Chapter 66
“Count Brodyshengster wants to handle the negotiation himself?”
“The count?”
“Yeah. He seemed very eager.”
Isaiah spoke while drying his hair with a towel after washing up.
“Let him do it.”
Kylen answered without emotion and turned his eyes back to the newspaper he was reading.
Isaiah shrugged at Kylen’s uninterested reply and flopped onto the bed.
“Is that really okay? You know he’ll go to His Majesty the Emperor and claim every bit of credit for himself.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Isaiah shook his head. Kylen and his knights did all the hard work, but someone else was going to brag about it.
The sly Count Brodyshengster had secretly sent a letter with his own seal to the Ober Kingdom as soon as Kylen drafted the negotiation proposal.
“So if the count handles the negotiation, we can return to Winterford soon.”
Kylen finished reading the newspaper, folded it in half, tossed it on the table, and stood up.
He had been here for four days—interrogating the mercenaries and helping restore the village.
If the count was negotiating with the Ober King, Kylen figured he could check the damaged village once more tomorrow, talk with the count, and then return to Winterford.
He could finish the report after returning.
The journey back would take around four hours in the cold, so Kylen decided to rest early.
But while unbuttoning his shirt, his hands suddenly froze.
“By the way… why are you still here?”
“I came to warn you that the count is trying to steal your achievements.”
Isaiah clicked his tongue as if asking whether Kylen had memory problems, then poured himself a drink from the trolley.
“Ahh— yes. A drink right after a bath is the best.”
Kylen frowned at Isaiah, who was giving a thumbs up. Then he pointed once at Isaiah and once at the door.
A clear order to get out.
Isaiah cursed under his breath at Kylen’s cold attitude and put down his glass.
Seeing Kylen’s brows slightly tighten, Isaiah hurried toward the exit before Kylen could start shouting.
Just as Isaiah grabbed the doorknob—
“Lord Kylen. It’s Caspian. Something urgent. Excuse me.”
Before Kylen could give permission, the door burst open.
Caspian bowed to Isaiah briefly and quickly approached Kylen.
“What is it?”
“It’s from Winterford.”
Caspian handed Kylen a wrinkled envelope. Kylen tore it open urgently.
As Kylen read, his expression hardened instantly.
“What happened?” Isaiah asked carefully.
“What? Did something happen at Winterford Castle?”
Isaiah snatched the letter from Kylen’s hand. As he read, his jaw dropped.
“Th-the Crown Prince… Why would Ferdinand…”
Kylen grabbed his coat and walked past Isaiah.
“Caspian. Tell the knights. We leave for Winterford immediately.”
“Yes!”
Isaiah snapped back to reality and sprinted to his own room.
“Damn it! I knew it was too quiet!”
The letter from Winterford was sent by the duchess, Elliana.
[Emergency. The Crown Prince is heading to Winterford Castle. Estimated arrival in 4 hours.]
Kylen calculated the time the letter was sent and the time it arrived now.
He muttered a low curse.
Ferdinand’s blow to the back of his head stung.
A cunning man.
He didn’t notify them earlier because he feared Kylen might refuse his visit.
Even Dylan hadn’t expected the Crown Prince to come when Kylen wasn’t in the castle.
Ferdinand certainly knew Kylen was away at the border.
But he was already on his way to Winterford.
If he was arriving in four hours, it meant he had already left the station—or was currently on his way.
There was no way to stop the Crown Prince’s visit now.
“Do you have any idea why Ferdinand would come now, when Kylen isn’t here?”
“There could be many reasons… but right now? I don’t know.”
Dylan pressed his fingers against his brow and shook his head.
Sending Kylen to the border had probably been the Crown Prince’s scheme.
He definitely knew Kylen wasn’t home—yet he was coming.
Kylen couldn’t be the target.
Then who?
Me? Or April?
“Ow.”
A sharp sting made her look down.
Her nail was bleeding—she had bitten it until it bled. There was a metallic taste in her mouth.
She wrapped her finger loosely with a handkerchief and walked to the window.
She pulled open the heavy curtains and pushed open the large window.
Cold wind rushed in all at once.
The harsh wind tangled her hair wildly.
She smoothed it back and turned around.
Her eyes fell on Kylen’s large desk and his slightly worn-out chair.
Somewhere deep inside her, a small bit of confidence began to rise.
“Don’t be scared, Elliana.”
Kylen would definitely come running as soon as he received the letter.
She just had to endure until then.
Yes. Until Kylen arrived.
Before she knew it, the time the Crown Prince was supposed to arrive had already passed.
Four hours should have been enough, but Ferdinand was nowhere in sight.
An extra hour had passed; the moon shone bright over Winterford.
Was it a lie?
She felt annoyed at being tricked—
but honestly, it was much better than him actually coming.
Please let it be a lie…
She prayed silently while staring at the wide-open castle gates.
“Elly. Aren’t you cold?”
“No. I’m fine.”
Her brother asked with concern.
They had been waiting at the carriage stop for an hour.
The wind felt like knives cutting her cheeks. Her face was red, and her toes were numb even in thick shoes.
But that didn’t matter now.
The servants felt the same. Greta and Benjamin, who had rushed to prepare a room for the Crown Prince, looked nervous.
April did not come out to greet the prince. That was better for everyone.
“How long do we keep waiting…”
“Thirty minutes. Just thirty more minutes. Then we go in.”
Her brother nodded, white breath clouding the air.
But before his breath even faded—
Ruuuuuumble—
The faint sound of the ground shaking reached them.
“He’s coming.”
The sound of horses striking the earth grew louder.
Soon, a black carriage burst out of the darkness.
A large number of mounted knights escorted the carriage marked with the Black Eagle crest.
The lead horse dashed across the drawbridge.
The carriage followed and slowed down as the driver pulled the reins.
The black horses pulling the Crown Prince’s carriage snorted clouds of white breath, creating a chilling scene in the moonlight.
The carriage itself was enormous.
The eight horses snorted fiercely, filling the cold air with fog.
The leading knight dismounted, looked down arrogantly at everyone waiting, then approached the carriage.
“Your Highness, we have arrived.”
He knocked on the door—but there was no response.
Elliana tightened her fists.
Then suddenly, the door swung open.
A polished shoe appeared first.
As Ferdinand stepped out, a strong gust of wind blew his black hair and coat.
His mouth curved lazily as he brushed back his hair.
It was an entrance fit for a villain.
He stretched his neck slowly as if tired from the journey.
Then his eyes slid toward Elliana.
The moment their eyes met, chills ran over her body.
Ferdinand walked toward her unhurriedly.
“Greetings to the Empire’s little sun.”
Elliana bent one knee and bowed according to imperial etiquette.
When she lifted her head, their eyes met again.
“It’s been a while. Good to see you. Yes… I think I’m glad to see you. But what do we do?”
“…Excuse me?”
The smile vanished instantly from the Crown Prince’s face.
The warmth disappeared, leaving only coldness.
