CH 40

‘It’s just that the toy you’re not interested in disappears from your eyes, so it just looks good all of a sudden.’

Either he wants to hold Lafesch and me in both hands. It’s a pity for Esadien, but I’m not a toy.

“If there is a next relationship, he can honestly express it. I hope the Prince happy.”

Hearing my words recite without a soul now, the Crown Princess closed his eyes for a moment. She noticed that my heart was firm, too.

“Yes…. Eddie is too late.”

The sighed Crown Princess held my hand tightly.

“Minuelle, you are my dear friend’s sister, and apart from this engagement, I really care about you.”

No, this is.

‘Are you going to ask for something….?’

“I’m ashamed, but I have no choice but to ask you this because Esadien’s my younger brother.”

‘As expected.’

It was the second one, too. As I blinked slowly, I finally got to the point.

“Please break up as gently as you can.”

It was better than Esadien, but it was still selfish.

But I could understand.

I don’t have a younger sibling, but if I had a younger sibling I loved as much as my older sisters, I wouldn’t have known that I would have given up everything and asked for this.

Even so, understanding and affirmation were different matters.

My instincts may have foreboding something. I couldn’t guarantee it and I answered like this.

“….I’ll try.”

That alone made the Crown Princess grateful. I opened my mouth at the sight.

“Your Highness the Crown Princess, no, sister Lumiere. This would be the last time I call you like this.”

“No, didn’t I tell you? I care about you. Elga’s sister is like my sister.”

“Then, sister.”

How much will Esadien’s hearing be outside? Can I hear this story now?

Rather, I felt betrayed when I heard it, so I wanted to let go of myself.

“I decided to keep the secret, but I’m no longer the Prince’s fiancée….. And I’m telling you because this seems to be the way to help him.”

“Secret?”

“The second prince is sending assassins to the third prince.”

Let me get rid of one reason why you don’t want to let me go, Esadien.

‘Was he always this persistent?’

I came into the Imperial Library at the request of the Crown Princess, and I was embarrassed because I could not concentrate on the books at all.

It was only natural that I was constantly receiving gazes that seemed to pierce the back of my head.

‘Why are you chasing me like this!’

When I said I didn’t want to ride a carriage with Esadien, the Crown Princess said coolly.

“Then just leave it here. That’s it Eddie. Whether you walk or not, if you have the will, I’ll take care of it.”

You must have asked me for a favor, and I felt lighthearted because I felt that I would not be involved in anything else.

How many books have you been looking for? No wonder my side face stung, so I turned around and found Esadien standing.

‘Ugh!’

Surprised, the books I had put on my side fell down.

Esadien’s hand, which was a few steps away from me, touched the book before I did, even though I tried to duck down and pick it up in a hurry.

‘I’ll do it.’

Esadien’s forehead was a little sweaty. Besides, I think his chest goes up and down a lot…..

‘Did you run?’

It took me 20 minutes by carriage. Can a person run down that street?

‘Are you really crazy?’

He was seriously suspicious, but I tried to ignore it, thinking I didn’t have to worry about that.

I shouldn’t have done that.

‘Such a mischievous person……’

As a result, now I’m screaming inside.

Somehow, I thought Esadien would take the opposite seat if I sat in the regular seat, so I sat in the single seat and hestood behind me like a janitor and kept watching.

I don’t care about the people around you!

It wasn’t my fault, but my face turned red for no reason.

‘I’ll just go through this book and go back.’

It was the moment when I decided to do so. As if he had read my thoughts, he came up and asked.

“What are you looking for?”

“……”

“It would be much better to look for it together.”

“Haa.”

I stopped standing up with a short sigh.

‘This book and that book. That’s it! I give up!’

“Minuelle.”

Ignoring the call, I put all the books on the book cart. And Esadien hurriedly grabbed my arm, which was about to head to the exit, and turned it around.

“Can’t you at least listen to me?”

“What do you mean….!”

For a moment, my patience was running our and I almost screamed.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the barely remaining reason reminded me that this is a library. Along with the request of the Crown Princess.

“Break up as gently as you can.”

Softly, kindly….. She repeated the two words over and over again, biting her molars tightly. I thought I was a kind person in my own way, but I didn’t know that a ‘gentle and kind’ attitude would be this difficult.

“First….”

Crown Princess, this is the best.

Esadien, who flinched at the fierce glare, asked back as if to confirm.

“First…. Do you mean to leave?”

I nodded. Since you understood it perfectly, I should do as much as I can to avoid the seat and listen to the story for a while.

For about a minute.

