PMBA | Chapter 4

The man’s dark hair, appearing gray or blue depending on how the light caught it, rippled like waves. Beneath it, silver gleamed brightly in his eyes.

In the Imperial Palace filled with splendid light, the man stood out, clad in a dark uniform and bluish-black armor, his gaze as sharp as a weapon.

His presence was stark and out of place, like a sharply driven stake.

His beauty, rather than making him appear human, made him resemble a work of art sculpted by a great master.

The attendant, momentarily dumbfounded, stared at his finely chiseled features before snapping back to reality.

“His Highness the Crown Prince will be out shortly…”

“Ah.”

The Duke gave a disinterested reply. Tick. The minute hand of the clock clicked.

‘Two hours.’

Duke Dominique Roman Haswell slowly straightened from his position leaning against the window frame. The movement created the illusion of a languid black panther stretching.

He, too, had been leaning against the window frame of the Crown Prince’s Palace for two hours.

Lexion Roman Callak, the Crown Prince, was the only person who would make the First Duke, currently staying in the capital to be recognized for his wartime achievements, wait this long.

‘Such a pointless act.’

Dominique knew that Lexion’s delay was, to some extent, deliberate. He had probably learned this behavior from his father, the Emperor.

In Dominique’s eyes, it was nothing more than a typical power play.

The Emperor had long been trying to bring Dominique to his knees. His desire to assert his authority by suppressing others manifested itself most harshly towards Dominique, his younger brother’s son.

In the first place, it was the Emperor’s will that Dominique had remained single and unmarried.

Even the fact that Dominique had to travel back and forth to the capital, having his significant war contributions snatched away by the Crown Prince and being reduced to a mere supporting role.

‘But that won’t last long.’

So, appeasing his much younger cousin was not a difficult task.

‘At least there was something to watch today.’

Amidst the dazzlingly opulent and utterly boring scenery, Dominique’s gaze had been fixed on the woman outside the window.

Her perfectly straight posture, her silver hair shimmering in the creeping sunlight, her rigidly motionless body that could be mistaken for a statue, and her uniquely indifferent blue eyes.

The emotions desperately concealed behind those still eyes strangely captivated his attention.

They were eyes Dominique was very familiar with. The eyes of a prey that instantly piqued the interest of a hunter. Eyes that, while fearing what was to come, resisted with their whole being, trying to conceal their desperation.

“It feels like I’ve stumbled upon a hunting ground.”

“Pardon? Your Grace, what do you mean…?”

Just as Dominique calmly remarked,

“Cousin.”

Lexion, dressed in a splendid uniform, emerged from within. He carried the scent of a woman’s perfume. A fresh and intense citrus fragrance. A scent that clearly indicated where he had spent his time.

A woman with vibrant auburn hair approached and bowed to the Crown Prince.

“Your Highness, I’ll take my leave now.”

“Leaving already?”

A lingering kiss followed those words. The woman whispered, seemingly embarrassed,

“There’s someone else here…”

“What does it matter? Stay a little longer.”

“I think my brothers will be looking for me.”

“Tsk. I’ll come see you next time.”

“I’ll escort you to the back entrance, my lady.”

A maid, who had been standing at a distance, approached and bowed her head.

The woman’s eyes briefly met Dominique’s, but he paid her no mind. He only thought that her perfume was unnecessarily strong.

“Speaking of hunting grounds,”

Lexion, as if just noticing Dominique’s presence, picked up on his earlier mumbling and gave a casual smile.

“Didn’t our cousin already have his fill of hunting at the border?”

“…”

“Anyway, we should head to the banquet hall…”

Lexion’s gaze drifted towards the window and abruptly stopped.

“Damn it.”

As a harsh curse slipped from Lexion’s lips, Dominique turned his gaze back to the woman. It was clear that Lexion had cursed right after seeing her.

This was quite interesting.

“Your Highness, what’s wro… Oh.”

The attendant also looked outside and began to fidget nervously, gauging Lexion’s reaction. Dominique, feigning disinterest, asked,

“Is there a problem?”

“That woman is that woman, Your Grace.”

The attendant added hastily. It was the first time Dominique had seen an attendant refer to a noble lady as “that woman” instead of using her title and family name.

