2627-chapter-9-part-1
09. The Prince and the Big-Breasted Man (1)
Translated by: ???
Eve was studying herself in the mirror when the sound of small footsteps reached her ears.
“Have you finished getting ready?”
“Uh, yeah. How do I look?”
“……Not bad.”
It was an off-the-rack suit she’d bought on a whim, unable to wait to have it tailored at the crown prince’s sudden summons, but one of the manor’s quick-handed maids had altered it in the blink of an eye, and it fit her well enough. She hadn’t needed much alteration in the first place, since she wasn’t much taller than men.
Eve was fidgeting awkwardly with the cravat around her neck when Alberic, who had been watching, strode up to her and gently pulled her hand away. As Eve stared, Alberic adjusted the cravat around her neck and spoke quietly.
“I’m glad the ……the wizard did his job well.”
“Right? My cuts and bruises are gone without a trace.”
“But please, be careful.”
She had to go see a difficult person, so he called a wizard who specialized in healing to remove the raw marks on her face and neck. The wizard, who looked incredulous that Eve had called an expensive wizard for something that wasn’t a severed limb or broken bone, but a mere scratch quickly opened a magic circle in front of him and tended to Eve’s wounds with great care.
The day of her encounter with Basilio, she hadn’t noticed any bruising before, but when she woke up after a good night’s sleep, her body was a mess, especially the nape of her neck. Upon seeing the saccharine bruises on her neck, shaped like a man’s hands, Alberic asked what the hell she was doing, but she couldn’t tell him, to his pensive face, that it was worse on his (Basilio’s) body.
She had momentarily forgotten that even an aura-sensitive person would bruise from a punch and bleed from a stab. Still, she hadn’t completely escaped the sense that her body was in a game, that she had somehow gained an advantage in reality.
Anyway, Basilio seemed to have a weaker body than hers, but he was a pretty good fighter. Eve’s body was just as bruised and battered as his, though she’d managed to crack his ribs and ankle, and by the time the drink had worn off, she’d had enough. Still, she didn’t break anything, so Eve decided to cheerfully consider herself a winner.
‘If your nose doesn’t bleed and you don’t break any bones, you win.’
After telling him the truth about the day’s events (leaving out the exact details, of course), much to Alberic’s chagrin, Eve found herself ready to accompany him to meet the crown prince sooner than she had anticipated.
It was a twist of fate if ever there was one, but somehow she felt like the last employee to be summoned by the CEO of a company she didn’t really want to meet.
?
Once Alberic had graduated from the academy and was back home for good, traveling back and forth between the estate and the capital, Mr. and Mrs. Vermell began to go out, as if they had left Eve completely to him.
As is often the case with people of the upper classes, the Vermells had mansions in various parts of the country in addition to their estate in Calais, so the couple traveled from one to the other in a regular cycle, enjoying a life of leisure. It was a picture-perfect aristocratic life.
‘Those people would rather help by not causing trouble and spending money as they wander outside.’
He’s relentless even to his own parents.
Once the couple was out and about, the countess’s surveillance, which had been strangely close, disappeared. She once asked Alberic about Lady Adelaide’s constant surveillance and management in a casual way, and he replied with a laughing, mocking breath.
—Of course, they must have monitored you out of concern that you might meet a man somewhere. Regardless of how insignificant you may seem, as a lady of the Count’s house, it’s common sense among the upper class that you would have to receive a substantial dowry.”
Eve was shocked by the answer, as she had never imagined such a reason. An adult relative couldn’t afford a dowry for his niece’s wedding, so he kept an eye on her from her teenage years until she was a grown-up lady. There’s always something shady about wealthy people.
Anyway, that’s all gone away since it was recognized that Eve was under Alberic’s care.
“Speaking of which, when are the counts expected to arrive, have you heard anything?”
“It’s almost the season (socializing season), so they’re probably already in the capital, and I’m sure they’ll be busy socializing for a while, so we won’t see them until the day of the banquet.”
“Eh…….”
“Did you really think Vermell has only one mansion in the capital?”
Alberic’s leisurely sneer stung her soul, the soul of a small-town citizen who could barely afford a modest house in her own name in a safe neighborhood. He’d said it because he grew up rich, and he was right. Eve gave him a deliberate look of disbelief, then turned her attention back to the carriage. The carriage had just pulled into the manicured central driveway of the palace.
The carriage slowed to a crawl as it approached the massive gates. After a brief identification check, as the carriage did not bear the family crest, the carriage headed straight for the palace. As if this were not his first visit, the coachman navigated the streets with ease, and Eve’s face tensed slightly with nervousness.
‘Callisto is the most annoying of the male leads, but aside from that, the most troublesome and tricky to deal with is the crown prince. He’s a madman with all the wealth and power, and without a strategy, he’s virtually impossible to beat……. The game’s difficulty was bad enough, but I can’t imagine how terrifying he is in real life.’
