Chapter 34

I was going through the letters and invitations, trying to arrange the dates. Stephen came to visit me. He stood in front of the door of my room, his face somehow firmer than usual.

“His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is here to see you.”

I frowned at the unexpected news. It was already the second time that the Crown Prince had suddenly visited the Duke’s residence without prior notice.

‘Does the Crown Prince think that we are in a friendly relationship that there is no problem even if he suddenly come without an appointment?’

“Lady, are you all right?”

Stephen looked at me with a worried look on his face.

He could see that I was not looking too good. But even though I was in a bad mood, the Crown Prince had came here himself, and as his fiancée, I had no choice but to see him.

I told Stephen I’d be right down, and then I sat in front of the dressing table.

Then the maids combed my hair with exciting faces and brought me a dress to change into.

In their eyes, I still looked like a dead and immortal person to the Crown Prince. In the meantime, I couldn’t understand why Roxana would make a big deal whenever she met the Crown Prince.

There was also the appearance I had shown at the second Prince’s victory banquet, so perhaps others saw us as reconciled and on good terms again.

Despite the fact that the situation was settled the way I wanted, I wasn’t happy. The reason for this was the Crown Prince.

His recent sudden change in attitude and familiarity with me was not easy to adjust to, it was unfamiliar and awkward every time I saw him.

‘What on earth is he thinking?’

The thought of the Crown Prince, who had shown more affinity for me than he should have, made my otherwise complicated feelings even more unsettling.

‘Of course, I don’t know how long such an attitude will last…’

I sighed inwardly.

“His Royal Highness is very good with the Lady these days, isn’t he?”

“….?”

Joan opened her mouth as she brushed my hair. Tien, who was beside her, chimed in.

“Yes, he is. It’s the same with the gift he brought last time, and the attitude he showed at the banquet….he just paid a visit to the Duke’s residence, and now he’s here in person again like this. It seems that His Highness really cares a lot about the Lady.”

If anyone had heard Tien’s words just now, I would have been ridiculed by others again. After everything he put me through, we became a couple again. I must have no pride.

I could tell that her intention was to make me feel better, but her exaggerated flattery didn’t help much.

After she finished with my hair, Joan brought me a dress. After changing with the help of the maids, I opened the drawer and chose accessories. At that time, a silver pendant caught my eye.

The broken chain had already been repaired, but the owner had not yet been found. Originally, I planned to bring it with me to Hermes last time, but the shock of learning that the Lord of Hermes was really the First son of the Grand Duke of Croix had struck me so hard that I had returned to the mansion preoccupied.

How is it that this is in my drawer right now when the store owner said it would take longer?

“Annie, did you pick it up?”

“Yes. Is there something wrong with the pendant?”

“No, it’s fine.”

I lifted the pendant and placed it in my palm to observe it. The shining white sterling silver pendant looked very elaborate and expensive. Now that I thought about it, maybe the pendant didn’t belong to the Crown Prince, but to the Grand Duke of Croix. (*I guess Elvin inherited the title Grand Duke)

I think such precious thing was usually exchanged between family members or lovers. I’ve heard that Grand Duke of Croix doesn’t get along with his family very well, does he have a secret lover?

“Young Lady…”

Joan’s voice, tinged with impatience, woke me from my musings.

I set the pendant down and reached into the drawer, grabbing something at random.

“Let’s take use one.”

I chose a pair of earrings with pale green emeralds in them.

I went downstairs with a pair of small droplet earrings and a light necklace.

In front of the now familiar parlor, the knights were standing guard. I walked past them, opened the door and walked inside. There I saw the back of the Crown Prince sitting on a sofa.

His wispy, bright golden hair looked very soft.

He was sitting in his seat, not moving in the quiet room.

“Your Highness.”

“…”

There was no reply to the Crown Prince.

Did he not hear me?

I took another step closer.

“Your Highness?”

I called again, but still no response from him. There was no way that he didn’t heard me call out twice in this quiet room. At this point, I thought something was strange, so I frowned and went to the seat opposite him.

The Crown Prince was asleep with his arms crossed, leaning back against the back of the sofa and his head tilted at an angle. It took a little while for me to get ready so I guess he fell asleep while waiting for me.

‘Should I wake him up or leave him as he is?’

While I was pondering, his second-in-command, who was standing beside the Crown Prince, shook him lightly by the shoulder.

“Your Highness, Princess Lillian is here.”

The Crown Prince’s eyelids shook and he opened his eyes.

The Crown Prince looked up at me, rubbing his eyes drowsily, as if he was still tired.

The dark circles under his eyes indicated that he had been working hard.

‘It’s true that with the return of the second Prince increased the Crown Prince’s work. It must have been tiring enough just to keep up with his busy schedule. Did he have time to come visit me like this?’

The Crown Prince seemed pitiful sitting there so quietly.

“I haven’t heard anything at all about Your Highness’ visit… What bring you here today?”

I immediately asked the main question.

But at the Crown Prince’s next words, I was at a loss for words.

“I want to see you.”

“….!”

As I stared at him with a puzzled look on my face, the Crown Prince continued with an indifferent expression.

“I left you alone at the last banquet, so I was worried.”

