CH 54.1

“Did you just laugh, Allen?”  Prince Victor’s brown eyes widened as he asked.  He had never seen Duke Kyar smile as often as this in all the years they had known each other. “I only witnessed small smiles from you. Never a laugh.”

Duke Kyar merely glowered at him and didn’t make a fuss.

Yet, Prince Victor remained firm.

“What time is it now? I’ll have to remember this and write it in my diary. I’ll take note of the day I saw Allen’s radiant smile.”

“Raphael. If you’re going to talk nonsense, go back to Arpeon at once.” Duke Kyar said in annoyance.

Gathering his hands together, Prince Victor desperately pleaded,  “Allen, don’t scare me like that. Let’s help each other out, yes? I have prepared something special for you.”

Prince Victor pulled a small box from his pocket and gave it to Duke Kyar.

“What’s this?”

“It’s your birthday present.”

Prince Victor grinned.

Duke Kyar’s scowled at him.

“Raphael. I told you beforehand that I wouldn’t accept any gifts from you. Ever.”

Prince Victor’s gifts gave him nothing but headaches.

When Duke Kyar was eight years old, Prince Victor gave him a fountain pen with the bastard’s face.

It was the first birthday gift Prince Victor had given him.

At the age of nine, Duke Kyar received a toy modeled after Prince Victor’s horse, and at the age of ten, he gave him a cloak that also had his face on it.

Since then, he has refused all the birthday gifts that come from him.

Prince Victor, who loved himself so much that it was borderline narcissistic, had given gifts that were nothing but expensive garbage he wouldn’t like to accept.

“I carefully picked a good gift this time. Trust me on this.”

Duke Kyar’s eyes narrowed suspiciously at the box in his hands.

He opened the box slowly, but he immediately closed it in annoyance when he saw a glimpse.

“Why, don’t you like it, Allen? It’s a golden keychain modeled after my statue back in the Castle.”

“Take it. I don’t want it.” He replied with indifference, as if he didn’t want to deal with Prince Victor anymore.

“Allen, you’re so cold-hearted. But there is nothing I can do with that unless you change your personality. If you don’t like it, maybe I should give it to Isabella–”

“If you do, I’ll kick you out of my Castle and ban you from coming to the North.”

Prince Victor nodded sullenly.

“I see. I see. I guess I should start thinking about your birthday present next year to avoid that.”

“You don’t have to. Just get out.” Duke Kyar said with clenched teeth, and Prince Victor nodded without saying anything.

At that point, Prince Victor realized that Duke Kyar would expel him from the North if he bothered him more, so he exited the office and quietly closed the door.

When Duke Kyar was finally left alone, he glanced down at his bracelet out of habit, and the blue-green crystal at the center shone.

A soft smile spread across his face as he watched the light on the bracelet appear and disappear on repeat.

“I want you to think a lot about me, Isabella.”

He hoped that he would be imprinted in Isabella’s mind even deeper, just like how she was in his.

**

Isabella frowned at the shining blue-green bracelet every time her concentration became less focused.

Even if she tried not to think about it, she always remembered the kiss she shared with Duke Kyar.

It was driving her crazy!

As soon as the memory crossed her mind, the blue-green jewel shone.

Isabella hurriedly took off the bracelet on her wrist.

Was the bracelet sensitive if she started obsessing about that specific person?

Every time the bracelet gleamed, she felt so embarrassed by the knowledge that Duke Kyar might have caught her thinking about him.

“It appeared like I was more obsessive than I thought.”

Isabella shook her head at the bracelet and placed it on the desk.

When her brain started becoming chaotic, it was best to study more herbs or do new research.

Since she had already completed creating drugs for treating illnesses, she should start taking drugs for commercial purposes.

Perhaps, she could begin with skincare since people here were also quite interested in it.

Isabella considered the right combinations as she looked at the list of good herbs for the skin.

When she was finished, she and Ria would write them down.

All the medicine that Ria promoted were popular.

Isabella smiled happily as she recalled Ria’s face as a rookie seller.

It was good that she didn’t have any other thoughts aside from her research.

She focused on work more when her mind was filled with nonsense until she lost track of time.

“You’re working late again, aren’t you?”

Isabella, who was currently recording various manufacturing methods on her parchment, was astonished to hear Duke Kyar’s voice.