Celebrity Lady

The knight who had bravely driven his sword into Victor’s back stepped back in contemplation.

“It’s your first time seeing me use my ability, right?” Victor said, narrowing the distance without hesitation. “Well, I’m sure you lost your cowardice and rushed in because you haven’t seen it.”

“…”

“…”

The five knights only looked at each other without intending to rush again, as if they had lost their fighting spirit.

“Did you think there would be a chance if the five of you attacked at the same time?” Victor shrugged, tilted his head playfully, and said sarcastically. “Did you really…dream of beating me, gentlemen?”

Swish, swish. He swung his sword leisurely.

“Wake up.”

He smiled and stormed off again.

“Agh!”

“Ugh…”

The knights, who had lost their will to fight, fell one after another with stab wounds to their thighs. It was an attack to prevent them from escaping while putting their lives on hold because we had to dig up their background.

‘It’s too one-sided.’

Well, it was a lost case for them. No matter how much they stabbed, they couldn’t make a single scratch. It felt like hitting a rock with an egg.

Before long, all the knights with wounds on their legs were scattered.

Victor muttered as he lifted his sword and lightly slung it over his shoulder, “Don’t mess around.”

***

The five kidnappers were brought to the imperial family with help from guards and investigators waiting at the villa.

Before he left, Victor said he would interrogate them quietly because Viego and Dad would be worried.

Rebecca asked as she handed me warmed milk, “Who the hell tried to kidnap you?”

“Well…I wonder about that too.”

What was their purpose?

‘Money?’

No, it was not profitable to kidnap me for just a few pennies because the family of Duke Diollus was too big. It would be wiser to aim for a small family with moderate money.

“They’re new guys who came in four months ago, and they kept pestering me to take them to visit.”

Recalling Victor’s words, the reasoning became more mysterious.

‘The new recruits approached Victor to kidnap me while I was in isolation. Doesn’t it seem like their joining the Knights was planned?’

Then, surely, someone was deliberately targeting ‘Rubetria Diollus’…

‘Did Molga bribe them?’

I shook my head again.

There was no way that Molga, who knew how to act pretty meticulously, would make such a big fuss.

<Isn’t it obvious?>

At that time, Wishit, standing against the far wall, sent a transmission.

<What’s obvious?>

<Who could benefit from kidnapping you at this point?>

<Who?>

<The crown prince’s political enemies.>

“Hmm…” I thought, nodding my head. I deliberately tried not to think of it, hoping it wasn’t, but there was a chance it was the 2nd Prince’s doing.

Because the 2nd Prince knew I perjured myself in court for Lark this time.

‘So he must have guessed that Lark and I are interacting…’

If that’s the case, it seems I’ve become Lark’s weakness.

<I’ve stopped you. I told you to stay out of the bloody house fight.>

<I mean, is he stupid? Did he intend to kidnap me and threaten Lark’s life? Does that make sense?>

Lark’s neck would have been blown off long ago if it were that easy.

Threatening Lark’s life by committing a crime that’s so easily recognizable wouldn’t give him anything.

<It may not be the prince’s life that he wants.>

<What do you mean by that?>

<Don’t think too hard. Since he tried to kidnap you, it means that you yourself may have been the purpose.>

<What kind of nonsense is this? Why me?>

Other than my value as a hostage, what did I have? Kidnapping a princess without a spirit is a thing without any benefit.

<Why did you think so?>

<…>

I tried to respond, but Wishit was silent. He looked absentminded and nervous for some reason.

***

The Imperial Knights’ dormitory.

The second floor of the basement, a secret hidden place.

Kiiik—

The door opened, and Victor appeared threateningly, tilting his head left and right.

The five knights who were chained and seated in a row were startled.

“Now, welcome to the room of truth.”

Victor dragged a chair from one side and sat down before them.

“No matter who ordered you, you will never live as imperial knights again. Daring to kidnap a lady means you’ve forgotten your duty as a knight and betrayed your honor.” With his legs crossed, Victor shrugged and added, “Still, everyone. You know what to do if you want to save your life, right? I will ask you two things.”

