CH 91

Translated by Tam

With Fleur’s sudden appearance, Callian dropped his hand, but Fleur seemed to have already seen Callian reaching out to me. 

Seeing her face turn white.

Hmm. 

How is Fleur going to come out?

I tilted my head to one side and raised my eyebrows.

“Fleur.”

Callian hastily approached Fleur.

“Why did you come here? At this early hour.”

“Ah—”

Fleur rolled her eyes with her hands together.

“I came in a hurry to give Your Highness something. But—I didn’t know that the Duchess would be here.”

She looked at me and took a deep breath. Tears welled up in her big eyes.

“By any chance, the newspaper article isn’t really true, is it?”

It was an article about Callian’s affair with me. 

Fleur was talking about the article.

“Fleur!”

Callian shouted and ran to Fleur.

He shook his head holding Fleur’s hand.

“How could you say such a thing! To tie me up with such a wicked woman!”

Excuse me. 

I’m here, and if you say that in front of me, I might get hurt.

I’m speechless, really. 

I laughed in vain. 

Did you not want to see my smile?

Fleur’s gaze turned to me.

“If not, why is the Duchess here—? It’s so early like you said.”

“That’s!”

Callian tried to speak, but covered his mouth with his fist to silence the sound. 

Maybe it’s because he doesn’t know what to say.

Because he shouldn’t be talking about the conversation he had with me today.

At this point, I thought I should step up.

“Fleur, we talked about things you shouldn’t know.”

“…Yes?”

Fleur looked at me with the expression of a delicate female protagonist.

Um, because it’s really disgusting.

I showed a big smile at Fleur.

“Did you not hear me properly? We talked about things you shouldn’t know. So you shouldn’t be curious. Okay?” 

“Ophelia. Stop.”

Callian stopped me.

I shrugged up and stepped back. Fleur’s eyes become sharp.

“What is something I shouldn’t know?”

At Fleur’s question, Callian rubbed the back of his neck with a flustered expression on his face.

“Fleur. It’s not something you shouldn’t know. But it’s something you don’t have to know. So don’t worry about it.” 

“….”

Fleur closed her mouth. 

It’s probably because she thinks that Calian draws the line thoroughly.

In fact, even in the original, Callian was like this.

In terms of politics, he always considered Fleur to be out of the way.

This later leads to a misunderstanding between Fleur and him. However, like a romance novel, the misunderstanding is naturally resolved and the love between the two deepens.

But now is not the time, so it was natural for Fleur to feel disappointed at Callian’s attitude.

Fleur stared blankly at Callian, then moved her gaze to me and stared at me as if to tear me to death.

No, why? 

Why are you glaring at me all of a sudden?

In this case, are you coming to me to get your anger out? 

I laughed in vain because I was dumbfounded.

At this time, Fleur’s lips opened.

“I don’t like Your Highness to be with the Duchess.”

And made a bomb remark.

Oh, I can’t believe that the noble and innocent Fleur even says this.

She must really hate me.

I looked at Fleur with a little surprised eyes. Callian was equally surprised.

“Fleur. About that.”

“I’m telling you. I hate it so much. Your Highness. Please understand my heart.” 

Fleur cut off Callian’s words and said.

Callian’s face hardened.

He saw Fleur like this for the first time, so he was at a loss for what to do.

I’ll have to step up again.

“About that.”

And looked at Fleur.

“I believe it would be best for you to do it after helping Your Highness in some way.”

“T, that’s—!”

“Aren’t you doing nothing to Your Highness right now?”

“Ophelia! That mouth!”

Callian shouted. 

I tilted my head at an angle and shrugged. 

“Why? Did I say something wrong?”

“….”

Fleur bit her lower lip gently.

I felt like her eyes were going to kill me.

But then she won’t make a very good impression on Callian.

Look at it now.

Isn’t Callian looking at Fleur with a strange expression on his face?

“It would be good to come up with something that will be of help to Your Highness. Then you will be able to beat me, right?”

