I Will Seduce The Northern Duke

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Kalcion once again embraced Selina.

"I'm really going…”

The next moment, his hand moved quietly inside the cloak. Out of sight of the soldiers, the dagger hidden behind his back slid into her sleeve. Even though she was taken aback, Selina moved her fingers as he put it before tucking the dagger fully into her sleeve, hiding it.

After confirming that the dagger was completely hidden, Kalcion released the arm that had embraced her.

“You have to come back safely. Don't hold back thinking you'll find out something, and don't even stand it.”

Kalcion once again asked her earnestly.

"Yes."

Selina smiled and nodded her head.

In the first place, the Crown Prince’s threat was different from listening to a few swear words to get information, so she had no intention of putting up with it either. Eventually, she turned her body towards the soldiers.

The tiger den was right in front of her.

* * *

"Hoo…”

Selina tried to catch her breath, which was getting more and more rapid. Although she had confidently played along, she couldn't completely relax once she realized that the Crown Prince was a madman… he was one who could kill because he didn’t like her headdress.

Nonetheless, as she went deeper into the Palace, her tremors grew stronger.

She didn't nearly die herself, but she saw a dead person. It was the death of Rosalyn, whom she had been arguing with until just before that. The death of someone she knew, even though they were sworn enemies, could never not but be shocking.

She couldn't believe that people could die so easily. The fact that her own death was not far off gave her fear.

Eventually, her legs trembled as she took each step.

Come to think of it, wouldn't she be put in jail if she was taken as a suspect? Prison… She was a model citizen who had never been to a police station since she was born though it was terrifying to think that she was going to prison all of a sudden.

Moreover, there would be no detention center here, so there would only be the stagnant damp, and dirty water in the basement of the Royal Palace… the vibrating smell of mold and gutter, and scurrying rats and bugs were full…

‘I shouldn’t have said I was going…?!'

A regret that was already too late came over her.

Why did she stop Kalcion so ambitiously there? If she wasn’t going to lose anyway, she should just fight and win and ask to go back, and even if there was a war, Selina thought he would win regardless.

Still, it was a useless guest.

As she thought so, she grabbed her hair. However, because of the guards pressing in front of her and on both sides of her, her steps steadily moved forward. No matter how much she trained every morning, she didn't have the confidence to beat and run away from the well-built guards working in the Palace.

She was bound for prison…

Nonetheless, after passing through the dark and long corridor, beyond the winding corridor, the place where she arrived was a bright and clean palace with colorful lanterns hanging from it. Another guard stood guard in front of the large door with ornate carvings.

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As she approached, they shifted and opened the door. It was different from jailers opening the prison bars.

‘…Is it here?’

Selina looked bewildered at the guards who had brought her. Seeing that they firmly nodded their heads, it seemed that the destination was here from the beginning.

‘As expected, there was an ulterior motive after all.’

She just didn't know that the plan was to serve her in such a nice place.

She then glanced around with fearless eyes as she stepped in, step by step. After escorting her through the door, her guards joined the other guards and guarded the door.

As she took a few steps, there was a thud behind her back. When she turned around in surprise, the door was closed. It was a heavy door that seemed like it wouldn't open, even with the weight of her body.

Selina turned around and moved forward. She thought she was inside a building, but when she passed the door, she was outside again.

During the fuss, she could see the sky darkening as if the sun had set.

White flowers bloomed profusely on both sides of the road leading to the white building in front of it. Whenever the wind blew, white petals flew up in the air. A pink sky, soft lighting beneath it, and white petals flying. It was a dreamy sight as if it had been staged on purpose.

The first floor of the building connected to the end of the road had only pillars and was open on all sides. Each pillar was decorated with flowers, and a sofa, chair, and bed were placed in the center to avoid crowding.

A translucent white cloth hung around the bed and moved around. The Crown Prince was sitting on the long sofa beside the bed.

"…You’re here?"

As Selina approached, he welcomed her.

Rosalyn was dead… was this time to set the mood with a smile now? His smiling face was more frightening.

“…What’s going on?”

The Crown Prince approached and gently grabbed her hand. He even handed Selina a glass of cider as he sat down on the couch.

“The witness was too sure. I know you're not the kind of person to do that, but if I denied the charges right on the spot, there would be a problem of equity. Still, how can I put you in a prison-like place? So, I secretly brought you to my villa.”

“Villa…”

Somehow, it felt like she was far away from the Crown Prince's Palace.

