HTEVD 10

Chapter 10…..

“She’s just a thirteen-year-old child. If you treat her well and show her kindness, won’t she come to rely on you? Make the young Marquis of Periang your ally.”

“A thirteen-year-old child is going to become the Crown Princess!”

In the end, Christine burst into tears. The cold-hearted Duke of Wales flustered helplessly before his daughter’s childlike sobbing.

“My dear, didn’t I say Father would take care of that matter for you?”

“When? Even at yesterday’s tea party, she acted like she was already the Crown Princess!”

“Doesn’t His Highness the Crown Prince dote on you? Everything will turn out well.”

His words only made Christine cry harder. The Duke had meant to comfort her, but Christine became even more distraught.

After the disastrous tea party, Christine went straight to see the Crown Prince. Gropius might not be the most faithful lover, but she was sure he wouldn’t stand idly by while his beloved was insulted. He once ordered a tailor’s hand cut off for pricking Christine with a pin by accident, and had even made the head servant sing because Christine said she wanted to hear music.

“I heard Lloyd saved your maid?”

But instead of sharing her indignation, he showed interest in something else entirely.

“The young Marquis’s maid saved the Marquis?”

“That’s what I’m telling you, Your Highness!”

Hahahahaha. Gropius burst into hearty laughter.

“My brother really is unbelievable.”

He wiped away a tear forming at the corner of his eye with his long fingers. His clear blue eyes, still sparkling with amusement, were mesmerizing.

“To think he’d save the maid instead of the rather lovely young Marquis. Isn’t he practically made of stone?”

Christine knew full well of the Crown Prince’s reputation for being interested in women, but hearing him praise the young Marquis Periang’s looks so generously made her blood boil.

“So where is this maid who was treated better than the Empire’s young Marquis? I’d like to see her face.”

Gropius chuckled as he swept back his bright red hair. He sounded playful, but if the maid turned out to be beautiful, he looked ready to summon her on the spot.

Christine snapped back.

“She’s an ugly child with a horrible scar on her face. His Highness the Second Prince is interrogating her right now.”

“Interrogating?”

“He said that since she tried to harm the young Marquis, she must be properly punished.”

Gropius tilted his head. He went out of his way to save her, only to punish her?

“…Who is this maid that saved the young Marquis?”

“How should I know the name of some maid?”

Gropius clicked his tongue in annoyance. Christine, aside from her beautiful face, was truly useless.

“Your Highness, please find my earrings!”

“…Earrings?”

“Yes, Your Highness! They’re my most cherished earrings.”

“I’ll buy you new ones.”

“Your Highness!”

“Christine, can’t you handle such a trivial matter yourself?”

Christine looked up at him with a wounded expression. With her dazzling silver hair and violet eyes, Christine looked like a fairy on the verge of tears—and that tugged at his heart.

‘But there are plenty of beautiful women.’

Gropius thought as he gently caressed her cheek with one hand.

‘She’s becoming a bit tiresome.’

◇ ◆ ◇

“I heard an interesting story.”

Gropius said cheerfully as he cut into his steak. Seated around the enormous dining table were Henry II, Second Prince Lloyd, and Princess Theresia, all looking at him.

“Lloyd saved and then killed a maid, I heard.”

“…I didn’t kill her.”

“I heard you expelled her from the palace without a letter of recommendation. A woman cast out of the palace has no choice but to rot in a convent for the rest of her life. Killing her would have been kinder.”

“This is a rare occasion for us all to gather. Enough unpleasant talk.”

Henry II set down his cutlery and rebuked him sternly.

“How is the young Marquis of Periang?”

“She’s still in shock and hasn’t regained full consciousness yet, but otherwise, she’s fine.”

At Theresia’s reply, Henry II clicked his tongue. He hadn’t imagined that such a dangerous incident would occur at a simple gathering of young girls.

“And why did you just stand by and watch!”

“It was my mistake. I tried to stop Lady Wales, but she was too worked up…”

The princess bowed her head politely as she answered.

