Survival Guide After Accidentally Kissing a Demon - Chapter 196

Chapter 196

Beili withdrew her gaze, her fingers stiffly gripping her wine glass as she walked toward the garden behind the Banquet Hall.

The music, the chatter, and the various noises slowly receded into the background.

A massive fountain in the garden stood like a Christmas tree, cascading ten layers of silver water curtains from top to bottom.

As the afternoon sun slanted down, it caught the mist from the fountain, forming a brilliant little rainbow.

With a dark expression, Beili wandered aimlessly through the garden.

In truth, she didn’t know where she should go or what she should do.

She just needed to be away from Ashera.

So, she kept walking.

As she reached the depths of the garden, she suddenly heard a commotion…

…

There was one thing everyone in the Tilisha Kingdom knew-

Prince Lance was not the King of Tilisha’s most favored child; Princess Renee was.

Princess Renee received all of the King’s affection.

Of course, this did not mean that Prince Lance had fallen out of favor in the Tilisha Palace. At the very least, Princess Renee dearly loved her handsome, witty, charming, and perfect brother.

The perfect Prince Lance had participated in an activity at Holy Island Academy.

When he came out, he was missing half a leg.

Princess Renee had fainted from grief upon hearing the news. Once Prince Lance returned to the Tilisha Palace, she ran to his bedside every day to sob in sorrow.

Though Prince Lance comforted her daily with many words, stroking her head and saying that even losing half a leg wouldn’t affect his handsome appearance or noble temperament.

He even said that the statue of Venus, the Goddess of Beauty, was no less beautiful for lacking arms.

None of these words comforted Princess Renee in the slightest.

Her brother was crippled by half a leg.

Even if a large piece of Magic Crystal was cut and polished to create a shimmering prosthetic…

Her brother was still crippled by half a leg.

Even after his Beast Transformation, he could only walk on three legs.

…

Originally, the King of Tilisha had been adamant about not letting Princess Renee come to Sainthos for the Prince’s Coming-of-Age Ceremony. However, she had used her Beast Transformation to hide her presence and snuck into Prince Lance’s carriage, only being discovered after they had crossed the borders of the Tilisha Kingdom.

Her main purpose for coming to Sainthos this time was to investigate why Prince Lance had lost half a leg.

After all, the other people who had emerged from the Closing Event were all from Sainthos.

Moreover, from her brother’s explanations, she already had some clues.

In a corner of the garden.

“Your Highness-”

The Guard lowered his voice and explained, “This is the palace of the Santos Kingdom. Approaching the Prince of Sainthos with a dagger gives you no chance of success. You will only be captured and thrown into the dungeon.”

“Shut your mouth!” the young girl snapped at the Guard in the golden cloak. “You are here to help me, not stop me!”

The girl brandished the gleaming dagger in her hand wildly, hacking down the delicate red roses blooming on the flower wall one by one, crushing them beneath her feet.

“I will make that bastard Cyril pay the same price! He’s the one who caused Prince Lance to lose half a leg!” she declared.

The Guard wanted to say more, but his back suddenly straightened, and he spun around quickly.

“Who’s eavesdropping there? Come out.”

A figure slowly stepped out from behind the flower wall-

She had pale pink hair and clear eyes as pure as a deer’s, though a hint of nervousness flickered within them.

She wore a magnificent Evening Gown encrusted with pearls, which cast a soft glow under the sunlight as she moved.

The girl standing on the crushed red roses narrowed her eyes.

“So it’s you-” the girl drawled her name with an unreadable tone, “Susanna.”

“How does Your Highness know me?” Susanna asked softly, her unease mixed with a touch of surprise.

“Oh… naturally, I read the Holy Island Academy Post every day.”

“The few people who made it out of the Closing Event alive: Cyril Elvis of Sainthos, Bartholomew Constance, Susanna Constance, and Clarence Barton.”
The young girl hid the dagger behind her back, a faint smile spreading across her delicate face.

“I remember all your names, and I even had your portraits found. So the moment you appeared, I recognized you instantly.”

…

Susanna happened to be passing by.

She truly hadn’t intended to eavesdrop on their conversation.

Princess Renee of Tilisha-yes, Susanna recognized the girl as Princess Renee.

It wasn’t just because of the twenty-odd layers of gold gauze that made up her voluminous skirt, shimmering like cicada wings in the sunlight.

It was also because of that vibrant maple-red hair, the exact same shade as Lance’s.

However, the contents of the conversation between Princess Renee and her Guard made Susanna’s heart tremble with fear.

This Princess Renee seemed to be planning something terrible for Prince Cyril.

“Your Highness, please calm your anger.”

Susanna gathered her courage and took a step forward.

“Actually, it was I who accidentally fell into the pond… Prince Lance jumped in to save me, and that’s how his leg became trapped.”

Her voice was somewhat weak, but she explained firmly, “The situation was critical. Prince Cyril only sacrificed his leg to save Prince Lance’s life. You cannot blame Prince Cyril for what happened.”

The red-haired girl kept the smile on her face, listening to Susanna finish.

After a few seconds of silence, she nodded.

“According to your description, Cyril was indeed forced by circumstances to cut off his brother’s leg.”

“But how is that possible?” The red-haired girl’s eyes widened as she asked, “Brother Lance is so exceptional. Why would he ever choose to save you?”

“Your Highness…”

“Kindness? Compassion?”

The red-haired girl laughed, pacing lightly on the spot.

“Don’t talk to me about that. If so many people fell into the water in front of my brother, is he supposed to go down and save every single one of them?”

Her sweet voice carried a hint of confusion, pausing for a moment.

In the next second, her tone shifted sharply.

“So you are the culprit. You are the one who bewitched my brother.”

“Princess Renee…”

Susanna immediately grew flustered.

“It was entirely an accident… I apologize to Prince Lance…”

Tears welled up in her eyes, and Susanna’s voice took on a distinct sob.

“I feel terribly guilty as well… If I could, I would rather have been the one injured.”

As she spoke, she began to back away.

“Oh… of course, of course.”

The red-haired girl’s smile slowly vanished as she commanded her Guard, “Don’t let her run.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, a flash of magical light struck Susanna, freezing her in place as she tried to retreat.

After casting the Immobilization Magic, the Guard immediately stepped before the red-haired girl and bowed, advising her in a low voice, “Your Highness-this is the Santos Kingdom, not Tilisha. If you cause trouble here, the King is thousands of miles away; he won’t be able to rush here to help you.”

Princess Renee wasn’t listening at all.

She shoved the Guard aside, screaming “Get lost!” in a shrill voice. Then, she drew the cold, glinting dagger from behind her back and strode toward Susanna.

The tip of the blade drew close to the eyes filled with swirling tears.

“Are these the eyes you used to bewitch my brother?”

Susanna’s pupils constricted into tiny points.

She wanted to close her eyes, but the Immobilization Magic forced them to stay open.

“Don’t be too afraid. The Tilisha Kingdom doesn’t like taking advantage of others, and neither do I. I only want half a leg from you.”

With that, Princess Renee reached out and shoved Susanna to the ground.

Her sweet voice turned sharp, laced with a cruel intensity.

“I heard you’re a swan. After your Beast Transformation, a swan only has one leg left. You won’t be able to stand very steadily!”

The dagger slashed down ruthlessly.

A large gash was torn into the dress.

Severed white and pink pearls scattered across the ground.