Chapter 650: You Think You Can Escape Scot-Free?

"Close Business Partners?"

Prince Daniel Aethelmont muttered to himself in complete disbelief.

His lips moved as he repeated the words, but the meaning behind them still refused to settle in his mind.

He had only wanted to appear brave.

He wanted the People of Power and the young people of the Kingdom gathered for the Royal Academy First Semester Ending Party to see how strongly he felt about Lady Vera Ashenlocke.

He had wanted to show them that he was willing to fight anyone who tried to get close to her in his presence.

But now?

What was even happening?

Daniel stood there, struggling to make sense of the situation.

That was also the question running through the minds of many adults and powerful figures in the Grand Royal Hall.

Some watched with interest, while others exchanged glances, trying to understand how a Prince’s attempt to declare his affection had turned into a conversation in which he barely seemed to exist.

"Or you don’t like it?"

Vera asked Ezra in a light tone.

Her index finger remained pressed against his chest.

She had not even bothered to look towards Daniel, despite the Prince standing nearby and having made his intentions clear to the entire hall.

"No, you should like it, Ezra Ashenlocke."

She called him by his full name, her tone changing to one of casual certainty.

"You better like it."

Her voice carried a hint of command.

"Now say you like it."

Vera spoke plainly.

Her dull black eyes remained fixed on Ezra, waiting for his response.

Ezra’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Then his expression became even plainer, if such a thing was possible.

He did not need to say anything.

His face had already given Vera the answer she wanted to hear but would never receive.

I’m not saying that.

That was the message in his eyes.

Vera understood it perfectly.

Rather than feeling disappointed, she seemed to find his refusal even more amusing.

The faint smile on her lips grew a little more noticeable, and she kept her finger against his chest as though she had all the time in the world to persuade him.

Daniel continued to watch the pair.

At first, he had been too shocked by Vera’s words to think clearly.

But as the conversation continued, he finally noticed something that should have been obvious from the beginning.

"They haven’t even given me a glance since..."

He muttered under his breath.

His eyes widened more.

From the moment Ezra and Vera had started talking, neither of them had looked at him.

They were discussing him, yet they behaved as though he did not exist.

It was an odd feeling.

Daniel was standing right there.

He had interrupted the Last Dance Core, publicly challenged Ezra, and declared that he would not allow another man to take Vera’s hand.

Yet the two people at the center of his outburst had continued their conversation without giving him so much as a proper glance.

I can’t allow this to go on.

Not anymore.

Daniel’s fingers curled into fists.

I am a Prince.

A Prince of this Kingdom.

I deserve respect, and I deserve the best Flower there is.

His breathing grew steadier as he forced himself to regain his confidence.

I’m going to become the King of this Kingdom, and Vera is going to be my Queen, with Diane Bergwyn as my second Queen.

His jaw tightened.

I won’t allow a lowlife maggot to steal what’s mine.

Never...

NEVER!

Daniel’s anger had not disappeared.

He was simply finding another reason to hold his head high.

He was a Prince of Britannia.

He had a future to protect and a position to uphold.

He could not let Ezra Ashenlocke make a fool of him in front of the entire hall.

With that thought in mind, he stepped forward.

"Vera."

Prince Daniel Aethelmont cut into the conversation between Ezra and Vera.

Neither of them reacted.

Vera did not turn towards him, nor did she stop talking to Ezra.

Her attention remained on the boy standing in front of her.

Ezra behaved no differently.

Since Daniel was addressing Vera, Ezra saw no reason to stop responding to her.

He had no intention of interrupting their conversation simply because the Prince had decided to join it.

Daniel’s mouth twitched.

He knew Vera was ignoring him.

Still, he was certain she could hear every word he said.

"Vera, please listen to me."

He continued speaking, forcing warmth into his voice.

"You saw the article revealing Ezra’s crimes. Even though we only have that as evidence, I’m worried about you getting close to a dangerous boy like him."

Daniel began walking closer to them.

His expression softened, and he looked at Vera with what he hoped would appear to be genuine concern.

"I love you so much that it scares me to see you getting close to someone who might be dangerous. He has been accused of killing his own parents, the people who gave birth to him. Even if they treated him badly, that doesn’t make killing them in cold blood acceptable."

He spoke as though he were trying to protect Vera from a terrible mistake.

A few of the Nobles and Non-Nobles who had been watching the entire commotion began to discuss his words.

Some nodded in agreement, and others looked towards Ezra with renewed suspicion.

The Duke of Ash had already spoken about the matter, but the article had not left everyone’s minds.

The fear of what Ezra might truly be still lingered among the guests.

If someone accused of killing his own parents could get close to one of the precious Flowers of the Kingdom, then surely there was a risk worth considering.

At least, that was how some of them saw it.

Others were not convinced.

To them, Daniel’s words sounded desperate.

He had already interrupted the ceremony because Ezra was holding Vera’s hand, and now he was using the article to make himself look like a concerned admirer.

Some even found his approach rather foolish.

Meanwhile, several guests had grown tired of the Second Prince’s commotion.

They were more interested in the strange meaning behind Ezra and Vera’s earlier reference to Prince Two than in listening to Daniel’s attempts to win her attention.

"Vera, I want to protect both you and Diane."

Daniel extended his right hand towards her.

Then he lowered himself onto one knee.

His expression was pleading.

He looked up at Vera as though he were offering her a chance to escape the danger he believed Ezra represented.

