Tell Me To Regret, Don’t Tempt Me - Chapter 17
Chapter 17
The commotion drew closer to them. The people who were subduing the Teria, the staff who were chasing after the boy, and the ringmaster who had a knife against Louis’s neck all looked at each other, wondering about the reason.
Then…
“Your Highness!”
Raiden appeared.
Seeing a sword at his master’s neck, he rushed forward with all his might.
*Clang!*
The sound of clashing swords echoed loudly. Raiden, moving at an unbelievable speed, deflected the blade aimed at Louis’s throat. The ringmaster, overwhelmed by the force, dropped his sword and fell to the ground, clutching his aching wrist.
“What the hell are these guys!”
Before the ringmaster could finish his sentence, a crowd came rushing in. They were the Second Imperial Knights Squadron.
“Th-The Imperial Knights? Ugh!”
The ringmaster felt a cold sensation on his neck. His whole body started trembling under the overwhelming murderous aura.
“In the Tapeullon Empire, a crime more severe than theft…”
Louis approached the trembling ringmaster, wiping the dust off his shoes on the ringmaster’s pants.
“…is the crime of harming the Imperial Family.”
“I-Imperial?”
“Bow your head before the only Crown Prince of the Tapeullon Empire! His Highness, Prince Luideos Lindez Tapeullon!”
The Crown Prince?
The boy’s golden eyes were cold as he stared down at him with an arrogant expression. Black hair and golden eyes. The ringmaster suddenly remembered the portrait of Emperor Henry he had seen at a noble’s mansion not long ago.
It’s over. No, I’m already a dead man.
He blamed himself for his stupidity in not recognizing that face when he saw the Emperor’s portrait. It felt as if all the blood was draining from his body.
Who could have imagined encountering the Crown Prince while running a circus? The ringmaster couldn’t believe he had held a sword to the Crown Prince’s neck and even injured him.
“P-please spare me. I’ve done wrong.”
There was nothing he could do now but pray and beg. He prayed to the gods.
Please, may the Crown Prince of the Empire be merciful.
“If you have committed a crime, you must face the consequences. You know your guilt well, don’t you?”
The prince did not show mercy. Prince Louis was more inclined towards being cold, rational, and despising those who torment the weak, rather than being merciful.
Louis’s icy voice froze the air in the circus tent. Those who heard his voice either shriveled in fear or burst into tears.
Louis pressed his palm against his neck, feeling the warm blood seep onto his hand.
“Your Highness, are you all right?”
Raiden’s expression was grim.
“I’m fine.”
Louis pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his palm nonchalantly, then brought it to his throat and pressed it gently.
“Raiden, arrest the circus staff and interrogate anyone involved with the Teria.”
“Understood, Your Highness. Leave this place to us, and get on with the treatment……..”
Louis nodded and turned to look at the boy, who was sitting on the ground staring at him in a daze. When their eyes met, the boy rubbed his eyes with his dirty hands.
“Take this boy as well and have him cared for, Raiden. Leave the Teria with this boy.”
“Yes, Your Highness. Sir Alan will be waiting outside. You can board the carriage, and he will take you to the nearest physician immediately.”
“Very well.”
Louis took one last look at the Teria and the boy before turning away.
“Wait!”
The boy called out urgently.
“You there! Show proper etiquette. When His Highness the Crown Prince concealed his identity, it was understandable, but not now. Greet him properly…”
“It’s fine, Raiden.”
Louis looked at the boy’s blue eyes, which were trembling fiercely. The boy, hesitantly opening his mouth, managed to speak with difficulty.
“Thank… Thank you.”
The boy bowed so deeply that his forehead nearly touched the ground.
“Save your thanks for later. I shouldn’t be the only one receiving it… For now, go with them and stay with the Teria.”
Louis watched the boy for a moment longer before turning away.
As he exited the circus tent, guided by the knight, there was a crowd gathered due to the sudden appearance of the Imperial Knights and the commotion.
The moment he stepped out, the breathless Alan rushed towards him.
“Y-Your Highness, you’re bleeding…”
“No need to make a fuss.”
Louis said, clicking his tongue in annoyance as he climbed into the waiting carriage.
“Louis!”
Vivian, who was in the carriage, shuddered as the door flew open and Louis climbed in. The white handkerchief around his neck was now stained red with blood.
“Are you… hurt?”
“It’s nothing serious.”
Louis hadn’t expected Vivian to be there and was momentarily surprised, but he quickly composed himself and sank into the carriage seat.
As he settled into his seat, the carriage began to move.
Vivian watched him nervously, her peridot eyes watering, and pulled something out of her bag.
“Here…”
She offered a new handkerchief, her hand trembling slightly.
“I’m fine. We’re heading to the physician right away.”
“But… there’s so much blood.”
Tears began to form in Vivian’s eyes, and Louis sighed softly and took the handkerchief she offered.
Just as Vivian had said, the white handkerchief he had been using was already drenched in blood, having lost its original color and turned entirely crimson.
