The Terminally-Ill Princess Holds the Leash of the Mad Dog - Chapter 35

“Hey, are you perhaps confined in some tower or something?”

Celiya stared blankly at Balt, who had somehow occupied the seat next to her.

Whatever he had been eating, Balt’s body was so excessively large that Celiya was almost pushed to the edge of the bench.

“Confinement… I suppose you could say it’s similar.”

“What? You really lived locked up? Well, if that wasn’t the case, there’s no way you wouldn’t know me.”

Celiya thought that Balt had a strong sense of self-love and talked too much unnecessarily.

The information Celiya knew was extremely limited, so she needed to figure out what kind of person the Third Duke was.

Ileon was certainly someone to be wary of, but she didn’t know what to make of Balt, whom she was meeting for the first time.

‘I knew he was a Sword Master, but I didn’t expect him to be this big.’

Balt’s physique was so threatening that if she had seen him at night, she might have mistaken him for a bear instead of a human.

His sun-tanned, bronze skin looked excessively healthy.

His pitch-black uniform, which seemed about to burst from the muscles it could barely contain, was also like that.

Balt was too conspicuous. If she were to have a conversation with such a person outside, there would surely be gossip.

Having finished her thoughts, Celiya spoke in a calm tone.

“…If people see us talking, there will be rumors.”

“Why? Because you’re the Crown Prince’s mistress?”

Balt crossed his arms and spoke arrogantly.

As if it was difficult to support his weight, the three-person bench, occupied by just two people, creaked and groaned.

“Do you think I care about such things?”

Celiya thought that Balt was truly a self-centered person.

She was newly impressed by the Third Duke’s power. Really, these people are afraid of nothing.

“It might be fine for you, Your Grace, but it’s a problem for me.”

“Are you scared?”

“Of what?”

“Are you scared that something might go wrong for you?”

Balt spoke, trying to gauge Celiya’s reaction.

“Not really, I’m not scared.”

Balt raised an eyebrow, as if Celiya’s answer was unexpected.

“Why?”

Balt gave Celiya a quick once-over from head to toe and blurted out.

“You look like you couldn’t even lift a sword, as if you haven’t had a decent meal.”

Celiya thought Balt was quite rude.

But thinking about it, Ileon speaking politely to her was more strange if anything; Balt was acting exactly as befitted his position.

Both the Emperor who died by her hand and the Crown Prince Jeremy had only thought about abusing their power to do whatever they wanted with her.

Recalling these incidents one by one, Balt didn’t seem that rude after all.

“The banquet ended yesterday, why are you still wearing that dress?”

Balt pointed out Celiya’s attire.

“A white mermaid dress. Even a bride getting married today wouldn’t dress like you. Hey.”

Celiya realized that Balt spoke bluntly without filtering his thoughts.

“And now that I look closely, what’s that bite mark on your collarbone?”

“His Highness the Crown Prince made it.”

“That bastard is really something else.”

Balt shook his head as if the Crown Prince was truly terrible.

“Come to think of it, didn’t you come looking for me because you had some business?”

“…Business? Right. I did have some business.”

Balt uncrossed his arms and looked at Celiya.

His dark gray eyes flashed sharply.

For a moment, Celiya thought he might cut her down with his sword, but his next words deflated her completely.

“I heard the maids talking. They say you’re close with Dietrich?”

“…”

“Are you really close to that damned guy? How on earth did you become close? As far as I know, he doesn’t like women.”

Celiya was curious why Balt was so interested in Dietrich.

“I thought you called for me because you heard that the Crown Prince’s face was ruined.”

“I don’t care if that guy’s face is ruined or turned into a rice cake.”

It was a statement that could easily be considered treason against the royal family. But being at the top of the royal hierarchy, he probably wouldn’t be arrested.

“So, are you close with Dietrich or not?”

“Why are you asking that?”

“Because I’m curious!”

Balt’s voice was so loud it almost made her eardrums vibrate.

But suddenly, he lowered his voice and muttered a curse.

“Ah, damn. An unwelcome guest is here.”

‘An unwelcome guest?’

As Celiya tilted her head in confusion, Balt stood up with a deep sigh.

“If you see that guy, don’t you dare say you saw me.”

Balt said what he had to say and disappeared from sight in the blink of an eye.

Not long after Balt vanished, the sound of rustling clothes could be heard nearby.

Celiya turned her head towards the sound to identify the unwelcome guest.

“Lady Celiya.”

The one who appeared, wearing a loose white garment, was Ileon.

He was smiling with his eyes curved into crescents.

Celiya wasn’t entirely pleased to see him, knowing that Ileon was the one who had ruined Jeremy’s face.

