Ask Away, Your Majesty - Chapter 12
Lorienne was taken aback. Normally, people didn’t know or believe the rumors about her shocking spells, but this man was clearly saying that she wasn’t even able to do it. The truth was even if she conjured up a lightning bolt, it was actually illusionary magic, so there was no real impact. If it was discovered now that it was an illusion, the effects of that would be disastrous.
“Why, is reality starting to sink in now?”
The man looked closely at Lorienne’s pale purple irises slightly trembling behind her glasses.
He smiled. “Even the color of your eyes matches my taste. Your lips look so tempting up close. You really… appeal to me.”
The man’s hand slowly moved to Lorienne’s lips.
Creak.
The door Lorienne was holding creaked open. A large, hooded figure appeared behind her.
The man, who hadn’t expected anyone to be outside the door, flinched at the sight of someone taller than himself.
“What in the world? I thought you left earlier.” The man unsuccessfully tried not to show his surprise.
Lorienne quickly turned towards Kyle, who was standing behind, saying, “I’ll handle this. Please leave.”
It did her no good to have customers fighting in her shop. More importantly, if rumors spread about the two men fighting here, it would undoubtedly lead to messy implications.
Kyle chuckled at Lorienne’s request to leave and quietly muttered to the man standing in front of him, “Seems our tastes align. Unfortunately.”
“What, what aligns?!!”
Lorienne’s eyes widened. What nonsense was this after she had called him out and openly displayed her disdain towards him before this man arrived? Her head snapped back to Kyle in confusion. She couldn’t see all of his face because he was wearing a hood, but she could see his full, beautiful lips curled into a slight smile.
“Hah, seems you’ve got a subtle knack for charming men, eh? Uck!” The man tried to say, but his voice was cut off as Kyle’s large hand swiftly grabbed his throat. The man’s eyes bulged as Kyle’s grip tightened.
“You mentioned you had a lot of money,” said Kyle in a low voice. “I’m richer and stronger than you, so I might make a hole or two in your body. Pico, get the knife.”
Pico, who was standing nearby, swiftly produced a dagger tucked into his chest and handed it over, smiling cheerfully as he held it with both hands. As Kyle’s other hand took hold of the knife, the man’s face turned red from the lack of air as he struggled to free himself. But no matter how hard he tried, Kyle’s grip remained unyielding, tightening progressively.
“W-wrong, eck!”
“Careful. Where shall I make a hole? Your eye? Or perhaps… here?”
Kyle hovered the tip of his blade over the man’s eyeball, then slowly trailed it down, hinting at a precise cut along the man’s waistline as if to suggest that area would be preferable.
“Ugh, I, I was wrong!”
“You haven’t seen my face, but remember my voice. Don’t show up here again.”
Kyle glanced up at Lorienne, who was staring at him in shock.
Then, lowering his head again, Kyle continued, “…I don’t like sharing what’s mine with others. If you come looking for my favorite mage again, I’ll cut you.”
“Mngh!!”
A drop of blood dripped from the tip of the knife, which slid in and out in a flash. The man bolted out of Loftis, tightly holding on to himself.
Lorienne stood there frozen, her mouth agape at the sudden turn of events.
From the seemingly innocent servant casually producing a knife to the impostor Archduke who just nonchalantly stabbed someone. The two men in front of her were so nonchalant, as if this wasn’t the first time they’d used a knife on someone.
The only one surprised was Lorienne.
“People like them only understand when they get a taste of their own medicine, right?” Pico said, clicking his tongue.
Before she knew it, Kyle had removed his hood and was now facing Lorienne eye-to-eye. For a battlefield veteran like him, this little amount blood was nothing short of a joke, so he was surprised to see Lorienne’s stunned face.
So he naturally concluded that her expression meant that she must have fallen for him.
“Heh, looks like I misunderstood you entirely.”
