The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

Two days had passed since Cyan and Set daringly ventured out without permission.

As per Cyan’s request, Nana had not attended any classes and only wandered around in front of the dormitory once a day for a sort of “roll call,” refraining from any external activities.

However, no disguise is perfect, and a long tail is bound to be caught eventually.

Eventually, Nana and Brian, who had ventured out of the Royal wing and loitered near the main building, ran into Silica emerging from the building.

“……!”

Silica’s eyebrows quivered upon seeing them, her gaze piercing them as if she understood everything without a word being said.

Nana and Brian froze on the spot, speechless.

“Follow me this instant!”

Silica briskly dragged them to her room.

Bang!

She slammed the door shut and immediately cast a spell to prevent eavesdropping.

After taking a brief moment to compose herself, she turned to Nana and asked, “Why are you transformed into Cyan, Nana?”

“H- how did you know? Hehe……”

Nana giggled sheepishly, scratching the back of her head.

“The magical aura emanating from you is much denser than usual! You must have polymorphed into Cyan’s appearance, right? It’s lucky I was the one to find you first; if someone like the Chancellor had seen you, you’d have been caught right away!”

Fortunately, Chancellor Kundel was not currently at the academy.

“That- that was because the young master asked her to do this first……”

As Brian began to speak in her defense,

“……!”

Silica’s gaze turned deadly, directing it towards him.

Brian felt his heart stop for a moment and shrank back.

“Explain everything! Don’t leave out a single detail!”

Driven by a survival instinct, Brian disclosed everything he knew to Silica, including where Cyan and who he had gone with, effectively following his master’s instructions to tell all if they were ever caught.

“Ha, ha……”

Silica chuckled or groaned, it was hard to tell which, as her body began to tremble.

“Cyan! To think you would do something like this……”

One thing was clear: her reaction was anything but positive.

“Both of you, go back to the dormitory right now! Once you’re back, don’t step out! Not even one step! Don’t even bother coming out pretending to be present! Until the real Cyan returns, do not leave the dormitory! Did you understand me?”

Both nodded as if their heads were about to fall off and then escaped her room as if fleeing.

“Wow, I was really scared! Silica is incredibly terrifying when angry, isn’t she, Brian?”

“To- to think there was someone even more frightening than the young master……”

As the terror of their previous encounter hadn’t fully subsided, Brian wrapped his arms around himself.

“What do we do now? Do we have to stay in our room again?”

“It seems like we should. The young master said he would be back in a week at the latest, so maybe if we wait a bit longer, he might return…”

As they talked and walked down the corridor, they suddenly stopped in their tracks once more.

It was said that after overcoming one mountain, another trial awaits.

They had run into another person they would rather avoid – Arin.

Arin, now the fiancée of Cyan and the princess of the empire, was accompanied by Resimus.

Surprised by the unexpected encounter, they too stopped, unable to simply walk past.

After a moment of awkward silence,

Nana, having reverted back to Cyan’s identity, greeted her with a blunt expression, “Greetings, Your Highness.”

Then, without another word, she walked past Arin with Brian.

They were following Cyan’s instructions to only greet and not engage in any conversation if they met.

Just when it seemed they had managed to pass without incident,

“Excuse me, Cyan?”

Arin called out to them with a trembling voice.

Nana and Brian automatically turned around.

“Could we talk for a moment?”

“Ta- talk, you say?”

They couldn’t hide their panic.

Although it was one thing to talk to others, Cyan had strictly instructed them not to engage in conversation with the princess. Yet, faced with the situation, they found themselves at a loss.

After all, hadn’t she been quite special to them, offering delicious snacks and entertaining stories during visits?

It was a difficult moment for Nana, having to pass by someone so dear with such indifference.

“Do you have time? If you’re worried about prying eyes, shall we go to my room? It’s been a while since I’ve seen Nana, too. If it’s okay, we could go to your room…”

“Your Highness, we will go to your room!”

“…?”

Brian and Resimus were equally surprised, their eyes widening.

“In my room?”

“Is that not allowed?”

Startled, Arin hastily waved her hands, “Of course, it’s allowed! Let’s go to my room!”

A faint smile appeared on her previously anxious face.

“I’ll go ahead and prepare. Take your time coming!”

She quickly turned and hurried to her room.

“Your Highness! Please go slowly!”

Resimus rushed after her.

Left alone in the corridor again, Nana awkwardly scratched her face and asked Brian,

“Did I do something wrong, Brian?”

“Uh, can I ask why you did that?”

“It just… Arin looked so troubled… Even though I’m pretending to be Papa, I hate to keep ignoring her like this! Why do we have to treat Arin this way?”

“Well, because the young master instructed us to…”

“Aren’t Papa and Arin supposed to get married? It’s really strange for two people who are going to marry to not even talk to each other, don’t you think, Brian?”

Brian was left speechless by Nana’s eloquent argument.

“I guess as long as we don’t get caught for not being the young master, it should be okay…”

There was no turning back from actions already taken.

Meanwhile, they wondered what Cyan was doing and headed towards Arin’s room in the Royal wing, revisiting the place they hadn’t been to since being discovered two years ago.

Arin’s room, befitting a princess, was tidy and dignified.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Arin took a deep breath and spoke.

