Chapter 33: 18.2

18. I wanted to kill him sooner (2)

Joshua’s sweet words and gestures today were similar to yesterday, but her consistency was starting to scare her.

He helped her bathe, placed a slightly wet and warm cloth on her forehead, put ice packs on his injured legs and arms, fed her breakfast himself, and eventually sat with him in the office together.

The flutters of documents sounded like a lullaby to her that she had dozed off.

Sohee had slept so well that she hadn’t woken up throughout the night.

She felt so tired that she fell asleep in Joshua’s arms every single time.

It was supposed to be her time to enjoy the languid morning when someone suddenly interrupted it.

“Oh, my! Oh, my! Your Highness!” She heard a familiar voice’s wail coming from outside of her bedroom.

“What?”

It sounded so desperate that Sohee woke up and raised her head.

Joshua replied casually to that. “It’s not a big deal. Go back to sleep.”

He gently stroked So-hee’s hair with his left hand and compelled her to lean against his chest.

At the same time, another loud wail began.

“Your Highness! Please meet me just once! It’s unfair, my lord!”

She heard a knock on the door before Macon entered the bedroom.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I’ll sort it out before I throw him out of the palace.”

The crying man attempted to push his face at the crack of the slightly open door as the guarding knights tried to pull him back.

Unfortunately, they were all stifled by the strongman’s superhuman strength.

“Just a moment please, Your Highness! Give me a minute of your time!”

So-hee made eye contact with him through the crack in the bedroom door.

It was Bandelli.

When she realized the man’s identity, she knew what was wrong with him.

He had visited Joshua in person due to the false accusations—-assassination attempts towards the Crown Prince—-against him.

Now, she had no idea if Joshua had framed him in this mess himself.

Poor Bandelli.

“I apologize, Your Highness. I’ll clean up this mess quickly.”

Macon forced Bandelli to leave by pushing him out when he tried to open the door and enter the bedroom.

The man’s mouth slammed twice on the hard desk with just a single punch.

The loud yet dull thump made Macon’s head turn.

“Never mind. Take him to the drawing room.”

Eyes widening at his words, Macon immediately bent down to drag Bandelli to the right of the hallway.

What was Joshua thinking?

So-hee also tilted her head in wonder.

She thought he would completely ignore him, but he was still nice to him.

Joshua got up and carefully put So-hee down on a cushioned chair.

“Wait a minute.”

She nodded as she felt him arrange the baby hairs in her forehead.

Once he was out of the office, So-hee leaned against the back of the chair.

Her drowsiness had already run away, leaving her in perpetual boredom, so she rummaged through the documents in front of her, instead.

Then, she picked up the cup Joshua had drunk from and took a sip of tea.

The tea was made of chamomile with a hint of vanilla in it.

“Oh, that doesn’t taste bad.”

Children who loved sweets would adore this taste.

Well, maybe it was because her web novel’s plot would keep going as planned so everything seemed sweet.

As So-hee hummed a K-pop song while nodding her head to the beat, her hand carefully touched the objects on the table.

She started opening the drawer underneath the desk to examine the items inside.

First drawer.

Second drawer.

Third drawer.

So-hee, who was humming a song as she opened and closed some drawers one by one, stiffened for a moment.

The exciting melody had stopped.

“What is that?”

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Blinking at the names she had seen a few seconds ago, she revisited the third drawer she had just closed and pulled out a bunch of papers at the top.

The documents contained the names of aristocrats participating in the western mine development project.

Although it looked a bit different from the rest of the documents, the list and the seals underneath were nothing but ordinary.

“Deon Filtmore. Bandelli Porters. Lupian Pearson. What the hell is this?”

The Filtmore, Porters, and the Pearsons.

These surnames were the three families on the treason list for decapitation.

* * *

Refreshments were prepared for the ladies and gentlemen seated on the round table at the center of the drawing room.

Bandelli was in a cold sweat.

His face was pale and his head was lowered.

Joshua walked slowly towards the sofa to sit across from him.

“You Highness.”

After greeting the Crown Prince, Bandelli quickly raised his head, knelt and sat down at the narrow gap between the sofa and the table.

The crown prince’s red eyes relaxed on the man’s form.

“It’s a misunderstanding, Your Highness. I’ve never ordered anyone to kill you. Something seems to be wrong here.” He said wistfully.

Joshua crossed his legs as he listened to his confession as he sat across him.

Then, he lifted the cup from the table and drank tea.

The man in front of him continued to tremble for a long time before he gave him a response.

“How do you explain the person who was spying on me, then?”

The soft, low, monotonous voice was powerful enough to penetrate his ears and mind.

Not daring to forget who had that authority,  Bandelli lowered his head until it almost touched the floor.

“I did attach a spy on you, Your Highness, but it was never my intention to harm you. I just really want to help you.”

“Bandelli, I know how you feel.”

The unexpected answer made Bandelli stretch out his crouching body to face him.

“What?”

The crown prince’s blood-red eyes twinkled in delight.

“You know what I mean. Are you going to use that as an excuse once you’re under the guillotine’s blade? That you secretly attached a spy to help me? And all this time, your intention was to keep me unharmed?” The strange joy in his chilling gaze caused Bandelli’s shoulders to tremble. “Then, the people who would hear the reasons for your execution would say, ‘Oh, he’s such a loyal person.’ right?”

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I’m so sorry.”

Bandelli’s sobs were loud enough to shake the drawing room as he lowered his head again and again.

If he could bow lower than before, he would surely slam his forehead on the ground.

Nevertheless, his wobbly voice did not die down.

“I know I’m shameless, but I beg for your forgiveness, Your Highness! I’m sorry.”

“I fully understand how you feel. Now, stop apologizing!”

“Then… are you forgiving me?”

A breathtaking silence followed the hesitant question.

*TUK*

*TUK*

*TUK*

*TUK*

Joshua’s long forefinger tapping on the table made Bandelli feel as if his chances at life were slowly diminishing.

“Forgiveness, huh.”

“….”

“I’ve already given enough forgiveness to someone who had taken a million pounds off others’ money. Didn’t you exchange all of that for your humble land?” Joshua drawled.

Bandelli swallowed hard as if all of his saliva had wholly dried out.

Finding it hard to breathe, no more words came out of his bold mouth.

“Forgiveness. I’ve forgiven you for the heartbreak you caused. But that’s for my sake. Nevertheless, I don’t feel bad doing that to your spy.”

Joshua straightened his back and got up from his seat.

Then, he walked to Bandelli’s side, who still had his forehead stuck at the marble floor.

The cold tip of Joshua’s shoe brushing against Bandelli’s finger caused his face to pale.

“However, Bandelli.” Even the voice coming from above him was as frosty as the tip of the crown prince’s shoe. “This has nothing to do with your forgiveness.”

Bandelli’s crouching body shivered from the chill in his tone. “I admire him more than you. Deon Filtmore.” Joshua continued, wearing a strange smile. “So, blame him.”

It was an obvious sneer.

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