I felt a little relieved when I thought so. As I glanced around without noticing, Esadien was following me with a bright face behind me, who took the lead.

“Now tell me.”

Arrived in the garden behind the library, a deserted corner, and stood firmly arm in arm.

But Esadien looked around instead of starting to talk.

“What are you doing?”

“There was nowhere to sit. Minuelle, you must be having a hard time…..”

“That’s all right, that’s all right. Go ahead.”

“But…..”

“Get to the point!”

The temper that had been pressed down eventually exploded slightly.

Also, as the smell of her blood stung, while blocking the tip of her nose, Esadien, who flinched, hesitated to speak.

“So, Minuelle. It has nothing to do with Lady Celeste. Never, never did anything that was even a speck of dishonesty.”

“……”

“It was because of His Majesty’s secret order that we had been going together.”

Esadien lowered his voice and leaned over me. His cool scent, which my body still remembers, spread and erased the smell of blood.

The next word caught me, who was trying to back off reflexively.

“I was told to investigate her.”

I flashed my head up at the unexpected words.

‘The Emperor, the Viscount Celeste?’

Esadien’s excuse continued as she wrinkled her eyes because there was nothing to think of.

“For that reason, I was with Lady Celeste and monitored her move. There were many other things to investigate.”

“I see. I misunderstood.”

“Yes, I…..”

“I saw Lafesch Celeste wearing only underwear and the prince hugging her.”

“That!”

I encountered gloomy eyes. I had never seen Esadien make such a distorted expression, so I flinched and backed away without realizing it.

Then Esadien also breathed a long sigh, covering his eyes with his hands, as if he had realized his condition.

“At…. At the time I, Minuelle. I… Lady Celeste….”

And even after opening and closing his mouth several times, he couldn’t speak.

After waiting for a while, I couldn’t stand it any longer.

“If you can’t speak, let’s call it a day.”

“Minuelle!”

As soon as I turned around, Esadien quickly grabbed my arm. As I looked down with a frown,  his fingertips were trembling.

“Or you can go ahead and tell me.”

“Minuelle, I…. I’m afraid.”

My name is going to be worn out.

“What?”

An unexpected answer came back when asked heartily.

“I’m afraid you’ll see me as less than a human being.”

“What, did you try to kill Lady Celeste?”

A more unexpected response came back to the words I had thrown, hopefully.

“…….”

“……?”

What, what, why are you avoiding my eyes? Why don’t you say no?

I could feel my eyes trembling in embarrassment even to myself. As if he knew it, Esadien gently grabbed the end of my dress.

“I can’t go into detail, but I found that the autographed funds were moving somewhere. Because of that, I visited her and she unintentionally showe me that.”

Esadien said it was ‘unintentionally’, but it was not without Lafesch’s intention.

On the coming-of-age day, no wonder Lafesch called me to her waiting room.

‘You’re cute, too.’

While I was sniffing, Esadien was slowly continuing to apologize.

“I was really sorry. I shouldn’t have do something that you would misunderstand.”

“Yes, you did.”

“Then, Minuelle…. Will you forgive me?”

I just cut and answered.

“No.”

Esadien’s eyes widened. The perfectly shaped lips trembled and managed to say a word.

“Why?”

This situation seems to be unexpected. Unfortunately.

What I witnessed in Lafesch’s waiting room was obviously a fatal blow to us, the last bang.

But we didn’t break up because of that one incident.

“Everything has its time. The Prince has missed that ‘time’.”

There was definitely an opportunity to correct everything.

When I still loved Esadien.

When I asked him for an explanation.

When Esadien had to deny his relationship with Lafesch Celeste, at least to me.

And the last time I asked him how he felt about me.

“Prince, there is no turning back for the relationship that has passed like time.”

Esadien denied his feelings for me three times and hid a lot.

I didn’t know before because I liked him so much, but I know now. I can’t spend the rest of my life with someone like that.

“So let me go now.”

Esadien looked at me for a long, long time. Like a person who is agonizing over whether there was such a stain on the wallpaper that was always inadvertently passed by.

I waited willingly. I hope Esadien will erase the image of Minuelle, who loves him, from his mind.

If I could finish it like this, I could have waited as long as I could.

‘No, wait a minute. My legs are starting to hurt.’

I can wait as long as I want, but I want you to hurry up.

However, unlike my wish, Esadien stood still like a warrior until my legs hurt and went numb.

‘Is this why you asked me to sit down?!’

I was about to grit my teeth because I couldn’t stand it. Finally, Esadien slowly put his hand into the inside pocket. He brought up a break-up letter, more precisely, an engagement annulment letter.