Looking for a Husband to Confine Me - Chapter 28.1
Chapter 28.1
I stared intently at Bashar Kishar. He wasn’t just a character who disappeared after a few lines of narration in a novel; he was alive. His features were more striking than I’d imagined, exuding an androgynous aura. His golden eyes, like a tiger’s, held a mystical quality that drew my gaze.
“How rude. What are you staring at?” Bashar said coldly, his golden eyes narrowed. In person, he was even colder, more blunt, and guarded than I had anticipated.
“I apologize, Your Highness.”
“Tsk.”
Bashar, who had previously remained impassive, now clicked his tongue. He clearly didn’t like my unfavorable remarks about Haroon. It seemed all his actions and reactions revolved around Haroon Kishar.
But now, he would respond to me. After all…
“Your Highness, have you ever suspected your brother, Prince Haroon?”
I intended to ask only questions related to Haroon.
As expected, Bashar frowned.
“What are you trying to say?”
Now it was my turn to remain silent. I simply shrugged, a cryptic expression on my face. Bashar’s expression hardened as he considered my question. He finally seemed to grasp my meaning.
“Lady Hazel,” Ricardo said quietly, having observed the exchange. Like Bashar, he understood my implication and was warning me, likely asking me not to provoke the prince.
“How dare you even think such a thing!”
The problem was, it was already too late.
Bashar was enraged by my question about Haroon, especially the suggestion that Haroon might be behind the poisoning. Anger now colored his usually impassive, cool demeanor.
“How dare you harbor such a vile suspicion.”
“I apologize if I offended you, Your Highness. I was merely curious about your thoughts.”
Bashar clenched his fists, the veins in his dark brown hands prominent. My apology did nothing to soothe his anger. Then again, it had been insincere.
‘…Is he going to hit me?’
I thought I might be on the receiving end of that fist. I had deliberately provoked him, but I didn’t want to be hit, so I subconsciously leaned back.
“Do you think you can insult a prince of Kishar and live?”
Bashar moved his hand, slamming it hard against the table. Bang!* At the same time, I heard a disturbing sound.
Growl…
Screech!
The noise was accompanied by other unsettling sounds. I immediately turned to Ricardo. The sounds were more alarming than Bashar’s anger. They resembled the growls of a hungry beast.
“Sir Div, what was that sound…?”
“I’ve sent knights to investigate. It could be an ambush, so we’re preparing for that possibility.”
Ricardo, also sensing something amiss, had dispatched knights to investigate the source of the strange noises. The knights, too, began to take defensive positions.
‘An ambush?’
Was Pazl, who had been hiding until now, finally making his move? But the sounds from earlier seemed less like an organized attack and more like…
“I wasn’t finished talking.”
Bashar grabbed my arm, his face still contorted with rage. Haroon’s honor seemed to be more important to him than the immediate threat.
I had intended to provoke Bashar to understand his true feelings, to learn about his relationship with Haroon and his future position—things I couldn’t glean from written information. But the current situation was not favorable.
I bowed my head submissively.
“I apologize, Your Highness. I spoke out of turn.”
“Do you think you can dismiss this as simply speaking out of turn?”
“My desire to understand Your Highness led me to be disrespectful.”
“….”
“Please forgive…”
I was about to offer a vague apology when the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. A shiver ran down my spine, and I couldn’t finish my sentence. I looked up.
“Tsk, I’ll let it slide this time. But if you ever insult my brother again…”
Bashar continued, his expression displeased. In my peripheral vision, I saw a knight hurrying towards Ricardo. It seemed they had discovered the source of the beast-like growls. Ricardo’s face darkened as he listened to the report.
What was this strange feeling?
A cold hand seemed to grip my throat, whispering something. As I frowned, trying to understand the unfamiliar sensation, something was stealthily approaching Bashar from behind.
It was the Kishar beasts, the ones that had been prowling around, now moving with deadly intent, their bodies low to the ground, their eyes fixed on Bashar.
The Kishar beasts obeyed only the Kishar royal bloodline. They wouldn’t attack without a command, and certainly not their masters, the princes. They would only attack someone threatening their master’s life or someone their master ordered them to attack. That’s why Haroon and Bashar felt safe letting them roam free.
Just moments ago, some of these beasts had been nuzzling Bashar, begging for affection. Despite their massive size, they were docile in his presence.
But now, the way they watched him from behind was predatory. As if they were ready to pounce, tear at his throat, and rip into his flesh.
