Elise asked Karan to investigate Melanie. Right now, it was important to find the baby’s father.
Karan asked her to wait for a moment and brought a vast amount of information in the evening.
“So quickly?”
“Because it’s Tetris. I am the prince of this country.”
It was suspicious as if he had prepared it a long time ago, but it was possible since he was a prince, so she let it pass.
Elise didn’t need to look at all the information.
The first page was about Melanie’s hidden lover.
She understood the story at once.
Melanie had a deep romance with a man who didn’t fit her family, and she found out she was pregnant after the man disappeared.
The part that caught Elise was here. The man suddenly disappeared. But Melanie didn’t look for him.
‘If she looked for him, she could have found him. Since she’s an Odilon.’
Elise was pondering how to handle the Melanie issue and called her. The questions were not all resolved yet, but she had to put out the urgent fire first.
Melanie appeared more splendidly than yesterday.
“So when can I enter the palace?”
Melanie acted as if she had been entrusted with the position of a concubine. The more she was pricked, the more boldly she acted.
Elise gave a faint smile.
“Sit down. Wouldn’t the baby prefer you sitting rather than standing?”
Melanie, who had schemed without knowing Karan’s painful situation, was despicable, but Elise considered her.
The child was innocent.
And Elise was concerned about Melanie’s child. Because Elise herself was born from the meeting of nobility and low status.
That said, she had no intention of making Melanie a concubine. Because Karan didn’t want it.
“Melanie, His Highness Karan claims that it’s not his child.”
“Elise! That’s how men are. When it gets tough, they deny it.”
“Isn’t it strange, Melanie, that His Highness, as the prince of Tetris, denies it, when taking in a concubine and producing a successor is not a flaw?”
Melanie gritted her teeth. But she had anticipated this level of questioning. That’s why she tried to get a definitive answer about being a concubine yesterday!
“What’s strange about it? Yesterday, it seemed that His Highness was deeply into Elise. Aren’t you jealous, Elise? You speak as if you know well about Tetris culture, but it’s not right to be jealous of a concubine.”
Karan is deeply into me? Is that how it looks to others? Karan is just diligently performing his duties as a husband.
Elise did not correct Melanie’s misunderstanding because it wasn’t bad.
“Melanie, don’t get excited. I just pointed out the strange part. It’s a clear fact that you’re pregnant, right?”
“Of course! There’s a baby in this belly.”
Melanie proudly showed off her belly. Elise nodded sincerely.
From now on, it was important. Elise had to act. As if she was so sorry for Melanie.
She didn’t know exactly what had happened, but the fact that she had to scheme such a brazen strategy was pitiful, thus there was no great difficulty.
However, to make it look more dramatic, she recalled Iris’s expression.
The expression she showed when she sympathized with others.
She lowered her eyebrows a lot, pursed her lips slightly, and held her hands together.
“Melanie, it’s very regrettable that the situation has come to this. I really want to help you. I mean it.”
“That’s right. If you want to help, please do.”
“Okay. I’ll help you. But will you wait quietly?”
“Wait? I’ve been waiting all this time!”
Elise nodded as if she understood everything.
“It must be hard. Living while hiding the fact that you’re pregnant. But think about it, Melanie. His Highness Karan is claiming that it’s not his child. If this situation is revealed, it’s Melanie who will be in trouble.”
“Why do you think so? His Highness Karan’s reputation will also fall.”
“At first, yes. But you know, Melanie. It’s harsh to say this as a woman, but the world is harsher on women.”
This was sincere. In the past, when Chase showed interest in another woman, the initial public opinion criticized Chase, but later it reversed.
[If the fiancée was so bad, the man would have turned his eyes to another woman.]
[Is it a flaw for a man to have one or two more women? He didn’t even break off the engagement.]
If Karan denies the child to the end, then after the child is born and paternity is confirmed–paternity is also confirmed through a magician–then people would have been likely to point fingers at Melanie until the child was born.
Melanie bit her lower lip. Hearing it, Elise was right.
“So? How are you going to help me?”
Melanie hesitated and asked.
“I will provide a place where you can live comfortably and safely. For the time being, I will keep your pregnancy news secret. You’ll be here in the palace under the pretext of helping me adapt here.”
“And then?”
“After the engagement ceremony is over, I’ll try to persuade His Highness Karan.”
“What if I refuse the proposal?”
“I can’t help it. I will withdraw from this matter. Let Melanie meet His Highness Karan directly and solve it.”
“No!”
