CH 66

‘Why does he keep chasing me?!’

A futile chase in broad daylight.

My opponent was Adenmir, the First Prince of the Empire and my former fiancé.

“Lady. Can you see someone coming towards the annex? …Huh? The First Prince?”

Martha’s sudden glance out the window alerted me to the arrival of the First Prince, and I was running up and down the grounds.

It was only natural.

“I apologize for bothering you all this time, and once we part ways, I’ll try to keep out of your sight as much as possible.”

Once you say something, you have to keep it.

Whether he was aware of my efforts or not, the first prince wandered around the annex. It was driving me crazy trying to keep my promise.

I was exhausted after wandering through the bedroom, the garden, the drawing room, the dining room, and every other part of the annex.

“Ugh, I’m exhausted.”

I leaned against a tree in the backyard and caught my breath. It would take me a long time to reach the stables.

I wondered why he’s being so persistent when the breakup went well, and I’ve been sending him the antidote steadily.

‘Maybe there’s a problem with the antidote.’

I couldn’t understand why he was coming to see me when he could have just written to me.

After a short break, I turned to the building to escape again.

It was then.

“I finally found you. “

“Heuk.”

I turned my head at the voice I heard from behind, and for some reason, Adenmir, who was smiling faintly, was approaching me.

I hesitantly took a step back, and he took two steps forward. 

As I began to panic at the suddenly narrowed distance, the First Prince asked in a questioning tone, “Why are you avoiding me?”

I was the one who was taken aback by his question.

“That’s because I promised to stay out of your sight if we get an annulment…….”

That’s what he agreed to, and I was sure he hadn’t forgotten, so why was he acting like he doesn’t remember at all?

And for some reason, he made a face like he didn’t like it.

“Is that why you’re running around like this? And for how long?”

“Until I die……?”

“…….”

Adenmir looked at me as if he was dumbfounded. But it was me who was really dumbfounded.

How could he not see my tearful efforts to be considerate of my ex-fiancée, knowing that it would make him feel uncomfortable to meet me?

“I’m avoiding you because I know you’re uncomfortable seeing me.”

“I’m not uncomfortable.”

With that, he took a few more steps toward me.

I felt burdened by the excessively close distance and wanted to step back, but there was a beautiful tree blocking my back.

I leaned as close to the tree as I could, feeling like I was suffocating and opened my mouth.

“You hate me.”

“Who said that? I don’t hate you.”

“……?”

It was no secret that the First Prince Adenmir hated me, I knew it, Martha knew it, the nobles of the capital knew it, and the people of the Empire knew it.

He advertises his dislike of me with his whole body. “Who said that?” he asks.

I was about to say that the whole country knew it, but I stopped myself.

I wondered what was the use of coming here now, and I didn’t want to argue with him when he said it wasn’t true.

As I closed my mouth, at a loss for words, he looked down at me with an expressionless face and asked, “Is the lady uncomfortable with me?”

“No?”

I had no reason to be uncomfortable because I had no regrets about the prince. He was neither liked nor disliked, that was it.

But Adenmir’s answer was unexpected.

“Good.”

What’s good?

‘….. I don’t understand.’

Frustrated by his unrelenting attitude, I narrowed my eyes and carefully examined his face.

‘Maybe…….’

I called out in a slightly serious tone.

“Your Highness.”

“What?”

“By any chance, have you been poisoned?”

“……what?”

“Hallucinations, visions…… or other such symptoms? Because I suspect you may be suffering from them now.”

Again, Adenmir looked at me incredulously. But I couldn’t have been more serious.

If the Emperor was poisoned, there was no guarantee that the First Prince would not be poisoned.

But instead of answering my question, Adenmir chuckled and said something else.

“Now you even diagnose. Anyone who sees it will think that the lady is my doctor.”

“If I get kicked out of the family later, you can always pick me up.”

The remark was merely a joke, but Adenmir looked puzzled.

“Why would the lady be kicked out?”

Oops.

It’s a meaningless question, but the reason it stings is there’s something I care about. I grinned and replied nonchalantly.

“I’m just saying. Just kidding, ahaha.”

“…….”

Despite my jokes, the mood didn’t lighten. Unbeknownst to me, Adenmir seemed to be very sorry that I would run away.

“Lady.”

“Mmh?”

“If the lady avoids me, third parties will think there is something between us.”

“What?”

“Something? Between us?” I shook my head nervously and replied again. “There’s nothing.”

During our long engagement, nothing happened between us.

Of course, for most of the engagement, I had a slight crush on the First Prince because he was handsome, but it was a bit of a stretch to say there was anything.

The only physical contact we had was that of an escort, so there was nothing between us when we were engaged and now that we’re no longer engaged…

“Yeah, nothing.”

“Right……?”

But something must be wrong with my eyes. I wonder why the first prince’s smiling face looks so full of regret?

‘Calm down, Elodie.’

I warned myself, and then I tried to sort out the situation.