Since the appointment had been arranged in advance, the two of them got out of the carriage and went straight to the residence, guided by the waiting servant. Since this was a private, unofficial appointment, rather than a formalized state visit, all of the long and complicated formalities of meeting the crown prince were bypassed.
The courtiers at the palace were all skilled professionals who had undergone long and rigorous training, so the sight of Eve in a pantsuit didn’t faze them, and they were ready to treat their guests with respect. Honestly, she expected one or two of them to stare at her in surprise, but their polite demeanor, which seemed to drop a needle in a haystack, made her wonder how much of a prick Prince Edward could be.
Instead, it was the knights of the Guard who stood guard over the chamber, who took three or four steps behind Alberic, their eyes fixed on the woman who looked so young in her dark green coat and dark brown breeches that she might have just come of age, and their eyes widened at the longsword she wore at her side.
Eve winked at the young knight as she unbuckled her scabbard and handed him the weapon. The knight’s expression changed slightly as he took the weapon as if he’d never been flirted with by a woman before. Meanwhile, the servant who’d announced their arrival opened the door to his office.
“You’re just in time, Little Count.”
“I am pleased to see Your Highness. Did you have a peaceful night?”
“Well, nothing much happened. Allow me to introduce the lady.”
“This is my younger sister, Evelyn Vermell. Greet His Majesty, Evelyn.”
“Greetings to the pristine glory of Britannia. I am Evelyn Vermell.”
Crown Prince Edward Vessel Lancaster, who had watched with interest as Eve greeted him with a slight bow of her head, not the crossed-knee greeting of women, returned her salutation with a gentle smile.
“I am glad to see you, Lady Evelyn, you are indeed as welcoming as I have heard.”
“Ah, what do you mean, Your Highness? That is nothing short of a curse to a Lady.”
Alberic made his point with a cold, disapproving look. It was quite disrespectful for a member of the royal family. Eve pondered, careful not to look up as she had been taught. Alberic’s words were a mixture of praise and reproach. She wondered if she should be offended.
“Raise your head, Lady Evelyn. Alec, you always take my words with a grain of salt. That was pure praise.”
“In that case, thank you for your compliment.”
Given permission to look up, Eve immediately locked eyes with the crown prince and smiled broadly. A man’s face came into view, with his honeyed blonde hair that was the hallmark of the Lancaster family and eyes the color of a crisp fall sky.
Indeed, he was the man nicknamed the walking statue. He had a delicate nose that looked like it had been painstakingly chiseled from the finest marble by a master craftsman, a beautiful forehead, and a T-zone that was neither too much nor too little. His beauty is timeless and classically exquisite, so it’s hard to believe he’s a man with 900 maggots in his stomach1symbolizing deceit or danger.
‘Wow, crazy……. No, that’s……. Wow……. That face……. Wow……. What’s going on…….’
Eve’s mind raced with admiration, though her expression and posture seemed perfectly normal, thanks to the short training in etiquette that Alberic had given her.
To be frank, Eve’s taste was undoubtedly in men who exuded a masculine scent, with well-developed jawlines, deep impressions, and toned muscular hot bodies – like the models from D*lce & G*bbana2The author censored the words here, so I interpreted it as this brand Dolce & Gabbana. For instance, someone like Da*id G*ndy3The author censored the words here, so I interpreted it as the model David Gandy.
Nevertheless, Prince Edward’s face was undeniably handsome, regardless of one’s taste. To be honest, Castell’s appearance, standing silently behind him, was more to Eve’s liking, but it was Edward’s face, radiating the light of 500 incandescent bulbs, that naturally caught her eye first.
Eve could barely contain herself as she was mesmerized. It was a face of terrifying destructive power. It was a pity that the story was set in a time when he was over twenty and unable to marry, let alone be engaged, because of the Emperor’s opposition. A face like that should be passed down through the generations as soon as possible.
“I’ve heard reports that you’ve accomplished a lot in a short amount of time.”
“You’re very kind.”
“I feel like I’ve made a good investment, and it won’t be a bad thing for me if you become my strength.”
“She’s still a work in progress. I’m afraid she’ll disappoint Your Majesty with too much expectation.”
‘This snake bastard, he’s subtly putting me on his side? Does he think I’m Alberic’s lackey, his pawn?’
Eve straightened her crumpled expression and smiled at Edward’s words. The crown prince gave a small smirk, shrewdly noticing Eve’s demeanor as she kept her distance, humbled by his eloquent compliments and flirting.
Thinking he’d made a good enough gesture, he soon bade all the servants and knights in the chamber leave; they moved in unison to clear out, and soon only the four of them remained in the spacious chamber. Edward spoke only after it had fallen silent.
