Chapter 50

I felt like I was burned by that gaze. While dancing, my back kept tingling.

Whatever movement I took, it felt like his eyes were stuck like skewers.

“Don’t dance with anyone.”

It was only then that I remembered what Rixus had said in the Imperial Library.

Was that why he was looking at me like that?

I didn’t give a definite answer and didn’t make a promise; since I just answered ‘see you.’

So there was no reason to be poked.

‘…I’m doing this for us, but you don’t even know how I feel.’

Even though it wasn’t something that Rixus could hear, I kept making excuses because I felt like I was falsely accused.

I was not the only one who wanted to eat and live well.

However, it didn’t seem like this explanation would work.

Eventually, my nerves were taken away by Rixus, and my level of dancing that was like a 5-year-old fell, became as sloppy as that of a 4-year-old.

After the song, Johann and I stood facing each other.

He smiled somewhat awkwardly.

“I should get going now, right?”

“You’d better, Archduke Marquis.”

Even at this moment, the blue-purple sword-like eyes were looking this way.

Johann smiled and whispered to me.

“Don’t forget.”

“What?”

“You promised to come and play.”

“Of course.”

Even if he told me not to come, I was going to go.

I couldn’t miss the golden opportunity to get acquainted with my desired talent.

Johann left after receiving a definite answer from me.

But for some reason, I felt disappointed. It felt like I didn’t accomplish all my goals.

‘In the end, I couldn’t even bring up the seal for the marriage permit.’

I stared at the man who I thought was the culprit.

He still sat on the golden seat, slowly drinking wine before instructing his lieutenant, Ires, to do something.

Ires, who frantically ran to his seat, quickly brought a pen, ink and paper.

“Is he going to send me a note?”

Sure enough.

I was sitting in my seat drinking tea when a note arrived.

The delivery man had white hair, wore a monocle, and an expressionless face. It was Ires.

“Your Majesty, the Crown Prince sent a note.”

“…Leave it there.”

I was curious, so I wanted to open it right away, but for some reason, I was afraid to see the content.

But I didn’t hesitate for a long time. This was because whether I read the note or not, Rixus was watching with a hot gaze.

‘Really, I lost.’

I didn’t like to lose, but I decided to lose this time especially.

“What is it? Why is he sending me a note?”

I muttered as if I was sick and tired of it and opened the note.

However, the content of the note was more radical than expected.

“…What, when did I give him a hug?”

What kind of affair drama was this?

To be precise, what we did was not a kiss, but a ‘light kiss’, and I had no choice but to dance with Johann.

Of course, a light kiss was as thrilling as a kiss, and there was a hugging movement while dancing.

It was a time when I was embarrassed about the contents of the note in case someone saw and misinterpreted it.

“The Crown Prince also sent this.”

“…Give it to me.”

He sent another note, as if checking that the ‘1’ mark on the message window was gone and sending messages one after another without patience.

I stared at Rixus and crumpled up the note in my hand mercilessly.

“……?”

Rixus’ forehead was as contorted as the note.

The content of the message that I just received definitely needed correction.

“Ires, give me a pen and paper too.”

“Here you go, Your Majesty.”

Ires quickly held out a note and a feather pen. He was holding the ink in the palm of his hand, so I tapped, putting ink on it.

And, unlike his soft-looking cursive writing, I wrote in a short, decisive way.

After a while, Rixus, who had received the note, jumped up from his seat.

‘Do you want to come closer? There are so many eyes around?!’

‘The madman attribute is coming out again, Rixus.’

It was when I was biting my lips while hurriedly drawing an X to signify not to come.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince!”

Yuria shouted with such a loud voice that I could hear it even from afar.

She stood in front of him, in her pale petal-like dress and with her milky-silver hair shining.

I thought she left crying earlier, but I guess she didn’t leave entirely, perhaps she just went away for a while to collect her emotions. 

Well… It was the first event where Yuria could meet Rixus after she had returned to Aktoum. She wouldn’t miss it.

I heard that she had been in Malta for two years, so it was their first reunion in two years.

So I didn’t have any complaints about them talking for a while.

After all, she owed her life to him, and he saved the life of one of his people.

