Proofreader: DreaMing
Lorraine had seen several personable men among the commoners who rose up to become famous.
They were all people who she didn't understood for why they were called handsome. They were good looking, yes. But not actually handsome.
The same went for nobles.
Among the aristocrats who were reputed to be handsome, there was no one she really found handsome.
Lorraine had been seeing Lorian since childhood, so her standards were set quite high.
But even Lorraine had no choice but to acknowledge Cloud's natural appearance.
‘…Yes, no matter if he is a commoner, he is a hero, right? A being chosen by the Goddess. That's no ordinary commoner.’
He was a human being chosen by the Goddess herself.
So of course, he was fundamentally higher than a knight, and his status should be higher than that of any nobleman. So, wasn't it the same as him being an honorary nobleman?
Self-rationalization.
It was Lorraine's self-rationalization to defend her pride from the fact that she didn't feel offended by being kissed by a commoner whom she thought as vulgar.
– Chueup… Chueup…!
The kiss felt long but ended shortly.
Even after the short kiss ended, Lorraine sat there blankly. Because the heat left on her lips hadn't gone away yet.
Then she felt Cloud staring at her without leaving yet.
"What? Why aren't you going away?"
Normally, he would have left as soon as the kiss was over, why was he still with her?
“Are you going to send a challenge letter tomorrow morning?”
“That's upto me! Why? Losing your confidence to defeat me the next day?”
“No… that… well, anyways.”
Cloud took a deep breath and left the grounds.
Lorraine looked at his back in dissatisfaction.
"What? I thought he had something to say.”
She grunted and stood up from her seat.
She went back to her room, and she wrote a new challenge letter, placed it inside the crevice of Cloud's room door, and then she went to bed. And the next night, she waited for Cloud at the grounds.
It had become a normal routine from some moment on, but Lorraine always pretended she didn't care.
But it was weird.
No matter how much she waited today, Cloud did not come. Lorraine, tired of waiting for him, scrunched her brows, and stormed into Cloud's room.
"Hey! You sleeping or what? Are you sure about ignoring me?!”
Lorraine spurred the door and entered the room.
The inside of the room was clean and empty.
“..?”
What? Did something happened?
It can't be, right?
Lorraine, who was bewildered, didn't get the answer until the next morning.
“Are you talking about Hero Cloud and his team? They left yesterday, early morning.”
She couldn't half-believe what the butler told her.
Lorraine went to bed late and woke up late because of waiting for him at the grounds, and Cloud had left while she was sleeping?
“This… y-you motherfucker…!”
‘You left without saying a word to me..!'
Lorraine was furious.
No, he had left but why should she get angry?
Why should she get angry…
Oh yes, the duel.
She hadn't won a duel. She even lost her first kiss, and more kisses every time after, she hadn't been kissed so many times by her parents on the cheeks, alright?
That bastard made fun of her lips.
Yes, this was rāpe.
He's a rāpist who rāped her lips and left!
When she came to the conclusion, she felt even more angry.
Promising to catch him by the hair the next time she saw him, Lorraine headed to Lorian's room.
She intended to improve her skills by asking Lorian to teach her. She was no longer allowing Lorian to bury himself in the corner and wallow in self-pity.
But…
"Huh… Where did my brother go now? What is actually happening?! Are they making fun of me as a group?!”
Lorian was not in his room.
* * *
While Lorraine was yelling out her frustrations at Lorian's room wall, Lorian was facing Gis.
Gis blew out white smoke from his mouth and rubbed the cigar he was smoking on the table.
“So, you mean you want to hire our assassination squad?”
"That's right."
“Why did you come to me? Our handsome prince will surely be able to hire an assassination squad himself, even without me in this whole thing, eh?"
“It is a fact that no one can deny, the Zarakh Society's assassination squad is the best on the continent. And so I thought I should hire the assassination squad for a commission through you than going directly myself.”
Gis was sponsored by the Kingdom of Alitia's criminal organization, the Zarakh Society. It was a secret to outsiders, but what every insider knew.
“Well, that’s right. So, the target? Cloud, right?”
Lorian nodded his head.
“There is no need to kill. If you do, you may incite her wrath. But… you see. I wish you can instill despair in him. Despair deep enough to break his heart.”
“It is not difficult. Torture is one of the specialties of our assassination squad. You don't have to worry about other issues. The Assassination Squad of the Zarakh Society is not that cumbersome.”
Gis giggled and leaned back on to the chair.
“The number of accomplices have increased. That’s good.”
Lorian narrowed his eyes.
“Accomplices?”
“Yes, accomplices. You didn't think I'd stay still even after being humiliated, did you?"
Gis said with a creepy smile.
“I have already sent them a letter.”
“…”
Among the women in the room, Adreana was the only one deeply troubled.
* * *
After refusing the solicitation of the Duke of Oler, we were going to the capital of the Kingdom of Prona.
Because the royal family had called us there.
The king himself had, actually.
If we didn't go, we would have had another troublesome problem on our laps, so we followed the call and arrived at the capital…
And, saw.
“Put the heretics to the guillotine!”
“Put the prince to the guillotine!”
“Down with the heresy! Overthrow the prince!”
The citizens who filled the front of the royal castle.
“Come out, Prince! If you're not a heretic, you have to prove your innocence!!!"
Clergymen shouting at the forefront of citizens.
“…do you guys want to turn back?”
The group nodded their heads in a heartbeat without saying a word.