His interest piqued, Dominique read the atmosphere. The attendant bowed to Lexion.

“Shall I tell her to leave?”

“…No. Words like that won’t work on that mad dog.”

Mad dog.

At those words, Dominique’s lips curved slightly upwards. The attendant and Lexion flinched at the subtle change in his expression and looked towards the Duke.

As a fleeting sense of life flickered across the statue-like figure, a strange feeling settled over the two men. Dominique offered a single comment.

“I see.”

“You see?”

“Dogs recognize their own kind, after all.”

Perplexed by the cryptic remark, Lexion became irritated.

“Is that any way to react when your cousin was bitten by a mad dog?”

The story of how Crown Prince Lexion was bitten by the Mad Dog of Ernberg years ago and subsequently became the target of her relentless obsession was well known.

Other noblewomen only gazed at the Crown Prince with longing, like they were eyeing a cake they couldn’t have. This was because whenever they tried to approach him, the mad dog would appear with a chilling smile and tell them to get lost.

People whispered that the Crown Prince was firmly caught in the mad dog’s grasp.

‘Though, he seems to be enjoying himself behind the scenes.’

Dominique, still detecting the lingering citrus scent in the air, made a simple observation. Looking again, the woman, for a mad dog, had a rather beautiful smile. He casually remarked,

“She’s smiling.”

“That woman always clings to me like this, smiling so stupidly, no matter what she hears.’

In Lexion’s complaining tone, Dominique noticed something other than annoyance. It wasn’t difficult for Dominique, who had carefully observed the members of the imperial family.

‘He’s rather enjoying this, isn’t he?’

The strange glint in the Crown Prince’s furrowed eyes gave him away. He was enjoying the woman’s desperation, the entire situation itself.

The spectacle of a woman from the Ernberg family, one of the most powerful families in the Empire, clinging to him.

“It’s driving me crazy.”

Despite his words, an undeniable hint of delight laced his tone. Dominique calmly concluded,

‘It seems he wants to drag this situation out for as long as possible.’

Indeed, it was a situation someone like Lexion would relish. He, who demanded that everyone around him pay attention to him, that all eyes be on him.

Dominique’s lips curved slightly as he recalled young Lexion, who, if he didn’t get his way, would inevitably break something in frustration.

Young Lexion, who broke the leg of an attendant for attending to Dominique, the Duke, before him, the Crown Prince. Young Lexion, who crippled a chef’s hand for serving dessert to Dominique first.

Lexion frowned at the curve of Dominique’s lips.

“I’m telling you I was bitten by a mad dog, and you find it amusing?”

“Who knows?”

Dominique’s gaze slowly swept over Kyrie Ernberg once more. He savored each of the emotions glimpsed beneath her bright smile.

The desperation of a cornered soldier. The anxiety hidden behind her perfectly still posture and painted smile.

‘She probably doesn’t realize that this is what fuels Lexion.’

For reasons he didn’t quite understand, the mad dog was merely putting on a frantic act out of desperation.

The very fact that she had to simply wait, unable to force her way into the Crown Prince’s Palace when he wasn’t present, proved that her options were limited.

A predator doesn’t wait for its prey to come out. It tears down the prey’s den and cuts off its escape.

So Dominique made a simple assessment of her. A mad dog?

‘She’s more pathetic than I thought.’

It would have been more interesting if she had more to offer, if she could truly hold Lexion by the ankle.

“Anyway, we should go through the back entrance as well.”

“You’re the Crown Prince, do as you please.”

Dominique readily agreed with Lexion. Then, he glanced once more at Kyrie, still rooted to the spot. A slightly mocking remark escaped his lips.

“It seems you haven’t seen a real mad dog yet.”

Just a mere imitation.

The more desperate she became, the more Lexion would enjoy it. A mere imitation of madness wouldn’t change her situation.

Dominique rose and followed Lexion.

A rather underwhelming woman, contrary to his expectations.

That was the conclusion Dominique Roman Haswell reached about Kyrie Ernberg upon their first encounter.

‘Disappointing.’

The reason for his gaze constantly being drawn to her was thus explained away.