Episode 142

Even if they could no longer exchange affection, Daina wished only for Jade to live a long life.

After gathering all the necessary information, Daina met with Ayla. Despite several moments when she almost revealed her predicament, she managed to fulfill her duties to the best of her ability.

That night, Daina looked around her palace, which was filled with knights sent by the Crown Prince. Having just returned from the temple, she now had to leave again, and the thought saddened her.

This time, she would likely never return to this place.

With that realization, she resolved to memorize every detail of her surroundings, to hold on to these memories for as long as possible.

Thus, she stayed awake all night, unable to sleep, just taking it all in.

The next day, the Crown Prince officially announced Princess Daina’s engagement.

* * *

“Princess Daina’s marriage?”

The shocking news from the imperial palace left me so stunned that my mind went blank.

The groom wasn’t Jade, but the Crown Prince of the Kailon Kingdom.

How could this be?

Why did this happen?

Knowing how Jade and Princess Daina had reunited, I was deeply worried about both of them.

I felt I needed to understand the situation, so I sent a letter to the princess asking to meet her, but I was immediately refused.

Why wouldn’t she see me? Just yesterday, she agreed to meet with me, so why now…?

Though anxiety crept up to the top of my head, I tried to stay calm and assess the situation.

Unable to remain idle, I hurried to the Anaïs estate.

When I asked Jade about it, he said he too had received a letter of refusal from the princess.

Seeing the desolate and pained expression on Jade’s face as he tried to keep himself composed broke my heart.

When I asked him if he had any suspicions about what was going on, he simply shook his head.

I told him I would find out what was happening and then returned to the Blighton estate.

I went over my conversation with the princess the previous day, recalling every detail.

“Come to think of it, something did seem off.”

It was strange that the Crown Prince had suddenly forbidden her from going out, and even stranger that she seemed to know the reason but kept it hidden.

“So, she knew.”

Given her unnatural demeanor, it was clear that she had already known what was decided before we met.

And most of all, that remark she made.

The more I thought about her words to push forward no matter what happened, the more suspicious they seemed.

“Ah, that’s right!”

She had told me to pass along her regards to Jade and mentioned that she wouldn’t be able to exchange letters for a while.

How could I have overlooked that?

I should have pressed for more details.

The princess had sent me numerous signals.

Although they weren’t overt, they were still noticeable enough that I could have picked up on them if I had paid more attention.

But I was so caught up in my own affairs that I didn’t properly question her unusual behavior.

“Why am I like this?”

I felt ashamed and angry at myself for being so selfish and foolish.

“No, there’s still time.”

I shook off my self-reproach and pulled myself together.

Instead of wasting time blaming myself, it was much more efficient to find a way to resolve this issue and take action.

“It must be the Crown Prince.”

Since the Crown Prince was currently overseeing imperial matters, he was likely the one planning to send Princess Daina to Kailon Kingdom.

With this conclusion in mind, I hurried to prepare for an audience at the palace.

Lloydin had been very busy lately, so he had already left early that morning.

Without telling the butler that I was going to the palace, I simply said I was going out and quickly got ready before heading to the palace.

I was in such a rush that I hadn’t sent a letter to the Crown Prince in advance, but I was confident I could still see him.

Soon after, I arrived at the Crown Prince’s palace and got out of the carriage as an attendant approached.

“Welcome, Duchess Blighton. His Highness the Crown Prince instructed us to bring you to him immediately upon your arrival.”

“His Highness?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

A shiver ran down my spine at the implication that he had anticipated my visit.

How did he know I was coming?

“Please, come inside.”

“Ah, right.”

I quickly gathered my thoughts and followed the attendant.

As before, the attendant announced my arrival to the Crown Prince once we reached the office.

“Your Highness, Duchess Blighton is here to see you.”

“Let her in.”

“Yes, Your Highness. Please, go ahead.”

As the large doors opened and I entered, I saw the Crown Prince sitting at his desk by the window, just as he had been last time.

“I greet Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”

“Welcome. Please, have a seat.”

I took the same seat I had occupied before and, after a brief pause, fixed my gaze on the Crown Prince and spoke.

“The attendant spoke as if he knew I would be coming here. Did Your Highness anticipate my visit today?”

“Indeed. I figured you would seek me out after hearing the news about the princess.”

The Crown Prince smirked with a calm demeanor as he spoke.

In contrast, I found it impossible to smile. The way he spoke, as if I were completely under his control, made me feel incredibly uneasy.

However, I wasn’t foolish enough to reveal my emotions so easily.

Maintaining a neutral expression, I directed my question to the Crown Prince.

“In that case, I’ll get straight to the point. Is it true that Your Highness is the one sending Princess Daina to the Kingdom of Kailon?”

“Yes, that’s correct. It was my decision.”

“Why?”

“I believe the Duchess knows the answer better than anyone else.”

“Me?”

I responded with a puzzled expression, but then, suddenly, a possible reason flashed through my mind.

“Could it be… because of me?”

The Crown Prince didn’t answer, but his smile was enough of a confirmation.

“How could you… How could you do such a thing?”

“If you had made your decision sooner, we could have avoided this inconvenience.”

The Crown Prince dismissed Princess Daina’s marriage as nothing more than an inconvenience, blaming me for the delay, and it made my blood boil.

‘Don’t lose your temper.’

Just like before, the Crown Prince was completely at ease, even now. To deal with someone like him, I had to remain calm and rational—losing my temper was not an option.

After taking a deep breath to quell my anger, I continued.

“You promised to give me time.”

“I did promise you time, but unlike time, my patience has its limits.”

“So, you orchestrated all of this just to pressure me?”

The Crown Prince simply smiled, his lips curling upward, answering without words.

“If I had ignored your intentions, would you have really sent the princess to Kailon?”

“Of course.”

“Then you wouldn’t have gotten what you wanted from me.”

“That wouldn’t have happened.”

The Crown Prince’s expression was full of confidence as he shook his head.

“It would have taken more time, but eventually, things would have gone my way.”

“Hah.”

I was at a loss for words, utterly incredulous.

Unable to fully conceal my emotions, I found myself glaring at him, but the Crown Prince continued to speak.

“So, have you finally made your decision?”

I stared into the distance, unable to answer immediately.

‘What should I do?’

No, I already knew what I had to do. I just needed to say it out loud.

But if I did… then we…

“If I give you the answer you want, will you undo everything and return things to the way they were?”

“Of course. All I want is you, Duchess.”

All I had to do was give up. All I had to do was make the decision, so why did it feel so difficult?

“Just one more day. Please, give me one more day.”

“One day, you say…”

“If you give me until tomorrow, I’ll give you my answer.”

I barely managed to get the words out, desperately trying to buy myself just one more day.

Of course, one day wasn’t nearly enough time to change the situation in my favor or to take any meaningful action.

But that day would be precious time in what remained of my life.

The Crown Prince seemed to ponder this for a moment, then gave a slight nod.

“Very well. I’ll give you one more day.”

“…Thank you.”

I didn’t feel any gratitude, but I forced the words out.

“I’ll take my leave now.”

I didn’t want to waste any more of my time in the Crown Prince’s company. I stood up immediately, gave a formal bow, and left the room.

“I’ll be waiting.”

The Crown Prince’s voice echoed from behind, but I ignored it and kept walking forward.

As I returned to the Blighton estate, I felt as though I was walking through an endless darkness with no clear path in sight.