“Your Highness!”
“I’m curious as to what you two were doing while the young master was wandering the hall alone.”
Max’s blunt words made the atmosphere even more tense.
‘Oh no. He’s going to provoke the Grand Duchess even more.’
It seemed that the Grand Duchess and Duke Armand believed Max was responsible for this incident. It needed to be corrected.
“Grand Duchess, and Duke, I was the one who took the young master to the garden. While we were walking, we ended up near the pond…”
The Duke interrupted with an angry shout, as if he didn’t need to hear anything more.
“Who gave you permission to take Pierre, Lady? Why did you take someone else’s precious son wherever you pleased?”
“Edward. That’s enough.”
“Lady Brienne, listen carefully. If anything happens to our Pierre, then…!”
Crash.
“No! The Lady did nothing wrong!”
Pierre, who had been carried out earlier, ran back into the room. The Duchess, who had followed him in, was too shocked by her son’s sudden action to stop him.
“Pierre, the adults are talking. You need to leave.”
The boy seemed momentarily intimidated by the Duke’s stern rebuke, but then he caught his breath and clung to the Grand Duchess’s skirt.
“Grandmother, Lady Brienne was just playing with me. She wanted to go back inside, but I insisted on staying.”
“Oh, Pierre.”
As Sandrine patted his back, Pierre began to sniffle.
“It was amazing. When I return to Armand, I won’t be able to see the pretty sky, the fragrant garden, the stag beetles, or the rhinoceros beetles… Sniffle. I saw an interesting insect by the pond, and I slipped while trying to catch it… Hiccup.”
The Grand Duchess’s expression hardened, but her hands continued to comfort him gently.
“And even though I’m just a clumsy pig, and I kept sinking, the Lady kept pulling me up… Sniffle.”
Sandrine listened calmly to her grandson’s words. When Pierre finally calmed down, she hugged him warmly to reassure him.
“Thank you for telling us, Pierre. Now, would you please step outside for a moment?”
As soon as the young master was led out of the room by the Duchess, a heavy silence filled the space.
“Lady Brienne, thank you for saving Pierre.”
“…!”
“I’m sure Pierre must have been a bother to you. It would have been easy to ignore him, yet you took care of him, and I’m grateful for that too.”
“Mother, what are you saying…!”
“Duke, it was our fault from the beginning for not properly watching over Pierre. You know as well as I do that children his age are unpredictable.”
“I must hold someone accountable! Our precious Pierre could have been seriously hurt!”
“So that’s why you’ve kept him cooped up, cutting off all outings? To the point where a garden like this, which is insignificant compared to Armand, feels like a new world to him?”
“…”
“I’m too embarrassed to continue this discussion, so let’s talk about it later. The undeniable truth is that Lady Brienne and His Highness the Third Prince saved our Pierre. I won’t tolerate any more disrespect.”
With the Grand Duchess’s sharp warning, the Duke fell silent.
“You must be shaken. We’ll prepare a room for you, so why not rest here at the villa tonight?”
Sandrine’s offer was tempting. Her body had been feeling incredibly heavy and cold for some time now.
The thought of going home in this condition was daunting. No matter how luxurious the royal carriage sent by the Empress Dowager might be, the journey would feel like rolling over a gravel path.
‘But…’
Anais glanced at Max to gauge his reaction. He had been saying he wanted to leave at every opportunity, so the idea of spending the night here would surely make him recoil. She didn’t want to stay here alone if he left…
Just as she was about to reluctantly decline the offer, Max spoke up.
“Let’s do that.”
To her surprise, Max accepted the suggestion. She had expected him to bolt out of here, but instead, he agreed. She looked at him curiously, but his expression showed no hesitation.
Anais fidgeted with Max’s outer coat, which was draped over her shoulders.
***
The Grand Duchess and Duke returned to the party hall to wrap up the dinner party. While waiting for a servant to guide them to their room, Anais kept stealing glances at Max.
“Why didn’t you just leave, Your Highness…? You even came to find me earlier because you wanted to go back.”
Max, still wearing his damp shirt, slumped back into the sofa, sinking into its cushions.
