“Finally, you’re here—?”

“Don’t leave your mouth open, girl. You’ll swallow a fly.”

“Who are you?! And what have you done to my knight?!”

“You were the one who ordered me to dress up for this evening.”

“Guards! Guards, there’s a stranger—Mmf!”

Adrian seals my lips and explains it’s really him. Well… more like gaslighting me.

“What’s wrong, girl? Are you so used to me dressing in rags that a change of clothes frightens you?”

“No, it’s not just your clothes! It’s your face. Your hair. Your posture!

“Nothing a good bath can’t fix.”

“B-but you… You can’t be… You… Johnson!”

“Yes, your highness!”

“Does this man look like the big brute to you?”

“T-that is…”

Adrian bares his fangs, and the Private quickly nods his head.

“Eeep! Yes, this is definitely sir knight, your highness! The one and only!”

“But he… But you… Am I going crazy?”

“You’ve gone through a lot in the past month, girl. Now, shall we? We don’t want to keep your uncle waiting.”

“Uh… Yes… No! It’s your fault for being so slow, you big brute. What kind of man takes longer to prepare than a princess?”

Now that I take a good look at it, the devil is really… handsome!

I know, right?! I didn’t say anything before because, duh, public enemy number 1. But I nearly fainted when I saw his face in the newspaper.

If I marry Saint Julius, wouldn’t that mean he’ll be my father-in-law? Kyaa!

Mother-in-law.

Same difference.

We hop on a horse carriage and bicker like usual. We arrive at my uncle’s mansion and enter the ballroom. Plenty of people come up to greet me and tell me how relieved they are that I’m safe. Two of which make Adrian’s body turn stiff.

“Good evening, your royal highness.”

“How do you do, Duke Ambrose, Duchess Ambrose.”

“Oh, why so distant, child? You can call me Auntie Gilda like you used to. After all—we are family.”

I knew it! I knew I recognized that face from somewhere!

Amelia’s mother and the queen were sisters?!

Not just sisters—twins!

So these two are…

Cousins. First cousins.

Wait, I have a cousin, once removed?

That’s right, Julius dear. Now come give your Aunt Grace a big hug!”

Aunt Grace!

Nephew!

This darn family is getting bigger by the minute.

…Kill me… Somebody, kill me…

“Princess Grace, it’s so good that you returned safe and sound. So good…”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Duke Ambrose looks at me with reddened eyes. No doubt thinking about his missing daughter. And the girl in question simply stands to the side and observes her parents. Duchess Gilda Ambrose appears as young and beautiful as she ever was while Duke Ambrose’s hair has turned white from grief.

“Thank you, duke, auntie. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for my knight.”

“Ah, yes, you must be the guard who protected the princess all the way here. I commend your valiance, knight.”

The duke raises his hand to shake Adrian’s, and for a moment, the two lock eyes. Adrian simply nods his head while keeping his hands behind his back.

“You can say I was at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“Sometimes… that’s all it takes to make a difference.”

“Tsk!”

Adrian clicks his tongue and walks away, leaving the duke hanging.

“Oh my, how rude!”

“I-I must apologize for my knight, duke. But you see, he has—”

I’m about to say silver blood when a minister butts in. He takes me to the side and tells me that there is no one named Adrian Acker in the Knight Order. But of course, at this point, Adrian already blends into the crowd.

“Let’s see. I’m in a building with dozens of the kingdom’s crème de la crème. Think of all the possibilities. Think of all the glorious chaos I could create. Now, how to best announce myself to the world?”

If she resorts to graffiti again, I’m going to scream.

Come on, devil. This is your time to shine! Show the world how evil you can be!

You can do it, Amelie! Your father believes in you!

Go Amy go! Go Amy go! Let’s gooo, Amy!

Judge…?

Shh… Let it be.

“Hm, if the prince is truly behind the attack, then I may be able to use that to my advantage. Hehehe!”

Adrian exits the ballroom and sneaks into my uncle’s study. He searches through the drawers until he finds a sealed box.

“Hello, my pretty.”

He turns his finger into a key and picks the lock. With a few turns, the box gives out a click and opens.

“My, my, what do we have here? I do believe this is the same code as written here.”

Adrian reaches into his stomach—

Eww! That’s disgusting!

—and takes out the encrypted note he got from the soldiers.

“Yup. The same type of paper. Same codes. No idea how to decipher them, though. However…”

Adrian switches the two notes and puts the box back in its place. He also takes out the gun and the two magical bullets and places them on the desk.

“To wreck a well-oiled machine, one needs only to throw a wrench in it. Let’s see how he’ll react to this. Hehehe.”

Adrian senses people approaching the room, so he dissolves into liquid and hides in a ventilation shaft.

Gross!

Ugh, I think I’m gonna hurl.

The door opens and two men enter, my dear Uncle Gael and the weaselly little man named Hubert.

“I told you, I have the situation under control! I don’t need any damn assistance!”

“Not assistance, my prince—supervision.”

“You dare!?”

“Oh, I dare not. The leader, however, isn’t pleased with your performance thus far.”

“I have the girl right here in my house, don’t I?!”

“Oh, yes… The princess came to your doorstep after your failed kidnapping. And now the capital is on high alert and she is surrounded by some of the most powerful mages on the planet. Which I might add, you invited yourself for your silly party.”

“Gaar!”

“Calm now, my price. The leader, in all his wisdom, had prepared a plan B for a situation like this. Take out the box he entrusted you with.”

“Don’t order me around, vermin! I—What is this doing here?”

“Is there something wrong?”

“Nothing. Nothing.”

The prince covers up the gun and takes out the sealed box.

“I’m certain you must have tried opening it, haven’t you, my prince? But as you must have figured out, this safe is unbreakable, and uncrackable without this special key. A genius of engineering, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Just shut up and open it!”

“Patience, my prince. All good things in due time.”

Hubert takes out the note. But as he read it, his eyes widened in confusion.

“This… but… This can’t be!”

“What? What does it say?”

“Prince Gael, according to this paper, you should have in your possession another booster?”

The prince glances at the gun hidden under some documents.

“And what if I do?”

The prince smirks.

“Then that means the leader favors you more than I initially thought… Very well. If this is indeed his decision…”

Hubert takes off his round glasses and jacket, revealing a lean, muscular physique underneath.

“Our orders are clear—take the princess through any means necessary, and kill everyone else in the area! Prepare yourself, Prince Gael. A slaughter is about to begin!”

At that moment, our villain realizes he fucked up… once again.