Chapter 19: If Someone Hit You, Stab Him With A Dagger
The lady’s maids declared a strike, following Colin’s lead. No one showed up in Adeline’s room; there was no one to take care of her meals, let alone serve her. Occasionally, she felt signs of presence in the drawing room outside her bedroom, but no one answered her calls. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
It was during this time that the Lion King happened to arrive.
Richard brought him to her room. Richard, who became irritated every time he saw Adeline, opened the drawing room door with a stern expression on his face. He walked stiffly, appearing quite nervous; his hands were clenched so tightly that the veins were popping. The Lion King didn’t even rampage with his sword, but Richard looked as if he didn’t know what to do, much like a hyena facing a huge beast.
“You’re here again?” Adeline sat up with her legs tucked under her on the sofa in the drawing room.
Richard wrinkled his eyebrows as he took in the undignified outfit Adeline wore. A royal woman was expected to dress to perfection when receiving guests, making it polite for a guest to inform her of their visit at least a day in advance. Yet here, both guest and host were ill-mannered; the Lion King had appeared suddenly without a word, and Adeline was still in her pajamas.
“Did you just wake up?”
“How could that be? I couldn’t find any maids. They’re all gone.”
“The princess doesn’t have a maid?”
“Well, there’s no maid, but I see there’s an escort.” Adeline pointed at Richard with a light smirk on her face.
Richard stood at the door of the drawing room, unable to do anything, looking at her with an anxious expression. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
“What are you doing? A guest has arrived. Go and bring me some tea.”
“Did you just say that to me?”
“Then should I be the one to do it? Or should I ask the Lion King to do it?”
“I’m a knight.”
“Does a knight not have hands? All you have to do is put tea leaves in the teacup and pour hot water.”
“Was your pride hurt because you have to serve me, someone you despise for lacking dignity or manners because I was a former slave?”
A princess and a knight glared at each other like fighting dogs.
Richard was about to say more, but he took one look at the Lion King and quickly shut his mouth, leaving the drawing room. It seemed he intended to summon the maids.
“Sit down.” Adeline pointed to the sofa across from her, and he sat without a reply. She was genuinely amazed by his large, almost inhuman physique.
“Are you here to propose again?”
“I was going to do that.”
Adeline asked with a tired expression, but he responded with a smile. She had no memory of ever seeing the Lion King smile before; during their two previous meetings, he had always been expressionless or frowning. But who would have thought that just a slight smile could change a person’s impression so drastically? His demeanor, once creepy like a hungry beast, transformed for a moment into that of a drowsy cat.
“Speaking of which, you certainly have guts. This is enemy territory for you. Is it really okay for you to walk around here by yourself?”
“You’re one to talk. I heard you went to the ball, but I didn’t expect it to be like that.”
Suddenly, a thought occurred to Adeline. The man was now Marma’s most famous guest. Since the king was a man of terrible vanity, he wouldn’t have left this man off the guest list. It was a prime opportunity for him to flaunt his power by inviting the king of the desert. However, this Lion King had not appeared in the Hall of Glory. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
“Why didn’t you come?”
“What?”
“You weren’t invited?”
“You mean to the engagement ceremony? I heard that a messenger came by about three times.”
“Then why?” Adeline looked at the Lion King with eyes full of questions.
He leaned back on the sofa, narrowed his eyes, and smiled once more. “Because I didn’t want to take their eyes away from you.”
“You….”
“Tomorrow is the last day, so I guess I’ll plan to go at least once. I was going to ignore it until the end because it was annoying, but I heard it’s not polite to do so.”
He smiled again, and his expression was surprisingly boyish. Even though his smile only lifted the corners of his lips slightly and narrowed his eyes a bit, he looked like a completely different person.
Adeline bit her lip. The Lion King understood her purpose; he had said he deliberately avoided that place because of her.
“Do you want me to say thank you?”
“Well, you’re welcome.”
“What on earth do you want from me?” Adeline asked, her voice louder than intended. She posed the question even though the answer was obvious; he had mentioned several times that he intended to propose to her. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
Just as Adeline was about to sigh in anticipation of yet another discussion about his proposal, the Lion King removed the smile from his face and asked, “If I said I want to know your next plan, would you tell me?”
“Are you mad?”
“Then there’s nothing I can do. Even if it’s annoying, bear with it.”
“What on earth?”
This time, he sighed before continuing, “I can’t lie. So I’ll tell you honestly. Aizen Balzac told me that Adeline Vita is like a tree that has grown black and twisted inside. A tree whose branches and trunk are entangled and grow like roots. It’s said that anyone standing under it cannot have even a breath of wind, let alone sunlight.”
“So?”
“I asked him what he meant, and he smiled as he explained that you don’t trust people. Adeline Vita is a person with a terrible distrust of humanity and a phobia of royalty.”
‘Aizen, you bastard.’
“I honestly don’t know what I should do to gain your trust. I’ve asked people who are said to be quite smart several times, but all I received were mediocre answers.”
Adeline couldn’t detect any deceit in his confession.
The Lion King frowned, lost in thought for a moment. “So you tell me first. What am I supposed to do?”
Adeline couldn’t suppress the laughter that bubbled up from her lips. She couldn’t believe he was like this. She had asked him to persuade her, make her understand, and tempt her, and this was all she got. “Are you saying that you’ll do whatever I ask you to do?”
“If possible.”
“The Great Lion of Baltica would listen to my command?”
“If that’s what it takes to get you, there’s no reason I can’t.”
He was sincere; he truly wanted Adeline. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
“Adeline, I’m different from you. I hate fighting with words. You will do what I cannot do, and I will do what you cannot.”
At that moment, there was the sound of someone approaching from outside the drawing room, pushing a tray. Adeline leaned toward the Lion King and whispered in a very low voice, “So what do I get?”
The Lion King wore the deepest smile she had ever seen on his face.
“It is the sword of a warrior who has never been defeated since he began fighting. If you join me, I will fight for you.”
His confidence bordered on arrogance.
“Are you confident?”
“As long as I’m by your side, the men of Marma, who are as frail as paper dolls, can never threaten you.”
‘Oh, I kind of like that,’ Adeline thought quietly. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
Check out my Patreon to read advanced chapters!
