Chapter 55
Diana turned her head away as if she couldn’t be bothered to deal with him further.
“We are searching for the treasure of the Ersha royal house. Its last known location was with Lady Anais. We wish to examine Lady Anais’s belongings, but we cannot do it ourselves.”
The man continued his explanation, but Diana chewed on her fingernails, barely listening. Viern is about to pledge his life to that woman, and some lost relic from a fallen kingdom is supposed to be important now?
“A decisive measure is needed.”
“Your Highness? Are you listening to what I’m sa— Wha—!”
Abruptly!
“You need something. If I get it for you, what will you do for me?”
Diana, who had been staring at her broken nails, suddenly thrust her head towards the man and asked.
“Oh? Does Your Highness also need something?”
The man’s expression brightened at Diana’s sudden shift in attitude.
“Just give the command, and we’ll even kidnap the Duke of Erkman for you! Or shall we ruin the Lady Marquis’s engagement ceremony?”
“…I’ll need your help.”
Diana curled her lips up in a meaningful smile.
Their request to examine Anais’s belongings wasn’t particularly difficult for Diana, who could come and go freely anywhere in the palace. Seizing the opportunity when Viern’s watchful eye had grown lax, she found the item they were looking for and delivered it. The price for that was staging this kidnapping.
“Tighter? Wouldn’t that hurt?”
“Stop talking and just tie it tighter.”
Diana wrapped the rope around her own wrist and spoke irritably to the man scratching his head.
“Your Highness, you don’t have any… strange tastes, do you?”
“Strange tastes?”
“Like… enjoying being tied up… Yowch!”
Before he could finish, the man got kicked in the shin. Diana snorted, watching him hop around pretending it hurt when it clearly didn’t.
The rough rope chafed her skin, but deceiving Viern’s eye required it. His discernment was quite sharp and accurate; a fake performance wouldn’t fool him. She had learned this fact through countless feigned illnesses and tricks employed to win his attention over the years.
Thanks to her all-out effort for authenticity, she suffered a few days locked in the cave, tied up and skipping meals. But it was worth it. Because Viern had rushed to save her in the middle of his engagement ceremony. With that desperate expression she’d never seen before…
Of course, both Diana and the man were stunned when Viern so readily offered to hand over the Royal Seal. That wasn’t part of their plan. When the man whispered, ‘What do we do now?’ Diana, keeping her lips tightly sealed as if doing ventriloquism, ordered, ‘Run. Now!‘
Even as she was carried away like a sack over the man’s shoulder, seeing Viern chase after them with eyes wide and frantic kept making her want to grin. It took so much effort to strain her facial muscles to hold it back.
‘Sorry, Viern. Suffer a bit for a few days for me.’
Diana, who had wished a few days of hardship upon Viern, had to force her lips down with sad thoughts.
Luckily, the rain helped them shake off the pursuit. Afterward, Diana ordered the man to leave clues about the hideout’s location for Viern to find and then to leave her in the cave.
The man asked several times, genuinely worried if it was okay to leave her alone in the cave. He even offered to leave some food, but Diana flatly refused. Growing up in the tower, going days without a drop of water or food was common. The one coming to save her was none other than Viern; a little hunger was something she could easily endure.
And the reward she received at the end was truly sweet.
“…I love you, Your Highness.”
In the quiet carriage. The moment he, holding her tightly as if he couldn’t let go for a single second, kissed her forehead and whispered those words, the thrill was indescribable. A piercing euphoria shot to the bone, and she thought her heart would burst.
“Therefore, I must bring you back to my side, you were always mine.”
In his arms, pretending diligently to be asleep, Diana hid her thumping heartbeat, fearing it might reach his ears, behind the sound of the carriage wheels rumbling down the mountain path.
Everyone had mocked her feelings for Viern. They called her a pitiful princess, infatuated with the Duke’s face, chasing him one-sidedly without knowing she was being used.
‘But look. Viern likes me too, see? And a lot!’
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