Chapter 58: Possessiveness
‘Why did I do that?’
She had completely forgotten about apple sherbet, and yet she apparently ate it often enough after their marriage that Michael remembered. It was hard to believe.
“Is it good?”
He quietly pushed his own portion of apple sherbet over to her side.
“You said I’d catch a cold…”
Even in the smallest things, they were alike.
He warned her about getting sick, yet still gave her his portion too—just like someone else used to.
“Well, yes, but you rarely eat anything normally.”
“Sorry?”
“So I just wanted to see you eat, even if it’s like this.”
Seeing Michael smiling as he told her to eat more made her face flush.
The sherbet she was eating was ice cold, yet for some reason, she felt hot.
“Your Highness, did we see each other after the debutante ball?”
“The next time I saw you… was at the academy entrance ceremony.”
“Oh… What was your major?”
“Political science and diplomacy.”
It was the same department as Estelle.
And yet, she had never seen Michael even once while at the academy.
‘We were in the same department? I never even caught a glimpse of him…’
He had said he skipped the debutante ball on purpose—did he avoid her at the academy too?
“You probably didn’t see me because I switched to economics this time.”
“…Your Highness, did I ask that out loud?”
“It was written all over your face.”
He picked up his teacup, examined it for a while without drinking, and then set it back down.
‘What’s with him? Is he checking for poison?’
But the silver spoon resting in the cup showed no reaction.
‘Is it because Sebas brought it?’
Their relationship seemed strained enough that he wouldn’t even acknowledge him. It was odd.
If he disliked him that much, why keep him employed? Why not just dismiss him?
While those unanswered questions piled up, something else caught her eye.
‘…More than that, he has a beautiful neckline.’
Her gaze had wandered to his Adam’s apple. Embarrassed, she looked away before he could notice.
“You look like you’re wondering why I changed departments.”
“…Can I ask?”
“There’s no reason you can’t.”
As her curiosity piqued, she leaned in slightly. But Michael just smiled, lips sealed tight.
“Your Highness?”
“If you call me by name, I’ll tell you. You used to say ‘Michael’ so easily. Why the sudden switch back to ‘Your Highness’?”
Then, out of nowhere, he proposed a ridiculous condition: he would only answer if she called him by name.
“You used to say ‘Prince Michael,’ too,” he added sulkily, clearly showing his disappointment.
“Were you upset?”
“…Of course not.”
But he clearly was.
That’s why he was asking her to call him by name before continuing the conversation.
‘I didn’t mean to avoid saying his name…’
The way he was so obvious and yet pretended not to be was strangely endearing.
“I didn’t do it on purpose. I’ll start calling you by name from now on.”
It wasn’t hard, and Estelle agreed readily.
“Not with a title.”
“Then how?”
“Just say my name. ‘Michael.’”
There wasn’t much difference between using a title and not.
“Mi…”
Then why was her heart fluttering? She was way past the age for getting nervous over something like this.
“Mi?”
“…chael.”
“I didn’t catch that. Say it again.”
He clearly heard it, but still asked again. He was being mischievous.
“You really do have a similar personality.”
“With who?”
Just like Rahelrn. Watching her reactions, not letting things slide easily, and enjoying toying with her.
‘What a frustrating personality.’
Noticing his curious expression, Estelle suddenly didn’t feel like answering.
“You’re not going to tell me?”
“Nope, I’m not. If you’re that curious, try guessing.”
Michael raised one corner of his mouth in a smirk and shook his head.
“Not curious enough to guess.”
“…You’re not curious?”
“Don’t think about anyone else. Just focus on me.”
A small laugh escaped her lips. He wasn’t a child refusing to share candy, yet here he was, being possessive over something so small.
‘He’s sweet, but somehow still intimidating…’
Today, she was discovering so many new sides of Michael. He was surprisingly playful and seemed to enjoy teasing others.
“I saw you again for the first time after the debutante ball at the academy entrance ceremony. You were giving the oath as the representative of the Department of Political Science and Diplomacy.”
