Chapter 145: Scoundrel of Rosia (2/2)
”Stop sleeping and get going already. Her highness wrote you this letter, and it includes the name of the shops, so visit them today,” the girl shoved a paper into him and left him dazed.
”I don't think this was a part of the job's responsibility?” Nikolai turned around and opened the letter, which was a lot less formal and shorter than he had imagined.
”Meet me, without being seen, in the flowerbed south of the river,” she wrote and then signed it. ”Your friend, Maria.”
Nikolai stared at the two lines for almost a whole minute before he had to bring himself back to reality. This was unexpected. The princess wanted to meet him, alone, in a flowerbed?
”Isn't this... too childish?”
A regular guy would have been over the moon for being asked out by a beautiful girl as the princess. However, Nikolai only found the whole matter childish.
Maria was a princess, no matter how sheltered she was. It was childish to sneak out of the mansion on the night of a grand ball, not to mention with a friend who you only made because he wanted to use you.
”What if I was a killer?” he sighed as he placed the letter away. ”If Master Edward finds out about this, then it will be... I have no idea how it would be.”
Another sigh escaped his mouth as he looked out of the window. The sun broke behind the horizon to give the city a drowsy color, but he had to go out already.
After wearing his suit, Nikolai walked out of the mansion. His legs dragged themselves toward the river, hoping he would find the flowerbed easily.
After finding the river cutting through the city, Nikolai had to walk on its bank and look around until early morning. Then, at long last, Nikolai found the flowerbed, and someone was sitting atop a tree's dead trunk.
”Your highness,” Nikolai sighed as he saw the girl swinging her legs on the trunk. She wore a large hat over her head and a simple flowery dress with a belt around the waist. ”I don't think...”
”Shush!” she raised a finger on her lips while looking at him with a smirk. ”I helped you with a secret, and you need to help me too.”
”Master Edward can know where I am,” Nikolai said, knowing fully well that the monster was already suspicious of him for leaving the mansion at night. ”Sneaking out is useless if you do it with me.”
”Don't worry. My uncle has yet to return since going to see his friend yesterday. I am sure that he has his hands full at the moment to notice anything about you.”
”I sure hope so,” Nikolai sighed in relief, but she thought he was worried.
”Grow some backbone, Lyle!” she jumped to stand on the tree's trunk. ”This is another adventure and a grand secret!”
”A secret?” Nikolai looked interested because every secret she knew could be useful. Then, seeing him hooked, the princess grinned.
”Yes! We are going to monitor for the most loathsome young master in all of Rosia, The Bastard!”
”The...” Nikolai was speechless that a princess would say such a thing, not to mention a future saint. ”Why do you want to monitor him?”
”Everyone says that he is a horrible human being, scum of the scum, and a philanderer!” as she listed his misdeeds, Nikolai noticed that she didn't seem convinced.
”There is no smoke without fire, your highness,” Nikolai had to tell her the ugly truth, but this time, she was headstrong and stubborn.
”The fire is his birth,” the princess gave a sly smile. ”No one would say anything good about a bastard. Not to mention the bastard son of the man known as the world's strongest!”
This time, Nikolai didn't need to fake his interest. There was only one man known as the world's strongest, and he was the reason the royal family was still ruling Rosia. He was an outsider to the royal family and a duke.
”That man had a bastard son?” the words left his mouth, and Nikolai saw a large smile appear on the princess's face. She knew that he was interested, and there was no escape now.
”If you want to know more about the secret, help me uncover the truth! Is he truly the scoundrel and rogue of this kingdom?”