Weeping Men: The Innocent Princess's Secret Delight - Chapter 2.12
“You must leave immediately, Your Highness!”
But Judith did not take his hand.
‘Damn…’
It was the first time he swore at his beauty.
‘Really… can’t catch the mood…’
The sight of him trembling in fear of his own desires was a spectacle. Not being able to taint it would remain a regret.
‘…If I open my mouth now, my temper will show.’
Sensing this, Judith bit her lips to control herself and only looked up at Kaizen with feigned surprise.
“Excuse me.”
Kaizen didn’t wait long. He briefly informed her, then lifted her by the waist, throwing her over his shoulder.
‘His arm strength is really something… Ugh! So annoying! No sense of mood!’
Even that was regrettable. Judith scratched Kaizen’s back wildly. The thick fabric of his riding clothes and his back muscles blocked her efforts, failing to even tickle him.
After venting for a while, Judith went limp.
‘I’ll let it slide because he’s handsome…’
The truth that the one who loves more loses, indeed applies to everyone.
***
Froyzen appeared in the town square.
In the past, the young duke’s appearance alone would have drawn admiring gazes, but these days, it was different. The looks directed at him were tinged with subtle mockery.
“It seems the Imperial Princess is quite serious about participating in the hunting competition herself?”
“I heard she’s been going in and out of the forest in riding attire. Of course, she is.”
“My goodness. Her Highness, who’s probably never lifted anything heavier than a teacup? How much must she dislike choosing a groom…”
Three times. Three times he had blatantly revealed his ambition for the position of imperial consort, only to be ridiculously ignored each time. After such humiliation, even the empire’s most eligible bachelor couldn’t pass by without attracting sneers.
Throughout his walk, sidelong glances poured in. They were certainly not positive looks.
Yet, Froyzen smiled. He made eye contact with each of the young ladies who were mocking him, nodding in greeting.
“Ahem!”
No matter how much his reputation had been tarnished, his beauty remained intact. The young ladies who met his eyes all hurriedly opened their fans to hide their faces.
‘If only they had aimed for me instead of Her Highness, they would have fallen for me right away!’
It was to hide their cheeks, flushed with regret and excitement.
Meanwhile, Froyzen left the main road and entered an alley. The effortless smile that had been on his face disappeared the moment he turned into the alley.
At a glance, it might seem his expression had hardened with anger towards the Imperial Princess who kept embarrassing him, but,
‘I knew the Imperial Princess would take action herself. As expected.’
It was not that at all. Even being humiliated during the inspection of the competition venue was part of Froyzen’s plan.
‘Kaizen. That pathetic bastard wouldn’t even be able to offer to attend as the Imperial Princess’s proxy, even in jest, for an event hunting four-legged beasts. With him unable to push her back or put forward someone else in her place, the Imperial Princess had only one choice.’
When the Imperial Princess appeared in hunting attire, everyone was shocked, but only Froyzen smiled.
Because the sight of the Imperial Princess willingly putting her neck in the noose was quite lovely.
Froyzen entered a run-down tavern that was close to being abandoned. Upon seeing his face, the waiter opened a hatch leading to the lower floor instead of offering a menu.
Descending the ladder, he entered a dim room. Those gathered there, drinking by the light of a single candle, reacted upon seeing Froyzen.
“Well, if it isn’t the young duke.”
An accent different from that of the capital. Skin roughened by a lifetime of enduring cold, and scars worn like medals all over their bodies.
They were representatives of the Northern Tribal Alliance, who had come to the capital for reparation negotiations.
Though they had recently signed a peace treaty, until then they had been the empire’s main enemy.
“Thanks to you, we’re drinking such good liquor. We’re living it up. Have some too, Your Grace.”
The thoroughly drunk men offered Froyzen a cup of alcohol. But Froyzen didn’t even glance at it.
“Are the preparations ready?”
Instead, he naturally spoke down to them, treating them like subordinates.
The northerners, though visibly humiliated, bit their lips and reported as requested.
“Perfect. Our starving dogs will tear apart any prey in front of them, no matter who it is.”
“That’s good.”
“…Is this really okay?”
Confused by Froyzen’s relaxed attitude, the northerners questioned.
“What?”
“…For an imperial young duke to instigate an attack on the Imperial Princess.”
They couldn’t understand. Especially with rumors circulating that the young duke was courting the Imperial Princess.
The northerners, seasoned in battle, instinctively sensed the danger of their opponent. And the one before them was far more vicious and dangerous than his brother with the same face. They involuntarily swallowed dry saliva.
“Haha.”
Froyzen laughed coldly as if he had heard something amusing.
“Are you afraid of being accused of attempting to assassinate the Imperial Princess?”
“…”
“There’s no need to worry. My brother will risk his life to ensure you don’t become the Imperial Princess’s assassins.”
Instead of the Imperial Princess, even if it means throwing his own body…
At these words, added in a low voice, the northerners shuddered. The disgust and anger melted into the tone were so intense, it sent chills down their spines.
Afterward, they adjusted the details of the plan. While the representatives of the Northern Tribal Alliance enthusiastically offered ideas, they couldn’t shake off their confusion.
While they clearly had their own desires, what on earth did the young duke before them want?
They had certainly been rejected by the young duke before.
After all their prepared negotiation cards were trumped by Kaizen, the northerners, unable to bring such disastrous results back to their waiting kinsmen, couldn’t easily return and lingered in the empire. They knocked on any door that showed even a glimmer of hope, seeking another chance to sit at the negotiation table.
Of course, the duke’s mansion was no exception.
“A deal? Well, isn’t that something that happens between equals?”
At that time, the young duke had sent them away with undisguised contempt, driving out even those on the brink of death, but later he suddenly requested a meeting and graciously offered to make a deal.
The price for using his influence to arrange a second negotiation was this very plan. To attack the Imperial Princess at the hunting competition, using the northern war dogs as weapons.
As asked earlier, he couldn’t read Froyzen’s true intentions at all. He had to commit everything to the plan with only vague unease and discomfort.
“Then I suppose we’ll meet again at the hunting grounds.”
Only after considering every possible scenario did the young duke rise from his seat. The tribal representative clicked his tongue at his thoroughness and stood up as well.
“Your Grace. The item you ordered.”
Just then, the hatch opened again, and a tavern worker approached the young duke, handing him a small box. While he checked the contents, the alliance representative secretly clicked his tongue.
‘Your Grace is a title used for dukes who have already received their position. He has no intention of hiding his ambition.’
Suddenly, that box flew towards the representative. Catching it reflexively, he asked,
“What’s this?”
