Chapter 24
There wasn’t a single person bold enough to stand and watch a military officer randomly appear and fire a gun.
Nobles and commoners alike all lay flat on the carpeted floor, trembling as they watched dozens of military boots charging forward.
In an instant, armed soldiers took control of the villa, stopping in their positions to load their muskets. Walter, confirming this, warned the crowd.
“Effective immediately, this area is under military control. Do not move recklessly until further notice. Any suspicious movements will be considered as complicity in terrorism.”
He spoke evenly as he walked toward where Elisabeth and Hermia were.
“This is a directive to protect civilians from unspecified crimes. Your cooperation is appreciated.”
His tone was dry and devoid of emotion, but when his gaze landed on Hermia, a brief flicker of something appeared.
Hermia slowly lifted her head, still covering her ears from the gunfire, and looked up at Walter standing rigidly before her.
“…”
She gazed blankly at him, noticing that his expression was not good.
Walter’s eyes moved from her face to her red wrist and then to the guard lying close by.
“You there, get up.”
“Yes!”
As Walter’s toe nudged his elbow, the guard sprang to his feet.
The royal guard was fundamentally part of the army. Given the vast difference in rank between Walter, the regimental commander, and a private soldier, the response was naturally lightning-fast.
“Return to your position.”
“Yes, sir!”
The guard immediately dropped back down like a well-trained hunting dog. After confirming the insignia and surname embroidered on the uniform when he stood up for a moment, Walter turned away without hesitation.
Hermia’s eyes slowly followed Walter’s retreating figure as he walked away from her toward Elisabeth.
‘Well… it makes sense since she’s a Princess.’
She understood this in her mind but felt an odd sense of discomfort creeping in.
“Are you alright?”
“Sir Walter! How did you come here…?”
Elisabeth, surrounded by soldiers, pushed through them to greet him warmly but then hesitated.
“…Could it be that you came personally because of your fiancée? With all your men?”
Her sharp tone tinged with jealousy didn’t faze him at all.
Elisabeth didn’t like how Walter always treated her with the same expression. His polite demeanor remained unchanged as he responded as usual.
Her certainty that Walter would marry her after divorcing the illegitimate child stemmed not from affection but from arrogance derived from power. She simply refused to acknowledge it.
“I was stationed nearby on Prince Gerald’s request. Then, I overheard something I couldn’t ignore.”
“Gerald called for you? Weren’t you on leave?”
“In cases of special requests, I sometimes return temporarily. Where is the terrorist?”
As he spoke calmly, he turned the question back on Elisabeth, who looked flustered.
This was the first time Walter had asked her something since they had known each other since childhood. Although it wasn’t a romantic question…
He was demanding an answer with his cold eyes.
“Did you see the terrorist yourself? I heard you shouting for them to be arrested.”
Elisabeth pointed at Hermia with a look of disbelief.
“There she is! The criminal who dared to defy me and even threatened me.”
“…”
“Why are you just standing there? Shouldn’t we capture her and hand her over to the police? You’re not thinking of covering for your fiancée, are you?”
With a twisted smile that suggested she had caught him in a dilemma, she believed Walter would have no choice but to choose her since he couldn’t marry someone who would end up in prison.
“This is a serious crime that even Duke Leonard couldn’t cover up…”
“I will transport the suspect to military custody.”
“What did you say?”
Elisabeth jumped up. If they were transferring her to military custody instead of handing her over to royal police, it meant she would be taken away by Walter himself!
“No matter how much she’s your fiancée, that’s not fair…”
“Terrorist crimes committed against the kingdom fall under military jurisdiction. It’s not within police authority.”
“What kind of nonsense is that…”
“We’re handling this according to protocol. Do you have any other questions?”
“…”
Walter’s previously indifferent demeanor suddenly revealed annoyance for the first time directed at her. Elisabeth couldn’t tell whether she should feel happy or sad about this change.
Without waiting for her next words, he turned sharply around and walked straight toward Hermia with steady strides.
“You will need to accompany us for questioning.”
“I-I’ll go right away.”
She answered without any hesitation as Walter nodded slightly and instructed his subordinate.
“Secure the scene and return to the base.”
Elisabeth stood there in shock as she watched everything unfold.
Something was definitely wrong. However, having uttered the word “terrorist,” she couldn’t think of anything to say to counter Walter’s actions.
Even without being restrained, Hermia was leaving the villa. As she passed by noble ladies on her way out, she casually said “what” before making a run for it.
—
Outside the villa stood military vehicles lined up—not carriages from noble families but larger and more rugged army wagons.
They resembled supply carts but looked intimidating with lion emblems symbolizing the army engraved on their exteriors. There were six horses hitched to each wagon.
Walter pulled aside a stiff canvas flap that served as a door and gestured for Hermia to enter. She stepped onto a small platform before he hopped into the vehicle right after her.
The interior was completely enclosed by canvas with no windows; dim light came from a swaying lamp hanging from above.
She sat down on a long hard bench inside and looked around at the bleak surroundings devoid of any decoration.