“What if you go back?”
“…?”
“Today’s events will surely reach Her Majesty’s ears. Don’t you think I’ll get scolded for abandoning her aide? Besides, with your feverish body, you wouldn’t make it back anyway.”
“…”
Anais quietly placed the back of her hand on her forehead. Her temperature was high, burning hot. No wonder she felt so cold.
At some point, Max had realized that she wasn’t in good condition. Despite the tension from the dinner, where he had to engage in a power struggle with the Grand Duchess, he had made the decision to stay without hesitation, which made her see him in a different light.
He might have caused some commotion with that bet earlier and upset Sandrine, but it was undeniable that Max had faithfully followed Anais’s plan today. She was grateful for that alone, and he had already helped her twice today.
‘Maybe it’s not just my imagination.’
Perhaps Prince Max was a more considerate person than the rumors suggested…
“In case you misunderstand, let me clarify. I don’t want to unnecessarily irritate Her Majesty the Empress Dowager over a trivial matter. If you and I weren’t, well, ‘in the same boat’ or whatever, I wouldn’t have cared if you and the little one ended up as fish food together.”
“…”
Ah, right.
As Anais’s gaze turned cold and her smile hollow, a servant arrived to guide them. Soon, Anais and Max were standing side by side in the middle of the second-floor corridor. Max’s room wasn’t far from Anais’s; in fact, it was right next to hers.
Out of all the rooms, it had to be the one next door. While it wasn’t the same room, the thought of spending the night with only a wall between them made her a bit nervous. But Max didn’t seem to mind at all. He didn’t appear even slightly bothered by receiving similar treatment to a minor noblewoman, despite being royalty.
Just as she was about to enter her room, the sound of hurried footsteps ascending the stairs caught her attention. Soon, a physician with a partially bald head appeared, hurrying down the hallway, slightly out of breath.
“Barbier, at your service, Your Highness the Third Prince. I am Benjamin. I will assist with your examination.”
“I’m fine. See to her first.”
With that, Max gestured towards Anais and then disappeared into his room.
Benjamin, Sandrine’s personal physician, was a skilled doctor. After examining Anais, he prescribed some medication and explained how to take it before leaving.
Anais bathed in warm water and put on the robe left by the servant. As the medicine took effect, her body began to relax.
‘I wonder if His Highness is alright…’
As soon as Anais’s head hit the soft pillow, she was pulled into a deep sleep.
****
She woke up to the sound of knocking. The bright sunlight pouring in made her squint. As she stretched, she winced at the pain in her arms and sides, feeling as if they had been kicked. The muscle pain was likely due to the struggle she had put up while thrashing in the water. Still, compared to the fever she had last night, her condition was much better.
Clearing her throat, Anais called out, “Yes?”
The same servant who had shown her to her room yesterday brought in some clothes for her. She mentioned that she had chosen something that would fit Anais from the spare clothes the Duchess had brought along.
“We’ll wash the dress you wore yesterday and send it to your residence. Take your time getting ready and come down when you’re ready.”
Anais put on the polka-dot muslin dress the servant handed her and tidied her hair before stepping out of her room.
“…!”
At the same time, Max opened his door, and they came face to face, causing Anais to pause for a moment. She quickly recovered and offered him a warm morning greeting. Meeting him this early, still half-asleep, made her feel a bit dazed, as if yesterday’s events had been just a dream.
“You must be feeling better if you’re smiling so early in the morning,” he remarked.
“Thanks to you. Are you feeling alright, Your Highness?”
Was he really alright? His expression seemed oddly grumpy this morning.
She recalled how Max had refused Benjamin’s offer for an examination last night. Looking at him with concern, she noticed him smirking slightly.
“If you’re asking if I’m hurt, then no. If you’re asking if I slept well, then also no.”
“Oh. I suppose you were tossing and turning because of the unfamiliar bed?”
The guest room at the Armand manor was objectively excellent, but she figured it might not be up to the standards of someone whose home was the royal palace. She nodded quietly in understanding when Max spoke again, sounding exasperated.
“Who could sleep with all that snoring?”
“…Pardon?”
What… was he talking about?