I was not childish, so I could understand that. What’s wrong with talking?

By the way… 

‘Does she really have to hold onto his sleeve and talk like that?’

Yuria, who was so soft and delicate that it would not be strange even if she collapsed soon, was holding Rixus’ sleeve tightly.

Weren’t there people like that? The kind who unknowingly hit the person next to them when they laughed.

So Yuria’s act of holding onto his sleeve… It was sort of like that. The difference was that she didn’t hold onto anyone else’s, only the sleeves of Rixus.

It was late, but I remembered that this habit was mentioned in the original.

Was it described to be an expression of love and the desire to depend on Rixus…?

‘It’s annoying, I’m like a villainess caught between the main character and the heroine.’

Realizing it late, I quickly shook my head.

It was just the sleeve. No hands, no lips, just simple sleeves.

I shouldn’t do this after telling Rixus that he was childish. 

It was when I was trying to ease my nerves.

Laura, Seryl and Maribel, who approached at the right time, chirped like excited chicks.

“Your Majesty, there’s a little ‘Dessert Day’ over there.”

“Count Metheus brought a caprese that he couldn’t bring that day!”

“……It’s delicious.”

When I looked in the direction the maids were pointing at, I saw Count Quokka and some nobles from the salon.

I went there with the maids as if swept by the waves.

The mozzarella was chewy and the tomatoes were crisp and fresh.

However, while enjoying the delicious food, I realized that the distance with Rixus had unintentionally narrowed.

…Now, maybe 100 cat steps?

‘Can I hear the conversation?’

Without realizing it, my ears slightly perked up.

However, they were still standing on one side of the banquet hall, and the voices of the nobles were so loud that it was hard to hear them.

In the meantime, when I concentrated, I heard Rixus pronounce the word ‘health’.

‘…It’s just a polite conversation.’

It was presumed that the conversation between them wasn’t a personal and sweet secret, it was just a conversation between a man and a woman who were moderately distant.

‘Well, it’s because Yuria’s heart is one-sided.’

His feelings were clear from the first time he saw Yuria in danger.

It wasn’t love at first sight, or even a man’s spirit of chivalry. Even if the target of a robber was a boy or an old man, he would have acted the same.

As the target was one of his people.

Even though I knew everything, I couldn’t help but be curious about the content of their conversation.

It was at the time when I was trembling because I wanted to take 100 hamster steps.

For a moment, Rixus’ sharp gaze turned to me.

Our eyes met exactly.

“……”

I naturally turned my eyes away first.

I didn’t want to show Rixus that I cared about the two of them. I just pretended to enjoy the small party within the banquet with Count Quokka and the maids.

But what did Rixus say to Yuria?

Their positions were soon destroyed.

The gaze of Rixus, who was left alone again, stuck to me once more.

More seriously than before. Persistently.

Perhaps tenacious enough to feel madness.

‘That gaze really bothers me.’

I felt like a deer drinking water in a meadow.

A deer drinking water while fully aware that a black panther was targeting it from afar.

I naturally held up a glass of champagne and looked his way.

The moment our eyes finally met.

I didn’t avoid it.

“…….”

“…….”

We stared at each other as countless people talked and moved.

Rixus drank his wine slowly without shifting his sharp eyes away.

I stood with a relaxed attitude and looked at him as if I was against him.

Like our eyes were closely intertwined like a barbed wire.

Like we were having a secret conversation.

Like when we kissed each other while hiding without anyone knowing.

A strange tension squeezed my chest tightly.

At that moment, when I felt a sense of urgency for some reason, he slowly raised the corners of his lips.

It wasn’t his usual playful or boyish smile.

That was the expression he showed only in bed.

My heart was pounding– so I averted my gaze first.

I didn’t have the courage to look again. Because of the man with excessively erotic eyes.

A song ended while we were making secret eye contact.

And the real incident happened just before the final dance song.

It was at the time when Rixus returned to the chair on the high pedestal and rested his chin in a bored posture.

A clear and beautiful voice resonated in my ears.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, why don’t you dance the next song with me?”

It was Yuria.

Ame: ‘Reason for double update’ is most probably cause this ending is much more exciting ahahaha