Chapter 177
Conveying the nuance that she had misspoken not out of malice but from genuine concern, Clara caused Nicholas to relax his stiff lips and smile once more.
“I’ll remember that you said it for my sake,” he replied.
Clara nodded at his response, then quickly offered a shy farewell and walked ahead.
She believed she had successfully lowered Nicholas’s affection for Adriana, whom he’d kept stealing glances at during lunch, and instead planted herself in his mind.
“…Unbelievable.”
Watching Clara’s retreating figure grow smaller, Nicholas let out a dry laugh.
He’d seen right through her act immediately, as if recognizing one of his own kind.
Recalling the sickeningly fake way she had just tried to drive a wedge between him and the Grand Princess while pretending to be innocent made him feel disgusted.
“If you’re going to play the game, at least play it right.”
The Grand Princess hadn’t even known her own identity in her youth. He didn’t know how she had lived, but it clearly hadn’t been easy. And now, not even ten years since reclaiming her rightful place, she was scorning him for his origins?
Ridiculous.
In fact, it was Clara who looked truly arrogant, blindly attempting to manipulate him without even understanding the full picture.
Still…
“Is she really as naive as she looks?”
With someone ready to stab her in the back from so close by.
Normally, he would’ve found it pathetic. But because she was connected to Lucio, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sympathy.
“Were you talking about me?”
At the voice from behind, Nicholas froze on the spot.
Had the private meeting already ended? Caught off guard, he couldn’t move.
Then, with a soft laugh, the Grand Princess appeared.
“I-I would never say such a thing. I mean, how could I…”
He hurriedly tried to deny it, but the Grand Princess simply smiled more deeply.
“I’ll keep your secret.”
“…Excuse me?”
“You were worried I might speak ill of you to someone close to me, weren’t you?”
Nicholas blinked slowly.
And then—
His eyes widened in shock, and he slapped a hand over his mouth.
“So the Grand Princess really is… connected to Lucio!”
Her words clearly implied she knew about the alliance between Lucio and himself.
To think they were close enough to share such secrets!
His face flushed red before he could stop it.
“Ah, yes… I look forward to working with you.”
Though flustered, Nicholas bowed quickly in an attempt to make a good impression.
When he looked up again, he thought the Grand Princess’s expression had turned slightly grim for some reason…
But Nicholas just smiled shyly, thinking only that he stood before the beloved of the person he trusted most.
***
‘Oh my god, he really likes Diana!’
I stared in shock at Nicholas, who blushed and smiled shyly.
I hadn’t expected him to agree so easily to what was just a casual probing question.
“He even said, ‘I look forward to working with you’?!”
Had he lost his mind?
Resolving firmly that I’d never let him near Diana again, I walked toward the carriage with heightened caution.
Nicholas, perhaps embarrassed about being found out, kept fidgeting with his flushed cheeks and clearing his throat beside me.
Watching him in disbelief for a moment, my thoughts drifted back to the private audience with the emperor.
In truth, I had no appetite throughout the meal because of the sickly, bloody stench coming from the demon’s relic.
⟨…A demon’s relic? What’s that?⟩
⟨Exactly what it sounds like. A demon’s item.⟩
I’d once asked Raizel more about demon relics after he’d briefly mentioned them.
⟨They’re wicked objects given to humans by demons, designed to incite greed and provoke slaughter. Some of them even bind through blood, forcing submission.⟩
The item I saw in the emperor’s treasury looked remarkably like what he had described.
And that awful smell of blood…
I had always felt uneasy around the emperor, but now just being near him repulsed me.
Still, I reminded myself of the reason I had come to the palace and requested the private meeting—to refuse the marriage proposal.
Unexpectedly, however, the emperor brought it up first on the way to the audience chamber.
⟨So, you really don’t care for Nicholas?⟩
⟨Pardon? That’s…⟩
⟨A pity I only have one son. But I understand your wishes. Don’t feel pressured, come visit the palace often while you’re here in the Empire.⟩
The way he so easily respected my choice made me wonder if it was some ploy to lower my guard, and I looked at him warily.
Sensing my suspicion, the emperor let out a bitter smile.
Still, determined to end things clearly, I opened my mouth to speak.
⟨Forgive me, Your Majesty. I shall never forget the grace you’ve shown to someone as foolish as me.⟩
I also made sure to mention that it wasn’t Nicholas’s fault, just that I currently had no desire to be engaged to anyone, hoping to avoid any trouble for him.
Just as the conversation with the Emperor seemed to be concluding peacefully…
⟨Your Majesty! Please forgive my son!⟩
Count Petier, who had been waiting outside the audience chamber, came rushing in and threw himself at the Emperor’s feet.
