At the same time as a hand wrapped around my waist, a cool scent suddenly swept over me.
When I turned my head, Ian was standing behind me with a hardened expression, staring at Duke Roger.
Roger, who shifted his gaze to Ian upon his arrival, smiled warmly, his dark green eyes narrowing without a hint of surprise.
“I greet Your Highness, Grand Duke Cloud. How have you been?”
Ian’s brow furrowed.
“I would have been fine had you not shown up.”
‘Oh, he’s strong.’
Despite Ian’s blatant rebuke, there was no wavering in Roger’s expression. His lips curved upwards as if locked in place, and he shrugged.
“Well, should I apologize for that? It’s unfortunate. I was very eager to meet Your Highness.”
He beamed.
Unlike the cold, tense atmosphere around Ian, Duke Roger’s surroundings were as fresh as blossoming flowers.
‘This one is even stronger.’
Whether oblivious or pretending to be, Roger seemed unfazed by the tense air, which made him all the more impressive.
‘Didn’t Duke Roger say he wanted to mend relations?’
Judging by the current atmosphere, it was fortunate no fight had broken out, let alone mending things.
Ian, in particular, was openly wary of Roger for some reason.
I didn’t dare intervene and quietly held my breath, still cradled in Ian’s firm arms.
“Did you send your message through the Grand Duchess for me to hear intentionally?” Ian asked pointedly. Roger slowly blinked and then closed his eyes.
“…I would never, Your Highness. As embarrassing as it is to admit, that was entirely due to an error by one of my household servants.”
“An error….”
Ian tilted his head with a blank expression.
“It’s news to me that errors exist in your vocabulary.”
“I appreciate the compliment, but I, too, am human and was unprepared for the sudden event. I apologize for the oversight.”
“It wasn’t that you didn’t handle it, was it?”
Despite Roger bowing politely, Ian showed no signs of easing up.
His voice, devoid of any warmth, was so cold it was almost harsh.
At that moment, I was reminded again.
‘That’s right, he’s always been like this.’
Lately, he had been strangely calm around me, and I had briefly forgotten, but Ian Cloud was renowned for his cold and sharp manner, even to the point where fans referred to him as “Your Majesty the Grand Duke.”
‘Though, today, he seems to be acting even more aggressive than usual….’
Ian spoke again.
“Whatever your intentions are, I suggest you refrain from involving the Grand Duchess. I’m not sure how deeply His Majesty is moved by your loyalty.”
“It is true that I am loyal to His Majesty, but as I’ve always said, I also work tirelessly for Your Highness and the Levant Empire.”
Oh god, I’m scared of both of them.
With the icy cold Ian on one side and Duke Roger, who still hadn’t wiped the smile off his face, on the other, I couldn’t muster the courage to move from Ian’s embrace. I awkwardly bit my lip.
Roger lowered his head slightly, smiling, and addressed Ian.
“So, please, calm your anger, Your Highness.”
“It’s typical of you to speak of anger when I’m not angry.”
“I’ve always kept an eye on Your Highness. I’ll take that as a compliment for my consistency.”
“I was pointing out how tedious it is.”
Sparks flew between the two men.
At this point, I had to revise my thinking. Roger wasn’t some shy little wildflower; he was a force to be reckoned with, on par with the Grand Duke.
I’d been too naïve.
It’s all because of that face that made me let my guard down.
‘This is really going to turn into something bad, isn’t it?’
The tension between them was so precarious, like walking on thin ice, that I feared a full-blown conflict would erupt at any moment.
Quickly, I slipped out of Ian’s arms and stepped between them.
“Uh, sorry to interrupt your conversation.”
Both Ian and Roger’s gazes instantly locked onto me.
Whoa, so intense.
Ahem, I cleared my throat and turned to Duke Roger.
“Hayden… no, Duke Roger. We’re a bit busy right now. It looks like you also have things to attend to, so why don’t we continue this conversation another time?”
