Estelle Will Not Forgive a Second Time: The Condemned Noble Lady Returns in Elegance to Dance with the Incompetent Prince - Chapter 14

Not even a few minutes had passed since the ambush on the dark road, yet to me, it felt like an eternity.

Curled up inside the carriage, I trembled in silence.

But knowing that Lord Leonhardt was out there fighting alone—I couldn’t just sit here and do nothing. That thought surged painfully in my chest.

“I-I’m scared… but… I have to witness this.”

Taking deep breaths again and again, I cautiously peeked outside through the carriage window.

There, in the shadows of the night, stood Lord Leonhardt wielding his sword.

Though his face was hidden beneath his black hood, his movements were clearly visible.

His blade sliced through the darkness, striking down one attacker after another as if cleaving the very air itself.

“…Amazing.”

I gasped softly, murmuring the word under my breath.

I knew it—but still, he’s no “useless prince.” To possess such overwhelming skill…

I couldn’t even count how many enemies there were, yet Lord Leonhardt moved with graceful precision, almost like dancing, effortlessly cutting down each one.

The clash of steel rang out several times, and soon after, the night fell silent once more.

“It’s over…?”

Though my heart was still racing, it seemed the attackers had been completely defeated.

The carriage door slowly opened, and his eyes—visible beneath the hood—turned toward me.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. It’s over now, Estelle.”

Spoken in his usual calm voice, his words allowed me to finally breathe a sigh of relief.

As I moved to step out of the carriage, placing one foot down, my body gave way from the sudden release of tension, and I slipped.

“Ah…!”

I lost my balance, tangled in the hem of my dress, and couldn’t steady myself.

Just as I reflexively closed my eyes, Lord Leonhardt caught me in his arms.

I found myself pressed against his chest, and for a moment, we both froze.

“S-Sorry…!”

I quickly tried to pull away, but I could feel his hand lightly on my waist for a brief second, making my heart race even more.

Though he quickly let go, an awkward silence lingered for several seconds.

“U-Um… are you alright? You’re not hurt, are you?”

“N-No, I’m fine. I’m sorry…”

Our eyes awkwardly drifted away from each other.

The guards surrounding the carriage seemed to have the good sense to give us space, but if anyone had witnessed that moment, I would have died of embarrassment.

It was strange how, after such a tense encounter with assassins, my heart was now pounding for an entirely different reason.

Blushing, I looked away aimlessly, while Lord Leonhardt gave an exaggerated cough and continued speaking.

“In any case, I’ll have the guards secure the area. I left a few of them alive, so we can interrogate them.”

Just as he moved toward the surviving attackers being watched by our guards, the men suddenly began foaming at the mouth in agony.

Clearly a reaction to poison, the guards shouted in alarm.

“Damn it! Get them to purge the poison—now!”

Lord Leonhardt rushed over immediately, but it was too late.

Within seconds, the men went limp and collapsed, lifeless.

“They must have had suicide poison hidden in their mouths.”

Clenching his fists, Lord Leonhardt bit down on his lip in frustration.

All I could do was stare down at the scene in shock.

To silence them in such a way—they were more prepared than I’d imagined.

“Sorry… I wasn’t thorough enough. I didn’t expect them to take their own lives…”

His voice was low, filled with regret, and I could see his shoulders slump slightly.

Gently, I reached out and touched his arm, shaking my head.

“No, I’m just grateful that we’re both safe. Thank you, truly… Lord Leonhardt.”

“…I’m just glad I was able to protect you safely. But still, I had hoped to take them alive and extract some information.”

The self-mocking tone in his voice pained me.

From watching him during the fight, I could tell just how much care he had taken.

It would’ve been easy for him to wipe out the enemy completely, yet he had deliberately restrained himself, aiming to capture them alive.

“But I’m alive now—and that’s because of you. That alone is more than enough.”

Those words of gratitude came out naturally, straight from my heart.

Though Lord Leonhardt gave a wry smile, his eyes softened just slightly as he looked at me.

“I see… Well, I didn’t expect them to kill themselves with poison, but we’ll need to be more cautious moving forward. Since Rodolphe’s involved, this won’t be the end.”

“You’re right.”

At that moment, the image of Gustav, the Minister of Finance, surfaced in my mind.

Our next target is someone who could shake the very foundation of the kingdom—a formidable opponent.

It certainly won’t be easy, and I’m sure more assassination attempts like this will follow.

But for now…

I held back the impulse to take his hand again and instead offered him a smile.

“I understand. Let’s keep moving forward—together. We still have a long road ahead.”

“Yeah, we do. Alright, let’s head back. Staying here too long is dangerous, and we need to check on the guards’ injuries.”

The awkward tension from our earlier embrace naturally melted away.

As we waited for the guards to ready the carriage again, we boarded once more.

The shock of the assassination attempt still lingered, but the reason I was unharmed—was because he had been there.

“…Thank you again, Lord Leonhardt. You really aren’t a useless prince at all.”

As the carriage began to move once more, I murmured those words softly in my heart.

At that moment, our eyes met—just briefly—under his deeply drawn hood.

His usually sleepy eyes narrowed gently, and once again, that strange tightening sensation gripped my chest.

—A secret partnership we shared.

Many more enemies likely awaited us.

But for now, I just wanted to quietly appreciate the fact that we could ride together in this carriage, returning home safely.

The carriage wheels rattled along the night road, bringing back the echoes of the earlier battle.

Yet, simply having Lord Leonhardt beside me filled me with an overwhelming sense of security.

“Estelle, are you alright?”

His soft voice whispered beside me, and I replied with a small smile, “Yes, I’m fine.”

Because he’s here… I’m not afraid.