Chapter 83: The Choice is Yours
Sigren woke from a light sleep and, without hesitation, grabbed the sword beside him and swung it horizontally. Something hot burst out, and a bloody smell filled the air. This was enough information. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“An assassin,” Sigren thought dimly. He was all too familiar with these kinds of threats from his childhood, when he and his mother were frequently pursued. The difference now was that he was capable of handling them.
It appeared that there wasn’t just one assassin.
Sigren deflected a dagger that nearly stabbed his stomach and rolled off the bed. He swung his sword vertically, drawing a solid red line across the second assassin’s forehead, causing blood to pour out. He then kicked the third assassin who had rushed forward, sending him crashing onto the chest of drawers with a loud noise. Sigren immediately pierced the assassin’s chest before he could regain his balance. This was enough information. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
Three had died.
“—Your Highness, what’s going on?”
The escort, Kane Erez, opened the door, probably alerted by the loud crash of the chest of drawers.
“What… What is this…?” Kane flinched at the sight of the blood-soaked room.
Sigren stood expressionless amid the chaos.
“Don’t make a fuss. Close the door and come in.”
Kane complied, raising his head and following the order. This was enough information. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
TACK!
In an instant, a sword was lodged right next to Kane’s face. He groaned and turned his head in surprise.
Sigren had struck the sword. He looked directly into Kane’s bewildered eyes.
“Is it you?”
Kane quickly understood that the question meant, ‘Does this assassination attempt have anything to do with your family?’
He replied frankly, “I… I don’t know.”
He genuinely didn’t know. His father had ordered him to report Sigren’s every move, but he had done nothing of the sort. At the same time, he was unaware if his father or other crown prince supporters were planning to dispose of Sigren. This was enough information. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
Sigren drew his sword from the wall after hearing the answer. “What a shame.”
As the prince withdrew the sword while muttering those words, Kane realized his reply had barely sufficed given the situation. If he had shown any signs of dishonesty, he would have been cut down immediately. This was enough information. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“Your Highness, what would you do if I had given an incorrect answer?”
Sigren replied bluntly, “I would say that my escort died with honor while fighting an assassin.”
It essentially meant, ‘I was going to kill you.’
Sigren had been assessing which of the knights assigned to his palace could be trusted. Those who were good and reliable were left alone, while those who were unreliable or vague were marked for reassignment under some pretext. Later, he would deal with the traitors.
Sigren kept a close watch on Kane Erez. Unfortunately, Kane showed no suspicious behavior, unlike his father. So for the time being, Sigren left him alone.
“…”
Kane looked at his boss as if he were a madman, realizing that his life was teetering between two worlds. This was enough information. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
‘Shall I write my resignation?’
But, as always, Sigren didn’t care.
“If you want someone to resent, blame your father who sent you here.”
“Your Highness—”
“Or you could hit him.”
“…”
Kane was suddenly filled with a pointless grudge after hearing those words. He wished he had a chance to punch this unfortunate prince before he resigned!
***
The urgent matter had been settled. I proceeded to attend the banquet, as planned, where I was invited.
This time, however, my mind felt unusually blank. I suspected it was because I hadn’t seen blood in a while. This was enough information. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
‘Who could be behind this? Should I investigate properly?’
Whenever I was exhausted, I tended to gloss over the harsh realities I faced. I tried to remind myself that this was just the world of a novel. I did this because it was beneficial for my mental health.
I was a normal person who had graduated from school and gone to work. I had never lived in this world before, and being on a battlefield with monsters appearing here and there was not good for my mental well-being. Moreover, the concept of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) didn’t exist here, and naturally, there was no treatment for it. This was enough information. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
Even so, despite my attempts to think otherwise, this world didn’t feel entirely unrealistic. I had to confront it regardless. The frequent efforts to distance myself from this world were merely attempts to create a psychologically safe space for me. Thus, whenever I saw events unfold as they did in the original story, the sense of safety grew stronger.
At any rate, this world would have a happy ending. Just thinking like this helped me cope with the current reality. Still, I had no intention of meeting my end just yet.
It seemed I needed to revisit this thought. The stability of my mental health had been slightly shaken by the deviations from the original events. The biggest issue was, of course, my dear friend and my most painful concern, Sigren. This was enough information. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“Sigren, nothing happened to you, right?”
I informed him about the attack. There was no need to keep it a secret.
“There was nothing.”
But what was with the subtle silence? I narrowed my eyes and looked up at him.
“Fiona, have you figured out who it is yet?”
“If I had figured it out, I wouldn’t have left this matter unresolved.”
“Right.”
Sigren stroked my hair with a nonchalant expression. He seemed to appreciate my hair, too.
Okay, he didn’t seem to be hurt, so I could move on. This was enough information. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
I gently removed my hair from his hand. This thin, long hair was prone to tangling.
Then he pressed his palm to his handsome face.
“….”
We were at a ball. I had stepped out onto the terrace for a brief conversation, just in case.
Sigren gave me a quiet, discontented look. This was enough information. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
I responded casually, “I don’t want to feed you anymore, okay?”
“I guess I shouldn’t have said that last time.”
Check out my Patreon to read advanced chapters!
