Episode 100
The princess stood before me, radiating her characteristic bright energy, and greeted me first.
“We’ve met before, haven’t we? Duchess of Blighton.”
“Yes, Your Highness. It’s nice to see you again. How have you been?”
“I’ve been well. It seems God has heard the Duchess’s prayers, as the Duke has returned safely. Isn’t that right, Duke of Blighton?”
“Greetings, Your Highness.”
The princess naturally greeted Lloydin as well.
“It’s been a long time, Duke of Blighton. Over ten years, I believe?”
“Yes, the last time we met was before Your Highness entered the temple.”
“That’s right. I heard you achieved a great victory in the recent campaign. Remarkable as always.”
“You’re too kind.”
“Not at all. I truly believe that thanks to the Duke of Blighton, this empire remains peaceful.”
Wow, I couldn’t hide my surprise at the princess’s words.
Who would have thought there was at least one person in this empire who understood things properly?
Moreover, the princess belonged to both the royal family and the temple.
Hearing her recognize Lloydin made me instantly feel a deep fondness for her.
“I think so too. Unfortunately, it seems most people don’t share the same opinion as Your Highness or me.”
“It’s difficult for thoughts that have been upheld for hundreds of years to change easily. By the way, I was quite surprised when I heard about your marriage, but now that I see you two together, you seem well-matched.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
“Thank you.”
It was the first time someone spoke so positively about our marriage.
With a series of surprises, I felt a bit excited, thinking I might have finally found someone who understands me.
Just as I was about to speak more, my brothers approached us.
“Greetings, Your Highness.”
“Greetings, Your Highness.”
“It’s been a long time, Lord Jade Anaïs, Lord Luke Anaïs.”
“Yes, it has been a long time. How have you been?” Luke asked, inquiring after the princess.
“I’ve been well. But I don’t see Lord Noah Anaïs. Is he not attending the banquet today?”
“He has gone on a journey.”
“A journey?”
“Yes, Your Highness must know that my brother has resigned from the priesthood.”
“How could I not know, being in the temple? Not only the high priest but many priests were very disappointed when Noah Anaïs decided to step down.”
I had heard about this from Priest Gabriel when I visited the temple before.
Given that my brother Noah was a highly regarded figure in the temple, it was a perfectly natural reaction.
“So he left on a journey after resigning from the priesthood?”
“Yes, he said he needed to clear his mind, but he hasn’t returned yet, as if he doesn’t miss us at all.”
It seemed Luke was quite upset about Noah’s absence, as he replied with a sulky tone.
“He has been a priest for a long time. While living in the temple brings a sense of pride for being closest to God, it can also feel confining at times. I think it’s important to understand and wait for him, as he has just started to connect with the outside world.”
‘Wow.’
Today, the princess was continuously giving me fresh shocks.
Seeing her as understanding and rational, I began to see why she was chosen by God.
“Your Highness, have you ever felt that way as well?” Jade, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke.
“Young Lord Jade Anaïs.”
The princess turned toward him, and their gazes locked in the air.
“I’m human too. Of course, I’ve felt that way. It’s been a while, Prince. How have you been?”
“It’s been a while, Your Highness. I think I’ve been well. How have you been?”
“I’ve been well too.”
“…That’s good to hear.”
“Yeah, fortunately.”
‘Huh, what’s this?’
In that brief exchange, I sensed a peculiar atmosphere between the two. I quickly glanced at Luke, wondering if he felt the same. He just shrugged, indicating he didn’t know either.
“I didn’t expect Your Highness to leave the temple.”
“There was no longer any reason for me to stay there.”
“Is that so.”
“Yes.”
It was clear that these two knew each other better than I had thought. While I couldn’t fully grasp the extent of their familiarity, it was evident they weren’t mere acquaintances.
After a brief pause in their conversation, the princess spoke again.
“It’s been so long since I attended a banquet like this; it felt awkward at first. But thanks to everyone here, I feel much more at ease.”
“I understand exactly how you feel, Your Highness.”
I agreed with the princess and replied.
“Oh, come to think of it, you hadn’t been involved in social activities for a long time, had you, Duchess?”
“Yes, as you know, I was quite ill and couldn’t go out much.”
“I was relieved to hear you were much better when we met at the temple.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
“Well, I should go and greet others now. Let’s talk again soon.”
With that, Princess Diana left us. After confirming she was out of earshot, I looked at Jade with a meaningful gaze.
“Brother.”
“Yeah?”
“What’s going on between you and the princess?”
I couldn’t hold back my curiosity and asked Jade directly.
“There’s nothing going on.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“No way. Even I could tell there’s something.”
Backing me up, Luke joined the conversation, adding weight to my words.
“Don’t talk nonsense, Luke.”
Jade, who spoke to me with endless kindness, instantly turned serious when addressing Luke.
“What did I say? It was all Ayla.”
Luke grumbled, looking very offended.
“I just saw her a few times when we were kids, just like you.”
“Hmm, I see. Got it.”
I decided to stop probing Jade further. He was the type who never brought up a subject again once he dropped it.
“I should go see Father. What about you, Luke?”
“I’ll go with you.”
“Okay. Ayla, what about you?”
“You two go ahead. I’ll stay with the Duke a bit longer.”
“Alright.”
As soon as they finished speaking, Jade and Luke walked away. I watched them for a moment before turning to Lloydin.
“What do you think, Duke?”
“About what?”
“Didn’t it seem like my brother and the princess knew each other?”
“I thought so too.”
“Right?”
As expected, he thought so too.
She felt pleased to realize that her thoughts aligned with Lloydin’s.
“But it will probably be hard to find out what kind of relationship they have. Once my brother shuts his mouth, he won’t say a word no matter how much you plead or beg.”
I looked at him with a regretful expression.
“I’m curious, but there’s nothing we can do.”
“If there’s anything the lady is curious about, I’ll answer everything.”
“Pardon?”
“So, feel free to ask me anything.”
Although I was momentarily puzzled by his sudden words, I soon understood and asked back with a bright smile.
“Are you saying there will be no secrets between us, Duke?”
“That’s correct.”
“Alright then, I’ll ask you everything. Hmm, where should I start?”
“There’s plenty of time, so think it over slowly.”
Despite his words, I felt compelled to ask something right away and fell into deep thought.
There were so many things I was curious about him that nothing specific came to mind immediately.
While I was pondering for longer than expected, I suddenly felt someone’s gaze on me.
I had felt this way at the previous banquet too, but this time it was more persistent, whoever it was.
Just as I was about to look around the hall to see who was staring at me, Lloydin’s voice reached me faster.
“Madam.”
I stopped looking around and turned my attention to Lloydin.
“Yes?”
“How about we head back now?”
“Now?”
Surprised by his sudden suggestion, I looked at Lloydin with questioning eyes and noticed his face had grown stern.
“Oh, are you feeling unwell?”
“Yes. I tried to endure it, but it seems I can’t.”
“Why endure it? You should have told me right away if you were feeling sick. That’s it, we’ll just greet my parents quickly and leave.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“Please, don’t say things like that. It’s not like you want to be sick.”
I gave Lloydin a gentle smile, signaling that he shouldn’t feel guilty at all.
