"Young Duke!"
At Sharan's appearance, the maids around them panicked and bowed their heads in haste.
Rebeca glared at Sharan, who had grabbed her wrist.
"What do you think you're doing, brother?"
"I believe I asked a question first, Rebeca."
"Do you really need to ask? I was about to slap that 'thing' who doesn't even know her place."
"Is that so?"
Out of nowhere, Sharan slapped Rebecca.
*Smack!*
With a sharp sound, Rebeca's head snapped to the side.
She covered her flushed cheek with her hand.
"What do you think you're doing, brother? I think you owe me an explanation."
Each word she spat out through gritted teeth dripped with venom.
"I just did what you said."
"What?"
Sharan tilted his head with a peculiar smile.
"You said that those who don't know their place should be taught with a slap. So, I followed your method."
"So, you're saying that 'I' don't know my place now?"
"I appreciate how quickly you catch on."
"Brother, have you lost your mind? Or are you bewitched by 'that' face? Just because I was going to slap her, you dare... you dare slap me? Who do you think you are?"
"Rebeca, did you really think I wouldn't know what you were planning with Satina?"
Sharan glanced around at the empty cage and the maids bowing their heads.
"I knew you brought in the Red Horn Snake, but I chose to ignore it. You can play your little games with our sister all you want; that doesn't concern me. But Rebeca, killing her crosses the line."
The Red Horn Snake was highly venomous.
If Satina had been bitten, she could have lost her life.
"She is still the Crown Prince's fiancée. If she dies and the Crown Prince comes after us, what would you have done?"
"Th-That's..."
Rebeca was at a loss for words, as if she had been caught off guard.
It was something she had never even considered.
Who cared if Satina lived or died?
"The Crown Prince doesn't even love her anyway!"
"But her death could still serve as a reason for him to strike against our family, don't you think? And who would handle the aftermath? You, who don't even have a title? Or me, the young duke?"
Of course, this was just an excuse.
Sharan knew that the Crown Prince wouldn't be bothered by such an incident.
Judging by how the Crown Prince treated Satina, it was doubtful he'd even pretend to mourn her death.
Yet, when Sharan heard Satina's song, he had instinctively grabbed Rebeca's wrist.
Sharan smiled as he asked again.
"Do you understand now that you've overstepped your bounds?"
Without waiting for Rebeca's response, Sharan took Satina by the wrist.
"Let's go, sister."
As Sharan led her away from the garden, Satina turned to glance at her mother.
She saw Rebeca, furious, hurling insults at her mother.
Her mother, with a serene expression, simply endured Rebeca's tantrum.
It was a tender side that she had never shown to Satina.
Noticing her looking back, Sharan tugged at her.
"What are you staring at like that? Do you still want to stay back there?"
"No, it's not that."
Satina couldn't understand why Sharan had suddenly come to her rescue.
But for now, she had received his help, and more importantly, she needed to raise his affection level to 50, so she gave him a simple thank you.
"Thank you for helping me."
Sharan stopped in the middle of the corridor, then abruptly let go of her wrist, almost flinging it away.
"Don't mention it. I only saved you because now you can barely use a sliver of holy power again. I didn't want you to get beaten by Rebeca and become a useless fool once more."
'Ah, holy power.'
It seemed he had heard the song I had sung.
'Now that I can use my holy power again, I guess my value has gone up a bit.'
"But it would be wise not to use your holy power recklessly. You've only just regained it. If you carelessly waste it, you might end up back where you started, right?"
Despite the smile on his face, his words were as sharp as blades.
In truth, Satina regaining her holy power wasn't that significant to Sharan.
She wasn't going to become a saint anyway, so what difference did it make to him whether she could use her power or not?
However, he didn't want others to hear her singing.
Satina didn't fully understand why Sharan said such things, but instead of questioning him, she nodded obediently.
"Yes, I will."
Her gaze shifted to the status window floating beside Sharan.
Current Status : Furious after a deep conversation with his father.
Tip : Act as though you are as compliant as the tongue in one's mouth. Even if you are subjected to verbal or physical abuse, do not flee. If you act as though you are devoted only to him, you will easily raise his affection.
Unlike the status window, Sharan's pale face showed no emotion.
His control over his feelings was perfect.
"So, did something happen? You don't seem to be in a good mood."
'I don't know what's going on, but... he probably got scolded by the duke again.'
Sharan chuckled lightly.
"Why? Just because I helped you once, do you think I'm on your side now? Don't misunderstand. I only acted this way because siding with you was more beneficial than siding with Rebeca in this matter."
"I'm not misunderstanding. I was just worried something might be wrong."
"Why not worry about your own situation instead? If your engagement to the crown prince breaks off, your father seems ready to sell you off as the second wife to some man over seventy."
"If my situation is like this, shouldn't I at least be allowed to worry about you?"
"There's nothing in it for you."
"Then what about you?"
"What are you trying to say?"
"Will it harm you?"
Sharan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Whether I worry about you or not, it doesn't hurt you, right? So let me do as I please."
When Satina's hand touched the corner of Sharan's eye, he roughly knocked her hand away.
"...Fool. Do as you wish."
Even though Satina's hand stung from being struck, she didn't care.
Ding!
[Sharan's favorability increased by 3.]
Despite his words and actions, the system could not hide it.
***
The Crown Prince's palace.
When the sun rose, the palace adorned with gold gleamed so brilliantly that people called it the "Palace of the Sun."
Rexion, the crown prince and future ruler of the empire, was lounging lazily while listening to a report from his attendant.
Having just woken up, he was wearing only a robe over his bare skin.
Though he wasn't wearing a golden crown or a fur-lined cloak, the aura of a ruler exuded from him naturally.
His muscular frame was visible through the loosely draped robe.
"Satina Bersaebet drove out the beasts using holy power."
His voice was emotionless, as if he were talking about a stranger, not his fiancée.
'As heartless as always... but then again, this is nothing new from the crown prince.'
The attendant recalled the last time he saw Satina.
When Satina came to see Rexion, he had her forcibly dragged out by a knight.
'I heard it was her birthday that day... poor thing.'
The attendant didn't particularly like Satina.
She was shy, gloomy, prickly, sensitive, and foolish.
She seemed to embody every undesirable trait a noble could have.
However, seeing Satina being dragged away by the knight that day, even he felt a pang of pity.
It wasn't like she was a fiancée being removed, but more like a nuisance stalker.
'I don't know why he's still maintaining the engagement, though.'
Unlike Satina, who had an unstable position within her family, Rexion was the son of the only empress and had been promised the throne since birth. He was an arrogant man who had never bowed to anyone.
So when he announced his engagement to Satina, who wasn't even the true daughter of the Bersaebet family and had little influence within it, the empire's social circles went into a frenzy.
There were romantic rumors that the crown prince loved Satina, but the attendant was sure that wasn't true.
'There's no way he would treat someone he loves like that.'
If he wanted, he could end the engagement at any time. Yet, for some reason, Rexion had maintained it for several years.
It was the empire's greatest mystery.
Throwing the report into the trash, Rexion spoke.
"There's no need to report trivial matters like this. I already know that she can't use holy power. The Bersaebet duke must be up to something."
"But Your Highness, what if Lady Satina has truly gained the ability to use holy power?"
"Well..."
Rexion lazily tilted his head, causing his red hair to sway.
His golden eyes showed no trace of interest.
"Satina is still Satina."
***
Meanwhile, Satina was looking at the quest window in front of her with a serious expression.
Quest: Win the auction for Strategy Character 4 from the slave trader within three days.
Reward: Strategy Character 4's favorability +20.
'I only have 199 gold left. How am I supposed to get more money?'
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