70 Aftermath Crown Prince POV

Prince Albert's POV

I could only blankly stare at the door close. Today I summoned Cecile so I could lightly punish her for her behaviour in the past few weeks. She not only public challenged the King but also supported those who were bad-mouthing Julia. I thought she would comply and looked at the other way like always, but...

"Don't be like that. You know how much Cecile treasure those that work for her"

Lukas tapped my shoulders in comfort. Yes, I know she treats all her subordinates as her family, but I never thought she would turn her back on me because of them.

Sigh.

"I need some time alone. Leave"

Nodding in acknowledgement, my friends left the office. I tiredly sat down once again on my chair. Touching my cheek I could still feel the stingy pain for the slap.

"Did I really change?"

Thinking through everything that happened the last few months, I let a mocking laugh. Not only did I let my enemy escape, but I also failed to see his real intention. If not for Cecile coming to warn us and that damn writer uncovering the food market movements, I would be in the dark and caught unprepared. Although I'm confident that I could cope with whatever they put in my plate my recent carelessness could cost too much for our Kingdom and those who would suffer the most would be the common people.

Recalling what I just said about my biggest support, the mocking sneer in my face couldn't help but get bigger. If the writer of "The huge conspiracy and the complacent Royal Family" knows about what I just said, for sure her next article would be "The Hypocrite Crown Prince". How could I discriminate with commoners when my future Queen is half-commoner herself? Maybe I just wanted to hurt Cecile, but even so, I feel that somehow I really believed the words I said to her...

'I have the urge to spit on your disgusting face!'

The furious eyes that glared at me while she said those words made a shudder pass through my body. But worse than the flames in her glare, what really made me fear was how the fury changed to a cold indifferent.

I only saw Cecile looking at someone like that once. A girl that was one of those trying to be the next Crown princess harnessed Cecile when we were 10-12 years old. Cecile would always let her be, but she completely destroyed the girl in the social circle once the girl hurt Cecile's maid. The moment the slap hit Mary, Cecile who was still amused by the girl's action completely changed her look to the cold glare she gave me. Since then I have never seen the girl in this Kingdom's social circle. I heard that her father sent her to study in a neighbouring country.

I ran my hand through my hair imagining what could Cecile do in revenge, and each option that popped in my mind would be horrible.

*crack*

Taking me out of the reverie, Julia broke in and threw herself in my arms. All the depressing thoughts escaped once I saw my lover I didn't see for a week.

After the parade, we had a fight because she kept crying and mumbling that cursed Duke son's name. After that, she was filled with grief and got occupied with all the aftermath of the event and barely talked again.

The happiness that I felt quickly turned to concern and the fury, once I saw her crying and the red mark on her face.

"Are you all right, babe? Who hurt you?"

"Boohoo Al. I-i t-tried to talk with Cecile but she was unreasonable and hit me so hard that I fell! She even threatens me!"

'Cecile?'

"Why did she hit you, Julia?"

"I only went to ask her if she already went to ask forgiveness in Mayne's tombstone"

Hearing the name of that bastard name, my fury only grew. But once I processed her phrase, I could only stare at her with complex emotions.

Feeling my unstable mood, Julia looked me with her puppy eyes filled with tears.

"What's wrong, Al?"

A tired sigh escapes my lips. Picking her, I put her on the sofa and sit across her.

"Julia we need to talk"