[CHAPTER 126]
“No, Amelia!”
Aiden, regaining his senses, stood up awkwardly with a dagger in hand.
Derick, protecting me from behind, drew the sword at his waist.
“It’s dangerous. Step back.”
“Sir Derick, don’t kill him. Not now.”
I spoke urgently to Derick just in case, and he nodded without taking his eyes off Aiden.
At that moment, Vivian, who had gone to fetch pajamas, was running over from the other side.
“Princess, Princess!”
But Vivian’s hair and clothes were disheveled as she ran.
“Vivian, what happened?”
“Those people tried to tie me up all of a sudden. Wait, Princess, why does your face look like that?”
Vivian reached out to see my face, startled, and I grabbed her arm, pulling her to the opposite side.
“Let’s go first, I’ll explain on the way.”
Aiden glared at me with fury, but under the sharp sword of Derick, he could no longer resist.
*’They were way too sloppy from the start.’*
Of course, for someone who nearly died because of that clumsy trap, it was a ten-year reduction in lifespan.
Only after I had distanced myself did Derick quickly follow.
*’The Duke probably doesn’t know about this.’*
If I died here, I wouldn’t be able to give Vincent the medicine.
Perhaps that’s why they didn’t deploy many people.
Occasionally, servants tried to grab me, but Vivian cursed them, and when Derick drew his sword, they stepped back.
I tried to memorize each of their faces. Most were servants who had harassed Amelia since she lived here, so it wasn’t hard to remember.
By the time we passed the center of the garden, palace knights had joined.
According to Butler James, they had been fighting while drunk, but they looked fine at first glance.
Then James’ words were probably lies to separate Derick from me.
“Sir Derick, what happened when you followed James earlier? How did you return so quickly?”
“I just thought I shouldn’t leave the Princess alone, so I turned back midway. When I confirmed he wasn’t in the room you mentioned, I heard the noise and ran this way.”
Derick answered and guided me and Vivian to the carriage.
Before getting in, he called the palace knights closer.
“Did you drink any of the wine provided here?”
One of the knights replied.
“Wine was served, but since we were on duty, we didn’t touch it.”
“Did you have any fights among yourselves?”
All four looked fine, but he asked just to be sure. The knights looked confused.
“Fights? No, nothing like that happened.”
“If you had followed, they probably planned to trap you there.”
I shared my guess, and Derick nodded in agreement, then looked at me quietly.
“I’m sorry, Princess.”
“Aiden will pay for this.”
“…Let’s go.”
He opened the carriage door, and with Derick’s escort, I climbed in.
Vivian got in after me, and the door closed.
We realized no servants were chasing after us only after the carriage left the estate completely.
Looking out the window, I saw the darkened estate.
*’To avoid being caught by the Duke.’*
The Duke always called me useless, but if he truly thought so, I would have been disposed of.
Just like he planned for the Crown Prince.
Keeping my life meant I still had some use.
Anyway, their sloppy plan failed, and they would fear my report.
I sighed and turned my gaze inside the carriage.
“Princess…”
Vivian, still with messy hair, looked at me with anger and worry in her expression.
“I’m sorry you had to go through that because I told you to follow.”
Vivian’s eyes turned red, and she cautiously reached out to touch my cheek.
“Princess, your face…”
I didn’t avoid her and stayed still.
Vivian gently touched my cheek as if handling a cracked glass.
“Ugh, it’s so swollen. It’s warm. I saw it earlier, but up close it’s worse.”
Then she suddenly burst out in anger.
“How could someone hit you like this? What did they do?”
“Just… as you see.”
I didn’t explain further, not to upset her more.
It was shocking to see, but thinking back, Aiden hitting Amelia was nothing new.
He just couldn’t do it while at the Crown Prince’s palace, but when they lived in that house, it happened frequently.
Though holding a knife was new, it was clear he really looked down on Amelia and treated her carelessly, even considering taking her life.
Thinking of this made my head spin with anger.
Vivian’s fingers on the back of my hand brought me back to my senses.
“You must have been so scared. I should have stayed by your side. Your brother… what a beastly man.”
Strangely, Vivian’s words gave me great comfort.
“Thank you.”
I helped straighten her disheveled hair, and Vivian wiped her tears with her sleeve.
“You’ll tell the Crown Prince, right? You won’t just let this go?”
I smiled quietly at Vivian.
“Of course, I’ll return it to him.”
Even if I didn’t tell Vincent, he would find out.
The palace knights, Derick, and Vivian had all seen it.
Actually, what concerned me more than today’s events was the small vial hidden in my arms.
It throbbed above my heart, stabbing my chest.
*’This isn’t some love potion.’*
It was what had caused his death in the previous life.
Amelia had tricked him into taking it. I had wondered why she had killed Vincent, whom she loved so much.
I had considered some possibilities, but after hearing directly from the Duke, my doubts were resolved.
Yet, this was a secret only I knew.
How much could Vincent guess or anticipate?
Vincent approached and looked at me quietly.
I steadied my shivering heart and met his gaze.
I couldn’t read the meaning in his calm eyes.
Then, his green eyes flickered with anger.
He lightly brushed my cheek with the back of his hand.
“What happened? I heard you went to the Duke’s estate.”