“I’ve been thinking we should have had this meeting sooner, but I was too indecisive to make it happen. I’m sorry.”

“There’s no need for apologies.”

Nana did her best to mimic Cyan’s tone.

“I don’t know how this will sound, but I’m very positive about our engagement.”

“Excuse me…?”

Nana and Brian’s pupils shook almost simultaneously.

“There’s no other meaning to it! As you know, I’ve been working to make Cyan mine. I believe that being engaged to you will bring me one step closer to that dream. Of course, Cyan, you might not think of it in a good way…”

“Why do you think so?”

“As a princess, as a member of the royal family, I’m of no help to you. You might be of great help to me, but on the contrary, I can’t be of any help to you. If anything, I might just be a burden…”

Nana thought for a moment.

Why would she think that?

The Arin she knew was kind, capable, and like herself, had a generous heart for Cyan.

But the more she listened, the more it seemed like Cyan disliked Arin.

Cyan dislikes Arin?

Nana didn’t believe that.

The Cyan she knew was reticent but kind-hearted, not just to herself but to Arin as well.

It was just his awkward way of expressing it.

With a subtle smile, Nana responded.

“That’s not true.”

“……?”

“I actually quite like you, Your Highness.”

“……What?”

Arin blinked in disbelief, questioning what she had just heard.

“Your Highness is certainly capable. So much so that I find it overwhelming to handle. I, too, think very positively about our engagement.”

This was an unprecedented situation, one that she had never imagined happening.

It was perhaps the first time she had heard such friendly words from Cyan.

She even doubted if the boy before her was really Cyan.

“Is that really how you feel, Cyan?”

“Of course.”

His response came without a hint of hesitation.

Had Arin finally felt recognized by Cyan?

Overwhelmed by emotion, Arin trembled slightly.

“There were many things I wanted to say but felt I couldn’t, and now it feels like those barriers have disappeared. Thank you for saying that, Cyan…”

It felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her heart.

Arin showed a smile brighter than any before, expressing her gratitude.

Feeling pleased with herself, Nana grinned and whispered to Brian beside her, “I did well, didn’t I, Brian?”

However, Brian couldn’t respond to her question.

What Nana had just conveyed to the princess were words that the real Cyan would never utter, not even falsely. They were dangerously misleading statements.

Cyan had never been fond of his engagement with Arin and had instructed them not to converse with her as a way to maintain distance. Now, to have made such heartwarming remarks to the princess…

Brian felt a growing fear about how to explain this situation once Cyan returned.

“We should be going now. It’s time for Nana and me to have dinner.”

“Yes, Nana must be very hungry! Thank you for making time for us today!”

As Nana stood up, she hesitated for a moment before suddenly grasping Arin’s hand.

“What are you doing?!”

Arin’s face flushed red instantly.

“You don’t have to look so disheartened, Your Highness. Have confidence in yourself. You are already a wonderful person.”

“Cyan…”

Tears of emotion glistened at the corners of Arin’s eyes.

Nana felt a deep sense of satisfaction, believing she had brought Cyan and Arin closer together.

Just as they were about to leave without further ado,

“But Cyan…?”

Arin stopped them once again.

This time, her voice contained a hint of curiosity.

“Why do you have a tail?”

* * *

Amid a slightly stabilizing atmosphere in the academy and city, traders who had been reluctant to enter began to trickle into Luwen.

As the sun dipped towards the western sky, signaling the day’s end, five merchants completed their inspections and entered the city with wagons laden with fabrics, groceries, and magical materials.

Surveying their surroundings, the merchants soon diverted from the bustling markets to the quieter back alleys.

“It feels like the checks have gotten stricter since the last time, doesn’t it? Should we really go through with this job? It’s unsettling and makes me anxious~”

“Spare me your feigned concerns, Jason. As if you’re not the most excited among us. Don’t think I don’t know that.”

The lead merchant, a man with a brown beard, snorted in amusement.

“Of course, I am. It’s not just any noble’s request but from the royal family itself. The advance payment alone is enough to live on for years, and just thinking about the remaining payment after the job gets me pumped.”

“Keep your voice down, Jason! Even if no one’s around, avoid mentioning anything related to the royal family while we’re in this city.”

“I know, I know! So, who’s the target we need to take down?”

Before answering, the bearded man glanced around cautiously.

Sensing no one nearby, he swiftly cast a spell to prevent eavesdropping.

“Our target’s name is Cyan Vert. He’s the youngest son of the Vert Ducal Family, known as the Guardians of the Continent. The client requested we leave the scene as gruesome as possible. It’s fine to chop the body into dozens of pieces or leave it naked in the streets. The idea is to incite anger in whoever finds him.”

“Such a twisted request! And I love it all the more for that! So, this Cyan, can I have my fun with him?”

“Under different circumstances, perhaps, but let’s consider it this time. In my 20 years as a mercenary, I’ve yet to meet anyone with as vile a hobby as yours.”

It wasn’t a full approval, but even that was enough for Jason, who licked his lips in anticipation.

Even his comrades, witnessing this, couldn’t hide their discomfort, their expressions betraying their revulsion.

“Cyan Vert, huh… I hope he’s got a pretty face.”

(To be continued)