generations, so it wouldn’t be very surprising even if they had ties with Duke Heswin.

But……

‘Was there a reason for them to appear all together like that…?’

…Could it be because of the rumors about me?

Around the time when Elaina was slightly narrowing her eyes.

“I think the one who was really in a hurry was you, brother.”

It was when Hister, who had been quietly listening to Sinclair’s words, slowly opened his lips.

“Otherwise, you who had no interest in attending such a place wouldn’t have participated.”

“Unfortunately, I’m not particularly in a hurry, Hister.”

Sinclair answered with a chuckle.

“Because in the end, everything is going according to my will.”

“…What do you mean by that now?”

With what thoughts did he attend this place, and with what thoughts is he uttering such meaningful words?

Hister faced his brother with a coldly frozen face, and Sinclair slightly shrugged his shoulders and leisurely continued his words.

“It may be a small party, but quite a lot of people have gathered. Don’t you think?”

Soon, Sinclair’s gaze slowly swept over the people gathered in the hall. Most of them slightly turned their heads as soon as Sinclair’s eyes grazed them, but there were a few who didn’t.

The one whose name Sinclair specifically mentioned was one of the latter nobles.

“It seems like it’s been quite a while since I saw Marquis Regent as well. It’s been almost 10 years.”

“……”

“He was also very close with Duke Hachten and your mother.”

Hister, who had stupidly forgotten something and belatedly remembered it, greatly flinched, but it was already too late.

“Marquis Regent.”

As soon as his eyes met with Marquis Regent, Sinclair loudly spoke his name as if he wanted everyone to hear it.

“…Your Highness.”

With the situation turning out like this, no matter how much Hister glared at him from beside him, Marquis Regent had no choice. He began to approach where Sinclair, Elaina, and Hister were, maintaining the most leisurely expression possible.

“It’s been a long time. Have you been well?”

Like that, Marquis Regent politely greeted, but Sinclair frowned and muttered.

“I haven’t been doing particularly well, but seeing your complexion, it seems like you’ve been having a very enjoyable time.”

“……”

“Your skin tone is much better than the last time I saw you.”

“Your Highness…”

“It must be thanks to Lady Yuria’s kind care, right?”

Sinclair smiled and interrupted him.

“I heard the news. Your fourth concubine recently gave birth to your sixth son.”

Marquis Regent’s face hardened like crumbling sand.

“It was the daughter of the fallen noble family that Lady Yuria sold to you a long time ago for a considerable compensation… Excuse me.”

“……”

“The one who was introduced to you and became quite the topic because she was so beautiful, if I remember correctly.”

Whispers of nobles began to reach the ears of Elaina, who was sitting upright, maintaining a smile and quietly listening to Sinclair’s story.

“…Sold? What does that mean?”

“The late Lady Yuria had a wide network, so it means she introduced her.”

“But didn’t he say she received considerable compensation? Compensation for simply introducing someone?”

Those who were taken aback by the sudden conversation were openly staring at Marquis Regent and wagging their tongues.

“Originally, I heard she was supposed to go to Duke Hachten, but it’s such a fortunate thing that she became your concubine. Your large payment was worth it. I don’t know if you heard the news, but Duke Hachten recently became a commoner.”

Sinclair said sarcastically.

“Brother, it would be better to stop such rude remarks in a place like this.”

Hister briefly gritted his teeth and glared at Sinclair.

“If it’s not a place like this, there’s no chance to meet Marquis Regent. Right, Marquis?”

Of course, it was of no use.

“…Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. Even now, I always live being grateful to the late Lady Yuria. For letting me meet such a good match.”

Marquis Regent answered with a stiff face.

“If you’re getting along well, that’s truly fortunate. The one who inherited Lady Yuria’s matchmaking recently lost his job.”

“……”

“Melvin Aswald, I don’t know if you know him.”

This is a stupid thing to do, Hister thought. It was like spitting on his own face. Anyway, Elaina was also a person of the Aswald family, so she couldn’t be completely free from criticism either.

“But it seems my younger brother had a special interest in that matchmaking business.”

…But Sinclair’s words that were spat out next were utterly absurd.

“When I finally punished the traitor who dared to try to sell off even the Crown Princess, he took Melvin’s entire family with him, even forging documents.”

Over Sinclair’s voice, the voices of the nobles clearly settled.

“…Wasn’t it for a different reason that His Highness the Crown Prince saved the members of the Aswald family?”

“I also heard the same. That the Crown Princess seduced His Highness to take away all the Aswald family’s assets and make them fall…”

“That’s right. So I heard he saved Former Count Melvin to protect him and make him a witness.”

In fact, the frivolous rumors about Elaina were more than enough to cover people’s stories of “Is it really Crown Prince Hister who attacked the emperor?” All the people of Edenbell turned their attention to her in less than half a day.

And Hister didn’t hide the fact that he had Melvin. Rather, he used it. Just as people talked about earlier.

There was no way Sinclair wouldn’t know that fact.

“So if you need a new concubine, consult with my younger brother. He seems to have quite the ability, taking after our mother.”

“Brother!”

Hister, who couldn’t stand it anymore, jumped up from his seat and shouted, and Duke Heswin, who was watching the situation, let out a small sigh.

Belatedly realizing that Sinclair’s words of “I won’t ruin your party” were indeed a blatant lie.

“What kind of utterly frivolous insult is this! And at a place like this at that!”

Sinclair didn’t give any answer. He just looked at Hister with a nonchalant expression.

“The Crown Princess being caught up in a scandal is understandable, but don’t tarnish my mother’s and my honor to resolve that. No matter how much you are my brother, I won’t just stand by and watch at least that!”

“Ah, about that scandal.”

Sinclair muttered with a chuckle.

“Do you have enough usefulness to be used to resolve that, my dear Hister.”

And he continued to speak.

“I’m just stating the facts as they are.”

“…Your Highness, then please clearly tell us on this occasion. About the rumors regarding Her Highness the Crown Princess.”

Duke Heswin, who realized that he had no choice but to move as Sinclair wanted in order to resolve this situation, opened his lips with a serious face just as he did in the conference hall.

“If you want it that much, it’s not a difficult thing at all.”

“Yes. It seems there are many here at this place who are curious about what the truth is.”

“Let me make it clear. The rumors weren’t completely wrong.”

Sinclair answered, cutting off Duke Heswin’s words, and now that the stage was completely set, the nobles were openly staring at Elaina and Sinclair. All thinking the same thing.

…The rumors weren’t completely wrong?

Then, is it true that the Crown Princess was a vulgar woman who sold her body?

Or the part about her not even being a bastard child of the Aswald family, but someone of unknown bloodline from somewhere?

…But the words that flowed out from between Sinclair’s lips were something the nobles had never even thought of.

“I was captivated from the very first moment I saw her. Just like the rumors.”

Sinclair, who slowly turned his head, said while gazing at Elaina with the most affectionate eyes in the world.

“To the point of even wishing to His Majesty the Emperor to marry this woman after returning with a great victory.”

“……”

“So utterly, perfectly.”