Chapter 81

At Elvin’s words, I had no choice but to close my lips again and remain still.

A second passed as slowly as a minute.

It was inevitable for two people to hide behind the pillar, and I was almost locked in Elvin’s arms.

I belatedly found a brooch on his chest.

The brooch with a red ruby in the center was a gift from me.

Why?

Perhaps it was because the space was small, and my chest was stuffy, and my face felt hot for some reason.

“If anyone sees what we are doing right now, they might misunderstand.”

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“Isn’t that obvious?”

“If they’re going to misunderstand, let them. What’s the matter?”

Elvin replied calmly.

Looking at his seemingly innocent face, it seemed that I was the only one feeling uncomfortable in this situation.

I belatedly regretted that I had refused the servant’s guidance earlier and said that I would go by myself.

If so, this wouldn’t have happened.

But regretting it didn’t change anything.

Humans are animals of adaptation, and the discomfort and embarrassment I felt at first quickly got used to it.

Instead, boredom came.

I raised my head and looked at Elvin.

With his lips closed, his expressionless face looked very cold.

“...Did you just help me?”

“Because there is nothing good about being caught up in knowing the complicated family history of the imperial family.”

Elvin’s eyes turned to me.

As we got closer, the difference in height between us became real.

Roxana wasn’t short on her stature either, but she was about two heads shorter than him.

Thinking about how he helped me a while ago, Elvin was quite thoughtful and considerate.

I answered, avoiding his gaze.

“Thank you.”

“What is this? It’s natural to help friends when they have difficulties.”

How long is this ‘friend’ excuse going to last?

‘People might think we’re old friends.’

After taking off his mask, Elvin seemed even more brazen. How many minutes has passed since we were in that state? Frustrated, I twisted my body slightly and looked behind him.

The Crown Prince and the second Prince were nowhere to be seen. I looked around, but it was the same.

“It looks like they’re gone now.”

“Is that so?”

Elvin stepped back behind her with her sad face. I wondered if he really didn’t know that the two Princes were gone. As he moved away from me, the warmth faded away and the surroundings became colder. The temperature seemed to have dropped a lot because of the rain. As the wind blew, my body trembled.

“I’ll go now. Thank you.” As I was about to leave after saying goodbye, something fell on my shoulders. It was the coat that Elvin was wearing.

“I’m done with my business, too, and I’m about to go back, so I guess we can go together.”

“If anyone sees it, they’ll think it’s strange. I don’t want to cause any more trouble, so it’s okay.”

“What do you mean? Wran into each other and we’re on our way back, so that’s why we’re here together. It’s not wrong.”

“It’s troublesome to be caught up in another scandal.”

I handed the overcoat that was hanging over my shoulders back to Elvin.

Then he accepted it with a bitter face.

I felt a sense of guilt at the sight.

“Then I can’t help it. You go first. I’ll go in five minutes.”

“Thank you. Then...”

After bowing my head slightly, I left.

As I walked, I could feel Elvin’s gaze from behind until I turned a corner.

It felt kind of uncomfortable.

“Lady, why are you so late? It’s even raining.”

As I came out of the entrance of the Emperor’s Palace, Joan grabbed the umbrella and rushed towards me.

She grumbled as she tilted the umbrella toward me.

“I grabbed a passerby and asked him, and he said that the meeting ended a long time ago, and I wonder if something happened. I was worried. Nothing happened, right?”

Joan looked at me with a look of concern.

“Yeah, nothing happened.”

***

The second Prince’s palace.

Then the 2nd Prince summoned him.

“Ellen, you stay. I have something to tell you.”

Ellen stopped his steps and turned back with a puzzled face.

After bowing politely, the doctor left the room.

Soon the door closed, leaving the two of them in the room.

The second Prince’s expression was deeply subdued.

At the same time as his expressionless face and his serious voice, Ellen’s face also became serious.

He asked the second Prince.

“Your Highness, what do you want me to do?”

After all, the 2nd Prince was also a human being, and there was no way he wouldn’t have been angry about what happened today.

Ellen himself couldn’t tolerate it either.

Was it something he was going to order about the Crown Prince? Or the empress?

Ellen waited nervously for the second Prince’s answer.

“See if Princess Lillian had entered the palace today.”

“What?”

Ellen was puzzled at the words in a completely different direction than he expected.

he couldn’t understand it.

Why is the Princess popping out all of a sudden?

Maybe she did something disrespectful to the second Prince today?

Maybe she really did, given her notoriety.

He heard she was stupid and vicious.

Of course, people said that she had changed recently, but people’s personality wouldn’t change easily.

Didn’t people say that they get along with each other?

The Crown Prince and his fiancée, the Princess, must have been there with the second Prince.

“Answer.”

At the second Prince’s voice, Ellen woke up from his thoughts.

“Yes. I’ll see to it.”

The 2nd Prince glanced at him like that and gave an order.

“Get out.”

Ellen walked out of the office and lamented.

Duke Lillian was a rare talent.

However, he heard that his daughter, the Princess, had a disposition like an immature child.

Because of her, the Duke of Lillian was involved in the struggle for the throne and joined the Crown Prince.

In the end, the Duke had become an enemy of the second Prince.

In order to win the throne, the first enemy to be eliminated was Duke Lillian, the Crown Prince’s most reliable supporter.

In war, the only thing that followed the loser was death.

And the chance that the Crown Prince would win in this battle for the throne was very small.

Originally, a soldier’s life depended on which commander he chose.

The Duke of Lillian, knowing it all, chose a dangerous path for his daughter.

The cost would have been more horrendous than expected.

Ellen sympathized with the Duke inwardly.

They were going to fall together because of the wrong parenting of his daughter.

But even though it was sad, nothing changed.

Ellen shook his head, remembering the Duke’s face.

***

When I returned to the mansion, the sun had already set.

After changing my clothes, Annie brought me an invitation while I was sitting on the sofa resting.

It was an invitation to the annual charity event held by Marquis Flynn.

Marquis Flynn’s attitude toward me was hostile, but the Flynn was an influential family in the Empire.

There was a close relationship with the duke, and the relationship was not bad.

I asked, and handed the invitation back to Annie.

“Is my father going too?”

“Yes. I think so. His Excellency asked if the Lady would attend?”

“Tell him I’m going. It’s natural, since I attend every year.”

“Yes. Then I’ll tell him that.”

Annie nodded with a smile on her face.

She then asked me.

“By the way, Lady, your face looks bright today. Did something good happen in the imperial palace?”