The Prince’s Taste - Chapter 4.3

“Calm down. Deep breaths. I can’t act like a villainess.”

Who would know? No one would suspect her. In a world without CCTV, this was the perfect crime.

She took a long breath in and slowly exhaled. After repeating this process a dozen times,she exited the building with graceful strides, as if nothing had happened.

The palace had many hidden eyes and ears. As Judy Esther stepped out of the bedroom, Richard’s shadows quietly followed her. Although they were under Richard’s command, it was also their duty to protect the future princess consort.

“What could our lord have done wrong?”

The shadows wore stunned expressions in front of the damaged portrait. They weren’t the ones who had been hit, but they kept rubbing their jaws and cheeks. A single punch from that fist could easily knock someone out. They thought to themselves that they must never provoke her.

“He must have made a grave mistake. All night… she was anxious.”

Judy Esther had cried out all night long. Yet still, their lord did not stop lusting her. That was the only possible reason Lady Emers was angry.

“It didn’t seem like she said it out of dislike.”

“How can we know about matters between men and women?”

When Judy Esther stood before Richard’s portrait, admiring the painting, it seemed a pleasant situation. After seeing it all night, did she want to see it again?

Just when they thought the couple had had a good time, she suddenly screamed and threw a punch at the portrait. Startled, the shadows almost forgot their duty of silent observation and almost rushed over to ask what had happened. Fortunately, it seemed she wasn’t hurt, but perhaps she was taking out her anger on the portrait, mistaking it for their master. And yet, her expression afterward was one of immense satisfaction, as though she had found catharsis in that single blow.

After a moment, as if nothing had happened, she hurried down the stairs.

When they took the painting off the wall for repairs, they were shocked once more. The wall where the painting had hung was cracked like a spider web, and the center portion had shattered completely, falling to the ground with a thud and a clatter.

“Our lord is quite… well-endowed.”

“More than enough. And to use it so mercilessly, all night long…”

Any more words would have been treasonous. They sighed heavily as they surveyed the ruined wall.

It had been two full days. They were shadows who could not leave their lord’s side for even a moment, but what they witnessed was too passionate to bear. They thought it would be over in an hour or two and they withdrew from the chamber, but…

As dawn broke, the sun set, and a new sun rose again, the couple’s activities did not end. They mourned as they thought that Lady Esther might die in their lord’s bed. Although their lord had asked them to guard Judy Esther while he briefly stepped away, they wondered what there was to protect. They were certain that Judy Esther would never get out of that bed again.

“It was black mana, wasn’t it?”

“It burned brightly.”

They recalled the dark aura that had emanated from Judy Esther’s body previously. For a young noblewoman who hadn’t trained in swordsmanship to manifest visible mana meant she possessed significant latent abilities. If she diligently trained with them, she might become a Sword Expert, if not a Swordmaster.

She could become the first female master in Adrian.

“Such a waste of talent.”

“It’s a shame for her mana adaptability to be wasted for a mere crown princess.”

They exchanged glances, nodding in agreement. They thought Judy Esther’s overwhelming stamina and natural abilities were far too precious to squander.

“With power like that, it’s no wonder she survived two full days of the Sire’s goods and still came out looking that vigorous.”

“Exactly. If it weren’t for that, she’d probably be lying in bed all day.”

They couldn’t believe their eyes when the bedroom door opened. They had expected Lady Emers to have fallen unconscious, but instead she emerged full of life and brimming with energy.

Then they realized.

Their lord was already aware of Judy Esther’s physical condition. That was why he had been able to indulge his desires without restraint.

“Our lord isn’t one to act recklessly.”

“I didn’t know that and was worried.”

They reflected on their doubts about their cool-headed and wise lord.

One of the shadows went to the storeroom and retrieved another painting, then hung it on the wall. The wall repairs would have to wait for later. Having sorted out the situation, they needed to rejoin the shadows that had followed Judy Esther. If they lost her, that would be the real disaster.