When the Crown Prince finished speaking, he pulled something out of his pocket and held it out to me. I looked at the white jewelry box resting on the palm of his hand.

As I stared at it in silence, the Crown Prince opened it himself and showed me the object inside. Inside the jewelry box was a fluffy velvet cushion with an elaborately crafted sapphire necklace on top.

I took it out and placed it on my palm for closer examination. Dozens of jewels dangling from a thin platinum cord, I could see at a glance that it was a very expensive necklace.

“Why are you doing this all of a sudden?”

As I looked down at the necklace with a strange look on my face, the Crown Prince took only the necklace from it and handed me the jewelry box.

I took it without a second thought and looked at him.

While I was in a daze, the Crown Prince stood behind me.

Soon I felt the cold metal on my neck, the warmth of a human body, and the tickle of the Crown Prince’s fingers as they grazed my neck.

He put the necklace on me and said with a satisfied voice.

“It looks very good on you, as I expected.”

Due to the lack of a mirror nearby, I groped around my neck and looked down. I saw the necklace that the Crown Prince had just given me on top of the necklace I was originally wearing. The necklace was gorgeous with a hint of blue in it, making it look very neat and clean.

“You said you wanted this before. I brought it as an apologize for what happened the other day. It looks good on you………… What do you think? Do you like it?”

It was an unfamiliar object to me, but I remembered seeing it at a glance in Roxana’s memory.

It was quite surprising that the Crown Prince remembered Roxana’s words and presented such a gift. I thought for a while and answered.

“I like it too.”

The Crown Prince raised the corner of his mouth, as ifhe was satisfied with my answer.

“I’m glad.”

“Your Highness, it is time for you to go.”

The man standing beside the Crown Prince said.

The Crown Prince frowned at his words.

“Is it time already?”

The Crown Prince looked at the clock and sighed with a tired face. Then he looked at me and said.

“Unfortunately, I have to go now, but I will return at a later date.”

Instead of stopping him, I nodded.

Before leaving, the Crown Prince approached me and kissed me briefly on the forehead, like two lovers saying goodbye.

When I stared at him, frowning, surprised by the Crown Prince’s sudden action, he left his seat with a bitter expression on his face. After he left, I looked at the seat where he sat earlier with an uncomfortable feeling.

“What on earth did he come to do?”

***

The Crown Prince leaned back and looked out the window.

Thanks to the little nap he had taken earlier, his head felt much clearer than before. The thought of having to go back to the Imperial Palace to work again made him want to return to the Duke’s residence.

The view passed quickly through the window pane.

He looked at the mansion, which was already starting to move away, and thought of Roxana’s face earlier. When she received the gift he had prepared for her, her face did not look happy, but rather dazed and somewhat awkward.

The Crown Prince felt bitter.

Roxana’s attitude towards him lately, and her reaction just now……. It would take a little more time for things to return to the way they were before.

But it wasn’t bad to see Roxana looking at him with surprised eyes.

The Crown Prince smiled softly as he thought of the face of his fiancée.

****

Claire sat on the couch, rummaging through the letters and invitations addressed to her, after a quick lunch in her room.

Claire’s nanny had brewed some tea and brought her some cookies.

They were the same ones she had had the day before when she invited the ladies of the same age to have tea time. While she was having such a leisurely tea time, someone knocked on the door of the room.

“Young lady,you have a guest from the royal family.”

Claire jumped up at the joyful news.

She approached the window and looked out.

It was then that she finally saw one of the imperial carriages parked in front of the gate. There was only one person in the royal family would be looking for her.

The Crown Prince.

Claire was about to run out with a welcome face, but stopped at the door and hesitated. She seemed to be agonizing for a moment, and soon ordered the nanny to do something and lay back in bed.

Then she said.

“Please tell him to come up to my room, for I am still too ill to receive guests.”

Claire pulled the covers up to her chest as she listened to the maid’s footsteps moving away.

In silence, the nanny cleared the table, filled a basin with water and placed a wet towel on Claire’s forehead.

The nanny then excused herself, after she filled the table with tea and sweets.

Soon, the creaking sound of shoes walking on the old wooden floor echoed loudly.

The sound soon stopped in front of the door to Claire’s room, and soon she heard the servant’s voice.

“My lady, you have a visitor.”

Instead of answering immediately, Claire pulled the covers higher to her neck and turned over to the wall side. The thought of the Crown Prince just beyond the door was both gratifying and disappointing.

After being rebuked by him at the imperial palace last time, Claire did not visit the Crown Prince. It had been more than a week since she had not seen the Crown Prince.

It was during this time that she heard the news that the Crown Prince and Princess Lillian were getting along again.

Some even said that the Crown Prince took great care of her and showed affection.

Princess Lillian was stupid and had a bad personality, and the Crown Prince disliked her back then.

Of course, the Crown Prince was not the only one who disliked such a Princess. Knowing this very well, Claire was anxious even though she knew it couldn’t be true.

However, the Crown Prince eventually came to her. Although she was offended by his behavior, which irritated her all this time, leaving her without a single letter so far, she still felt an even greater desire to see him. Claire said in a weak voice.

“Please come in.”

She heard the door open.

Shortly after, she heard the sound of someone coming inside.

But the footsteps stopped at the door instead of approaching Claire’s bed.