CH 15

[It was around the time when Akid came out of the suffocating party hall and was breathing for a while.

Clatter!

With the sound of something being poured, ice water was poured over him.

“Oh my, I’m sorry! I was going to water the flowers. So why do you have to pass by there?”

He heard a sound that he didn’t know whether they were apologizing or teasing him.

When Akid lifted his head, there was Loena and her friend, Diana Riche, giggling and laughing. Diana said this.

“Are you alright, Grand Prince? Phew, what should we do. His clothes are ruined, so he’ll have to go back to the castle again.”

“That’s right, Grand Prince. Entering a party like that would be a laughing stock. You can’t disappoint the Grand Duke, can you?”

As Loena responded and giggled, Akid clenched his fists, quelling his anger.

“I guess so. I’ll be going ahead.”

He turned around with those words. As if he wasn’t interested in the party anyway.

Loena, who didn’t like his dull look, bit her lips and turned around at the same time.]

“Ugh!”

I took a deep breath at the memories that hit my head hard.

That’s why, when I grabbed Akid’s forearm so hard unconsciously, he put on a surprised expression.

“Wife?”

What is this? Is this the novel?

Or Loena’s memory?

My lips trembled at the sudden, vivid memory that entered my mind.

This wasn’t my memory. Since I possessed Loena, I’ve never bothered Akid even once.

Rather, if I dealt with the hordes of evil that made Akid suffer, I would punish them, but I’ve never bothered Akid.

‘Then is this Loena’s memory?’

I looked at Diana, who was new to me.

As the memories of her were engraved in my head, I felt Diana’s anecdotes take its place in my mind.

Diana was Loena’s friend. She was the first friend Loena made after she came to Hadellus Castle, and the person who harassed Akid together with her.

I don’t know why the memories of the past suddenly came to mind, but she wasn’t a very pleasant person.

“Loena, are you okay?”

Diana opened her eyes wide, naturally took me from Akid and crossed her arm around mine.

Staring at Akid, it seemed like she thought I was forced to escort him.

He backed away without rebellion.

Somehow, his face didn’t look good. As soon as I saw it, I knocked Diana out and grabbed Akid’s hand.

It was because if I didn’t hold onto him, Akid would turn around without hesitation, just as I remembered earlier.

“Wife?”

His eyes widened as I suddenly grabbed his hand. The blue-gray eyes trembled shallowly.

“Loena?”

Diana also looked at me with a puzzled face.

It’s like, “Why did you do that?” as if I did something wrong.

I was a bit confused by the memories in my head. Loena obviously had fun harassing Akid.

However, when he left without even responding, she was rather angry.

Why?

Did she find it boring because his reaction was minimal?

“What’s wrong with you? Did he catch any of your weaknesses?”

Then Diana looked at Akid and me alternately with her sullen face. At this, I cleared my messy thoughts and looked at Diana.

“Weakness, you say?”

“Um, you’re with the Grand Prince…”

“Is it because he caught my weakness if a couple comes together?”

“Huh? No…”

Diana stuttered, chewing her lower lip.

It was a completely different reaction from the Loena she had known before, so her thoughts seemed to have increased.

I put Diana aside and told Akid. I was holding his hand tightly in case he ran away.

“Where are you going?”

“Pardon?”

“You said you would be by my side today. Who would walk away like that?”

Akid alternated between his grasped hand and my face, then replied lightly.

“I’m not going anywhere. I was just going to back out while you were chatting with your friend.”

Then he grabbed my hand and held it tight. I was a little relieved by that slight pressure.

But that wasn’t enough, so I clasped my hands.

“Our talk is over. Diana, you can go.”

My cold reaction gave Diana a look on her face, and she hurriedly disappeared. But I didn’t follow her.

As I didn’t want to be friends anymore with someone who bullied Akid.

Moreover, most of the memories that came to my mind told me that she encouraged me to bully Akid.

In particular, she played a huge role in Loena’s dislike of Akid.

‘That’s why you should choose your friend wisely.’

I shook my head, shaking off Loena’s immature past.

I should do well from now on. If I give Akid unconditional love for the rest of the 7 years, his wounds will heal a little.

That was then. Akid pulled his hand towards me. Then he whispered in my ear.

“Are you really okay?”

“Pardon? What?”

