Episode 127

“Your Grace…”

“I’ve been looking for you for quite some time.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I was about to head back in…”

“It’s all right. That’s why I came here.”

His voice was incredibly soft and kind, quite different from a moment ago.

His gaze was also tender as he looked at me.

But…

I sensed a shadowy, cold aura and an inexplicable unease emanating from him.

‘Am I misreading this again?’

Occasionally, very occasionally, I would get such a feeling from him.

However, nothing special had ever happened because of those feelings.

So, I concluded that I was just being overly sensitive or mistaken.

Accepting that this was another one of those times, I thought that now Lloydin was here, the conversation with the Crown Prince was over.

I decided to return to the banquet hall and was about to rise from the bench.

“The Duke seems to be ignoring my presence.”

The Crown Prince cut in, not hiding his irritation.

“…Greetings to Your Highness.”

Lloydin slowly greeted the Crown Prince with proper etiquette.

“Or is it that you’re disregarding me?”

“…No, I apologize.”

Despite Lloydin’s apology, the Crown Prince’s expression did not soften.

The two men locked eyes, neither willing to look away, as if engaged in a silent battle of wills.

Seeing this, I realized we needed to leave this place quickly.

I stood up, approached Lloydin, and took his hand.

Only then did Lloydin shift his gaze from the Crown Prince to me.

I gave him a small smile, then turned to the Crown Prince.

“Your Highness, we’ll return to the banquet hall now. Your Grace, let’s go.”

After saying this, I took a few steps with Lloydin when the Crown Prince called out to him.

“Duke Blighton.”

Lloydin halted at the call.

Feeling a bit anxious, I looked up at him, and he gently stroked my hand as if to reassure me.

He turned back to the Crown Prince and answered.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“I have a question for the Duke. May I ask?”

“Please go ahead.”

“Who is more precious to you, the Duchess or Ian Blighton?”

My heart sank at the Crown Prince’s deliberately provocative question.

I pondered how to resolve this situation when Lloydin spoke.

“Why do you ask such a question?”

“I’m just curious, no reason.”

“Then I will not answer.”

“Hmph. Is it right not to answer?”

At this, Lloydin closed his mouth tightly, saying nothing.

“Or is it that you can’t answer?”

The Crown Prince continued to provoke Lloydin relentlessly.

The two were engaged in a battle of nerves, but I felt as if I were the one standing on thin ice.

‘Sigh.’

I let out a long sigh inwardly, praying for this situation to end soon. At that moment, Lloydin’s grip on my hand tightened.

Reflexively, I looked up at him to see him gazing intently at me.

His eyes held a mix of emotions that were hard to decipher, but one thing was clear.

He felt sorry.

He felt guilty for not being able to say I was more precious right in front of me.

But I didn’t feel any sadness or disappointment at all.

Even if Lloydin said Ian was more precious, I wouldn’t be upset.

To me, Ian was just as precious as Lloydin now.

Because he’s family, it was meaningless to debate who was more cherished.

Moreover, I knew what kind of brother Ian was to Lloydin.

If someone asked me who was more precious between my parents and Lloydin, or my brothers and Lloydin, I wouldn’t be able to answer easily either.

So, the one who couldn’t answer wasn’t at fault; the one asking such pointless questions was.

With that in mind, I glared sharply at the Crown Prince before speaking.

“If Your Highness asked me the same question, I wouldn’t be able to answer either.”

At my words, both men turned to look at me simultaneously.

I gave Lloydin a reassuring look and continued speaking.

“If you asked me who was more precious between my parents and Your Grace, or my brothers and Your Grace, I couldn’t answer. They’re all equally important to me, without any difference.”

Hearing my response, the Crown Prince suddenly burst into laughter.

‘What’s this? Does he find my words funny?’

I was annoyed that he found my completely serious words laughable and was about to ask why he was laughing, but the Crown Prince spoke first.

“Ah, so that’s how the Duchess feels.”

“Yes, of course.”

“But the Duke doesn’t seem to think the same way.”

“No. Your Grace feels the same. Right?” I looked at Lloydin, seeking his agreement.

But instead of nodding right away, Lloydin just stared at me without making any gesture.

Perplexed, I watched as he slowly closed and reopened his eyes.

I interpreted this as his agreement with my words and smiled brightly at him.

“Your Grace, let’s head back.”

“Yes, Madam.”

Thinking the conversation had ended, we bowed to the Crown Prince before turning to leave.

“We shall take our leave now.”

The Crown Prince nodded without a word, and Lloydin and I turned our backs on him without hesitation.

We returned to the banquet hall and rejoined the crowd.

* * *

After the banquet, we rode the carriage back to Duke Blighton’s mansion.

After washing up and preparing for bed, I found Lloydin already seated on the sofa in our bedroom.

Exhausted from the long day, I was about to head to bed but decided to sit next to Lloydin on the sofa instead.

I felt it was best to briefly explain today’s events to him.

Remembering how he had watched me with anxious eyes throughout the carriage ride, I realized I couldn’t just go to sleep without saying anything.

However, I didn’t plan to tell him everything about my conversation with the Crown Prince.

Initially, I thought about discussing everything with Lloydin, but it seemed wiser to investigate a bit more on my own before consulting him.

And…

One question had been on my mind throughout the carriage ride.

Why did the Crown Prince reveal this matter to me?

Instead of reporting it directly to the Emperor or the temple, why did he come to me first? I needed to understand his reasoning.

Only after figuring out everything would I explain it all to Lloydin.

I sat close to Lloydin, leaning my head on his shoulder, and spoke.

“Your Grace.”

“Yes, my dear.”

“You must be curious about what the Crown Prince and I talked about earlier, right?”

Lloydin remained silent, but I understood what that meant.

After organizing my thoughts, I began speaking.

“Honestly, it wasn’t anything significant.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes. The Crown Prince asked about my brother Jade and Princess Daina.”

“Their situation?”

“Yes. After seeing them dance at the banquet, he asked me about their relationship.”

I only shared the very beginning of my conversation with the Crown Prince with Lloydin.

“So I told him I didn’t know much, but he seemed skeptical.”

Having concluded my explanation, I turned my head to look at Lloydin.

He seemed to be pondering something deeply before asking a sharp question.

“But why would the Crown Prince ask me such a question?”

“Pardon? Oh, you mean the question about Ian and me?”

“Yes.”

“Well, um, I’m not sure either. Why do you think he asked that?”

I replied as naturally as possible, even though I wasn’t sure why myself.

Despite my efforts, Lloydin’s brow remained furrowed, clearly unconvinced.

“The question the Crown Prince asked me…”

Then, he brought up that question again, staring at me intensely.

Feeling oddly trapped by his gaze, I could only look back at him without speaking.

“Actually, the Crown Prince’s words were true.”

“Pardon?”

Confused by his sudden statement, I wore a bewildered expression as Lloydin asked an unexpected question.

“Are you sure that to you, I and the others are truly equal?”