Not to mention why he came right back to stand next to her because Fiona had assumed he would remain near the king to explain things. Curious, she peeked up at him to try to suss out an answer, only to find Linus grinning down at her like he’d been waiting for her to do just that.
“Don’t worry, Fiona. I won’t leave your side.”
He whispered the answer to her unspoken question. Apparently, he stayed for her sake. Though she hadn’t forgotten the problem of his severe sexual harassment, especially with her hair, she also couldn’t deny the relief she felt at having Linus near.
“I pulled some strings and also had a lot of help with this. So I’ll need him to pay the price for putting Fiona in danger. Oh, and one more thing. Regarding the trap set in the lake a while back, I traced the magic back to the prime minister and secured evidence of his involvement, so rest assured on that front, my liege.”
As always, Linus was beautiful when he smiled, but right now, he was also a tad terrifying.
“We’ll have to discuss this in detail when we have time later, eh?”
The king muttered to himself as he skimmed through the documents. Just then, the prime minister, whose head had been hanging in shame, suddenly jerked his face up to glare at Fiona. She barely had the time to recognize the emotion in his eyes as hatred before he rushed toward her with a knife gripped in his outstretched hand. When had that even gotten there? The moment Linus saw the older man swing, he forcefully pushed Fiona behind him, switching places with her.
He nimbly kicked the prime minister’s arm, caught the flying knife in mid-air, and used his momentum to place it neatly against the other man’s neck. His flowing movements and incredible speed robbed everyone of speech. All they could do was stare in stunned silence.
“Well…looks like we’ll be adding the attempted murder of a saint to the list of your crimes. I sincerely hope you don’t think you can avoid prosecution like you have in the past, hm?”
Linus said this with a brilliant smile that outshone the starry sky, then lightly tapped the prime minister’s cheek with the knife blade. That was when the older man collapsed on the floor as if his knees gave way.
While Fiona was aware of Linus’ skill with a sword, she was still baffled. It was one thing for two armed opponents to face off against each other. But she very much doubted any other crown prince could take down an armed opponent with his bare hands.
As she watched the guards take the prime minister away, she realized something important and hurriedly gripped Linus’ arm.
“Your Highness, are you hurt?”
She stared up frantically at him, and his eyes widened in surprise before he quickly smiled and rubbed her head.
“That should be my line, you know… But I’m fine. He didn’t get me.”
Though he didn’t seem to have any knife wounds, her worry didn’t dissipate. She ran her hands all over his arms and chest, checking for any injuries or bruises. A moment later, however, Linus’ hand stopped her.
“Fiona, I’m fine, honest. Besides, that’s all I can handle, especially considering we’re in public.”
“I beg your pardon?”
She accepted the first part of his remark but didn’t understand what he meant by the second. Before she could even tilt her head in confusion, arms reached out from behind her and pulled her into a protective embrace.
“Your Highness. What did we say about moderation?”
Charles growled the words at him, his expression grim as he held Fiona away. Linus only grinned in response.
“Excuse the interruption, but I think it’s past time for the Saint of Abundance and me to take our leave tonight. I’ll return another day to discuss how Slava can compensate Gene for causing such a disturbance.”
Paul bowed to the king, then walked toward Linus. His relaxed expression was the opposite of the one he’d had earlier.
“I finally put the reins on that runaway horse. I appreciate you providing information and your cooperation, Prince Linus.”
“Information?”
Fiona said the word curiously. Without responding to Paul, Linus removed Charles’ arms from around Fiona, then curved his own around her shoulders. Any way she looked at it, he should have prioritized his conversation with Paul right now instead of this foolishness. However, he merely stroked her head in satisfaction.
While she struggled with what to do about him, Paul continued with a wry smile.
“His Highness contacted me when he realized the prime minister was scheming with Manaka. I already had my hands full dealing with her temperamental personality, so her violating our contract in public would give me the chance to rein her in. Which is why I decided to work together with Prince Linus.”
Then Paul and Linus had expected everything that transpired tonight, including Manaka’s rampage and Mulligan’s attempted assassination of Fiona.
“I held a small sliver of hope that she would at least play the part of a proper saint in another country, but…we all know how that turned out. What’s done is done, hm?”
The hint of sadness on Paul’s face told her he hadn’t wanted to place the collar on the other girl. But he couldn’t let her get away with her behavior forever, so this visit had likely been her last chance to redeem herself. Despite rumors of Manaka’s antics spreading as far as the Kingdom of Gene, he had continued watching over her until today. Perhaps he’d been hoping she’d have a change of heart.
“Yeah, well, I have a bone to pick with you, Paul. While I was dancing with your saint, I saw you being overly familiar with mine.”
“I couldn’t help myself, not when Fiona is so charming.”
“While I agree with you, I would much rather you didn’t notice that about her.”
It was rare to see Linus express his frustration openly, like a child would. Setting aside the contents of the conversation, it was clear the two were friends.
“Fear not, as her heart never once wavered under my attentions. You, too, have your work cut out for you, eh, Your Highness?”
Paul chuckled in amusement, then left the ballroom with a wave.
“Linus, Saint of Cost Performance, and Your Holiness, I bid you to come here.”
The king’s voice rang out. It seemed he’d been waiting for their conversation with Paul to end before summoning them.
When the three of them lined up in front of him, the king sighed deeply, a hand pressed to his forehead.
“Never in my wildest dreams or nightmares could I have imagined the prime minister interfering with our finances. Pathetic man. But then he went beyond that by trying to ruin our saint while involving another country. His actions leave me no choice but to punish him harshly.”
“My liege, while we have much to discuss, Fiona is exhausted from purifying the rot the Saint of Abundance brought about, so might you permit her to take her leave tonight?”
“Huh?”
Linus spoke first, and his request startled her, but the man himself beamed his usual smile.
“Oh, um, actually, I’m—”
“Fiona, you mustn’t push yourself.”
Just as she was about to tell His Majesty she was fine, Charles put his hand on her shoulder. Was he silently telling her he had something private to discuss with the king so she should make herself scarce?
“Right…then.”
She complied since she didn’t have a reason forcing her to stay. In response, Charles smiled ruefully and patted her head.
“Though I am torn about handing you over to him…you are the one who will ultimately make your choice, Fiona. Remember that, hm?”
His sad tone worried her, but her father’s smile didn’t waver.
“Fiona Everett, the Saint of Cost Performance, I look forward to your efforts on behalf of our country’s cost-effectiveness. You’re dismissed!”
She wanted to ask him how long she was supposed to remain in the role. Perhaps she could retire soon. However, all she could do was nod in the face of the king’s carefree grin. Middle-aged men obsessed with their dreams were true terrors indeed.