“I’m asking whether it would be fine to send Lady Riche like that.”

Akid glanced at Diana’s side. She was sniffing among the crowd.

I’m sure she was talking about me while pretending to be a victim.

In the beginning, among young children, friends were everything.

Because children throw unreasonable numbers so as not to break out of the group. Perhaps Akid was concerned about it.

Loena had only a few friends. She was also an outsider, and her personality wasn’t very docile, that’s why there weren’t many people attached to her.

Among them, it was Diana’s group that was kind to Loena. Loena naturally melted into the existing flock.

That method was gossip. I shrugged and reacted cynically towards them.

“I didn’t want to be friends with them any more.”

I noticed several acting leaders looking at me with their sharp eyes as if it had already started.

If so, what harm can they do to me, the Grand Princess?

I would be grateful if they could do it. I will cut off the buds and repay them for my viciousness.

‘Fufufu. I can’t stand those who torment my boy.’

It was when I was responding to the staring of my opponents with such determination.

“Wife, you really have changed.”

Akid’s soft whispers tickled my ear. As if that had been a signal, my body relaxed.

How come even his voice is so good?

I was startled as I slowly moved my head to meet his gaze the moment I felt it tickling in my ear.

“…!”

Blue-grey eyes were staring at me right in front of me. It was closer than I thought.

He was whispering, so it was natural for him to be close.

Akid stared at me stiffly, as if he didn’t know I would turn my head all of a sudden.

He was like a startled rabbit, and I endured with all my weak will to not make my nostrils flutter.

“I-I’m sorry.”

He backed away belatedly. It seemed to me that his earlobes were blushing and he was very embarrassed.

‘H-How cute!’

I managed to hold back the desire to spit out a fist-cry. After that, we talked frantically with others approaching

The eyes of Diana and her flock, who were looking at me and Akid strangely, were ignored.

***

While the party was in full swing, after Loena had been away for a while, Diana’s group came in front of Akid.

As Diana crossed her arms with a sassy expression on her face, she pushed Akid away.

“What did you do to Loena?”

At first glance, it seemed that they had been waiting for Loena to go out and leave her seat. Akid looked at Diana without an expression and responded.

“You’re talking as if I had done something to my wife.”

“Yeah, Loena is so different from usual, obviously…!”

It was time for Diana to reach and shoot as usual. Akid cut off her words.

“Do you want to say that you’re sure I have found her weakness?”

“T-That…”

Instead of looking down at him in anger, Diana stared at Akid with a puzzled expression on what he was about to say.

Then she curled her lips towards Akid’s cold expression and asked.

It was a completely different expression from the fragile Grand Prince she had ever seen.

There was no warmth in Akid’s eyes, just like the wild beast that had been hiding its fangs among herbivores.

Today, the blue light in his gray eyes felt like a dark blue blade.

As Diana backed away from his intimidation, Akid took a step closer.

Akid was taller than her peers, so she had no choice but to look up at him for a long time. He said coolly.

“The reason I’ve only been watching Lady Riche for so long is because you’re Loena’s friend.”

“I-I’m still Roena’s friend!”

“My wife said no.”

“W-What did you say?”

Diana stuttered with a bloated face. It was because there was a clear smirk on Akid’s lips.

Somehow it was so creepy that her fingertips trembled.

‘W-What is this. Is this the Grand Prince I knew?’

It was as if he had become a different person. So Diana couldn’t push Akid back as easily as before.

“Who knew that the Lady had been ignoring me and felt a subtly superior feeling?”

“I-I have never…!”

“You say you’ve never done that.”

Akid cut Diana’s words and muttered under high pressure.

“Then you’re trying to blame me, the Grand Duke now?”

Would she dare?

Diana stepped back from Akid, trembling at his low-pitched voice.

Then she tripped over her dress. Even at a distance that he could be held, Akid only took a step back.

Crash!

With a loud noise, Diana fell on the floor.

Seeing her terrified, Akid smirked. Then he tilted his upper body and whispered softly so only she could hear it.

“This is the only time I can put up with your rudeness. So get out before my wife comes…”

That was then.

“What’s going on?”

Loena’s voice came from behind her like a savior.

Diana looked back at her, with tears welled up in her eyes and a pitiful expression on her face.

“Loena. Huwaaaaaaa.”