Melanie grabbed Elise’s hand that was about to pick up the teacup.
Melanie almost wet herself at the thought of a one-on-one scene with Karan.
Karan will never. He will cut Melanie’s neck without looking back and forth.
But if this woman is there, it changes. Melanie, recalling the scene she saw yesterday, nodded her head.
“Okay. I’ll do as you say. I’ll move my residence here.”
Elise smiled as she pulled her hand out of Melanie’s grip.
“It’s a great decision, Melanie.”
****
After that, Elise showed Melanie around the palace. She felt like the mistress of this place, being guided around Karan’s palace.
‘Even if I had married His Highness Karan, it would have been difficult to take over this place.’
She felt fortunate to have entered his harem.
‘My father would be shocked if he heard.’
Her father, Duke Odilon, still couldn’t forget the glory of the past.
He believed that someday an Odilon person would sit on the throne again, and he did his best for it.
But after giving birth to Melanie, he couldn’t see the future. It was Duke Odilon’s first setback.
Nevertheless, Duke Odilon did not give up his greed. In the end, he pushed Melanie into Karan to be a pair.
He intended to somehow form a connection with the royal family.
Melanie didn’t like Odilon’s choice.
‘The trend should be the second prince, isn’t it?’
Cowett Lysandro.
He’s still young, but since the queen is the real power, the opinion that Cowett will soon push Karan out once he grows up and holds his coming-of-age ceremony came out quite often.
Smart Odilon wouldn’t be unaware of that.
Simple Melanie couldn’t figure out the complex thinking of Duke Odilon.
Above all, she didn’t think long. Melanie, who shook her head and even sorted out her thoughts, headed straight to Duke Odilon’s office.
“Miss, have you arrived?”
Only Duke Odilon’s aide was in the office.
“Where did my father go?”
“He’s in the reception room because a guest has arrived.”
“What guest?”
“Prince Chase of Bedrokka has come.”
Just after meeting with Elise, and now Chase is here.
“What did he come for?”
“I don’t know that either.”
Since he really seemed to not know, Melanie said she understood and moved her steps to the reception room.
She wanted to know why Chase had come here. If not, she wanted to get acquainted with Chase…
“…I will keep that in mind, Your Highness.”
“Thank you, Duke, for taking my words seriously.”
“I should be the one thanking you for visiting me.”
“Let’s part here. It’s not good to be noticed by others.”
The conversation seemed to be over as the reception room door was open. Duke Odilon was inside the room and couldn’t be seen, only Chase who was out in the corridor was visible.
Melanie unknowingly stopped at the end of the corridor.
She was curious about Chase’s secret, but seeing him made her feel that she shouldn’t get involved any deeper.
‘Let’s go back. He’s a man involved with Elise. It would be troublesome if I got involved with that man and fell out of favor with Elise. We have to live together in the future.’
Melanie turned her body. She had been tired for a few days, so she planned to eat something good for her body and soak in warm water today.
“Are you Miss Melanie Odilon?”
But Chase stopped her. Melanie bit her lower lip tightly and turned around.
Melanie, who smiled brightly as if she had never hardened her expression, nodded her head towards Chase.
“Yes, I am Melanie Odilon. But who are you?”
Cute Melanie pretended not to know Chase. Even though the memory of seeing each other at a party a while ago was clear to both of them.
“I’m Chase Royal Bedrokka. The man in the rumors.”
“Aha! So you’re the prince of Bedrokka. But what about the rumors?”
There was a rumor that Chase couldn’t forget Elise and followed her.
There was also a word that two Bedrokkans came to ruin Tetris.
Melanie, who loved gossip, knew everything but pretended not to know mischievously.
“You didn’t know. I wonder if I should be glad… Because of that rumor, I don’t know, but there’s no one to hang out with me…”
Chase looked down and stroked his neck. When a pretty man made a miserable expression, a sudden sympathy sprang up.
“I haven’t even looked around downtown Tetris yet. I need to know what’s where. I haven’t done anything as a cultural exchange delegation from Tetris and Bedrokka.”
Chase’s complaints continued. Melanie, who was about to turn around right away, forgot and listened to his words as if she was enchanted.
“That’s too bad. There’s quite a lot to see and enjoy in downtown Tetris.”
She even felt sorry for his situation.
“Is that so? I want to see it. I’m sorry to say this on our first meeting…”
Chase raised his moist eyes and looked at Melanie.
“Can I ask you to guide me around the city?”
Chase🤨