“We’re heading to the Duke’s residence.”
Walter said while sitting beside her instead of across from her.
“Am I going to prison?”
Hermia asked anxiously after realizing that facing royal punishment could certainly mean imprisonment after confronting royalty directly.
“I wasn’t trying to harm the Princess. She insulted my mother first, and I just… lost my temper,”
“You won’t go to prison. I won’t allow that…”
His previously firm expression darkened suddenly as he spoke; while mid-sentence he lowered his head and then grimaced sharply.
“I won’t let it happen…”
“…?”
What’s going on? Why is he suddenly acting so scary?
Walter, who had been composed just moments earlier, suddenly began gasping for breath as if he’d been kicked in the stomach.
“Are you okay? What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
Was he feeling nauseous even though they hadn’t started moving yet? The man who had seemed fine just moments ago now looked sweaty and pale.
In an instant, he shot up with an even more startled expression than hers.
“This… doesn’t make any sense. Something’s wrong…”
“What’s happening?”
He turned abruptly toward the entrance while turning his back on Hermia and roughly pulled open the canvas flap. Upon seeing who was outside, he let out another deep breath.
“Oh. It seems like you have animal instincts; you can sense everything happening outside.”
“…Gerald.”
“Move aside! I want to join too; I can’t miss such an entertaining show.”
Pushing past Walter as he caught his breath, Gerald climbed into the wagon and cheerfully addressed Hermia, who sat there dazed.
“It seems your curse is quite dangerous; you’ve suddenly become a terrorist now. Isn’t that right?”
“I’m really not going to prison am I?”
Hermia asked Gerald again since she hadn’t gotten a proper answer earlier.
He shook his head as if it were no big deal.
“Don’t worry! That colonel over there will close this case with ‘no charges.’”
“Will the Princess stay quiet? She looked like she wanted to kill me.”
“Well… should you die then?”
“Stop joking! I’m serious here! If it weren’t for her being a Princess, I would’ve hit her already!”
Seeing her tightly clenched fists resting on her knees made Gerald exclaim exaggeratedly before sitting across from her dramatically.
“Don’t worry about Liz. I found her stash of love letters hidden in a secret drawer. If I threaten to show them to the recipient, she’ll faint,”
Casually threatening his sister while speaking about those letters made him turn toward Walter again with excitement.
“What are you doing over there? Aren’t we leaving?”
Walter returned stiffly back to his original spot after being momentarily frozen in place.
He looked like he might collapse any second yet appeared fine again just moments later. What was that all about?
Hermia bowed slightly without thinking too much about it.
“Anyway, thank you for helping me! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to clear my name and might have died!”
“And what about me? Don’t you owe me gratitude too? I’m actually the one who called Walter here today.”
“…I appreciate that too.”
There was something about him that made her reluctant to express gratitude fully; instinctively she felt it was best not to owe anything more than necessary to a prince.
The wagon carrying only three people began moving slowly through its spacious interior. Soon after came loud thuds against the ground from dozens of horseshoes striking dirt rhythmically.
“How long will I be at the Duke’s residence?”
After pondering briefly in the swaying wagon, Hermia asked Walter again.
Even if he claimed she’d be declared innocent, acts of terrorism were extremely sensitive matters within the kingdom due largely because rival states occasionally sent spies or terrorists targeting their kingdom directly.
Even flipping a table could be exaggerated as terrorism, which explained why the Princess had reacted so dramatically.
Given that Walter himself mentioned investigating charges against her now meant releasing her immediately afterward seemed implausible.
Hermia crossed her arms thoughtfully.
‘I need to return before vacation season starts.’
As summer approaches after social seasons end soon enough nobles begin leaving capital cities for their country estates or vacation spots one by one.
Vansen family wasn’t any different.
Especially since Countesses tended towards fancy resorts; upon returning they’d boast endlessly among other noblewomen while seeking envy.
The more servants taken along meant higher expenses; memories surfaced from past summers spent trailing after the Count and Countess serving them during those three-month periods.
Wait a minute… should she just stick around at Duke’s residence?
A sudden thought struck Hermia.
‘Wouldn’t this be an excellent opportunity to avoid hard labor?’
If she pretended like she was being investigated until they left, then she could enjoy freedom alone back home without anyone around…
Would Duke allow such arrangements? She pondered how to approach this topic when Walter answered earlier regarding checking injuries first.
“I’ll check injuries first before treatment; once healed we’ll set an appropriate date…”
“Did you get hurt?”
Hermia asked belatedly out of concern since they were talking about injuries now—she feared what consequences awaited if they ended up imprisoned together instead!
“I’m talking about your injuries.”
He clarified while looking intently at Hermia who wore an expression full of confusion still lingering on her face.
“But I’m fine…?”
“You’re not fine! You’ll feel sore all over by tomorrow morning.”
What did he mean by that? He remained firm despite seeing confusion reflected back at him from Hermia’s face.
Gerald, watching the two of them, suddenly wore a faintly amused expression.