“Unless I call, even the attendant can’t come in without permission, so don’t worry.”

As soon as Selina sat down, she made it clear.

“I didn't kill her.”

"Really?"

However, the Crown Prince did not show much interest.

“Yes, if you guess the time Rosalyn died, the alibi will be clear, and I was with someone the whole time.”

"Yes. I guess so.”

The Crown Prince listened intently and lifted it towards Selina as if toasting her.

“Still, in cases like this where there are no witnesses, the most suspicious person tends to be the culprit.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Everyone knows that you and Rosalyn are not on good terms. You even had a physical fight today. Besides, aren’t you physically superior to the other ladies?”

Because of that, she was the easiest to become the culprit.

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“…Does that sound like Your Highness is going to make me a murderer?”

“If I feel like it, I can.”

Saying so, the Crown Prince smiled and put the glass to his lips. With his sleeves rolled down, showing his forearms, Selina noticed the countless marks of nails on his forearms and the backs of his hands at that moment.

She almost screamed.

It was the Crown Prince himself who killed Rosalyn, yet he calmly laid the blame on her. Because of that, even if he was a criminal, he could not have been caught.

“Are you going to do that?”

Selina forced her eyes off the Crown Prince's arm, pretending she wasn't nervous.

“Well, I don’t know yet.”

The Crown Prince still answered playfully.

Even though he had just killed a person, he was as bright as ever. If he were going to kill her, he would have already killed her so he was overconfident in assuming that he would be okay… This madman was the one who killed even loyalists because of his feelings.

“…So, how long do I have to stay like this?”

"Well… until I feel like letting you go?”

“Not until the real culprit is caught?”

“What if I can’t get caught forever? If you want to stay by my side forever, welcome.”

No serious conversation ensued.

Selina was anxious and nervous about this situation where the two of them were alone, but there was no progress in the conversation, so a fire broke out inside.

"I'm the Duke's lover, how can I do that?"

“Hmm.”

It seemed that the word ‘Duke' was a forbidden word. At that moment, the smile disappeared from the Crown Prince's face. He rested his chin and stared at Selina, but she didn't feel good.

“The Duke seems to be doing pretty well, doesn’t he?”

“…Why is that all of a sudden?”

"It's amazing to see that he doesn't waver even in front of the Crown Prince's favor."

The basic premise was that if the Crown Prince showed interest in you, Kalcion would definitely come over to him. It was absurd, but she didn't show it was absurd because her life was precious.

“I know my place.”

"Aha. Does the Duke promise something certain?"

It was only now that he showed interest as he straightened the back he was leaning on, waiting to hear the answer.

“Yes. He guaranteed a house, money and a maid to take care of me until the day I die.”

“Are you satisfied with just that?”

“In my situation, that much is tremendous.”

“What if I do more than that?”

As always, the Crown Prince persisted.

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“Why me?”

“Do you need a reason?”

“There are many people who love Your Highness. I am nothing… I don't know why you're doing this to me."

“Isn’t one reason that I like you not enough?”

“I'm already in love with the Duke. There is no reason enough to betray that love.”

"Ha… love.”

Listening to her words, the Crown Prince twisted his head and smiled as he glanced up at the ceiling.

“Your love is quite expensive, isn’t it?”

"I'm sure it's not worth that much to Your Highness."

“Well, I can give you more… I'm now starting to think about whether I should do it. Anyway, now you are in my hands.”

Selina’s smile, which she had been forcing herself to lighten the mood, froze. A chill seeping from the Crown Prince clung to her like moisture during the rainy season. Still, she braced her legs so she could get away at any moment.

“What are you going to do with me in your hands?”

“What shall I do? Right, I wanted to see you drooling over me like his ex-woman. Why aren’t you so greedy?”

"What…?”

Ex-woman… he would be referring to Irell.

It seemed that he brought out the words so casually that she couldn't connect if he were talking about Irell or not for a moment.

“Oh, don’t you know? There was a woman the Duke brought with him, saying it was his betrothed. She's from a lowly family, so she never had a proper social experience. I gave her some room… and it was worth seeing her clinging to me. She was so clingy even in bed.”

Even though she knew it, hearing it directly from the Crown Prince's mouth made Selina even more terrified. However, her desire to know the truth suppressed the urge to cover her ears.

"If you know she was the Duke’s… why did you give her room, like you did for me?”

"I don’t know?"

Answering her, the Crown Prince laughed loudly, apparently liking Selina's response.