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TL: This is going too smoothly; it makes me shudder. Anyone is here with me? I am kind of scared, like the marriage is not going to happen…
I pushed Ardion's shoulder. Only then did he open his eyes slightly. Our eyes met, and he slowly backed away. The sound of his lips departing rang clearly in my ears.
At that moment, Derol bit Ardion's ankle. Ardion frowned and looked down.
I quickly grabbed Derol. "Derol and I will go to the courthouse."
Ardion hesitated to speak and then backed away. "I’ll take you. Change your clothes and come down."
I heard the door close. I got dressed and went downstairs. Ardion was also dressed.
"Where are you going, Your Highness?"
"I will be watching you from behind in case you’re in danger."
"Is it okay for you to go to the courthouse with Rowell there?"
Ardion came close to me. Soon, his voice was close to my ear. "If you don't like it, I’ll just kill him."
“Huh?” I stepped back with wide eyes.
But Ardion’s face was filled with a smile, as if he were joking.
“Are you joking?”
Ardion’s eyebrows furrowed slightly. “I’m not joking.”
“Then do you really intend to do that?”
“If Rowell kidnaps you or acts badly toward you, I won’t stay still.”
“…”
“Oh, and…” Ardion stopped talking and looked at me. His handsome eyes curved into pretty crescents, sparkling as if they were filled with mischief.
When I looked closely, Ardion said with a smile, “The rumor has already spread.”
I had a bad feeling about this. Ardion was looking at me with such a happy, or rather, mischievous face…
“What rumor?”
“You’ll probably hear about it at the courthouse.” Ardion took a step back.
Curiosity took over me, so I took a step closer to him. “What rumor?”
Ardion grabbed my shoulder gently and brought us to eye level. “You really don’t know?”
When I heard what Ardion said, I became even more puzzled.
What kind of rumor was it that made him so happy?
As I looked at him with a face full of doubt, Ardion smiled brightly and grabbed my hand. “Laila, we’re going to be late. Let’s go quickly.”
“Your Highness,” I called out, but he only smiled and didn’t answer.
Derol, who had been quiet the whole time, spoke up. “Didn’t you spread a rumor in the neighborhood that you were marrying my master?”
As soon as Ardion heard that, he looked down at Derol with a cold face. The moment Derol saw his expression, he fell silent.
“Your Highness, is that true?”
“It’s true I spread the rumor, but I just told the newspaper.”
“What do you mean? Doesn’t telling the newspaper mean spreading the rumor?”
“Laila, anyway, since you’re marrying me, it doesn’t hurt for the newspaper to know in advance.”
“That’s true, but…”
“Anyway, everyone in the House of Nobles knows that you and I are getting married.”
“So, everyone in the empire knows that you, the prince, are getting married?”
Ardion nodded innocently.
“What should I do?”
“What?”
“I didn’t tell the fruit shop owner. I’m sure she’ll be really embarrassed if she finds out…”
Ardion grabbed my hand as I fidgeted. When I raised my head in the rather warm air, he said calmly, “I told her in advance.”
“You told her?”
“Actually, she found out before the newspaper.”
“…”
“No matter how much I thought about it, I was upset. You just thought of me as a caring younger sibling.”
“So you told the fruit shop owner before the newspaper?”
Ardion smiled and nodded. “There’s nothing wrong with that. She was going to find out anyway.”
“What was her reaction? She must have been really surprised.”
“I think so. She stood there for a long time.”
I sighed softly. “I should have told her myself.”
“Why?”
“She was the one who helped me the most. She even gave me a job sometimes. If it weren’t for her, I might have starved to death with Derol.”
At that moment, Derol nodded and squeaked. “That’s right. She sometimes gives me fruit. She’s a nice person.”
Ardion nodded. “I know, so I’ve already given her enough compensation.”
“Compensation?” I asked in surprise.
Ardion opened the door of the carriage that had just arrived, and I got in the carriage first.
The carriage started moving as soon as Ardion got into it. It was a carriage with a rather luxurious atmosphere, from the interior decoration to the cushions on the seats.
But it wasn’t the time to think about all that.
“So, what did you give the fruit shop owner as compensation?”
“First, I bought all the fruit that day and donated it to an orphanage, and I also gave her a blank check because she seemed to have taken good care of you.”
