Chapter 188

It was rather bewildering that he and Ayla knew each other.

And if that wasn’t enough, they were close enough to give and receive help from each other, so he wondered where the end of this woman was.

A vain laugh suddenly erupted from Theon’s mouth, who had been silent while looking at Ayla.

At this point, he didn’t even have the strength to ask.

As if giving up, his voice echoed through the quiet interior.

“Ha. How do you know Luke Jenners?”

“Hm. We just met by chance. Hehe.”

Seeing Ayla smiling brightly as if she knew nothing, Theon silently grabbed his forehead and shook his head.

“Ugh. There are so many guys annoying me.”

‘What is he saying.’

Ayla tilted her head as she looked at Theon, who was muttering in a barely audible voice.

“I said you’re pretty.”

His lips, which had come closer, lightly touched Ayla’s lips with a kissing sound.

As he was gently caressing Ayla’s flushed cheeks, Theon’s eyes turned strange.

“Ahem, what are you saying so suddenly… I am always pretty! B-By the way, where did you go?”

As if she had felt his gaze changing, she cleared her throat and changed the subject.

Theon smiled at her flustered look, lightly pinching Ayla’s cheeks and releasing them.

Ayla wrinkled the tip of her nose and glanced at Theon, as if she was dissatisfied with his child-like attitude.

“Don’t play around. What is going on?”

“I came back from meeting with Orhan because there are things we need to discuss about the future. We investigated some things too.”

“What did you investigate?”

“I don’t know if you noticed, but the glass bottle you brought back from the Baron’s house contained a potent anesthetic potion. That’s why I was so angry.”

“Ah. But how did you know that? You got angry just looking at the bottle.”

“I saw it before.”

Ayla’s eyes began to shake as if she were anxious at his hardened voice.

“H-how…”

“The day the Crown Princess took her life. It was next to Delia. The exact same glass bottle.”

“It could just have the same shape.”

Frowning at the sight of Ayla speaking in a trembling voice, he quietly shook his head to express his denial.

“I checked through Elin. It’s a potion with the same powerful anesthetic effect.”

After Theon’s words, there was a heavy silence surrounding the two of them for quite some time.

‘A fake suicide?’

Their final moment, which looked the same as if they had made a promise.

And the powerful potion that hovered around them.

She wanted to believe it wasn’t like that, but it was too strange to be called a coincidence.

“Is Your Highness thinking the same as me?”

Theon, who gave a small nod at Ayla’s words, continued.

“I looked into suspicious people with Orhan, but it was to no avail. I think we need a little more time.”

“… It’s a little scary.”

“Don’t worry too much. I’m with you. I’m going to investigate with Orhan a little more in detail.”

Theon whispered in a low voice, pulling Ayla, who was muttering in a state of dismay, into his arms.

As she listened to the sound of his regular heartbeat, her eyes, which were shaking greatly, gradually became more stable.

“Oh right, I have some good news too.”

Theon, who was slowly stroking Ayla’s black pearl hair, said with a twinkle in his eyes, as if he had remembered something.

“What is it?”

“I found the place where Count Serdian and his wife are staying.”

***

Rattle, rattle.

The situation inside the carriage, which was constantly making a rattling noise and speeding up, was not very good.

Thanks to the carriage, which was swaying non-stop along the bumpy road, she was getting a motion sickness that she didn’t even have.

As if she had reached the limit of her endurance, Ayla, who was frowning, lowered her head and let out a deep breath.

Last night,

She should have stopped herself from accepting his proposal again.

If she had done so, she wouldn’t have been dragged away early in the morning without even knowing where she was going.

Supporting her chin, Ayla looked out the window with a bitter expression.

‘I found the place believed to be the hideout for the Count and his wife.’

‘The Count and his wife?’

‘To be exact, my prospective father-in-law and mother-in-law.’

Rustle.

Ayla’s face heated up in an instant as Theon casually said embarrassing words.

“It’s a place called the Libro Community of Merchants, near the border of the Raff Kingdom. I don’t know why they are there, but there are quite a few eyewitnesses.’

‘Is it true?!’

‘It’s still speculation. It’s a very secret organization, so it’s difficult to approach.’

‘Then, is there no way?’

‘The Libro Community of Merchants belongs to the Raff Kingdom, so we can’t touch it recklessly. Some things have happened in the past…’

Ayla nodded her head as if she were alright as Theon muttered his last words, trying not to mention Count Serdian out of sympathy.

‘There is another way that I have in mind…’

‘What is it? No, you just have to do it! Your Highness must have definitely thought of a good way.’

‘Hm… Well, I think the time has come to resell the collected tribute.’

‘Reselling the tribute? Have we run out of money? That’s why I told you to save some.’

A small laugh burst out of Theon’s mouth at Ayla’s extremely one-dimensional question.