Chapter 44
The Crown Prince’s appearance made every cell in my body tense up again.
“No need to look at me with such wary eyes,” the Crown Prince said with that shameless smile of his.
“I really just want to have a normal conversation.”
“What is it you want to talk about?” I asked, still on guard.
I had every reason to be—this was not only the man who had insulted me just moments ago but also the final boss of this whole story.
“In the conference hall earlier,” the Crown Prince began, wearing another smirk.
“Why were you staring at me like that?”
“That’s, um…” I faltered. Did he notice my gaze?
“Did you think I wouldn’t notice someone staring so blatantly?” he asked, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
“It wasn’t the look of someone admiring my appearance,” he added.
I involuntarily frowned. With Carlos and Michael standing beside me, as if I’d be paying attention to his looks.
The Crown Prince let out a hearty laugh upon seeing my expression.
“You really are interesting.”
Interesting? What the hell is interesting?
Surely, he doesn’t mean me…?
“I do mean you,” he said, as if reading my mind.
“A useless knight who wasn’t even worth a second thought suddenly has sharp, intelligent eyes and reads the room like a hawk. Wouldn’t anyone be intrigued?”
I sighed. So he was interested in the fact that I’d changed.
Not in a good way, but in a suspicious way.
“People don’t change easily, but anyone can if they’re determined.”
“I’m just a former delinquent trying to atone for the past and live a new life. Hardly something worth disturbing Your Highness over.”
What I meant was: It has nothing to do with you, so mind your own business.
“Hmm, even your speech has improved,” he said.
God, I just told him to back off, and he’s still nitpicking.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now,” I said with a bow, telling him as politely as possible to buzz off.
I hated that I couldn’t leave before him because of my low status.
The Crown Prince narrowed his eyes at my clear dismissal.
“Hmm.”
He didn’t grant me leave. Instead, he looked me over from head to toe like I was some odd creature.
“The more you try to avoid me like this, the more interested I get.”
Oh, come on. He picks a fight if I stare and also if I don’t.
“Now I can’t help but pay attention to you.”
A chill ran down my spine.
That… that was the exact line he used in the original story when he started showing interest in Carlos.
“Why are you saying that… to me?”
I glared at him with wide eyes, but the Crown Prince simply smiled.
“I’ll let you go today. You may leave.”
He approached and casually patted my shoulder.
So irritating…
I must’ve made a face because he chuckled again.
I quickly turned away and put as much distance between us as possible.
I could hear the Crown Prince also turning and walking off behind me.
“Captain.”
Once I exited the hedge maze, Carlos was waiting in front of the building where the meeting had been held.
After dealing with the slimy Crown Prince, seeing Carlos made me smile with relief.
“What were you doing in there for so long?”
“Ah, well…” I explained briefly about my encounter with the Crown Prince.
Carlos’s face twisted immediately.
“The Crown Prince approached you?”
“Huh? Well… I wouldn’t call it that exactly. He was just being petty.”
But Carlos didn’t seem to take it that lightly.
He looked seriously toward the hedge maze, then narrowed his brows and turned to me.
“What did the Crown Prince say to you?”
“He just asked why I was staring at him during the meeting. And then…”
I found myself telling him everything.
Was that okay? Well, it’s not like it’s a secret.
But once again, Carlos’s reaction surprised me.
“That bastard—no, the Crown Prince really said he couldn’t help but be interested?”
“Uh-huh, yeah.”
I answered dumbly, startled by his intense reaction.
“Damn it…” Carlos muttered, running a hand down his face.
“What’s wrong?”
I asked, puzzled. Carlos gave me a complicated look.
“That guy… the Crown Prince… he’s a cunning bastard.”
Ah, that’s right. Carlos had hated him from the start too.
“I know he’s sly. I’ll be careful.”
I said it to calm him down.
And it worked—his expression softened a bit.
“You’re worried about me again, aren’t you?”
You even called me a fine knight earlier…
Grateful and touched, I smiled at Carlos.
“……!”
Carlos’s eyes widened.
“You’re really…!”
And his whole face turned red. Like watching dye bloom in water.
Yup. Just as I thought—he’s hopeless with compliments.
I had his pattern figured out now, so I wasn’t even surprised.
I smiled at him again. That shy side of his was kind of endearing.
Carlos’s face grew even redder.
Now he was covering his mouth with the back of his hand, unable to meet my eyes.
“Let’s go.”
I figured that was enough teasing for now, so I gave his shoulder a pat.
Carlos looked at me with a strangely defeated expression, then nodded.
The Crown Prince’s deployment was canceled thanks to Carlos, and the rest of the subjugation plans went smoothly—again, thanks to him.
Time flew by, and soon it was the day of departure.
“I’m counting on you all, once again.”
I gave a quick pep talk to the group before mounting my horse and leaving the palace.
As before, our procession grew larger as we passed supply points.
The difference this time was that the Masunt Mountains were much farther than the Latham Valley, which was relatively close to the capital.
It took us ten days of full riding to reach Masunt.
I gazed up at the towering mountain range, my hand gently brushing the hilt of the sword at my waist.
I hoped I wouldn’t have to use it much this time either.
Even though I’d grown stronger thanks to Michael’s training, I didn’t want to see too much blood.
But as the leader of the subjugation force, I couldn’t avoid battle.
“Captain, we plan to set up camp here and send scouts immediately,” Cesare reported.
I nodded in approval.
Once again, the scouts were Cesare and the younger knights.
They returned just as the rest of us were finishing the main camp, bringing news that the heretics in the Masunt Mountains already knew of our arrival.
“They were already in battle formation.”
Cesare reported.
“They must’ve anticipated it, especially with communication from Latham cut off. Plus, it is subjugation season,” I said.
We had expected the heretics to be prepared, so it wasn’t surprising.
The problem was…
“We won’t be able to resolve this with a surprise attack like Latham. We’ll need to launch a full-scale assault.”
“Exactly.”
Carlos, who had been listening beside me, nodded.
“But since we’re the ones advancing, we have the advantage. Let’s conserve our energy and hit them at dawn—when they’re most exhausted.”
He stuck a red pin into the map at the center of the Masunt Mountains.
“Sounds good.”
I nodded again. His plan was flawless.
With the attack scheduled for dawn, we focused on preserving strength—eating and resting.
Carlos came to my tent late at night, when darkness had fully fallen…