“…Wales?”

“Lady Wales insulted the young Marquis of Periang. During the commotion, the maid attacked the Marquis…”

As Lloyd added his explanation, the corners of Henry II’s lips twitched.

‘If Wales and Periang start checking each other, that couldn’t be better.’

Henry II was quite pleased. Christine, sixteen this year, had not yet debuted in society. Had she been a little shrewder—had she understood the rules of the social world after a few years—she would never have committed such a childish act of jealousy that could sow discord within the noble faction.

‘That old fox must be fuming.’

Just imagining the Duke of Wales’s contorted face made Henry II feel much better.

“Take good care of the young Marquis of Periang.”

“I plan to visit her soon.”

“Good. Gropius, why don’t you go with them?”

“I’ll gladly obey.”

Henry II looked disapprovingly at Gropius, who answered so brightly. He couldn’t bring himself to hate that handsome face, the spitting image of his mother’s, but he knew Gropius was a notorious troublemaker—even the palace servants shook their heads at him. Though Henry II distrusted his ever-smiling demeanor, if Theresia accompanied him, then…

“I heard Her Majesty the Empress is unwell. I’ve acquired some Dalissa herbs; please deliver them to her.”

Theresia turned to Lloyd.

“Thank you for your concern, Your Highness.”

“Is the Empress still the same? I do hope to see her at the next banquet.”

Lloyd said nothing, silently continuing his meal. Unlike Gropius with his carefree brightness or Theresia with her quick understanding of their father’s intentions, Lloyd inherited his mother’s quiet reserve. Every time Henry II saw Lloyd’s aloof demeanor, he frowned.

If only Empress Anais had shown proper reverence for divine favor… If Lloyd had clung to his father’s arm like other boys his age… Henry II truly believed he would not have treated that mother and son so coldly.

◇ ◆ ◇

“…Could it be that someone ordered her to poison the young Marquis…”

Vanessa looked at Lloyd, puzzled by his halting question.

“We found no evidence of that.”

Poisoning? Even in a fit of jealousy, poison wasn’t something a young girl like Christine could easily obtain. Besides, the Wales family’s goal was to absorb Periang, not destroy it.

Why was the usually rational second prince thinking along such strange lines?

“Then why hasn’t she woken up?”

“Her nutritional state is poor and she experienced great shock, but aside from minor scrapes, there are no serious injuries. She should wake up soon.”

It had been exactly one week since Evelyn Periang lost consciousness after falling into the lake. Vanessa found Lloyd’s restless behavior today strange—yesterday he’d carried out his duties calmly, as usual. Up until now, he had been entirely focused on interrogating the maid he’d saved, almost as if he’d rescued her just for that purpose.

“Why didn’t the young Marquis… swim out herself?”

It was such an obvious question that Vanessa didn’t know how to answer.

“…Why can’t she swim?”

“Your Highness…”

Lloyd had disguised Vanessa as a maid and sent her to the West Palace, ordering her to protect Evelyn. She had been stationed near the dock, and the moment Evelyn fell from the boat, Vanessa had jumped into the lake to save her. Lloyd must have counted on that.

“She’ll wake up soon.”

“Send hibiscus tea to the West Palace.”

‘If she receives something she likes, it might cheer her up.’

As he thought absentmindedly, Lloyd noticed Vanessa hesitating.

“Must it be hibiscus tea?”

“Why?”

“The young Marquis can’t drink hibiscus tea.”

◇ ◆ ◇

I was bedridden for a whole week. I hadn’t suffered any major injuries—just lacked strength and couldn’t open my eyes for long. During that time, numerous families had sent flowers and gifts, and an apology letter had arrived from the Wales family. It wasn’t from Christine—it was from the Duke himself.

“You shouldn’t overexert yourself.”

Vanessa followed me anxiously as I walked through the greenhouse garden, picking daisies one by one.

“It’s just a walk. The physician said light exercise would help.”

Sunlight filtered through the leaves. It felt like a completely different world from that cold, dark, suffocating abyss.