Louis handed the blood-soaked handkerchief to Alan, then pressed his neck firmly again, biting his lower lip and trying his best not to cry, as he looked at Vivian.
“Don’t cry.”
She nodded vigorously at Louis’ words. A few tears dropped onto the back of her hand, but she didn’t seem to notice, keeping her eyes on Louis.
Fortunately, they weren’t far from where the physician was. The carriage stopped shortly after they set off.
“Alan, take Vivian to the ducal residence.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll inform the knights.”
“I’ll come with you.”
Vivian, who had been staring anxiously at Louis’s neck, said.
“When you’re finished with your treatment, then…”
“I know you have a lot of questions, a lot of things you want to ask, but for today, just go back.”
Unable to do anything about Louis’s decisive words, Vivian reluctantly nodded her head, her shoulders slumping. As she hung her head in guilt, Louis turned away at Alan’s urging.
The physician who had been waiting immediately began the examination.
“Fortunately, the wound isn’t deep and there’s not much blood loss. We’ll just need to put some medicine on it to keep it from getting infected and bandage it up, and I don’t think it will leave a scar.”
With those words, the physician carefully applied ointment to Louis’s throat and wrapped it with a white bandage.
As they left after the simple treatment, Raiden was standing in front of the carriage, having somewhat sorted out the situation.
“Did the treatment go well?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve roughly sorted things out. The boy and the Teria will be protected near the Emperor’s Forest cabin.”
“Okay. All right, let’s head back.”
Louis climbed into the carriage and it began to slowly pull away. Due to the crowd that had gathered after the sudden appearance of the Imperial carriage and knights, the carriage could only proceed at a leisurely pace.
As they approached the palace, the crowd diminished, and the carriage sped up. Louis, who had opened the previously closed curtain, looked at the sky scattered with red and orange hues.
His throat stung, and his body felt unusually heavy, indicating that today had been quite eventful.
“A mage, huh…”
Muttered Louis softly as he closed his tired eyes.
* * *
In the quiet bedroom, Vivian placed the bag she had carried all day like a precious treasure on the table.
The blood-stained handkerchief still shimmered in her eyes, weighing heavily on her heart.
She wondered if the treatment went well, and if Louis was in a lot of pain. She wanted to ask what happened to the boy, if the Teria was rescued, but she couldn’t ask Louis, who was bleeding from his throat.
Louis got hurt because of her.
Because it had been Louis, he could have saved the Teria. As the only Crown Prince of Tapeullon, he had that kind of power. But she couldn’t just leave the boy who had recklessly rushed in to rescue the Teria.
She had moved without thinking, and by the time she regained her senses, the two of them had disappeared behind the curtain.
“Stay here.”
Nodding at Louis’s words, Vivian stared at the place where the boy and Louis had disappeared for a long time.
Seeing the tightly closed curtains, almost no light leaking through, Vivian got up from her seat and went out of the tent to find Raiden.
That’s when the knight who had been with Raiden came running towards her.
“Teria, he went to rescue her.”
“What?”
“His Imperial Highness, the Crown Prince, went to save theTeria and the boy…….”
After hearing Vivian’s brief explanation, the knight nodded and quickly began to handle the situation.
Vivian clenched her fists tightly while waiting in the carriage for Louis to return safely.
She regretted how foolish she had been over and over again.
Everyone who had told her she was smart was a liar. She wasn’t smart. If she were, she wouldn’t have put the Imperial Prince in such danger.
Such thoughts consumed Vivian.
When Louis boarded the carriage, clutching his neck, she gasped for breath. The white silk handkerchief, soaked and red with blood, seemed to be reproaching Vivian as if to remind her how wrong she was.
Knock.
Someone knocked on Vivian’s door.
“Vivi, may I come in?”
It was her mother, Daisy.
Daisy stood cautiously in front of the slightly open door. She looked at Vivian sitting in the chair and slowly stepped forward.
“Vivi.”
“Mother, may I ask you a favor?”
“Vivi?”
Vivian stood up from the chair and approached Daisy. Tightly hugging Daisy’s waist, Vivian spoke.
“Please say you’ll grant my request.”
Daisy gently pushed Vivian away and looked into her daughter’s eyes.
“Alright, I’ll grant it if it’s something I can do.”
Nodding solemnly at Daisy’s response, Vivian took a moment to catch her breath and looked her mother straight in the eye.
“I, I would like to see the Crown Prince.”
The knight who brought Vivian to the palace briefly explained what had happened today. Daisy was so surprised that her hands were shaking so badly that she almost dropped her teacup.
After ordering her maid to hurry and find out how badly the crown prince was injured, Daisy made her way to Vivian’s bedroom. At the door, she paused, pondering how to talk to Vivian, who had experienced a major incident.
“I want to meet Louis, Mother.”
Daisy found herself nodding unconsciously at the expression on Vivian’s face, one she had never seen before.