Chapter 29 - An Unexpected Visit

Chapter 29 – An Unexpected Visit

‘What was that just now…’

As I recalled what happened earlier with a vexed expression, I heard another knock outside.

“Who is it?”

“Florinda here, My Lady. It looks like the Duke is going somewhere…”

“Very well.”

Soon the door opened and Florinda came in. She had a white plate piled with rusks, as if she were here to refill the refreshments.

I can just eat them myself! 

“Since the Duke left early, I’ll be full,” I said in gleeful expectation.

“Should I bring more? The chef baked a lot of them.”

“Let me eat this first.”

The plate of rusks was set on my lap, and I picked one up and bit it with a satisfied, loud crunch.

Meanwhile, Florinda blinked as if she just remembered something. “Oh, My Lady, My Lady.”

“Yes?”

“There’s something I couldn’t tell you before.”

“What is it?”

“The Crown Prince will come here tomorrow.”

Drop.

The rusk slipped from my hand and fell into my lap.

What…what did she just say?

“…Did I hear you wrong?” I uttered, dumbstruck.

“No. You heard correctly, My Lady. That’s exactly what Sir Dilton said.”

“No way… Do Mother and Father know about this?”

“The Madam knows about it. I don’t know if the Master knows… Perhaps the Madam has told him,” Florinda reasoned.

My eyebrows pinched. “But it will be a disturbance if the Crown Prince comes here. The guards…”

“Sir Dilton reassured you not to worry about things like that.”

“Hmm… But why is The Crown Prince coming here?” I wondered.

“Actually, His Highness already has plans to go out tomorrow, and he’d stop by on his way downtown.”

“Ah, I see,” I said, nodding. But then again, it didn’t make any sense for a Crown Prince to visit some young woman without any particular reason. “If the Crown Prince arrives tomorrow, bring out the tea we received today, Florinda.”

“Yes, My Lady. Oh, but…” Florinda trailed off carefully, and I urged her to speak.

“What is it? Tell me.”

“Duke Escliffe visits this place every day. What if they visit at the same time?”

“No way.” I shook my head as if that was impossible. What were the odds of those two people running into each other in 24 hours tomorrow?

I smiled and reassured Florinda there was no need for worries like that.

“The chance of me being struck dead by lightning is probably higher.”

***

The next day, all I had was one concern—who would come to my house first, Claude or Xavier?

Claude visited at fairly irregular times and sometimes came unannounced, which was surprising to me, but I expected that Claude would come later than Xavier since Xavier reserved a two o’clock visit.

At exactly two o’clock, Florinda came into my room with a bright voice and announced his arrival. “Lady Marie, the Crown Prince is here!”

I nodded. “I don’t look weird, right?” I asked her.

Since this was a meeting with the Crown Prince, it was best to be as civil as possible. Florinda answered with a nod as if questioning why I was asking such a question.

“Of course, My Lady! How beautiful you are right now.”

“Haha…” I laughed shyly. I didn’t trust her remark. How pretty could a patient be, really?

“First, bring him here… then prepare the refreshments that the Crown Prince sent yesterday, Florinda.”

“Yes, My Lady.”

Not long after Florinda left, I heard a knock and I cleared my voice before answering.

“Yes.”

“Lady Maristella, may I come in?” a familiar voice said from outside the room. I took a short deep breath, relaxed and answered him.

“Yes, Your Highness. Come in.”

Then the door opened and Xavier stepped into the room. Seeing his unchanged good looks, I let out a shivering sigh. My standard for men would only get higher if I only looked at extremely handsome men.

Xavier’s signature polite smile broadened on his face. “Lady Maristella, I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

I smiled faintly in reply and nodded. “Because I have been rott… No, spending time in bed for three months.”

“Until you’re completely cured, even if you got a nasty cold, getting enough rest is the priority. That’s why I haven’t been able to visit you meanwhile.” Xavier looked at me for a moment. “Were you upset?”

“What? No. No way,” I said quickly, shaking my head. There was no way I would be upset about him not visiting me. Visitation was voluntary, not an obligation, and Xavier was a busy man. Most importantly, we weren’t even that close. Our relationship wasn’t to the degree where I would get upset about it.

Hmm…but I did feel a little bitter now that I thought this.

“I know how busy you are…And you don’t have a reason to come visit me,” I said.

“…”

A serious look crossed Xavier’s face, and for a moment I wondered if I accidentally offended him. He didn’t say anything though, so I brushed it aside lightly.

Knock knock.

The door opened again and Florinda came in bearing refreshments. She seemed nervous since this was her first encounter with the Crown Prince. She carefully set down the full tray in front of us, then scurried off as if she. I laughed softly and offered Xavier tea.

“Help yourself, Your Highness.”

“Ah.” Xavier’s eyes fell on the tray, and when he spoke it was with a new joy in his voice. “It’s the tea I sent you.”

“It was delicious. Thank you so much for yesterday. I can enjoy the tea for some time now thanks to you.”

“I’m pleased you like it, Lady Maristella. If you like, I will send it to you once again.”

I shook my head in surprise. “Pardon?” Once was fine as a visiting gift, but a second time felt a little burdensome. “It’s alright, Your Highness. It’s too much for me to accept that—”

“It’s not that expensive. You don’t have to feel burdened,” he interjected.

“…?”

I tilted my head. His words didn’t seem reliable. I didn’t know much about tea, but I do know what good tea is when I drink it. Yet he said it was not expensive?

Ah, was it possible that Xavier and I had completely different senses of scale when it came to money? That was very likely. He was a prince that dwelt in the Imperial Palace. There was no way his frame of reference was the same as ordinary people.

I lowered my eyes, then I suddenly became worried when my gaze alighted on something strange.

“Y-Your Highness,” I said to him.

“Yes, Lady Maristella,” he replied.

“Did you…hurt your hand?”

Xavier’s delicate hand had somehow incurred several scratches. After I pointed it out, he suddenly blushed and hid his hand from sight.

“Your hand is a mess. Did something happen?” I asked worriedly.

“I-it’s nothing, Lady Maristella. You don’t have to worry too much about it,” he insisted.

“Well, I’m glad to hear that…” I murmured. I was still staring at his hand with an uneasy look, and Xavier suddenly changed the subject.

“Are you feeling well?” he asked.

“Yes, I’m fine now,” I answered with a light smile. “Actually, I can move already because my bones have almost completely joined together… But my doctor is extra cautious. I think I can finally move next week.”

“I see. That’s a relief.” Xavier gave a gentle smile, but it soon shifted into a frown. “Why did the carriage accident happen, Lady Maristella?”

“Ah…”

Suddenly, Claude came into my mind. If Xavier was asking, that meant he didn’t know that Claude was the responsible party. I smiled hesitantly before answering.

“Actually, it was said that the horse pulling the other carriage ate some hallucinogenic grass.”

“Oh my,” Xavier said in awe.

“So the passenger in the other carriage was injured a lot.”

“Who on earth is that heinous man?” he demanded, and his face twisted into such anger that I was completely taken aback. I needed to tell him the truth, however, and as I opened my mouth to speak—

Knock knock.

There was another knock on the door. But Florinda had just been here.

“Who’s there?” I asked.

“…”

There was no answer even when I asked. Florinda always answered me outside the door, so I knew it wasn’t her.

Then, who?

I knitted my brows in suspicion and tried to push myself up, but Xavier stopped me.

“I can’t let a patient move. I will go.”

He got up and walked to the door. His hand grasped the doorknob, then he turned to open it.

“Who—”

“Ta-da!”

Ah, that was clearly Claude’s voice.