Finally, the upcoming palace banquet. Angelina showed no signs of being cautious around the emperor. Instead, she confidently appeared with Brody as if to show off at the palace banquet.
“Wow,” Erin murmured in admiration.
She subtly raised her thumb with one of her hands covering her mouth. She had discussed the relationship between the two under the surface, but she had never expected them to appear so confidently.
Despite the admiration from Erin and some other noblewomen and court ladies, there were cold gazes directed at the two.
“Angelina,” the emperor called her with an icy voice.
“Come and talk with me for a moment.”
With just one word, the emperor turned away indifferently, indicating for her to follow. As Angelina was about to follow, Brody held her back.
“I will go with her,” he stated.
“No, I will go alone for now. Greetings to His Majesty will come later,” Angelina responded.
Brody still looked at her with a worried expression.
With that, Angelina smiled with her eyes crescented and said, “I’ll be back.”
That’s how the emperor and Princess Angelina left their seats. Brody, left alone, silently held his ground. The nobles were perplexed.
If they approached and greeted him first, he was a commoner. But if they ignored him, he was the princess’s partner. Everything from titles to greetings was confusing.
In that moment, the distance between Brody and the other nobles stubbornly did not decrease.
“Nice to see you here,” suddenly Aiden approached Brody. Brody’s eyes widened as he bowed slightly in greeting.
Aiden responded with a slight bow without saying anything. Brody seemed shocked as if he couldn’t believe Aiden would bow to him.
“D-Duke…!” Brody seemed to want to stop him, as if it was unthinkable for someone to bow to him.
“Today, you are the partner of Her Highness the Princess. I should treat you accordingly.”
Aiden’s casual remark seemed to imply taking it in stride. At the same time, it showed the other nobles, who had been pondering, how to act.
“Thank you,” Brody also noticed that Aiden deliberately approached and greeted him first.
At the same time, it was also an advice not to show any signs of shrinking in the presence of Angelina. Brody adjusted his posture.
Aiden didn’t immediately move on, but continued the conversation with Brody.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen it, but you two look good together,” Aiden said, recalling the sight of Brody and Angelina together.
Erin had mentioned earlier that ownership of the main branch of the café ‘Angela’ seemed likely to be transferred to Angelina.
While she couldn’t be sure, Erin shared some details about the past between the two that she couldn’t speak with certainty about.
However, though she had known in her head, she had never imagined what the two would be like together.
But today, when she saw them, it seemed as if they had been together for a long time.
Especially, while they had different impressions separately, being together they seemed to resemble each other.
As I look at that sight, I couldn’t help but wonder how Erin and I would appear to others. Aiden’s gaze suddenly turned towards Erin, who was engaged in conversation with others.
Although she was far away, her face seemed right in front of me. As I scrutinized her face, Brody hesitantly spoke up.
“I’m not sure if I should be here.”
It seemed like his worries had not disappeared. Aiden turned his head to look at him and asked in a curious tone.
“Did you come here against your will?”
After a moment of contemplation, Brody spoke firmly.
“No, I did not come here against my will.”
Brody spoke confidently.
“When Angelina, I mean, Her Highness… asked me first, I was secretly glad.”
As he recalled that moment, a smile appeared on Brody’s face.
“I wanted to assert my determination for Her Highness.”
That was Brody’s hidden sincerity.
The only thing he had stubbornly insisted on was the name of the café “Angela.”
“If it was a place you wanted to come to, that’s enough.”
Aiden still spoke casually, but his answer was sincere.
At that moment, Erin, who had been talking with other ladies, approached the two of them.
“Brody, it’s great to see you here.”
“Thank you. I’m very glad to be here too.”
Erin’s eyes curled up with satisfaction. When she first saw Brody, she was briefly surprised but quickly adjusted. She was actually pleased to see him in this setting.
With a light smile, she spoke.
“Have you tried the desserts here?”
“Oh, no. I haven’t had any.”
Ever since he entered the banquet hall, Brody had been tense, and he had only taken a few sips of water. Erin’s expression turned subtle.
“Brody’s creations are much tastier.”
In a whisper, Erin’s words made Brody burst into a big smile.
“Thank you. I will make some for you again.”
“I promised. No matter how important Princess Angelina is, I have to take care of my desserts.”
“Of course. That’s only natural.”
At that moment, music for dancing began to play within the banquet hall. Some nobles gathered with their partners in the center to dance.
Watching them, Erin, with a mischievous glint, spoke to Brody.
“Now Brody, you should start practicing dancing. Or do you happen to dance well?”
“No, I can’t dance at all. And I don’t think there will be a situation where I’ll need to in the future.”
“Even if we don’t dance together today, won’t there be situations in the future where we’ll have to?”
Erin asked in confusion.
“No, I just wanted to be here together for once. I won’t be coming again in the future.”
Brody responded firmly.
“Isn’t this your place?”
“Why? If you marry the Princess, you’ll have to attend more frequently.”
“…What?”
Brody looked at Erin with a puzzled expression.
“No, we… ”
Brody opened his mouth to correct Erin’s misunderstanding.
At first, Erin’s expression subtly changed as Brody spoke, then she tilted her head. Then, as Erin’s face became lost in thought, a smile slowly spread across her face.
“That’s also a really good relationship.”
***
The emperor was facing Angelina in the throne chamber.
The emperor’s gaze as he looked at her was cold and stern.
“It doesn’t matter what kind of life you choose to live after coming back. But at the very least, you should maintain the dignity of being a princess.”
The emperor was expressing that meeting Brody tarnished the princess’s dignity.
Angelina slightly furrowed her brows.
“Do you intend to get married or something?”
The emperor asked with a frown.
Angelina looked calmly at the emperor and replied,
“No, I won’t. I will live as I do now.”
“What? Then why did you bring us to this point?”
The emperor had expected her to get angry if she mentioned marriage.
However, her answer was different from his expectations.
But the emperor did not feel relieved by her response, showing his displeasure in a different sense.
“Now, I know that we don’t have to get married to be together.”
Angelina spoke casually yet calmly.
“I’ve decided to spend my life together with him, like a close friend.”
As her words continued, the emperor’s face twisted in disapproval.
“I also don’t want to give up this time.”
On the day Angelina and Brody had their first proper reunion, the two of them had a long conversation and found they were on the same page.
“I will offer this business to the princess. I had been waiting for this from the beginning.”
“In that case, we are partners from now on.”
When Angelina hesitated to express what she wanted to say, Brody made the suggestion first.
“How about being partners, comrades, and companions?”
It was when Angelina recalled the conversation they had that day and smiled.
A voice shattered her happy thoughts.
“So, you’re going to continue doing as you please? Keep meeting that Brody guy?”
“Your Highness.”
This time, Angelina’s expression turned cold.
“Do I need permission to make friends?”
Angelina’s eyes flashed sharply.
She spoke with undisguised displeasure, “I have fulfilled my duties as a princess during my past marriage.”
Angelina said calmly but firmly, “In the future, I will continue to fulfill my responsibilities and duties as a princess in official settings.”
“……”
“But my personal life is my own.”
So do not try to impose obligations on her anymore.
After leaving these words behind, Angelina left.
As soon as she disappeared, the Emperor’s face gradually hardened.
The Emperor eventually did not return to the banquet hall, seemingly showing that he did not want to see the two of them.
