Chapter 54
“How am I… supposed to believe that? Can you prove it?”
The knight paused in thought before slowly nodding.
“If something like that happened to you, it’s only natural you’d be wary. Hm… let’s see. Among my belongings, was there perhaps a small pouch?”
“…There was.”
Just in case, Prina had kept the knight’s possessions stored separately. She had planned to return them to him along with his things once he recovered enough to leave.
Of course, that included the small pouch he was referring to.
“Inside, there should be a written directive from the Royal Guard with a portrait of you, Your Highness. If you take it out and see for yourself… you’ll be able to believe my words.”
If he was willing to go this far to prove it, it didn’t seem like a lie.
Though she hadn’t yet confirmed its authenticity, Prina felt a small sense of relief.
She had thought even her own blood relatives hated her enough to want her dead, but according to the knight, it was a misunderstanding caused by the Queen, and her birth father was searching for her out of concern.
“Then… Her Majesty the Queen—”
“His Majesty has said he will depose the Queen and punish her severely.”
The one who had tried to harm her would be punished. Even though she had never met him, to know that she had family who truly thought of her and waited for her was an unimaginable stroke of fortune.
“…Then would it be safe for me to return to the royal family now?”
“Yes. Just in case, you won’t go straight to the palace. We’ll first bring you somewhere as safe as possible.”
She could now return to the palace where her father was. Strangely enough, the first thing that came to mind was Hunter’s words.
“The forest is crawling with armed knights. What are you going to do about it?”
“They seem to be from the palace. Probably because that knight died.”
Not only that. On the day of the heavy rain, hadn’t Hunter come back with a sword wound?
He had avoided speaking about it in detail, likely out of consideration, knowing Prina blamed herself for the injury. She still felt the same way now.
And just now, the knight had said they wouldn’t be going straight to the palace. Wouldn’t that make things the same as before? She needed to confirm a bit more.
“The knights stationed around the forest then…”
“Yes, they’re the search party looking for the missing princess. I’m one of them.”
“Then… how did you get injured like this? Do you remember?”
“Well… someone fired a gun at me. I fell from my horse because of it.”
“A gun?”
The moment she felt a strange sense of discord at the word gun—
Click.
The door behind her opened.
Then, in the knight’s eyes, a sudden flash of blue-tinged fear appeared.
Prina had seen those eyes before.
“…G…Grim Reaper!”
“L-Lies! You witch! That jet-black hair… you’re a reaper!”
They were exactly like Lawrence’s eyes… Lawrence, who had pointed at her and called her a grim reaper right before he died. He had shaken all over as though he’d truly seen one, and after that, he had never regained consciousness.
The knight before her now wore the exact same look in his eyes.
The only person who could have come into this room right now was—
Yes. Hunter.
Only Hunter.
“I… I—!”
She had to tell him so he wouldn’t misunderstand, that although he had scary black hair and a fearsome appearance, Hunter was no reaper. That Hunter was on their side and had saved him.
“That’s… him!”
The knight pointed with his finger, shouting.
And indeed, it was Hunter, standing in the room he had just entered.
Just as Prina was about to open her mouth to clear up the misunderstanding—
“Sir Knight, this man saved your life—”
“I’m certain he… on purpose—!”
…What?
The moment the man spoke the truth to Prina,
in the stillness that felt as though the world had stopped, Hunter walked forward slowly.
“Yes. I did.”
By the time she realized it, he was right in front of the knight, his hand gently stroking the man’s cheek, his eyes utterly impassive.
“I broke you on purpose.”
‘Broke him… on purpose?’
She had no time to process the meaning.
Because at the same instant he yanked the knight’s hair back with brutal force.
“You’re my gift to Prina.”
Crack.
With a grotesque sound, the knight’s neck snapped.
The man’s body collapsed lifelessly in an instant.
“Ah, oh dear. I guess this one can’t be fixed.”
Hunter smiled awkwardly, as if he truly made an honest mistake.
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