Chapter 27: The Rabbit trap and the Lion (1)

Upon arriving at the manor, Glenn immediately demanded a party from Viscount Panario.

“Hey, Viscount. I worked so hard for your subjects; isn’t this the least you can do?”

“Of course, Prince Glenn. I have prepared a modest gathering to show my gratitude.”

“Is that so? You seem reasonable, which is a relief. Where do I go?”

Led straight to the main hall, Glenn began to cause all sorts of trouble.

He complained about the drinks not being to his liking and criticized the food’s taste over trivial matters.

On top of that, he threw candy at the serving maids and picked fights with the knights.

His antics were so relentless that even the accompanying Viscount grew weary.

“Ha ha ha, this is quite enjoyable, Viscount. Hmm?”

“Well, I’m glad you like it.”

“You should be grateful to me, shouldn’t you? Hmm?”

“Indeed. Thanks to you, my subjects have received great help.”

“Yes, always keep that in mind. Understand?”

Though grinding his teeth in secret, the Viscount followed Glenn’s lead and served him dutifully.

Before long, Glenn’s drunken antics escalated to vomiting.

“Ah, cough, this grueling schedule… oh, the alcohol just isn’t settling today.”

He barely drank, yet pretended to be wasted…

Hiding his annoyance, the Viscount spoke up.

“Um… Prince Glenn, perhaps you should rest for today and drink tomorrow.”

“What? Are you ignoring me now?!”

“Ah, no. I’m only concerned about your health. You can always drink tomorrow.”

That reckless brat… we’ll see about that.

The Viscount maintained his composure, determined to deceive him until the end.

“Young master?”

A knight approached Glenn.

Thankfully, the troublemaker finally had someone else to contend with.

“Oh, you must be Sir Nedian?”

“Ah, apologies for the late greeting, Viscount. I saw you briefly earlier but had some business to attend to.”

“No need for formalities. By the way, Prince Glenn seems quite drunk…”

“Looks like it… Young master, are you alright?”

Nedian looked at Glenn with a rather bewildered expression.

Regardless, Glenn staggered on, continuing to torment the Viscount.

“Hey, Panario! Let’s have another drink. How about it?”

“Prince, I—”

“Young master, it’s time to leave now.”

“…Time to leave?”

Glenn’s gaze met Nedian’s, who nodded in agreement.

“Yes, that’s right. I have somewhere to be.”

“Ah, that’s right. You still have a long way to go, huh? Haha, Viscount, this is tough.”

At last, he was listening.

The Viscount sighed quietly and responded.

“Very well, Prince. As Sir Nedian says, please rest for the night.”

“Alright, I guess it can’t be helped. I’ll be off then.”

“Yes. If you follow this maid here, she will show you the way. Have a pleasant evening, Prince.”

The Viscount quickly assigned a maid to accompany Glenn.

Glenn immediately wrapped his arm around her waist and followed her.

“Oh, Viscount. You’re quite thoughtful. Haha. What’s your name?”

“Eh, I am Emily.”

“Good. Emily, show me to my room.”

He then led Emily away without delay.

Nedian bowed to the Viscount, watching them leave, and said,

“I apologize. He’s not usually like this… I think he’s in a good mood today. Please forgive him.”

“No, it’s quite understandable. But Sir Nedian, you must be tired as well, right?”

“…Yes. I must confess, I’m considering going to bed early.”

The Viscount smiled with satisfaction.

“Haha, health comes first. There’s plenty of food tomorrow, so get some rest.”

“Then I shall accept your kindness and take my leave.”

Nedian bowed and disappeared, leaving the Viscount’s expression somber.

His gaze remained fixed on the direction Glenn had gone.

“That damned brat… is he in the servants’ quarters?”

When he muttered his complaint, a knight standing nearby answered.

“Yes, he said he’d be waiting in the servants’ quarters not long ago.”

“Good. That troublesome brat needs to be dealt with immediately.”

The Viscount began moving his anger toward the servants’ quarters.

***

“Oh, there’s wine here too. Can I drink this?”

Glenn entered the room, picking up a bottle of wine in front of him and asking.

“Yes, everything in that cabinet was provided for your use.”

Emily, who had come in with him, lowered her eyes and quietly answered.

Her reply brought a sly smile to Glenn’s lips.

He approached Emily, lifted her chin with a finger, and locked eyes with her.

“Everything… huh. Does that include you?”

“…Yes, that’s correct.”

Her serious expression made Glenn chuckle softly.

“I’m just joking. First, you need to sleep. You’ve pushed yourself too hard.”

He then lay down on the bed without hesitation.

Emily hesitated for a moment, then closed her eyes and lay down beside him on his right.

“Hm? You’re going to sleep here too?”

“…Well, I thought you might need someone to attend to you…”

“Nonsense. Just sleep. I’m exhausted.”

“Yes.”

Suddenly using Glenn’s arm as a pillow, Emily closed her eyes and feigned sleep.

Trying to calm her pounding heart, she unknowingly bit her lower lip.

After some time, the faint sound of snoring began.

“…Prince Glenn.”

“Are you asleep?”

When there was no response, she gently shook him.

The soft snore continued; he was still asleep.

Then… it was time.

Her eyes sparkled.

Carefully, Emily slipped out of bed and moved toward the door.

She quietly knocked twice, and a knight entered.

