72. The Topless Man

The Emperor seemed a bit perplexed.

Things weren’t going as he had hoped.

It was true that he had intended to trap Psyche.

But the Talais flowers and the beasts weren’t actually part of the real trap.

While he had indeed made preparations in advance, he didn’t think he could hand over the Duke or the Duchess with such a sloppy plan.

Nevertheless, wasn’t the Duchess, who had steadily expanded her influence even in the most powerful circles, a formidable opponent?

So, the Emperor had devised a meticulous plan.

But it seemed like it would fail from the very first step.

Urgently, the Emperor stepped forward.

“D-Duchess!  there is no need for you to fight!”

Psyche’s swordsmanship, as she wielded the sword taken from him, was quite impressive.

Psyche tore her cumbersome dress halfway with the sword and began to fend off the oncoming beasts.

He knew the Emperor was at a loss behind her.

So, she couldn’t stop anymore.

Schwick—

The blood of the beasts splattered in all directions.

Like a fountain of blood.

She pulled the sword out of the beast’s belly and swung it horizontally.

The sensation of flesh touching the blade was unfamiliar.

But it was a moment of regret that she had never had the opportunity to try the swordsmanship Clint had taught her.

“Huht!”

“Kraaaagh!”

Psyche changed her stance once again.

As she changed her stance, the blade of the sword, which had spun around, struck the beast, which screamed and staggered away.

It seemed that the swordsmanship Clint had taught her was more useful than she had thought.

Well, he had said there was no one in the Empire who could beat him in swordsmanship.

Thinking it might not be an exaggeration, she felt satisfied for a moment.

“Kraaaaaaa!”

“W-What’s that!”

The knights who had been helping her deal with the beasts around her shouted in surprise.

The bizarre beast, three times the size of a regular wild boar she had seen when leaving the place earlier, was approaching her with a snort.

At the same time, beasts of unknown origin appeared here and there.

In an instant, chaos ensued.

The Emperor’s face, which had been at a loss, turned pale.

“……”

Psyche glanced at the beast rushing towards her and adjusted her stance.

It seemed impossible to deal with it alone.

Suddenly.

‘If you grip the middle of the blade like this, the point of strength gets closer, so you can push your opponent away with much more force.’

She remembered the method Clint had taught her during sword training not long ago.

Although she was a beast and it was her first attempt in real combat, it seemed there was no other way.

“Kraaaaagh!”

“Hup!”

Psyche exerted as much force as possible on the sword.

Her ceremonial sword was lighter than a regular one, making it somewhat easier to handle.

Crash!

The beast and Psyche collided head-on.

“Urgh….”

Psyche exerted force on her sword.

She grasped the middle of the sword, just as Clint had taught her. The force pushing her back stopped.

While facing the beast, Psyche glanced at where the Emperor was.

Even though he was being protected by knights, it was clear that he kept an eye on Psyche’s direction.

‘There’s something more.’

With that thought, Psyche exerted more strength.

Thunk!

“Kueeeek!”

The beast was pushed back by her force.

But it quickly rushed at Psyche again. She adjusted her stance and gripped the sword. She raised the sword to protect her head.

Clang!

The beast with horns on either side of its nose charged at her like an enraged bull, colliding with her sword.

“Uh.”

Her hand regained strength.

She pushed with her legs. Using a half-swording technique again, Psyche pushed the beast back. This time, she rushed forward before the beast could.

Thud. The sound of her feet hitting the ground was lightning-fast.

The beast, realizing her movement, snorted and charged towards her.

Crash!

The blade of her sword and the horns clashed fiercely.

“Ugh.”

Swinging her sword once, Psyche slightly pushed back the beast, then immediately brought down her sword threateningly in a diagonal motion.

“Krrrr, Krrr….”

The beast continued to paw at the ground.

It seemed agitated. The beast appeared to be catching its breath, preparing to rush at her again.

But Psyche didn’t want to miss that brief moment.

Taking a deep breath, she leaped upward.

She drove her sword straight down.

“Kyaaang, Kyriiiiiing!”

The sword struck the beast’s neck vertically. The beast staggered and stumbled, trying to dislodge the sword from its neck.

