CH 11

Chapter 11

In fact, Ikshid was enjoying the current situation very much inside, he was pretending not to look at them but he was actually savoring the Duke’s expression. His keen eyes did not miss the Duke’s facial brows, which wriggled as soon as the box was opened and the golden fabric of the dress were visible.

The fact that he presented a golden fabric, which represents the Imperial family, meant that the woman who was given that gift, would be regarded as a person of the Imperial Family. Usually, this present was given to a servant or to his wife who pledged loyalty or alliance, but it could be used enough in other cases. It can also be a token of affection for your beloved woman.

In fact, there were two dresses he brought as a gift for Eleanor. One was a dinner dress made of gold cloth above which she confirmed previously, and the other was a purple violet-colored evening dress that was folded underneath.

In public, the color that women avoid was not only golden. Purple was also a colored fabric that not anyone could wear carelessly. This was because it symbolized the Duke; the pillar of the Imperial family.

As soon as he heard that the Duke had brought Miller’s younger sister into the his residence as a guest, Ikshid prepared this purple dress. It was a kind of entertainment for the playful prince.

At first, he was just about to make a light joke that he would actively support the next term of ruling, by simply presenting a purple dress to Miller’s sister. The purpose of this futile gift was to enjoy the reaction of the duke, who was sipping tea, and the poor girl he was associated with.

‘If I only gave the purple clothes as a gift, it’d become only a light joke, so I didn’t know that the golden clothes I put in to break down the atmosphere would give me an unexpected delight…’

Ikshid was well aware of the rejection of the Duke’s mysticism toward women. The table that should have already had nine children felt empty, since Tashian maintained his single status, even though he was past the age of marriage.

Feeling so regretful, the prince often made fun of him openly in front of his ministers and enjoyed the atmosphere. He didn’t care if Tashian felt bad at all by such teasing.

It didn’t matter to him whether or not there was a woman whom this insufficient, like a servant, was kept in his heart until now. His concern was only when, how, and in what way the duke was involved with the women.

‘It was eureka.’

Ikshid smiled satisfactorily like a full bloom of cherry blossoms, and looked at Eleanor, who calmly opened the box, and the Duke watching her with a gloomy energy next to him, as if watching a break up play.

When the box was first opened and the golden cloth was discovered, the Duke’s expression was clearly the face of weightlifting that would commit rebellion.

The Duke’s hands, which dared not to take over the gifts given by a prince of a country, and not to mention the royal family’s clothes falling in the hands of a woman who was clearly in his mind, were making beats by nervously moving back and forth, as he sat on his chair.

It was only Ikshid that couldn’t just pass by that unpleasant appearance.

“No, Lord. Is there something bothering you? I’ve never seen you so distracted.”

“……It’s not something that His Majesty would care about. If my attitude has caused concern to His Majesty, it would be right to accuse me of profanity.“

Tashian replied with a cold voice. But Ikshid was able to read the warning in his voice.

In front of him, he pretended to be decent and held a teacup, but Ikshid was not unaware of the fiery nature of the Duke. The inside of Tashian would have been boiling as much as a firewood-filled kiln.

Ikshid smiled satisfactorily and continued to scratch Tashian’s temper.

“Hey, you look like a stiff person. So, why don’t you kiss the woman who will later be crowned as the Duchess? You guys don’t need to be a little sassy. Isn’t that right, Elli?”

Eun-woo, who was suddenly included in the conversation, opened her eyes wide like a rabbit in the meadow who found a hawk in the sky.

“Yes? Uh, um….”

“Your Majesty, please set an example that Duke Miller’s younger sister is a loyal servant of yours after her brother.”

The duke grumbled as if chewing and quickly responded to Ikshid’s words.

Eun-woo thought she heard a tooth grinding through his molars with his eyes closed with a frown on his forehead.

Maybe I was just mistaken…?

“Lord. Are you threatening me?”

“That’s not fair.”

“Why are you holding your fist like that?”

“You saw it wrong, Your Highness.”

Tashian responded with a voice of the cold wind, even through Eun-woo’s eyes, there were clearly blue tendons in his fist.

“What do you mean I saw it wrong? Do you dare to make fun of me in front of me?”

“Please kill me then, Your Highness.”

“If I had done so, every time you whined to kill me, you would have died a thousand times even if you already died.”

“Please take my insufficient vocabulary seriously….”

“Aish*! It’s not fun. Let’s stop.”

(TN: Aish; is a term used to express something. Usually this term is used when you’re mad, like the term, ‘Oh my god.’)

Ikshid picked up a Blanche cookie from a refreshment plate, like a five-year-old baby whining and bit it with a crackling sound. Tashian’s eyes flashed. Eun-woo doubted at the moment that he might want to chew Ikshid like that snack, she then swallowed her dry saliva.

‘I thought the prince’s abandonment of duty as a member of the royal family was all the reason for treason, but maybe it was another reason…’

The silence refreshment continued, with only the rattling sound of the teacup echoing.

For Eun-woo, this position could not have been so visible.