I smiled and passed Fleur. Then I said, “Ah,” and turned my head.

“But you won’t beat me.”

I met Fleur’s gaze.

Her angry eyes were clearly visible, but I didn’t care a bit and only said what I had to say.

“Because I’m much smarter than you.”

Wow, it was such a villainous line.

I walked out of the drawing room, sweeping down my cool chest.

*****

“Your Highness!”

Fleur eventually burst into tears.

Callian hugged Fleur tightly.

“Don’t cry.”

“But—!”

“You really don’t know that my heart breaks when you cry? So stop crying. Hm?”

Callian spoke in a more friendly tone than anyone else.

Only then did Fleur catch her breath, stopping her tears little by little.

“Is what the Duchess said right?” She said, “Because I’m not helpful to Your Highness, I’m useless—.”

Of course, Ophelia didn’t say that.

But it was also correct to interpret it this way in the context, so Callian closed his eyes. 

In fact, Ophelia was right.

To put it bluntly, Fleur was of no use to Callian.

Fleur doesn’t have any politically helpful background, and she’s holding back Callian because she’s a married woman.

Nevertheless, Callian loves Fleur.

Her innocent side, the child-like pure appearance was terribly lovely. 

Perhaps the only reason he was able to survive in this terrible imperial family was because of Fleur.

Callian thought so.

He thought so—.

‘I don’t like Your Highness to be with the Duchess.’

‘I’m telling you. I hate it so much. Your Highness. Please understand my heart.’

However, Fleur, who said this, didn’t seem to be the woman he knew.

Fleur isn’t such a woman, and she’s not the kind of person who talks about something like this—. 

Callian was bound to be confused.

“Your Highness, why are you not speaking?”

“Ah.”

At Fleur’s words, Callian hurriedly came to his senses.

“You don’t have to mind what Ophelia says.”

Callian said firmly. 

“Your existence itself is enough for me. There is no need to look for other reasons.”

As he spoke, his heart was pounding.

Because he doesn’t mean it.

But Fleur doesn’t know.

She doesn’t know. 

“Really?”

She asks with such innocent eyes. 

Callian nodded, feeling his chest tingling again.

“Yes, I mean it.”

Fleur’s face became clear at that moment. She closed her red eyes tightly and hugged Callian. 

“Thank you, Your Highness—”

Callian patted her back and sighed softly.

Really, he can’t do this. 

He thought so.

******

‘Oh, I’m tired.’

I didn’t even do much, but why am I so tired?

I turned my stiff shoulders and leaned against the backrest.

After meeting Callian in the morning and meeting Fleur, I am very confused.

But I did everything I wanted.

We also talked about Count Amber and Marquis Richel, and Fleur was fed up with it.

Isn’t this enough?

I thought so and got off the carriage with a light heart.

But. 

“Ophelia!”

As soon as I got off the carriage, Sylvester ran as if he had been waiting. 

“What’s going on?”

I asked, wondering if he had been waiting for me since morning.

Sylvester narrowed his eyes. 

“Are you asking because you don’t know that?”

He stared at me with a ridiculous look.

“Why didn’t you tell me about Count Amber?”

Oh, how does he know about this?

It seems that even a spy was planted in the imperial palace.

That’s why he knew right away.

But it didn’t change anything just because he knew.

I shrugged and answered back.

“That’s in order to win the Crown Prince’s favor. And I’ve come across this information, do I really need to tell you?”

“Yes! The Count is the person I’ve been watching for a long time! But how can you let the Crown Prince hit the players!”

“You know you’re a bit excited, right?”

I clicked my tongue and said.

“When did you say that I should do anything to seduce the Crown Prince, do you get angry because I do everything?” 

“Seduce, seduce the b*stard!”

Sylvester stomped his feet and swept his hair roughly.

“You can stop it now.”

“What?”

“Stop seducing the Crown Prince.”

Sylvester said with a determined face.

“I need to use your good brain towards me.”

Oh—.

I was spaced out for a moment, and soon came to my senses and responded.

“I don’t want to.”