Chapter 42

“Failed again?”

The voice was slow and heavy, but the gaze Marquis Adamante fixed on his aide was sharp as a blade.

“There’s no excuse.”

The aide, cowed by his aura, avoided his eyes and bowed his head.

“Is it really that difficult to kill a mere slave? I told you not to spare any expense.”

“We hired the best assassin guild. But every one we sent ended up dead, and now they refuse to take any more requests.”

It was just an assassin guild. No one would risk their life against a hopeless opponent.

“Did you try sending a woman?”

If a direct confrontation failed, the next step was trickery.

“Seduction doesn’t work at all. No chance.”

“No chance?”

“To meet a woman, he’d have to visit some entertainment establishment, but he never goes to pubs or gambling dens.”

“So he lives a proper life?”

“He never even glanced at a woman before meeting Her Highness. That’s why the gossip magazines went wild when the scandal broke with Her Highness.”

It meant that since he’d laid eyes on Princess Adela, no other woman could catch his attention.

Adamante frowned.

A mere slave dared to lay eyes on Adela?

That noble child, and just a slave. He felt the urge to gouge out the man’s eyes.

Adamante ground his teeth.

His gaze shifted to the gossip magazine delivered that morning. The man who should have died was still alive, once again making the front page.

The headline “What did they do at the l*ngerie shop?” caught his eye.

The article described Adela and Braden entering a l*ngerie shop, notorious as a haven for perverts, and not coming out for hours.

Adamante tore the gossip magazine to shreds.

‘Adela, what are you thinking, wandering around with that man?’

Scandal isn’t something you create alone. In that sense, Adela was also at fault. But Adamante’s anger was focused entirely on Braden.

Just being linked to Adela in a scandal was reason enough for him to die.

Even if they broke up, Adamante would make sure to kill the man who held memories of Adela. Or at least strip away every part of him that had touched her.

Adamante’s murderous intent made the aide struggle to breathe, but he kept reporting, sweating coldly.

“We sent one disguised as a cleaning maid, but he killed her without hesitation. He’s ruthless. Doesn’t spare anyone, even women.”

“Poison?”

“We tried.”

“He didn’t eat it? If he won’t, use a poisoned weapon or scent. Do I have to teach you everything?”

“We tried everything. Nothing worked.”

“And still he’s not dead?”

“Maybe he has a detox artifact?”

“A slave with a detox artifact? That’s absurd.”

“His price is high, so Duke Shutal might have bought it for him.”

“Ha! Is a Colosseum gladiator really that incredible? Why is he so hard to kill?”

“He’s extremely skilled. He’s called the ‘Emperor of Consecutive Wins.’”

“Emperor? This is why Lasve, with no roots, is hopeless. Calling a gladiator slave an emperor.”

Adamante’s mouth twisted bitterly.

Unbelievable. He’d thought dealing with one slave would be easy.

If Braden died, Adamante planned to take Adela back to the Kingdom. He thought it would be over in a few days, but after a week, the man was still alive, wandering with Adela.

He had to bring Adela back.

Adela had to become the monarch.

She was to be the symbol that would elevate the Adamante family’s prestige, which had produced the most queens.

Holden.

That child was also his grandson, but he was just like his wretched son-in-law. Useless, just as he looked.

But Adela resembled her mother so closely she seemed her reincarnation. Her Adamante blood was evident. She would make the Edel Kingdom flourish.

She would probably become the greatest king the Kingdom ever had.

With her, the Adamante family’s prestige would rise, laying the foundation for future queens—a secret legacy and duty handed down from his ancestors.

After three generations, they must produce a queen.

Adamante had trained with the sword and become knight commander for this reason.

It was about making the Kingdom flourish. Adding a touch of personal ambition to raise his family’s status wasn’t such a crime. He didn’t want to be king himself.

Adamante’s plan to make Adela monarch bordered on obsession. He’d been planning and waiting for this day since his daughter fell ill.

But now, everything had collapsed at the last moment. Adela had given the throne to her younger sibling.

He should have killed Holden. He’d kept him alive for sentimental reasons, because he was his daughter’s child—and that was a mistake.

He’d have to deal with it properly when he returned.

But first, he had to end Adela’s wandering.

“Is that the only option left?”

“But isn’t that too dangerous for Her Highness as well?”

He knew. That’s why, though it was the surest way, he hadn’t decided.

Adamante closed his eyes and slowly opened them. Madness flashed in his gaze.

If things had gone as planned, it would have been fine. Where did she think she was going, trying to escape his control?

He was a little annoyed at Adela for trying to break free of his strings.

“She brought it on herself. Maybe it’s time she tasted the sting of the whip.”

Adamante’s lips twisted up on one side.

“Just in case, have a healer stand by.”

“Yes.”

***

“Our one-month contract is almost up.”

Adela said, gazing out of the carriage window.

Lasve, with its year-round warm winds, had no sense of seasons, making it hard to track the passage of time.

Because of that, sometimes it felt like she’d been with Braden forever, and other times, like she’d just met him yesterday.

“A week left? We should make the most of our time. Want to take a cruise instead of our boat? If we ride the cruise to the Lambro Kingdom and back, it’ll take exactly a week.”

“Cruise? We can’t get off in the middle if we take that.”

“That’s why I want to. So you’ll be stuck by my side for a week. Oh, and just so you know, there’ll be no sightseeing. We won’t leave the cabin.”

Braden’s expression was firm.

Since declaring his love, his obsession had grown more blatant. He didn’t want to be apart for even a moment.

Was that a bad thing? Not really.

He was obsessed with Adela, but it never suffocated her. He always considered her feelings.

Maybe that’s why seeing him so obsessed made her heart flutter.

But feelings were feelings, and reality was reality. It was time to leave romance behind and return to reality.

“What will you do when I go back to the Kingdom after being so close all this time?”

“Won’t you feel lonely?”

“I’ll have to wait and see.”

“Oh, you’re like a cute little tease. Never say anything sweet.”

He melted her heart.

Braden cupped her cheek and gave her a gentle kiss.

She couldn’t leave him alone. Everything he did was just too endearing.

“We’ve arrived.”

The coachman’s voice came.

Braden got out first and helped Adela down. Just then, the sound of ‘shik, shik, shik’ accompanied flying weap*ns aimed at Braden.

“……!”

Braden quickly pulled Adela into his arms and rolled them away.

Thud, thud.

The spot where Braden had stood was struck by the weap*ns. People nearby screamed and fled.

“Are you okay?”

Braden looked at Adela and asked.

“Yes.”

Her face was pale, but Adela remained composed.

Twenty assassins dressed in black masks and clothes appeared before them.

“Stay here and don’t move.”

At his words, Adela nodded and pressed herself against the wall as much as possible.

She was admirable. So calm in this situation.