Episode 129

The next day, I began to observe the movements of the servants working at the ducal residence.

I paid particular attention to the butler who knew about the day Ian’s unstable magical power caused a rampage.

However, no matter how much I thought about it, the likelihood of the butler being a spy was low.

Though my time here hadn’t been long, the butler I knew didn’t seem like someone who would do such a thing.

Moreover, his loyalty to Lloydin and the Blighton family was so high that I couldn’t imagine him betraying them.

Even so, I didn’t completely exclude the possibility of the butler being the spy, but he didn’t show any suspicious behavior.

‘If it’s not the butler, then could it be someone else?’

Only a very few people knew about that incident, so no one else came to mind.

If so, it had to be someone completely unexpected.

What if someone had been spying on the situation on the Crown Prince’s orders that day?

That wasn’t impossible either.

Although Lloydin had warned that we couldn’t trust anyone and had acted cautiously to prevent word from spreading about Ian’s condition, someone might have noticed that things were different from usual.

Especially if someone had been keeping an eye on the situation after receiving some information from the Crown Prince, it would have seemed suspicious.

If my guess was correct, it meant the Crown Prince had anticipated such events and planted a spy in advance.

‘How?’

How could the Crown Prince have acted so foresightedly?

This question made me realize I needed to investigate more thoroughly.

And…

Lloydin’s sudden appearance at the banquet had prevented me from finishing my conversation with the Crown Prince.

Most importantly, I was curious about why he had told me such things.

I hadn’t been able to ask at the time because I was too confused, but that was the most crucial part.

To find out why, I had to meet the Crown Prince again.

However, if I told Lloydin I was going to see the Crown Prince, he would certainly disapprove.

So, I decided to wait for a time when Lloydin was out.

I waited for several days for Lloydin to go out.

But contrary to his usual routine, Lloydin stayed at the estate, attending to his duties for several days.

Then, one day, he mentioned he had business outside and left the mansion.

After seeing him off, I prepared and headed to the palace.

Coincidentally, it was the day I was to meet the princess, so I could go to the palace without arousing any suspicion.

While riding the carriage to the palace, I mentally organized what I needed to do today.

‘Will the Crown Prince meet me?’

I knew I should have contacted him in advance to arrange a meeting.

But since I didn’t know when Lloydin would go out, I hadn’t been able to send a letter to the Crown Prince.

I planned to see the princess first and then seek out the Crown Prince, but it was uncertain if he would meet me.

‘It would be nice if we ran into each other like last time.’

However, I couldn’t rely on such luck twice, so I decided to give it a try.

Besides, I had a feeling that he would meet me.

Lost in thought, the carriage arrived at the palace where the princess resided.

As soon as I got out of the carriage, the princess greeted me with a bright smile.

“Greetings, Your Highness.”

“Welcome, Duchess Blighton. I’ve been waiting for you.”

“You were waiting for me?”

“Yes, I have a lot to talk about. Come in quickly.”

The princess seemed genuinely excited, her face brimming with anticipation.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

We entered the palace and settled in the same reception room as before.

Warm, fragrant tea and sweet snacks were laid out on the table.

“Everyone, leave.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

At her command, the maids exited the room like a receding tide, leaving only the princess and me.

“Please, help yourself.”

“Thank you. I will.”

I took a bite of a cookie and sipped my tea while the princess watched me intently.

After a few more bites, I placed the cookie on the plate and set the teacup on the table.

Then, I placed my hands neatly on my lap and addressed the princess.

“You mentioned you had something you wanted to say to me?”

“Yes, that’s right. Oh, how is Jade Anaïs? He seems well, but I wanted to ask anyway…”

The princess, unusually shy, smiled bashfully as she spoke.

“My brother is doing well, I think. I haven’t had any contact with him since the banquet, though.”

“Is that so? I see…”

Watching the princess nod slowly, I suddenly realized that her question seemed a bit odd.

She had asked if my brother Jade was doing well, then answered herself that he seemed to be.

It sounded as if she already knew how he was doing.

“Your Highness, are you in contact with my brother Jade?”

“What? Oh, yes. Yes, we are.”

As I suspected.

‘So, things went well for them at the banquet.’

It was excellent news that she was in contact with my brother.

Seeing the princess smiling like a girl in love made me smile as well.

I looked at her warmly and waited for her to speak.

After a moment, she began to recount what happened that day.

“After dancing with Lord Anaïs, we went outside the palace together.”

“You went outside the palace?”

“Yes.”

Her smile remained as she nodded slightly, clearly reminiscing about that moment.

In contrast, I was surprised, my eyes widening at the revelation that they had gone outside the palace.

“Oh, I thought you and my brother were somewhere in the palace. I never imagined you went outside.”

Come to think of it, they hadn’t returned by the end of the banquet.

“We went to that place.”

“That place…”

I had a feeling I knew where she was referring to.

When I looked at her with questioning eyes, she confirmed it with a nod and continued.

“Yes, the place we promised to meet but couldn’t. I wanted to keep that promise and do something special with him there.”

“And did you?”

“Yes. We watched fireworks and danced together.”

“Wow…”

I couldn’t help but exclaim at the romantic story, more enchanting than I had imagined.

“That’s so romantic.”

“Yes, it was wonderful.”

The princess responded, looking as if she were in a happy dream.

Seeing her like that made me feel happy and warm as well.

“So, did you clear up the misunderstanding from that day?”

“Yes, I explained everything to him, why I had no other choice. And he understood completely. He is truly a kind and wonderful person.”

“Jade is like that. Among my brothers, he is the kindest.”

“Is he? I knew it…”

“Yes. It’s not just because he’s my brother. Jade really is as great as you said, Your Highness.”

I praised my brother without hesitation in front of the princess.

Her eyes lit up, and she started asking me many questions.

“Tell me, what was Lord Anaïs like when he was young?”

“My brother?”

“Yes, I’m curious.”

“Well, he was…”

From then on, I shared stories about Jade’s childhood, sprinkling in some of his best qualities, satisfying the princess’s curiosity.

We spent a long time talking about my brother.

* * *

We lost track of time as we chatted, and soon the sun was setting.

Noticing the red sky outside, I stood up.

“I should be going now.”

“Oh, it’s already that late.”

The princess stood up to see me off, but I waved her back gently.

“I can go alone. You don’t need to come out, Your Highness.”

“No, I’d like to walk with you and continue our conversation.”

“Oh, okay then.”

I couldn’t refuse her earnest request, so we walked out together.

Even as we neared the carriage, the princess continued to chat.

I hadn’t realized she was such a talkative person, and it was quite surprising.

‘It must be because it’s about my brother, Jade.’

When you’re in love, you want to know and talk about everything concerning that person.

Considering that I was his sister and she had been holding back her feelings, it made sense that everything was spilling out now.

I found her endearing and said my goodbyes with a smile.

“I’ll be going now.”

“Are you coming again next week?”

“If Your Highness invites me, I’ll always come.”

“Please do. Have a safe journey.”

“Thank you. Goodbye.”

After bidding farewell, I got into the carriage and left the princess’s palace.

Not long after, I was about to instruct the coachman to change directions when the carriage suddenly stopped, and a strange voice came from outside.

“Duchess Blighton, the Crown Prince has requested your presence.”