Caught between the next owner of the empire, the crown prince, and the villain duke, who was scheduled to betray him, the Prince, she had to listen to the poignant jokes they threw at each other all the time. Her stomach, which had been unwell, was almost relieved.

“Lord. Elli is scared because you’re frowning so much. Can’t you see her, shaking the tea cup right now?”

“Your Highness, my expression is the same as usual. I suspect that it is someone other than me who found Miss so uncomfortable that she shakes her hand.”

“In other words, you implied it was me.”

“I didn’t say anything.“

“The only people here are her and me. If it’s not you, the Duke, then it’s me!”

Ikshid slammed and hit the table with his eyes. Tashian did not even give a glance to him, but only sipped the car with thin eyes. And she gave a sigh-like answer.

“… If you have conceived it that way, this Duke has no way to stop the deep intentions of Your Highness that flowed that way.”

The invisible war of nerves between the crown prince and the duke shook as if the air in the atmosphere had been struck by lightning.

Looking at the two men growling at each other that even monkeys and dogs could not growl, Eun-woo realized that the relationship between the two which was described by the novel was only the tip of the iceberg.

The novel described both of them as Hellasium’s golden hawk and black leopard. Even if you look at them one by one, they would be spectacular, but the bigger attraction was that, the two gathered in one place to reveal their teeth and claws and fight.

The attendants brought by Ikshid looked comfortable without wavering, as if they were already familiar with the scene.

Only Eun-Woo, who knew the ending, was scared to death of the current situation. She tried hard to stop her hair from exploding right away.

“Oh my, the weather is so nice. Look at the blue sky.“

“How can I see the sky in front of my eyes when I see that I am inferior to a child of a weightlifter?”

Ikshid spat out a sigh of complaints. Eun-woo turned blue at the word ‘weightlifting’ that popped out of his mouth. But Tashian is so amazing.

It was only a quick attack as if it had improved.

“Just as a famous pen does not blame the brush, a gentleman does not judge the incision of a subordinate who has achieved success.”

“In other words, I wasn’t a wise Prince?”

“The interpretation depends on the listener’s mindset. Think as you wish, Your Highness.”

Eun-woo just wanted to die.

How on earth will the two seem to prevent a war of nerves?

At that time, she sat down, carrying the scary weight of the two of them. The touching bridge fell to the ground, and he held his hands over his face on the table. A serious expression she saw for the first time rose above his face.

“Now, let’s stop warming up and get to the point.”

Eun-woo doubted his rapid change of attitude, which seemed to suddenly become a completely different person.

No, does that mean everything has been just a joke so far?

Tashian maintained a consistent expression like a stone statue as if he was familiar with it.

“I was waiting for you to open your mouth. What are you doing this time?”

“You must have received a letter from His Majesty earlier concerning the current situation that had happened to Marquis Miller. I have come here to give you a brief overview of the progress of the matter.”

Eun-woo pricked up her ears. If it’s after Miller, it’s her brother? Ikshid hesitated when he noticed her sensitive reaction.

“…. I tried to call Eleanor separately to deliver the news, but this is what happened. Forgive this ugly Brother for not delivering it earlier.”

“Dear Crown Prince brother… Did something happen?”

Eun-woo pressed down on what he wanted to stamp his feet on and tried to ask calmly.

If Marquis Miller comes to pick her up as soon as possible, wouldn’t she get out of this suffocating duke’?

Ikshid, who had been silent for a while, soon confessed in a mixed voice as if apologizing.

“Elli, my mouth has nothing to say to you. You are well aware that your brother left for Australch last month to carry out the orders of His Majesty. However, from the vicinity of the hazard council, your brother and all of his subordinates have fallen into a state of unknown identity, whose whereabouts cannot be confirmed.”

Eun-woo looked up at the serious prince’s face in a dark mood.

“According to the investigation team sent by the Imperial Kingdom, it was predicted that it might be the responsibility of a group of pirates in control of the strait.”

Eun-woo asked back, wrapping her sweaty fingers.

“Warawi pirate?“

Ikshid grumbled as he touched his forehead.

“That’s what happened. I’ve already recognized that your brother is not an ordinary person, but I didn’t expect even the notorious bullies of the Warawi Strait to recognize him.”

“Are you kidding me now… ! If they are pirates, my brother’s life is in danger!”

Eun-woo jumped up with both hands on the table. With the rebound, her teacup rolled over and fell to the floor with a gurgling sound.

However, the reaction of the two men was far beyond her expectations.

They answered immediately, casually.

“No, that’s not true.“

“Eleanor, that won’t happen.”

It sounded cold as if there was nothing funnier than that in the world.

Ikshid shook his hand and said.

“It won’t happen even if the sky is two-sided. Maybe I’ll see it once before I die.”

“Don’t worry. Whatever he does, he’s the one who will live the longest among us four.”

Ikshid briefly hardened his face to see if Diego Miller imagined the sight of his death, and soon shook his head as if he had failed. Tashian doesn’t seem surprised by the news.

It was a weird attitude.

Eun-woo hesitated in a daze.

Obviously, in the novel, I think these three were once described as ‘friends who will never die’…?