So, the point of the first prince is to say, even if we got a breakup, we don’t need to avoid each other because we were never really together anyway?

‘This is Hollywood.’ 

How cool is that?

I admired Adenmir’s way of thinking, a Hollywood star who could get along after a breakup. There was nothing wrong with that.

I crossed my arms and asked nervously, “So, we should say hello and get along – not avoid each other?”

“……Well, yeah.”

It was a little weird that the answer was a beat late, but I was glad it was. I nodded cheerfully.

“Got it!”

It wasn’t a difficult thing to ask.

I also had a hard time running away, and if I attended an official event in the future, I would have no choice but to see his face, and I couldn’t hide every time.

Saying hello was easy enough.

I smiled and bowed politely.

“Goodbye, then, Your Highness.”

“…….”

“……?”

“Now, what are you doing?”

“Saying goodbye.”

Because saying goodbye is part of greeting.

But Adenmir didn’t seem to like my polite greeting. 

As he stared into my face, looking like he had a lot to say, I asked him cautiously.

“Do you, by any chance, have something to say to me?”

“I do.”

“Well, then, go ahead.”

Adenmir coughed for a moment to see if I really meant it, then spoke.

“I have come to say thank you for your help.”

“Thank…me?”

It was an unexpected gesture of gratitude.

“To thank you, yes. As I told you in my letter, His Majesty’s condition has improved greatly. It’s all thanks to you.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

I was relieved to hear that the emperor’s condition had improved.

“Then I must return the favor.”

“What kind of favor?”

“Well…….”

Adenmir muttered meaningfully and stared at me.

“I’ll decide how, and all you have to do is to receive.”

“Huh?”

‘Is that a favor?’

Adenmir turned and walked away, leaving me dumbfounded by such a one-sided return of favor.

I thought to myself, watching carefully through narrowed eyes at his backside.

‘He must have been poisoned after all…….’

***

The day arrived on which Felix Hicklemeyer invited me to the mansion of Severes in the capital.

I deliberately took a public carriage, as traveling in the family carriage would have brought the news to the ears of the Duke of Perdia.

Seated across from me, Carlot looked up and down, curious to see what it was like to ride in a private carriage for the first time.

Finally, he spoke with admiration.

“Sister, you’re more thorough than I thought. I hadn’t thought of that.”

“It’s basic. Carl. You’re being sloppy.”

“I don’t mind being a little sloppy. I have you.”

You expect me to have your back. I chuckled and shook my head.

Carlot laughed at me, then turned his attention to the squirming creature in my lap.

“And you’re taking the fox with you?”

“Kiyuuk.”

“He’s purring weirdly……. Are you sure he’s okay?”

“Grrr…….”

At Carlot’s remark, Greed, whose face had been twisted by the perceived judgment, began to glare at him as if to kill him. I turned him towards me, afraid he might bite at him.

“His name is Black, and he has a peculiar way of crying. I brought him here because he gets lonely when he’s alone.”

He refused to enter the Sealing Stone, so I had to bring him along as he was summoned.

It was a strange thing to have a master talking about a sinful subject.

But Carlot looked down at Greed with a blank expression.

“I’m jealous………”

“What?”

“He stays with Sister all day. You carry him around so he doesn’t get lonely, he sleeps on your lap, you pet him… I wish you would pet me too.”

“…….”

“I envy it.”

Sincerely envious, Carlot stared down at Greed with a jealous gaze.

‘He’s a weirdo.’

I leaned against the backrest as far as I could, keeping my eyes fixed on Carlot.

Meanwhile, the carriage pulled up smoothly to the capital mansion of Severes.

“Welcome, Lady Perdia, we have been anticipating your visit.”

An elderly gentleman who appeared to be the head butler of the manor greeted me politely.

I looked around the Severes Capital Mansion, which I had never seen before. However, the view from the gates was not clear, the landscape inside the gates distorted like the surface of a lake rippling with stones.

“There is a barrier across the entire mansion, so you can’t see inside from the outside. “

“I see.”

I remembered hearing a rumor that this was the case.

But the head butler looked at Carlot, who stood proudly beside me, and made a puzzled face.

“I beg your pardon, my lady. Lady Perdia is the only person Count Hicklemeyer has permitted to visit.”

“I’m here as an escort, is that a problem?”

Although I was the only one invited, I thought it would be fine, as I usually bring an escort or maid with me.

But the Severes duchy was stricter than I thought.

“Yes. Only those who are authorized may enter.”

Then a displeased-looking Carlot pointed to Greed in my arms and asked.

“And that one?”

“Is that a pet? Yes, of course it can come in and out.”

Then Carlot smiled as if it was a good thing.

“Aha. A pet can enter? That’s fine, then. I’m my sister’s dog, after all.”

“……Eh?”

Looking at the bewildered butler, Carlot rubbed his head against my shoulder.

“I’m her dog. Isn’t that right, sister?”