The Grand Duchess of the North Was Secretly a Villainess

Damn it.

I've never seen the crown prince's face, but I was clear. It was the same face as the novel's description.

'Elegant beauty that seems to attract people.'

Above all, Eloise's intuition was shouting that the boy was a crown prince.

"Your Royal Highness."

Without even having time to think about anything else, I reflexively knelt down on one knee in front of him.

Like Eloise's habit, it was an instinctive movement without going through her head.

'Why did his hair change color? ......Ah, he has platinum blonde hair, so he looks like silver hair because of the moonlight.'

My head began to spin at the sudden appearance of male lead.

'Wait a minute, there was no such content in the original story.... The Crown Prince was in the North for several years when he disappeared? Is this also a secret?'

I didn't want to get entangled, so I walked to the gate and locked it, but I didn't know you came into the forest through the boundary.

'Is there a separate passage from the capital to the border? Or did he simply turn around and come all the way here?'

As I fell silent due to my shock, the Crown Prince reached out and grabbed my arm.

'It's hot.'

His whole body was a ball of fire. Unlike me, who was bewildered, the Crown Prince was looking straight at me.

Even while his body was boiling with heat, his blue eyes were clear enough.

"Found.... You."

Before I could even ask what it meant, the Crown Prince fell into my arms.

".....!

His heavy breathing came near my ears. When I grabbed his waist, which collapsed reflexively, I felt a warm sensation in my palm. I could tell it was blood without looking.

'He fainted.'

"Your Highness, are you all right?"

Anna, who was restless, ran to me in great surprise.

"It's okay."

As I held onto the prince, I was immersed in thought for a moment. My options were two.

1. Leaving the male lead, the Crown Prince, at this place, then Anna and I returned to the castle.

2. Take the Crown Prince, the male lead, to the castle as it is.

'If I just go back...'

It was patrol time. One of the Knights may find the Crown Prince.

'The male lead face is not known, but the problem is that the Royal family has blond hair for generations. Anyone would notice that he is a member of the Royal family.'

No matter how few people knew your face, I couldn't let anyone else find it.

'It's difficult. There must be spies of other nobles in my castle.'

Eloise in the original novel did not trust all the knights in the castle. She was the Grand Duchess.

She knew better than anyone that she was in the middle of the power struggle, also that everyone wants to have her power.

'If this news enters the ears of Duke Ilysian, the whole northern part will become entangled with the imperial family.'

I bit my lip.

'What do I do? You're bleeding a lot, he might die if I do something wrong.'

It was reasonable to deal with the male lead with my own hands if I didn't want to die in his hands.

But I couldn't let the crown prince die here, because it took the male lead power to sweep away all the evil things on the border.

'I was working waiting for you then, but you  die here. Then isn't it unfair for me?'

In the end, there was only one option I could choose.

"Anna."

I called Anna in an indifferent voice.

"Yes, Your Highness."

"That cloth."

The cloth that wrapped around the assassin's body was in Anna's arms.

If I hide the male lead with that cloth, they won't be suspicious if I encounter the knights on patrol.

Disposing of the body was not uncommon.

"Bring it."

I ordered Anna to lay the Crown Prince on the ground. Gorgeous platinum blonde hair fluttered under the moonlight.
 

*****

Fortunately, the wound wasn't as deep as I thought.

The blood that felt muddy seemed to be someone else's blood.

'Should I call a physician? It's not too bad, but I think it will leave a scar...... No.'

I thought it would better not increase the number of people who saw this face.

"Your Highness."

Anna hands the hemostatic agent. It was a shallow wound, so it would be enough to cool the blood with a hemostatic agent and treat the wound later. I spray a hemostatic agent on the Crown Prince's wound and wrap the wound with a bandage.

"What shall we do with the sheet?"

The sheets were dirty from the blood of the Crown Prince and the blood of other people on his clothes.

It was obvious that the other maids would make a fuss if they found it, but there was no other way.

"Burn it with the blood of the assassin. The assassin died in my bed."

"All right."

When I looked down at the bed, the Crown Prince eyebrows furrowed.

'I didn't know I would take the male lead to the castle with my own hands. I am crazy.'

I was worried about whom to discuss this with. I know people who will never betray me, but I had a headache when something unexpected happened.

'I didn't feel good about it. I didn't expect an unwelcome guest to be the male lead.'

Anna skillfully changed the sheets even though the Crown Prince was lying down.

Before I knew it, she had a sheet of blood in her arms.

"Anna."

I called her name in a quiet voice.

"I'm on my way here with Your Highness to dispose of the assassin's body. I didn't see anything."

"I believe you."

Anna bowed her head and disappeared.

'Isn't this actually a dream? I'm so tired that I have nightmares.'

I turned my head and I see the Crown Prince was still lying in bed.

