𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟐: 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐚𝐤𝐞
When Mabel woke up, she found herself lying on a bed.
“Ouch.”
Perhaps due to being roughly carried in a sack, her consciousness had been interrupted along the way.
Looking around again, she realized that she was in a room that was no different from the palace of the Eakes Kingdom. However, the windows were boarded up with nails, and the only door was locked.
The room had minimal furnishings, consisting only of a bed, a desk, and a chair, giving it a sense of emptiness.
‘Where on earth am I…’
Judging from the exquisite gold decorations and geometric wallpaper, it appeared to be the residence of a high-ranking noble. As Mabel searched for any means of escape, she heard loud footsteps approaching from a distance. Soon, she heard the sound of the door being unlocked.
“Kathy! You are finally here!”
With a cheerful unlocking sound, the door swung open, and a man stood there with his arms wide open, wearing a beaming smile.
With his thick golden hair, deep-set wide green eyes, and a glimpse of white teeth behind his thick lips, he could be described as a handsome man without hesitation.
However, upon seeing the man, Mabel furrowed her brows involuntarily.
“Strauss-sama?”
In response to Mabel’s words, the man blinked in surprise and looked at her.
“Hmm? Who are you?”
“I am Mabel Ratra of the Eakes Kingdom.”
The man called Strauss blinked a few more times and then placed his hand on his chin.
“Mable Ratra…Oh! you’re Kathy’s younger sister!”
“Yes. well, sort of.”
There was no doubt about it.
This man was Strauss Wiski.
He was the first prince of the Wiski family and was rumored to be deeply infatuated with Kathleen.
Although Mabel had met him a few times at balls and diplomatic events, it seemed that he had no recollection of her at all.
“So, you’ll be my sister-in-law in the future. Let’s get along!”
“…”
Mabel couldn’t help but think, What is he thinking, forcibly kidnapping me and then saying let’s get along? However, before she could voice her thoughts, Strauss turned around and shouted loudly.
“Hey, Travis! Where’s Kathy?”
At the mention of that name, Mabel felt a chill run down her spine. But the person called turned calmly and showed his face to Strauss.
“Strauss-sama, what can I do for you?”
“You said you would bring Kathy, but she’s not here!”
Upon hearing those words, the man named Travis stared at Mabel. Likewise, Mabel stared back at him. There was no mistaking it.
――He was Travis, the prime minister of the Eakes Kingdom.
“Hmm, it seems I made a mistake,” Travis casually said, as he ignored Mable’s piercing gaze.
“Seriously, get it together.”
“I apologize sincerely. I will think of the next plan immediately.”
Satisfied with Travis’s polite bow, Strauss walked away somewhere. Left behind, Mabel asked him in a clear voice.
“What is going on here?”
“Well, Prince Strauss is deeply infatuated with Princess Kathleen. He must have planned to take advantage of a time when security was lax, but I never expected Mabel-sama to be the one taken by mistake.”
Saying that, Travis narrowed his gray eyes, resembling the color of the cold winter sky, and muttered softly.
“…Of all people, why did it have to be you?”
Seeing the faint smile on Travis’s face, Mabel bit her lip.
“Even one princess can be a strong bargaining chip in diplomacy. Well, I don’t think that a wild horse will be caught easily. If it were the second or fourth princess, we could have made her perform some talents here.”.”
“Don’t insult my sisters!”
In response to Mabel’s angry gaze, Travis let out a sigh.
“My apologies.”
“You betrayed the Eakes Kingdom. What do you plan to do now?”
Upon hearing that question, Travis stared at Mabel for a while and then narrowed his eyes. With an elegant air, he answered.
“Well, I am merely here to provide you with a strategy on what to do.”
“And my marriage was also part of that strategy?.”
“Ah, I thought that was a ridiculous suggestion.”
Surprisingly, it went through, and Travis laughed.
“I meant it as a joke, but I never thought it would actually happen. That’s why people who can’t think for themselves are troublesome.”
“A joke, you say?”
“Seriously, there’s no way those mages would obey orders to marry. I fell sorry for Mabel-sama, who took it seriously and came all the way here.”
Feeling embarrassed, Mabel could feel her face growing hot.
She had been manipulated by something that was no longer even a scheme.
Her desire to experience true love, to know who the other person was, it was all a joke to him…
Such modest wishes were of no importance to the adults who held power in the country, including Travis.
“Honestly speaking, I don’t believe you have what it takes to bring Eugene-sama to our side.”
Unable to say anything in response to Travis’ words, Mabel remained silent. Taking her silence as confirmation, Travis chuckled softly and turned to the soldier standing behind him.
“You, take her to the Western Tower.”
“But, that place is―”
“She is not Kathleen-sama. You can treat her accordingly.”
The last words were directed at Mabel.
As she listened to them, Mabel continued to glare at Travis until the very end.
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