Roger, realizing my urgency, made a brief ‘Ah’ expression before smiling again.
“…I apologize, Your Highness the Grand Duchess. I’ve shown an unbecoming side of myself.”
He looked far too composed for someone who just said that.
Then, he glanced at Ian.
“Since His Highness seems to be in a bad mood today, I shall take my leave. I apologize for the disturbance.”
The faintest crack appeared on Ian’s face as Roger, ever smiling, spoke.
Sensing a second round was about to start, I firmly grabbed Ian’s arm and smiled at Roger.
“Alright, let’s finish the rest of the conversation next time we meet.”
“Yes, we shall.”
Fortunately, Duke Roger seemed to have no intention of provoking Ian further and readily agreed to my suggestion.
Then, he glanced at Ian and smiled with an odd expression. Before I could sense the sly atmosphere, he boldly took my hand and lifted it. He then bowed his head slightly and kissed the back of my hand.
“Well, I shall be going now.”
…What is he doing?
But before I could react, Roger had already let go of my hand and walked away, leaving me unable to say anything.
I only regained my senses after he had walked about ten steps away.
“…….”
This was definitely a provocation, right?
No matter how you look at it, this was 100% a deliberate provocation aimed at Ian. I was too afraid to check Ian’s reaction and stood frozen.
Just then, he turned to face me first.
“Your Highness… about that…”
“The Emperor summoned you.”
“Huh? Oh, yes.”
The topic shift was unexpected, and I nodded slightly. Ian glanced once at the hallway I had come from, then at me, and nodded.
“It’s a good thing I came.”
Then, he took my hand, the same hand Roger had kissed, and casually rubbed it with his thumb.
‘…Huh?’
His movements were so natural that I didn’t immediately realize what he was doing.
“I couldn’t find you in the ballroom, so I came looking. It seems the Emperor intentionally called you aside,” he said, his voice as calm as ever.
Meanwhile, I was feeling flustered.
‘Is he rubbing the back of my hand and purposely talking about something else?’
Was he avoiding even mentioning Roger’s name? Maybe.
Ian kept his gaze on my hand, his thumb brushing the same spot several times, before finally looking up to meet my eyes.
His cobalt-blue eyes stared straight at me.
“So, what did you talk about? Knowing His Majesty, it probably wasn’t a pleasant proposal.”
His tone was less of a question and more like he already knew the answer.
For someone who claims to be distant, he sure knows a lot about Elisio.
Despite my confusion from the abrupt change in topic, I replied honestly.
“…Oh, well. A few weeks from now, we’re scheduled to visit Biblos Academy, right? He said he’d like me to deliver a speech for the 100th anniversary celebration.”
“A speech, from you.”
“Yes, and I think he’s planning to send me as the Levant Empire’s envoy because of that.”
Ian nodded at my explanation.
“It seems he’s causing trouble again.”
“Yes, well.”
It was essentially a form of retaliation. I shrugged, recalling Elisio’s playful face.
“If I had to go alone, it would be a bit burdensome, but since Your Highness will also be attending the speech event, I told him I’d consider it.”
Suddenly, Ian’s thumb, which had been rubbing the back of my hand, slowed down. He looked at me silently, his lips pressed together as if he had something to say.
“…What is it?”
“I have something I’m curious about.”
All of a sudden?
Just when the conversation was flowing smoothly, why now?
Lately, I couldn’t predict this man’s actions at all, so I immediately felt a sense of wariness.
I tilted my head slightly, still meeting his gaze with some hesitation.
“What… are you curious about now?”
“You said it’s better to show intimacy if we’re to play our roles as a married couple, right?”
“…Yes, I did.”
Why is he bringing that up?
Ian looked at me as if asking whether I truly didn’t understand and then tilted his head slightly as he asked.
“So why is it that Duke Roger is ‘Hayden,’ and I’m just ‘Your Highness’?”
“…Excuse me?”
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Go Ian, be petty, I approve 😀