CH 40

As she recalled that moment, Leia, whose headache had started again, tapped her forehead.

Despite hurriedly getting off her horse and searching for him, she couldn’t find him because there were a lot of people and the complicated alleys were more complex than a chessboard.

News was belatedly delivered to the palace, and portraits depicting the prince’s appearance were distributed to each castle wall.

The Crown Prince announced the suspension of the birthday celebration.

It was nothing out of the ordinary.

If there were unexpected political events or unfortunate incidents, the progress easily gets pushed back.

However, this incident involved the disappearance of the person who had been implicitly nominated as the Crown Prince’s partner, so everyone sincerely prayed for his safe return.

Due to the composed Crown Prince, who appeared unaffected on the surface, Leia was becoming increasingly desperate.

If he finds the prince, Carl might be deprived of his freedom.

Whether he found him or not, it was a problem. Leia didn’t know what to do.

“Well then, I will visit you again.”

Adrian politely placed his hand over his chest, bid farewell to Leia, and turned away.

“Your Highness Adrian.”

In Adrian’s empty gaze, filled with darkness and gloom, Leia, who was feeling uneasy, tried to hold him back, but the Crown Prince spoke words that were inappropriate at this moment.

“Oh, I will officially announce it later, but Lindbergh is not merging with Heineken. Instead, it is planned to become an independent Principality.”

Leia’s eyes widened.

“It is what the prince desired, and it was also decided to establish a friendly alliance with Heineken. Princess, please prepare yourself mentally as you are to ascend to the position of a monarch.”

Leia’s heart, which rarely wavered, began to beat thump, thump.

The moment she had longed for was finally approaching.

To rightfully ascend the throne, to rescue the people, and to reclaim the former glory.

It was Leia’s wish, who had lived as a princess for twenty-two years.

However, she couldn’t purely rejoice because her younger brother, who had given her the opportunity, had disappeared.

Adrian had left the room, and Leia felt a chill at the tip of her nose.

The winter has begun in earnest.

Multiple people were mobilized to find the whereabouts of the missing prince.

Furthermore, when the Crown Prince’s twenty-first birthday celebration was canceled, Rashida Lulu couldn’t hide her anxiety and bit her lips.

Natasha gasped and tried to stop her.

“Why are you doing this? Your lips are bleeding.”

Lulu clung to Natasha.

“What is His Highness the Crown Prince doing right now? And what about young Duke Hendrick?”

“You’ve asked that question for the third time today. His Highness the Crown Prince is currently in the council chamber, and the young Duke is probably at the Hendrick Manor.”

Upon Natasha’s words, Lulu jumped up and exclaimed, “No, no, it can’t be!”

“Today is the day! It’s a special day for His Highness the Crown Prince, and they should be together. Why are they separated?”

Even if the birthday celebration was canceled, they should be together!

This time, Lulu started biting her nails.

Here we go again.

Natasha sighed and straightened her wrinkled skirt.

Because of Lulu, who lay on the floor instead of the perfectly good sofa, Natasha had to clean the floor dozens of times a day.

“The atmosphere in the palace is already restless. Can’t you just stay still, Miss Lulu?”

Even though she wasn’t usually well-behaved, when it came to the Crown Prince and young Duke Hendrick, Lulu acted like a particularly unhinged person, and it annoyed Natasha.

“Why should it be restless? Because Carl Lindbergh left? I’ve told you countless times. He means nothing. He’s not the Crown Prince’s partner!”

Natasha paused as she cleaned the floor and was about to lay a new rug.

She liked the prince of Lindbergh.

His handsome appearance, warm demeanor, and his care for the revered Crown Prince were the reasons.

And yet, the prophet spoke ill of such a prince every day.

The presence of the witch, which she initially found cute, began to feel more and more disapproving.

“Please don’t speak that way.”

As Natasha’s expression turned terrifying when she glared at Lulu, Lulu became unjustly upset.

“It’s true! Carl Lindbergh was a villain, and only played the role of criticizing what His Highness did every time.”

Natasha stomped her foot on the floor.

“Please stop spouting nonsense! Why do you keep saying things like that about the prince, Miss Lulu?”

Natasha, who was getting increasingly irritated by Lulu repeatedly crossing the line, finally yelled out.

“Since when did the prince ever stand in front of His Highness the Crown Prince’s way? Don’t you know that thanks to Prince Carl, the magic stones of the Mochu Mountains now belong to Heineken?”

Lulu, with hunched shoulders, pouted her lips.

It was an adorable sight, but Natasha didn’t give it any attention.

“Don’t you know that he also made significant contributions to stopping Lindbergh’s tyranny?”

Lulu murmured, insisting, “But still, but still…”

“How do you know if it’s all just a scheme to undermine His Highness the Crown Prince?”