He raised two of his fingers.

“First, the reason why you suddenly tried to kidnap my sister. Second, the guy who instigated you to kidnap my sister.”

“…”

“I mean, only the two who speak first will be spared. Everyone, please apply quickly.”

Even though he threatened their lives, the kidnappers did not open their mouths. As if they had promised, they just stayed silent.

“Look at you. Do you think I’ll just threaten you with words? Should I start cutting things off?”

Sreung, Victor pulled out the sword from his waist and stood up.

And, just then.

It was a very fleeting moment.

The moment he took a step forward and blinked once.

“…!”

The five figures disappeared in front of Victor’s eyes.

“Wh-what?”

Victor raised his arm, rubbed his eyes, and looked forward again.

Certainly, gone. Only the ropes and five empty chairs that tied them together were left behind.

3 seconds? No, 1 second? No, it happened in a shorter moment than that for them to get up and run away. It could be explained as some kind of magical phenomenon.

“What is it!?”

Bang. Victor hurriedly looked back.

The trail of their leisurely escape was before his eyes, and the door was open with a whiff.

***

“They disappeared right in front of my eyes!”

Crown Prince Lark’s office.

Victor expressed his anger in front of Lark and his aide, Ren, who were silent with thoughtful faces.

“Really, just one blink. Within that blinking moment!”

“Hey, vice-captain. You’re not lying because you don’t want to be reprimanded for no reason after losing them by mistake, are you?”

“You!” Victor jumped up at Ren’s suspicion. “Secretary, they were the ones who tried to kidnap my sister? Could I have been so sloppy?”

“Hmm…”

“Sir Victor, why did you do such a dangerous thing? Are you crazy?”

When Lark asked fiercely, Victor was taken aback.

“The reason I ordered the investigation team to accompany whenever an outsider entered or exited was not for surveillance, but for the safety of the princess.”

“…”

“So the knights used the blind spot that they were my subordinate, and you deliberately separated the investigators?”

“Dang it…” Victor nervously tousled his hair. “I’m sorry about that. But what is it like to meet your little sister after a long time and your every word and action is monitored?”

At Victor’s grumbling, Lark closed his eyes and swallowed his sigh.

“It was my negligence to act arbitrarily, so if you punish me, I will gladly accept it.”

“Sigh…”

Lark, who soon opened his closed eyes, gritted his teeth and clenched his fist tightly. He behaved calmly but was more agitated than anyone else because Rubette was being targeted.

Ren looked between the two and spoke cautiously, “Um, in principle, it is true that the investigation team can be separated if there are accompanying imperial knights, and Sir Victor was deceived by the kidnappers’ premeditated approach, so there is no need to take the blame…”

“Yes, I just said it because I was upset, I didn’t mean to blame Sir Victor. I was furious. I apologize.”

Victor was puzzled by Lark, who changed his attitude like the flip of a palm.

“You may be upset, but why are you apologizing? I made a mistake, but what did you do wrong?”

“Because everything happened because of me.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry I said it late. The princess wouldn’t have been threatened like this if she hadn’t been involved with me.”

“What does that mean?” Victor asked with sharp eyes in an instant.

“You said the knights disappeared like magic, didn’t you?”

“Oh, that’s right! That’s right! Now is not the time to argue, but we have to find out where they ran away!”

“You let them escape because you were sloppy, didn’t you?”

When Ren asked suspiciously, Victor jumped up again, “Ah, seriously! You may not believe it, but they really disappeared in the blink of an eye!”

“They’re not magicians, so how can they—”

“That’s right. Everything Sir Victor says must be true,” Lark intervened.

The eyes of Victor and Ren turned to him as he sounded like he had something in mind.

“It was probably the 2nd Prince, Nathan, who stole the knights away before they confessed.”

“Yes?”

It was an unexpected name.

Victor frowned, but Ren nodded, biting his lips in understanding.

“Do you know what Nathan’s spirit’s ability is?” Lark raised his eyes fiercely and added, “Pose. Stop time.”