Chapter 175: Latrice
In an era where a simple scar could affect one’s reputation as a human being, the Duke of the South, Jackson had long accepted he would never be accepted more than just a war mongrel. Other than offering his body to fight for the Imperial Family and the Empire, and spending the rest of his life on the precarious battlefield, he believed his life would’ve been otherwise meaningless.
But for the first time, someone looked at him without any trace of disgust. It was also neither a look of fear nor pity. It was something else; something he could never properly articulate because it was something he had never looked at before.
With such a small frame and stunning facial features, the crown prince foolishly assumed that the mysterious woman was harmless. The crown prince deemed her as a damsel in distress, lost in the forest. He took her back to his castle, disregarding any other ploy at play and believing every single word that came out of those thin and slightly pale pinkish lips.
Jackson kept wondering how the prince so easily fell for a woman with no title, no history, and no memory. But the more he wondered about it, the more he questioned himself.
Why did he allow it?
Why did he allow the crown prince to take her back to his castle? While the crown prince argued with his people who were warning him about her, why did Jackson stand quietly on the sidelines? Why was he playing along? He knew better than the crown prince. It was his duty to protect the prince and cut off any possible threat that might endanger his life.
But... why did he not do anything when everything about that woman was suspicious? They didn’t even know her name.
"Latrice," the crown prince’s voice snapped Jackson back to the current lapse. He tapped his desk and then leaned back against the chair, eyes on the duke, who was standing quietly in front of the window.
Jackson slowly turned his head, only to see the crown prince’s charming smile.