Natasha snorted.

“A scheme? To undermine him? I’m sorry, Miss Witch, but as a commoner, I don’t really know much about these things. But if anyone’s being undermined, it’s the Omega Prince, not His Highness.”

Lulu, who was irritated by Natasha’s mocking tone, grumbled and then yelled in frustration.

“Today, His Highness must be with Belfry, no matter what. Then we’ll find out. That I’m right!”

Although Lulu didn’t know how to connect His Highness the Crown Prince, who was unwilling, with young Lord Belfry, as long as Belfry entered the palace, Lulu planned to bring up the prophecy.

“Even young Lord Belfry doesn’t have that level of affection for His Highness, and His Highness the Crown Prince is the same. What basis do you have to believe they are in love?”

Natasha was astounded by Lulu’s naivety.

As the head maid of the main building, who was right below her, she had frequent interactions with the Crown Prince and Belfry.

From a distance or up close, they were nothing more than friends with a master-servant relationship.

Feeling unjustified by Natasha’s contemptuous gaze, Lulu kept babbling excuses.

“From the beginning, they were more than friends but less than lovers! Since last month, there had been special feelings sprouting between the two. And finally, today, with young Duke Hendrick…”

Towards the end, Lulu’s voice choked up and grew louder.

“This is all because of that damned prince! He suddenly appeared, claiming to rescue Lindbergh, and ruined everything! I told him to leave earlier, so why is he still interfering even after leaving?!”

Upon hearing Lulu’s words, Natasha covered her mouth in disbelief.

“Goodness!”

This witch was even more insane than she had thought.

Leaving Lulu, who ran towards the bed, burying her face and crying, Natasha rushed outside.

And not long after, the Crown Prince, looking utterly exhausted as if he had embraced all the weariness of the world, appeared in Lulu’s room.

“Ah, Adrian.”

“So, you’re royalty.”

Lulu’s eyes filled with tears again at Adrian’s cold tone.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince Adrian.”

Lulu descended from the bed and stood before the Crown Prince, clasping her hands together.

The Crown Prince stood in front of her like a statue, merely gazing down.

Today’s Adrian seemed quite unfamiliar.

Though Lulu didn’t meet him frequently, when they did cross paths, he was generally warm in nature.

“Right, you told Carl to leave the palace.”

His words were gentle, but they pierced Lulu’s heart like a sharp spear.

“… It wasn’t just advice; it was a prophecy.”

“So what? Did he willingly leave? Did he say where he was going? Or did you tell him where to go?”

Lulu, who had the confidence to answer calmly when asked about the prophecy, couldn’t hide her confusion when Adrian showed no interest.

“Tell me, are you assisting Carl in his journey?”

Pressured by Adrian’s momentum, Lulu lifted her head.

Although she did say he should leave, Lulu had no idea where he was going or what he would do.

“Well, forget it then.”

Adrian turned away with an indifferent gesture.

Lulu hurriedly ran up and grabbed onto the Crown Prince’s clothes, but Adrian swatted her away with a thud.

“It’s a prophecy, Your Highness. The one you’re meant to be with is not him.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

If anyone had witnessed it, they might have thought the Crown Prince was choking Lulu.

Shocked by the indifferent gaze and voice of the numb Crown Prince, Lulu opened her mouth and gasped for air as if trying to replenish her insufficient oxygen.

“Why, why does it not matter? Your true love is right there, closest to you.”

Natasha shivered, wanting to cover Lulu’s mouth.

It was because Adrian smiled.

“Are you perhaps a god?”

“What?”

Lulu took a step back.

“Are you perhaps a god?”

“… I-I’m not a god, but I can see the future.”

Adrian bent down, bringing his face close to Lulu’s, as he placed his hands on his waist.

Adrian was clearly reflected in Lulu’s golden eyes.

“Now, go ahead and read. Who is that person who will be next to me?”

“… B-Belfry.”

“Tsk.”

As if he heard something he didn’t want to hear, Adrian, with his ears pricked up, asked again.

“Who is that person who will be next to me? Look again.”

This time, Lulu couldn’t provide an answer.

Even though she was independent and did as she pleases, she knew that if she mentioned Belfry’s name again,  something would go wrong.

Moreover, Adrian was fidgeting with the rapier hanging on his hip, which made her even more uneasy.

Lost in thought, Lulu tightly closed her eyes, and Adrian stepped back.

“You staying in this palace was not because of your prophecies, but to repay our debts.”

Lulu’s body trembled like an aspen.

“Maintain the manners of a guest and do not overstep your boundaries.”

Adrian turned around but did not step outside the door.

“Ah, if you happen to have any foresight about Carl’s whereabouts, let me know. But I forbid any other prophecies.”

Natasha did not help Lulu, who slumped to the floor.