“A blank check…”
Before I could finish speaking, Derol interrupted, “You mean you gave her the blank check so she can spend as much money as she writes on it?”
Ardion nodded leisurely while I fidgeted.
“What’s wrong, Laila?” He smiled and tilted his head when he noticed my gaze.
“Your Highness, you didn’t have to go that far. It’s a bit excessive. Above all, I think the shop owner must feel burdened.”
“At first, she didn’t want to accept it. But when I told her it was an order, she accepted it.”
“So, you’re saying you threatened her?” Derol squeaked.
Ardion glanced at Derol briefly and raised the corners of his mouth. “She didn’t get hurt, so it wasn’t a threat, right?”
Derol just looked at Ardion. His black eyes were not just a little bit fierce.
“I didn’t physically pressure her. Right?” Ardion still spoke to Derol, who didn’t answer.
Derol glared at Ardion once and ran to me and hugged me. I stroked his body. His fur was quite soft, perhaps because he had been eating good food lately.
At that moment, Ardion took the hand touching Derol. He looked at me while placing it on his cheek and said, “Laila, did I do something wrong enough to deserve death?”
“No. It wasn’t that bad.”
“If you feel uncomfortable, I’ll go apologize right now. But first, I’ll take you to the courthouse…”
“It’s alright. You don’t have to apologize. I just wanted you to tell me in advance.”
Ardion smiled and nodded. “I’ll do whatever you want.”
The carriage gradually got closer to the courthouse. I looked out the window for a while and then turned my head.
Ardion was looking at the evidence I had organized. I could see his strong forearms, and because he had rolled up his sleeves, his arms were shining with a gorgeous mana glow.
I looked at him for a moment and then asked, “If the Duke Orchid arson case is revealed, will the crown prince’s crimes still be forgiven?”
“I am going to negotiate.”
“Negotiate?”
Only then did Ardion raise his head. He lifted the document and said, “Laila, you’ve organized Duke Orchid’s misdeeds so well that we can negotiate with it. Even Rowell will definitely bow his head when he sees this.”
I was momentarily shocked and at a loss for words, but then I immediately said, “So, the evidence I’ve been organizing will be used at the end?”
Ardion nodded. When my expression turned sour, he looked at my face. “What’s the matter? What’s wrong?”
“I thought you’d submit my evidence from the beginning.”
“If I did that, I wouldn’t be able to threaten Rowell later. This is the best we can do.”
“Then what about Jonok?”
“Rowell will send him to prison somehow. Now that I think about it, can I use this as evidence?” Ardion shook the documents I had organized.
I nodded. “Yes, of course. Feel free to use them. After all, from the beginning, these documents were organized to accuse Duke Orchid.”
I felt uneasy as I said those words. When I first heard this plan from Ardion, I thought it was pretty feasible.
But now, it seemed like he was aiming for something other than the Duke Orchid arson case, so he planned to use all the evidence at the end.
Of course, Ardion was now in an absurdly serious state. In this state, he wouldn't be able to pressure Rowell.
At that moment, Ardion grabbed my hand. "Laila, let's get married once this trial is over."
I nodded. Now, I was almost in the same boat as Ardion.
I smiled faintly. Anyway, Jonok was a bad guy, Rowell would be hit by this, and Ardion would eventually get his ridiculous charges cleared.
I only thought about the outcome.
Before I knew it, the carriage arrived at the courthouse.
There were quite a lot of people gathered in front of the courthouse. Some were shouting loudly in front, perhaps because they were getting a lot of attention from the commoners, and some were even holding wooden boards.
[Tell us the truth about the Duke Orchid mansion arson case!]
They gathered in one place and shouted in unison. The carriage headed toward the back of the courthouse.
As I was about to get off with Derol, Ardion said calmly, “Laila, you go inside first. Delzion will be there. You can stay with Delzion at the courthouse and then come back here.”
“So, I just have to watch the trial?”
“Yeah, just watch and let me know what evidence Rowell presents.”
“Is only Jonok attending as a witness?”
Ardion nodded.
“In that case, I can attend as a witness too, right?”
“No. Rowell is watching, so it’s better to leave with me for now.”
“But I saw his crimes too, and I wrote what was submitted to the court.”
TN: This is going too smoothly; it makes me shudder. Anyone is here with me? I am kind of scared, like the marriage is not going to happen…