Finally, Vera stopped talking.

She turned towards the Prince.

Ezra also looked at Daniel, though he said nothing.

Vera stared down at the kneeling Prince for a moment.

"This delusional Prince Two."

Her voice was flat.

"Eh?"

Daniel let out a short, startled breath.

His expression faltered.

He had expected surprise, perhaps hesitation, or even a little gratitude for his concern.

He had not expected to be called delusional almost immediately.

"Did you think you could get away scot-free for the foolish stunt you tried to pull?"

Vera continued in a cold, plain tone.

She released Ezra’s hand and folded her arms across her chest.

Her dull black eyes settled on Daniel, and the amusement she had shown Ezra earlier was gone.

There was no warmth in her gaze now.

Daniel blinked.

"Stunt? I don’t know what you’re talking about."

He looked genuinely confused, though the tension in his face remained.

Ezra, who had been standing quietly beside Vera, spoke in a faintly thoughtful tone.

"I wonder how much he paid those journalists to bombard me."

He paused.

"And what he promised that Elder."

Vera answered without hesitation.

"Oh, you mean that traitor."

"Traitor?"

Several people repeated the word in confusion.

The conversation had taken another turn, and the crowd’s interest grew.

The Prince had been trying to warn Vera about Ezra, but the two Ashenlockes were now speaking about something else entirely.

Something involving a traitor.

Questions began to rise from different corners of the hall.

"Wait, a traitor? In which family?"

"Don’t tell me the Duke House of Ash?"

"What does Lady Vera Ashenlocke mean by the stunt the Second Prince pulled?"

People turned to one another, hoping someone nearby might know what was going on.

The Ashenlockes, however, understood the moment the word left Vera’s mouth.

Their expressions changed in ways that showed they already knew who she meant.

Young Lord Veda Ashenlocke shook his head.

He looked utterly helpless.

He knew exactly whom his twin sister was referring to, and judging by the way the conversation was going, she had no intention of keeping her opinion to herself.

Back where Vera and Ezra stood...

The conversation continued.

"Didn’t the Duke punish you for saying something like that to your own grandfather?"

Ezra asked plainly.

"That’s disgusting."

Vera replied without the slightest change in her expression.

"There is no way Elder Fredricks is a grandfather of mine. He’s a traitor. Simple."

She said it as casually as someone correcting an obvious mistake.

The reaction was immediate.

"What?"

Several people widened their eyes.

The name had made the situation even worse.

Elder Fredricks Ashenlocke was not some unknown figure whose identity could be brushed aside.

The fact that Vera had called him a traitor so openly was enough to leave many guests stunned.

Members of the Ashenlocke family, from the younger generation to the older one, could only shake their heads in helplessness.

They had heard Vera speak like this before.

That did not make it any easier to watch her do it in front of a hall full of guests.

And while the people downstairs tried to make sense of her words, the person she had insulted was still on the upper floor.

Elder Fredricks had been busy flirting with the Royal Maids who were supposed to be serving drinks.

Or, more accurately, he had been harassing them.

The maids had been trying to carry out their duties, but Fredricks had kept pressing them to accompany him to his bed.

He had paid so little attention to the commotion below that he had not bothered to find out what was happening.

Even though he could hear the voices from the first floor, he had assumed the Second Prince would easily humiliate Ezra and make Vera leave his side.

Fredricks did dislike seeing another person with Vera.

But as long as that person was not Ezra, he had been content to watch.

He remained calm, confident that the Prince would handle the matter for him.

Then he heard people mentioning his name.

"Huh?"

Fredricks turned his head.

He looked around in confusion, trying to work out why so many people were suddenly talking about him.

"Why are people mentioning my na—"

BAM!

A fist struck his cheek.

The blow came so quickly that Fredricks barely had time to react.

His head snapped to the side, and his feet lost their footing.

His body was thrown sideways like a rag doll, crashing onto the floor with a heavy thud.

A sharp crack followed the impact.

Fredricks did not get back up.

His eyes had already closed, and his body lay motionless on the floor.

The Royal Maids who had been standing beside him stumbled back in shock, their hands rising towards their mouths.

Elder Portia stood over him.

She drew her fist back, adjusting the hand she had used to punch him.

Her face was filled with anger, and she looked down at the unconscious Fredricks as though she could hardly believe he had caused trouble at a party like this.

"Get this idiot out of here immediately."

Her voice cut through the nearby commotion.

She turned towards the people around her, still visibly annoyed.

"I can’t believe this is even happening at a party like this. Can’t we Ashenlockes have a single day of peace?"

No one argued with her.

The Elders of Ash had followed Portia as soon as they heard people downstairs mention Fredricks’ name.

Elders from other Duke Houses and Count Houses had also come along, curious about the growing commotion and the questions surrounding him.

They had arrived just in time to see Portia’s fist land.

Now, several of them looked at Fredricks lying on the floor while others turned their attention towards Portia.

The Royal Maids lowered their heads in gratitude.

"Thank you, Elder Portia Ashenlocke."

After thanking her, they returned to their duties, relieved that Fredricks would no longer trouble them.

Portia watched them leave before turning her gaze back towards the unconscious Elder.

Her expression remained hard.

For a party that was supposed to mark the end of the Royal Academy’s first semester, the Ashenlockes seemed to be having a remarkable amount of trouble keeping their own family members in line.