Beast in the Woods, Deep in the Night - Chapter 35.2

Chapter 35.2

It was William Heilen who uttered the noble expression ‘lover’ after pondering on his words for a long time. He was the second prince of the empire and the biggest client of the Black Fang Guild.

Decius spoke in a friendly manner, taking care not to offend Edgar’s longtime friend and the guild’s cash cow.

“If you don’t believe me, we can make another bet. Something like whether Edgar calls that woman by her name or not.”

“Alright. Let’s bet two gold coins this time…”

But before William, the betting madman, could finish, Edgar opened his mouth.

“Christine.”

“…”

William, who was watching the strange scene clearly from the terrace in the distance, was speechless. He felt like he had to admit it before he lost more gold coins.

“Edgar really has a woman. I can’t believe he called her by her name.

After completing his judgment, William looked at Christine with interest. Of course, the woman’s appearance was outstanding even to him, who had grown up surrounded by the beautiful women of the capital.

But was Edgar the kind of man who would stand next to someone just because he liked their looks? William snorted inwardly, knowing how many beautiful ladies wanted to possess him.

‘What on earth is she hiding?’

Edgar turned to the terrace to face the guild master after making sure the young chimeras were having a good time. It was something unthinkable for the other executives or low-ranking members.

William smiled playfully as he watched her approaching slowly. Then, when she came to the terrace, he spoke gently to Christine.

“From the moment I saw you enter the hall, I was hoping you would take just one step this way, but unfortunately, you already have a partner.”

William glanced at Edgar and held out his hand towards her.

She handed her hand to William without hesitation. Despite the suspicious mask he was wearing, she judged that this was the man Isaac had previously mentioned. The guild’s client and Edgar’s friend.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady. My name is William, I am an old friend of Edgar’s.”

William kissed the back of her hand briefly. It was a typical greeting between the nobles of the capital. Christine laughed shyly as if she was unfamiliar with this kind of treatment, but she was analyzing the information she had learned at that moment.

‘The name William is pretty common, so let’s put it aside.’

The man had a good command of the etiquette of the capital’s aristocracy, and he comfortably called Edgar by his name.

If so, she could think of him as a noble of the capital, but… Christine, who had memorized all kinds of regional accents just in case, knew exactly where the man was from.

The man named William had a peculiar accent that only the imperial family used. He was pretty good at hiding it, so she almost didn’t notice.

Knowing in an instant that the man who kissed the back of her hand was a member of the imperial family and close to Edgar and the Black Fang Guild, Christine smiled.

Seeing the smile that seemed to be intended to win the other person’s favor, Edgar’s eyebrows rose crookedly. And even though she clearly saw that, Christine did not give up her friendly demeanor.

The man in front of her was the second prince of the empire, William Heilen.

He was the prince who inherited a noble lineage and the man who would eventually ascend to the throne after many hardships. If she appeared nice to him, she might be able to get help in the future.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Christine.”

She looked at William with a soft smile.

‘The reason why Prince William, the second prince, is here instead of the capital is because he is dealing with the evil forces of the eastern empire in order to gain the support of the people.’

She had no idea that she would face the man who would become the future emperor. Moreover, her heart was pounding when she learned that he was in contact with the Black Fang Guild.

Christine’s cheeks flushed slightly because of the expectation that she might be able to learn something useful from him.

William smiled kindly, pleased that the person Edgar had by his side was welcoming him rather than being wary. He never once thought that his identity had been discovered right away.

“…”

Only Decius and Isaac were busy observing Edgar’s expression as he became more and more silent.