It had been so long that she couldn’t even remember whether she’d been nervous or managed to get through it well.
“I wasn’t interested. In who was giving the speech, or the gap between the top and second-ranked students. I was just irritated by the noise. I wanted the ceremony to end quickly so I could leave.”
So that’s what he’d been thinking at the time.
Estelle tried to recall what had been on her own mind during the ceremony. She didn’t remember much, only the faint bitterness of being alone without anyone there for her.
“But then, when you stepped up to the podium, everything around us went quiet. Even though we were surrounded by so many people, it felt like it was just you and me.”
Estelle looked back on that moment, guided by his words.
As she stood giving the oath, she briefly looked down and caught sight of Michael among the students, focusing intently on her voice.
“It was strange. I’m not the type to remember people well. Even if I see them multiple times, I tend to forget.”
It showed just how little attention Michael usually paid to others—something Estelle already knew from how indifferent he’d been when staff at the Winchester estate had passed away.
“Before you started the speech… you looked so nervous. Like you wanted to run away.”
“…Did I?”
Now that he said it, some of the memories came back.
She’d studied all night hoping to be praised, and ended up ranked first.
‘I was so focused on my grades, I didn’t think about what came after.’
She hadn’t known that the top student was required to give the entrance speech, and the moment she heard that, she’d been completely overwhelmed.
Being watched by all those students made her feel sick, like she might bolt at any moment.
“But once you started, you didn’t even seem nervous anymore. You delivered it so clearly and brightly, like a different person. It left a strong impression.”
“…I was actually really nervous. I’m glad it didn’t show.”
In that unavoidable moment, Estelle had caught glimpses of envy in others’ eyes as she stood on the stage.
‘Seeing that… I convinced myself I had to do it.’
She’d calmed herself down, saying it wouldn’t be right to give a half-hearted effort.
“Your calm voice was nice. It was the first time someone else’s words didn’t annoy me, which was… surprising.”
The more he spoke, the more embarrassed she felt. Maybe because it was mostly praise, it made her squirm.
“Actually, I liked how hard you tried to fulfill the task given to you. That effort—that’s what I liked most.”
It was the first time anyone had truly acknowledged her hard work.
“…That’s why I wanted to know what kind of person you were. What you were like, what you were good at, what you enjoyed.”
There had been people at the academy who approached her.
Most of them were trying to curry favor with the “Duke of Winchester’s daughter.”
Some liked Rahelrn or Lucas and wanted to get close to their younger sister.
“Why…?”
“Because I was curious about you. I wanted to get close to you.”
Michael had been the only one who was different. He hadn’t cared about her status—he genuinely wanted to get to know Estelle.
“That’s why I purposely chose overlapping classes, adjusted my schedule, and tried to do assignments together. I was constantly busy because of that.”
“You could’ve just asked to be friends normally…”
Since they were in the same department, they could’ve naturally become close without all that effort.
“I wanted to. It was a hassle, honestly. Sitting through classes I already knew, listening to some professors spout nonsense…”
“Then why…?”
“Because you were always busy. You’d go straight back to the dorms after class, rarely hung out, and insisted on doing assignments alone.”
With a reason like that, she couldn’t argue.
Estelle looked down, feeling a little guilty.
It hadn’t been because she was avoiding people.
She had genuinely been busy—terrified that her grades would drop and she’d disappoint the Duke of Winchester. So after class, she always rushed back to study.
“Even if I forget everything else, I’ll remember this, Estelle.”
“What is it?”
“I joined the student council just to see you. Just to talk to you a little more.”
Michael leaned his chin on his hand and muttered like it was such a bother.
What must their student council days have been like? If she had the chance, she’d love to see them again.
“How were we in the student council, usually?”
“You usually stopped me from trying to replace the dean.”
“…The dean?”
“That man made a rule banning romantic relationships between student council officers.”
Hey dear readers, the advance chapters of this novel are now available on Patreon. Also I’ll be posting chapters of my other novels there more frequently than here for some time due to some technical issues. Make sure to not miss your favourite novels. Thank you, have a nice day.✨❤️
