Episode 119

The crown prince, who had said he had something to tell me, remained silent throughout our walk.

I thought of starting a conversation, but then remembered the fierce look he had just given me and kept my mouth shut.

As I quietly followed him, the crown prince stopped near a bench.

“Please, have a seat.”

“Yes, thank you.”

After the crown prince sat down and offered the seat next to him, I sat down slightly apart, trying not to make it obvious.

When I looked up, my eyes met with the crown prince, who was staring at me.

Yet, the crown prince showed no sign of speaking and merely gazed at me in silence.

I waited patiently, enduring the awkward atmosphere.

After a while, as if he finally felt like talking, the crown prince opened his mouth.

“At the banquet…”

When the crown prince suddenly mentioned the banquet, I looked at him with a slightly puzzled expression and asked,

“Banquet? Are you referring to the banquet held at the palace a while ago?”

“Yes.”

I quickly recalled the banquet he was talking about and scanned through the events of that day in my mind.

There were many unforgettable incidents that day.

A dream I had the previous night came true, and it was also the day I met the princess again.

‘The crown prince was in that dream.’

Looking at Crown Prince Cloud sitting in front of me, I recalled the contents of the dream.

It was special because it was a prophetic dream, but the situation itself wasn’t particularly unusual.

At the banquet, a servant accidentally spilled wine on the crown prince’s clothes, and the servant was dragged out.

Unfortunately, it was a punishable offense, but in the pleasant atmosphere, leniency could have been shown. Instead, the crown prince mercilessly dragged the servant out.

The only difference between the dream and reality was that I watched the crown prince more often than I did in the dream because I found it fascinating and startling that the same situation was being reenacted.

And all of this was something only I knew.

As I casually recalled the events of the banquet, I was suddenly startled by the crown prince’s next words.

“Didn’t you keep looking at me that day?”

“Pardon? What do you mean…?”

I answered while trying to hide my surprise as much as possible and quickly composed my expression.

“From the moment I entered the banquet hall, I felt a strange gaze.”

“Ah, did you?”

“Yes. It was a gaze that followed me intermittently, so it was impossible not to notice.”

Did I really look at the crown prince that much?

I admitted that my behavior was different from usual.

It was inevitable that my eyes would be drawn to the crown prince, who had appeared in my dream, and he wore the same clothes as in the dream.

“Ah, I see. But I’m not sure why you think that was me.”

There were many people at the banquet, not just me, and the hall was filled to capacity.

Moreover, I couldn’t have been the only one looking at the crown prince.

His position and appearance were more than enough to attract everyone’s attention.

Feigning ignorance, I responded with a slightly confused expression.

“Hmm, is that so?”

The crown prince looked at me with suspicious eyes, and I once again emphasized my innocence.

“Yes. I’m not sure why Your Highness suspects that I was the one watching you, but I have no reason to keep looking at you.”

Fortunately, my words came out naturally.

“No reason, you say…”

“Ah, I’m sorry. If my words have offended you, I apologize.”

His voice lowered slightly, indicating that my words had somewhat touched his nerves.

“No, it’s fine. If the duchess says she wasn’t watching, then she wasn’t.”

However, as he said it was fine, I didn’t say anything more.

The crown prince also closed his mouth, lost in thought, and silence fell between us once again.

‘I want to leave now.’

Being alone with the crown prince was too uncomfortable, and I wanted to leave quickly.

The sky, which had been reddish earlier, was now gradually darkening.

‘Lloydin must be waiting.’

I suddenly thought that if I stayed here too long, I wouldn’t be able to have dinner with him.

Thinking that the crown prince had said everything he wanted to say, I was about to bid farewell when he spoke again.

“The crown princess…”

“Yes?”

Why is he suddenly mentioning the non-existent crown princess?

Despite Crown Prince Cloud’s age, the position of the crown princess remained vacant.

‘I think he was about the same age as my brother Jade…’

I didn’t know his exact age, but I remembered he was similar in age to my eldest brother.

Despite the importance of an heir for his position, he wasn’t involved with anyone yet.

I knew that the emperor, the empress, and the nobles were pressuring him, but he stubbornly remained alone.

I didn’t know the reason.

However, I thought that the crown prince might be in no hurry because marrying a crown princess wouldn’t bring him significant benefits.

The empress, his mother, was from a prestigious family that rivaled my Anaïs family.

The crown prince was her only legitimate child, and the other princes didn’t have enough background to threaten his position.

Except for Princess Daina, who was said to be blessed by the gods.

However, Princess Daina’s mother died shortly after giving birth, and the princess had been living in the temple for over ten years since she was young.

The crown prince might have considered the princess insignificant, thinking she would stay in the temple forever.

But the situation changed drastically.

The princess, who was expected to live in the temple for life, came out of the temple, and the emperor seemed to cherish her greatly.

A significant threat that the crown prince had never experienced before had emerged.

Thus, the crown prince needed to solidify his position.

And that likely meant taking a woman from a good family as his crown princess.

However, it would be much better for me if Princess Daina, rather than Crown Prince Cloud, became the next emperor of the empire.

Thinking that what he had just said might be crucial information, I tried to focus more on the crown prince’s words, putting aside my desire to return to the mansion.

“You must be aware that the position of the crown princess is currently vacant, Duchess Blythe.”

“Yes, I am aware.”

“I am considering filling that position soon.”

As expected, I was right.

The crown prince planned to take a crown princess to solidify his position.

“Ah, I see.”

Although inwardly I felt differently, I nodded briefly with a disinterested tone.

I felt the crown prince staring intently at me.

“Why… is something wrong? Do I have something on my face?”

“No, not at all.”

Despite his denial, his eyes did not leave me.

As I inwardly tilted my head in confusion, he continued speaking.

“Aren’t you curious?”

“About what?”

“Who I am considering as my crown princess.”

Of course, I was curious.

But it was due to my circumstances rather than any personal interest in the crown prince.

“Well, I suppose someone with both an excellent family and character will be by your side, Your Highness.”

I maintained a nonchalant attitude while replying.

Showing too much curiosity or eagerness would be inappropriate and unnecessary.

The crown prince continued to gaze at me intently.

His gaze was uncomfortable and unsettling, but I endured it for the sake of obtaining information.

“Indeed, someone suitable for the position will stand by my side.”

However, he only gave vague answers and did not mention who he had in mind.

Why was he telling me this?

A wave of inexplicable unease suddenly swept over me.

‘No… it can’t be.’

I tried to dismiss the thoughts that began to surface, convincing myself I was mistaken.

No, I must be imagining things.

It must be because I had been with the crown prince for too long.

Deciding it was late and time to leave, I quickly stood up.

“If you have nothing more to say, may I take my leave? It’s already dark.”

“Of course. I will escort you.”

“No, I’ll go alone.”

Overwhelmed by sudden anxiety, I didn’t want to stay with the crown prince any longer.

As I tried to leave alone, he insisted on accompanying me.

“I will escort you.”

Looking at the crown prince speaking in a slightly forceful tone, I reluctantly nodded.

“…Yes, thank you.”

We left the garden together, and as soon as I reached the carriage, I quickly bid him farewell and left the palace.