"Ha..... Yeah, it can't be a dream now."

The prince seemed to be suffering from the heat on his body. I scan his face closely to understand his condition.

His eyebrow were frowned and his sweaty hair clung to his face.

'How can he still look majestic in this state?'

The platinum blonde hair reflected in the chandelier gleamed.
He was still young, but I looked forward to his future.

'Now is not the time to appreciate his appearance.'

After sighing again, I sat on the bed. My eyes shifted from the Crown Prince's face over the window.

"The most helpful person in this situation would be Eloine,"

Eloise one and only brother came to mind. He was a Holy Knight who guarding the saintess, and was currently in the capital.

He was also a man who knew the situation of the imperial palace better than anyone else.

'But there's no way Eloine will suddenly come to the North. Especially when the emperor was assassinated.'

I tried to think calmly.

'It would be very helpful to have Eloine. He knows the situation of the palace better than I do.'

However, the possibility of Eloine coming to the North is at zero percent. If he gets fired, won't he come back?

"Ugh....."

The Crown Prince tossed and turned as he frowned, his curly eyelashes trembled. Looks like he'll wake up soon.

'Anyway, in front of the Crown Prince, I have to act as a loyal Northern Duchess.'

As I got out of bed, I knelt down on one knee.

"Your Royal Highness. Have you awakened?"

The eyelids that were hiding his eyes began to open. Long eyelashes fluttered. As the Crown Prince opened his lips, a beautiful voice came out.

"Who are you?"

..... Isn't there any mention in the original novel that the male lead lost his memory? For a moment, I felt like I was getting tired of it.

What if the Crown Prince lose his memory?

'I'm in trouble. The Crown prince loses his memory?'

The fever was still high, and he seems looked confused.

"You called my name, don't you remember?"

Recalling the story, I hope everything will be fine.

"I don't remember anything..."

The Crown Prince muttered as he got up. He frowned as if he had a headache, and covered his forehead with his palm.

'.....I'm screwed.'

I managed to pull the corners of my mouth to hide my nervousness.

'No, it could mean he doesn't remember. Let's calm down, Kim Da-kyung.'

Fortunately, my voice came out calmly.

"Your Royal Highness. How far do you remember?"

"Royal Highness?"

Blue eyes that seemed innocent at first glance were looking at me. He tilted his head. The Crown Prince looked like he didn't understand.

'The eyes of the Crown Prince look innocent. No way. Did you really lose your memory? Why?'

Did he bleed too much? Is it because of the heat?

"Do you remember what the last thing you saw was?"

I had to bite my lip hard to keep my composure.

The Crown Prince looked at me with anxious eyes and slowly opened his mouth.

"While wandering through a strange forest, I saw a purple stone."

If it was a purple stone, it was a boundary stone.

"And?"

"It felt like it was blocking the road, so I cut it with a sword...."

He touched his forehead again and frowned. While waiting for him, I sat on the bed and asked him to think about it again.

"Do you have any memories before entering the forest?"

"My head hurts when I try to think about it."

No memories of the Imperial Palace at all?

'Did he really lost all his memories? Nonsense.'

I can affirm that this is the most fucked up situation since I possessed Eloise's body. On the surface, I remained calm, but I can feel my mental breakdown.

"Ugh..."

The prince bending his back and let out a groaned.

Then he moved his hand around his bandaged side. He even looked into his palms to see if there were any memories of being injured.

"Ah......"

The crown prince looked at me as if he immediately realized that I had treated his wound.

"I lost my mind and touched your body without permission. I'm sorry."

"No, thank you. More than that I want to take a bath."

The Crown Prince hesitated. It was then that it caught my eye.

'Dust, dirt, leaves... It's a mess. There's even blood on his clothes.'

From the looks of it, you seem to have rolled pretty rough in the woods.

"I'll have the bath ready right away."

It seemed that the Crown Prince had to clear his mind and organize his thoughts while washing up.

"We'd better talk after that."

"Yes."

"Your Royal Highness must be very tired as you wander through the forest."

Instead of answering, the Crown Prince just stared at me. The blue eyes with a good impression seemed to have faded for a moment.

In that brief moment, my fingers trembled unknowingly.

'..... am I wrong?'

Maybe it was an illusion, the crown prince lowered his eyelids half way down and asked in a shy, low voice.

"What's your name?"

But why is he so accustomed to saying he lost his memory?

"I'm Eloise Wayana."

Of course, I answered steadily, contrary to my innermost thoughts.

"Eloise."

He whispered my name quietly. Then he stared at my face again.

'Why are you looking at me so tenaciously? Are you thinking of me?'

I felt an instinctive sense of urgency. I was about to step back a little, but the Crown Prince bent his eyes and smiled. It was a pure smile.

"I'll listen to you, Eloise."

.... All of a sudden?