This meant that he could harm her just as easily if he wanted to.

“Did you like my gift?”

Ileon naturally sat down next to Celiya on the bench.

“The bench is warm, so it seems you were talking with someone earlier.”

Celiya pretended not to know and changed the subject.

“The banquet ended yesterday, do you have some business with me, Your Excellency?”

“You haven’t heard. I’ve been personally put in charge of preparing His Highness the Crown Prince’s coronation ceremony.”

Ileon explained in a gentle tone.

“So, I plan to stay at the Imperial Palace until the coronation ceremony is over.”

Preparing the Emperor’s coronation ceremony after ruining the Crown Prince’s face.

Celiya thought Ileon was a contradictory being, with his outside and inside being different.

However, him staying at the Imperial Palace wasn’t necessarily a bad thing for Celiya.

If Ileon returned to his territory, it would be as good as losing the chance to find out if the Third Duke was really her enemy.

“I see. Congratulations.”

Celiya offered insincere congratulations.

Ileon laughed silently at the congratulations that lacked any sincerity.

“It’s just my duty as a subject. By the way, did you like the gift I gave you?”

“What gift?”

“The other day, you chose the pawn, didn’t you?”

Ileon’s blue eyes scanned Celiya’s expression.

“I thought you would like it. But from your expression, it doesn’t seem so.”

“…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I’m talking about the chess conversation we had last time.”

-Just answer this one thing. Will you sacrifice the pawn? Or will you sacrifice the queen?

Celiya immediately understood the meaning of Ileon’s words.

“Don’t tell me, when you asked that, you weren’t simply talking about chess pieces, but asking me to choose who to harm?”

To Celiya’s question, Ileon smiled, his eyes crinkling.

“Harm? I just wanted to give you a gift.”

Celiya felt chills run down her spine. The Ileon before her didn’t see people as people.

To ruin someone’s face and call it a gift to her.

“If I had said I would sacrifice the queen back then, what would you have done?”

At Celiya’s question, Ileon rested one hand on the bench armrest and gazed at her as if amused.

“Probably, someone else would have been hurt.”

“Why are you telling me this? Aren’t you afraid I might tell someone else?”

“Lady Celiya.”

Ileon’s gaze fell on the bite mark on Celiya’s collarbone. His gaze was sticky like a swamp, and Celiya felt disgust rising within her.

“When I saw you, I felt a sense of kinship. That beneath that pretty exterior, you hide deep darkness.”

“…”

“Don’t you think it’s unfair that all your worth is limited to your beauty? When in fact, your insides are rotten and decaying.”

Ileon leaned towards Celiya. His gentle face, now just a span away, with blue eyes seemed to pierce through Celiya’s inner self.

“It’s too pitiful to just leave it be.”

There was no way he could know her true identity, yet Ileon acted as if he knew everything.

As if he alone understood the pain that wasn’t visible on the surface.

Celiya didn’t avoid Ileon’s eyes and asked back.

“Are you trying to persuade me now?”

“I’m just trying to give you another choice.”

The blue eyes within Ileon’s gently folded eyelids shone like a snake’s pupils.

“I’m much more attracted to the darkness deep inside you than to your beauty.”

“…”

“Poor Lady Celiya, who has become the object of desire for countless men. Do you believe in the existence of God?”

“I don’t believe in God.”

At her words of not believing in God, Ileon laughed, bringing his sleeve to his mouth.

“Why don’t you believe?”

“Because I don’t believe there is a God.”

“That’s a fair answer, Lady Celiya. But you’re wrong. God really does exist. He’s watching over us from heaven even now.”

Celiya felt an instinctive repulsion. For someone who sees people as chess pieces to believe in God.

Ileon’s words were nothing short of sophistry.

“It seems you’re still close with that Dietrich fellow…”

“…”

“I warned you last time, didn’t I? To be careful because you might be devoured without a piece of flesh left.”

Celiya realized that Ileon was trying to drive a wedge between her and Dietrich.

The one who would really devour her without leaving a piece of flesh would be the man in front of her now, not Dietrich, if she were to join hands with him.

“Your Grace, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll take my leave now.”

Celiya stood up from the bench.

Ileon narrowed his eyes as if surprised.

“Do you have somewhere to go?”

“I’m going to see Dietrich.”

“…Lady Celiya, aren’t you afraid of being devoured?”

A cool breeze ruffled Celiya’s silver hair.

Celiya answered, smiling at him with her eyes curved just as he had done to her.

“If I was going to be devoured, wouldn’t it have happened already?”

With those words, Celiya turned away.

As soon as she showed her back, the smile disappeared from Ileon’s face.