The Emperor frowned and was about to gesture for the royal guards when the Count shouted desperately,
⟨Please, just hear me out! I have the ancient…⟩
⟨Enough⟩
The Emperor suddenly interrupted the Count and turned to me.
⟨The Grand Princess seems to have said all she needed to. There’s no need for a longer audience, return now.⟩
⟨…Yes, Your Majesty.⟩
I bowed and carefully stepped back. I tried to focus my senses to catch what would be said next, but all I heard was the sound of the door closing.
‘So Jane’s report was right.’
⟨It seems the Count is planning to offer up the ancient artifact he’s been keeping to save his son.⟩
I had already planned to raid the Count’s estate once I confirmed how the Petier family had come to possess an ancient relic. Jane’s report had clued me in to how things might unfold.
But the Count was moving faster than expected.
Perhaps that’s why, even when I saw Clara trying to flirt with Nicholas, it barely registered.
‘I somewhat expected this anyway.’
I told myself it was time to forget Clara and focus on my own mission.
“I’ll see you at the fencing tournament arena, then.”
Nicholas, somehow already at the carriage, gave a polite farewell.
His face was still visibly flushed.
I nodded somewhat awkwardly and stepped into the carriage.
Just as I was about to close the door…
“Huh? Lucio…?”
With Nicholas’s startled voice, Lucio suddenly barged into the carriage.
“What—what are you doing?! Why are you getting in?”
“To go with you.”
I yelled in surprise, but Lucio shamelessly answered, firmly closed the door behind him, and signaled the coachman to depart.
Completely speechless, I could only gape. Then I remembered Nicholas, who must be utterly baffled watching this from outside.
“Well, I’m glad I met you! I had something to talk about.”
“What is it?”
Looking at Lucio, who was naively tilting his head, clueless that the man he wanted as emperor was hitting on his sister, I spoke seriously.
“I think you should be careful. He’s older, yet shamelessly hitting on a younger girl…”1Korean people tend to drop the pronouns, so really the second sentence without one and you’ll get it.
“Wait!”
Before I could finish, Lucio suddenly raised a hand to stop me.
His face looked like he’d been hit over the head with a blunt object.
“Wh-what’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“You… hate me that much?”
“What?”
“For liking you shamelessly—despite being older?”
“Li-liking me?!”
The word like completely threw me off. I stammered, then gasped and covered my mouth as I realized what he meant.
But I didn’t mean him. I meant Nicholas!
I was about to clarify, but stopped when I saw Lucio’s lips tightly sealed and his face clearly hurt—an uncharacteristically cold expression on his face.
Shocked for a moment by this unfamiliar sight, I turned my head quickly to stifle the urge to laugh. That’s when I heard his gloomy voice,
“Sorry I’m old.”
“Pfft—!”
I couldn’t hold it anymore and burst out laughing. Lucio shot me a resentful glare.
“So you’ve resorted to mocking me now? Truly humiliating…”
“Ah, stop it. I wasn’t talking about you.”
Lucio narrowed his eyes, trying to gauge if I was telling the truth.
“…Really?”
“Yes. I was talking about Prince Nicholas.”
“Nicholas? …You must’ve forgotten—he’s the same age as me.”
Lucio looked briefly relieved, then sulked again. He paused and asked,
“Did Nicholas hit on you or something?”
If I said yes, he looked ready to turn the carriage around that instant.
Startled by his dangerous expression, I quickly waved my hands.
“I said he was into a younger girl. I’m not a kid, remember?”
It had been ages since my coming-of-age ceremony, my second one, at that.
Lucio blinked slowly, then gave a small laugh.
“Right. You’re no kid.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Feeling embarrassed, I averted my eyes. He tilted his head and asked,
“Then who were you talking about?”
I quickly answered, “Diana!”
“…Diana?”
Lucio looked confused, like he couldn’t understand why Diana’s name came up.
I explained, exasperated.
“Prince Nicholas has a thing for Diana!”
“What? That can’t be…”
He started to deny it, then frowned.
“I think I understand now.”
“Understand what?”
“He definitely has a thing for her, but it’s not what you think, so don’t worry.”
Lucio’s calm reply annoyed me.
‘Just wait until he sees a marriage proposal down the line, then he’ll panic.’
I glared at him, pouting. Lucio furrowed his brow.
“Why that look? Is that your way of saying you really don’t like me?”
“Why do you keep saying that?!”
“Well, I am older than you…”
Now he looked almost depressed, which was just absurd.
‘Older? I’ve never even thought of him that way…’
ههههه لوسيو محجوز لي شكرا على الفصل🤣🫶💞✨