“Is he definitely asleep?”

“Yes… I checked myself.”

They spoke as quietly as possible to avoid waking him.

“That’s how it should be.”

Jeikom scanned the room with a sharp gaze.

On the bed lay a figure presumed to be Glenn, covered with a blanket up to his head, fast asleep.

“Is that the guy?”

“Yes?”

Jacob’s expression twisted in irritation as he glared at her.

“You’re sure it’s Glenn?”

“Yes, yes, it is.”

Stupid woman.

I told her to be more careful.

“If you cover your face, it’s hard to confirm.”

“Eh? That’s…”

Had she already pulled the blanket over his head before?

Emily felt a strange sense of unease, but Jeirop cut in.

“Quiet. I’ll handle this now, so just wait.”

He drew a sharp dagger and approached the bed.

“Prince Glenn, are you asleep?”

He whispered to make sure he wouldn’t wake him.

Reaching the head of the bed, Jeirop slowly raised the dagger.

If he killed this guy, everything would be solved.

Jacob swallowed nervously.

“Hup!”

At the moment he brought the dagger down with all his might—

“Predictable.”

In an instant, Glenn caught the dagger in his hand.

“Wha… kuh huh…”

Before Jacob could react, the blade pierced the back of his throat.

Blood gushed forth from his neck.

“Gah!”

As he struggled and flailed his arms—

Their eyes met.

“…Shh.”

Glenn’s green eyes stared as if swallowing him whole.

Without blinking, he kept him firmly in his gaze.

Jacob felt time freeze for a moment.

Ah, this must be how a mouse feels just before being swallowed by a snake.

He instinctively realized resistance was meaningless.

Whether he wanted to or not, he had no choice but to understand.

Gurgle…

Jacob accepted his fate.

On the pure white bed, blood flowed in red streaks as he died.

Glenn shifted his frozen gaze toward Emily.

Terrified, she was about to scream again when Glenn raised his finger to his lips.

“Shh…”

His bloodied gaze was chilling.

If she didn’t stay quiet, she would be next.

Sure of this, Emily clamped her mouth shut and nodded vigorously.

Glenn grinned.

“Bring me some wine.”

***

“Gah!”

Krork slashed down the last knight who had attacked him.

He then rotated his arm once as if shaking off a stiffness.

“Ugh, is that all? Just as the deputy commander said.”

Seeing this, Tristan quickly spoke.

“Let’s check the hallway first.”

After exchanging looks and nodding, the two cautiously walked down the corridor.

Everyone on guard were members of the Lion Knights.

“Is it all over?”

“Where’s the deputy commander?”

As they asked, one door burst open violently.

Bang—

Someone was thrown against the opposite wall and slumped down.

The one who came out of the room was Nedian.

Behind him were two or three corpses.

Despite being outnumbered, his expression was as cold as usual.

“Deputy commander, glad to see you survived.”

“…Where’s the young master?”

He demanded abruptly with that expression.

“Not confirmed yet…”

At Krork’s answer, Nedian’s eyebrows furrowed.

“You idiot—of course, you check on the young master first! Krork, follow me. Tristan, take a few and go capture the Viscount.”

“Yes. Y-you, y-you follow me! Let’s go.”

Not wanting to get caught in the crossfire, Tristan gathered some men and ran to the servants’ quarters.

Strangely, the corridor near the young master’s room was silent.

Nedian ran anxiously and flung open the door.

Krork followed closely behind.

“Oh, Sir Nedian, you’re here.”

Before them sat Glenn near the foot of the bed, legs crossed.

A wine glass trembled in his hand.

He was slowly savoring the wine, which seemed to have appeared from nowhere.

Behind him lay a corpse presumed to be Jeirop.

Red blood soaked the bed and floor.

Since Glenn was also covered in blood, the wine looked like crimson liquid.

“…Young master, are you alright?”

“Hm? What is it?”

“Are you hurt anywhere? No, you seem fine.”

“Yeah. Oh, you want a drink too?”

“Well, can I?”

“Sure, you may. Emily?”

From the corner of the room, a woman trembling with fear was visible.

“You said it’s fine to drink, right? If you lied, my knights would be very displeased.”

At those words, Nedian and Krork simultaneously scowled and gripped their sword hilts.

“Th-That’s right! Nothing in this room is poisoned! Please believe me!”

Tears streamed down her face as she pleaded pitifully.

Still, Nedian’s expression remained unchanged.

“Wouldn’t it be better to just kill her?”

“What for? Let her live. These kinds only make things worse when dead.”

“There’s no need to leave a grudge…”

Glenn waved his hand dismissively, concerned.

“Ah, whatever. Besides…”

Taking another sip, he then tossed the wine glass backward.

The red wine mixed naturally with the blood—an oddly grotesque sight.

“This place is a total dump. The manor looks fancy on the outside but inside it’s all trash. Food and people alike.”

He then met Nedian’s eyes again.

“How are our injured?”

“None, of course.”

“Good. The guests?”

“They were warned ahead of time, so they’re fine. The Holy Knights are intact as well.”

“Right. The Viscount?”

“Tristan sent a few men to capture him.”

“You told them to capture him alive, right?”

“Yes, I ordered them to bring him in alive.”

Satisfied by the brief reply, Glenn smiled.

“Good. Then let’s go see that Viscount’s face.”