In that moment when she thought she had dealt with the beast.

“Ugh….”

Suddenly, something struck the back of Psyche’s head.

Feeling a dull pain, she closed her eyes.

In a flickering vision, she sensed the Emperor walking towards her.

* * *

“Ugh….”

Psyche grimaced, feeling as if her head would split open.

She had clearly been dealing with the beasts in the forest, and then….

After that, there was no memory.

Psyche couldn’t help but grimace due to the tremendous headache.

A heavy sensation made her body feel sluggish.

The damp, oppressive feeling made her feel like she was submerged in water, which was extremely unpleasant.

“Ugh….”

Despite thinking that she had to get up, Psyche struggled to open her eyes.

“Ugh.”

Only then did she realize that something was pressing against her body, and the room was filled with a foul and strange smell.

In an instant, she realized that the smell was the concoction made from Talais flowers. Then, like someone had poured cold water over her, her mind cleared up in an instant.

Continuous exposure to Talais flowers would lead to death.

So Psyche had no choice but to quickly get up.

“What on earth… Ugh!”

Not long after, she realized that she was lying in bed, partially undressed, with someone lying next to her.

It was the topless man.

A very familiar figure….

“Eek.”

As soon as she recognized who the man was, Psyche covered his mouth with both hands.

Then she looked around the room.

Ornate ceiling patterns and a tightly closed door. Curtains in deep navy blue with gold trim, drawn tightly, so she couldn’t tell if it was day or night. And a very extravagant bed….

And on top of it, herself and the crown prince.

‘What on earth is this…’

Psyche quickly realized that she had to get out of here.

She couldn’t wander around like this with no idea of where she was or why she was dressed like this, and it would be extremely awkward if she bumped into anyone.

As she fretted, the prince, Leighton, seemed to change his breathing as he tossed and turned.

Psyche’s heart pounded, and she couldn’t breathe properly.

When Leighton finally opened his eyes, he smiled brightly at her.

“Psyche… I missed you.”

“…?”

The first words were very strange.

But Psyche soon understood why he was saying this.

Leighton then opened his mouth as if apologizing with a now almost tearful expression.

“Please forget all my wrongdoings.”

Then he muttered to himself again.

“If my father kills the duke, his wife will be mine now….”

His condition was not normal.

With his blurred face and unfocused pupils, Psyche could tell he was heavily intoxicated with Talais in an instant.

‘That insane emperor!’

Psyche clenched her fists, knowing the true identity of the trap the emperor had set.

The beasts appearing in the forest were just bait to lure her here.

He was a cruel father. To involve his own son as well.

She couldn’t even laugh. She bit her lip.

Prince Leighton, with his mind unfocused, approached Psyche as if he were dreaming.

Psyche pulled the sheet up to cover her body.

“Your Highness, please come to your senses.”

“I like Psyche too much… But you already belong to another man….”

But it seemed like he couldn’t hear her voice at all.

With a vague look in Leighton’s dilated pupils, Psyche looked at him with anxious eyes.

“Do you know how much I wanted you…”

Suddenly, Leighton, who had gotten very close, seemed to collapse and buried his face in Psyche’s neck.

“Your Highness!”

She tried to push him away in panic, but he was too strong.

“The smell of life.”

“…Your Highness!”

“Good.”

Leighton suddenly began to kiss her neck.

“Your Highness!”

Psyche tried with all her might to push him away, but Leighton grabbed her arms with both hands, preventing her from moving.

“Ugh, stop…”

It seemed like she couldn’t overpower him with force. As she struggled, suddenly there was a commotion outside, and the door to the room burst open.

Armed knights poured into the room as if they were storming in.

The abrupt sight made Psyche’s heart stop.

Leighton, who still hadn’t come to his senses, was only groping at her.

Then, through the now open door, the Emperor entered, and the door closed firmly behind him. He looked at the two of them and smirked.

“Immediately lock up the Duchess who fed poison to the Crown Prince, mocked him, and betrayed the Duke, in the underground prison!”

The knights rushed towards Psyche.

That’s when it happened.

Suddenly, the door thudded open once again.

It was the Duke.