“Grand Duke, I know you are very busy, but luckily it seems you had time to attend the banquet.”
Fernan, who narrowed his eyebrows, soon smiled faintly.
“of course. “How could I not participate in such an honorable day?”
“Thank goodness. “I was really worried because you didn’t attend the parade.”
Fernan, who was quietly looking at the crown prince, soon made a blatant scoff.
It was funny how he was always upset because he refused to be escorted by the emperor in the parade.
The crown prince, noticing the clear arsenic, frowned slightly, but then turned his gaze to Julia.
“Ah, the Grand Duchess was there too.”
The crown prince showed his friendly smile again.
“I heard from Veronica that the Archduchess is not feeling well. “She said she received a priest’s blessing. Are you okay now?”
Julia nodded her head with a smile on her face.
“Yes, thanks to Her Majesty the Crown Princess’ concern, I am now fine.”
As Julia exchanged a few more formal words with crown prince, Fernan’s eyes unconsciously drifted to the area around her ankles.
Then she looked at the slender wrist that held his arm, and then pulled away as if nothing had happened.
“Ah, it looks like the prom is about to start.”
The orchestra, which had been playing a gorgeous tune, soon began playing a cheerful waltz.
After asking for understanding, the crown prince disappeared to his wife’s side.
Soon the banquet hall was divided into those who went out to the stage to dance and those who sat at the tables and quietly enjoyed the music.
Julia glanced at Fernan. As expected, he didn’t seem to be interested in dancing and was holding a wine glass from the servant.
While Julia was contemplating what to say to him, several socialites took advantage of the quiet surroundings and approached Fernan.
“… … .”
Watching Fernan interacting with people with his indifferent face, Julia smoothed the glass on the table with her slightly opened mouth tightly closed.
After dealing with the endless crowd of nobles, Fernan entered the terrace.
Now that the loud barking had subsided, his head seemed to feel a little more comfortable.
He leaned on the railing and enjoyed the cold air for a moment, then suddenly turned his head when he heard the sound of the door opening.
A woman wearing a dark green dress appeared. She was Julia, who came to visit him.
“Your Highness, are you okay?”
Julia approached him with a worried look on her face. He turned his gaze forward without answering.
There were many eyes watching at the banquet hall, but the situation was different now. He didn’t want to pretend that he was on good terms with her until now.
“I got some tea that’s good for hangovers from the servant.”
Julia held out the glass in her hand. As she watched him drink wine repeatedly, She wondered if he had a hangover.
When he didn’t take the glass, Julia lowered her head with a slightly sullen expression.
“You don’t have to take it, but… “I’ll leave it here just in case.”
Julia, who had placed glass on the railing, did not turn around immediately but hesitated for a moment.
The desire to be with him was clearly evident in her bewildered expression.
Fernan blinked his eyes slowly, as if suppressing something in his, but then suddenly turned his gaze towards her.
“Is being annoying all the time a hobby?”
His hushed voice rang out onto the terrace. Julia closed her eyes with a confused look on her face.
Facing that sight, Fernan found it difficult to hold back the rising emotions. Even though she could just ignore it and not deal with it, this moment was extremely annoying to the woman.
When she appeared in his mind, which he had worked so hard to keep blank, he felt dizzy again.
“I’m just worried about your highness… .”
When Julia hesitantly opened her mouth, Fernan lightly sneered.
“I don’t know why You should worry about me.”
“… … .”
Julia raised her clear eyes and looked at him pitifully. He gritted his teeth without realizing it. Those eyes have always been the problem.
Even though it was obvious that the harsher he was, the more he got hurt, those eyes that always shined unwaveringly got on his nerves.
Even when she tried to charm him again by saying she liked me, she had those exact eyes.
“Why don’t you worry about your future rather than me? Do you think this marriage will last forever?”
Julia’s face turned white at his sharp words.
She must have been so shocked by his words that her lips trembled as she lowered her gaze to her hurt face.
Her downcast eyes turned slightly red. Looking at that scene, Fernan felt his heart throbbing for some reason.
Actually, She know it was a hasty remark. There was no need for her to even say this.
However, Fernan looked even colder, as if he was trying to hide his wavering heart.
Meanwhile, a quiet voice came from Julia, who had kept her mouth shut.
“… sorry. “I won’t be annoying anymore.”
Before Julia could even look at him, she turned around. As she walked with her gaze down, her back was unstable, as if she would fall down at any moment.
Fernan twitched the corners of his eyes without realizing it, and when her appearance completely disappeared, he touched his forehead from afar.
“… “Damn it.”
His turmoil, which he thought would end when she disappeared, was still scratching his head.
The sight of her bowing her head with her eyes as if she were about to cry never disappeared from his mind.
His heart, which continued to pound, did not seem to subside.
He held on tightly to the railing and sighed heavily. It wasn’t good to be emotional like this.
He was never one to show his emotions very well.
After going through many years of war and overcoming the danger of death several times, he became even more adept at hiding his true feelings.
It wasn’t difficult for him to hide his true intentions and smile casually in front of the emperor, the crown prince, or the nobles who tried to attack him.
Yes, They did. At some point, it started to become difficult for him.
Since when… .
When Fernan was in agony for a while, someone suddenly appeared.
“Oh, I’m sorry. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop on you.”
The woman hiding behind her pillar appeared, smiling awkwardly.
Fernan glanced at the woman for a moment, then looked away again, unimpressed.
From the moment he first entered the terrace, he had known that someone was inside. He just ignored it because it wasn’t worth worrying about.
“It’s been quite a while, hasn’t it?”
A woman smiled brightly and approached him. Fernan, with his eyebrows furrowed, answered.
“Do you know me?”
“uh… “I guess you don’t remember me?”
Fernan glanced at the woman’s appearance. It was him first time seeing her, and even if he had met her, he didn’t want to remember her.
“Oh, you might not remember because you were young. Actually, we’ve only met a few times.”
“So, what do you want to say?”
When Fernan asked insincerely, the woman, who hesitated slightly, immediately smiled brightly.
“I am Cornelia from the Blair family. Don’t you remember? “Before His Majesty went on a campaign, there was talk of an engagement.”
It was only after hearing the family name that he remembered it. The Blair family was one of the families with whom he had discussed marriage in the past.
Originally, the engagement ceremony would have been held after the coming-of-age ceremony, but the marriage was naturally canceled due to the sudden need to go on a campaign due to the emperor’s order.
That was all. However, her eyes were filled with sentimentality, as if the woman had some kind of great relationship.
“It’s nice to meet you after such a long time. “Actually, even recently, I’ve been thinking about you sometimes.”
Even though no answer came back, Cornelia continued her words faithfully.
“But your highness seems to hate her wife so much?”
To the seemingly casual question, Fernan passed Cornelia without answering.
He didn’t know why she was here having this conversation. It was all a waste of time.
At that moment, Cornelia urgently called him over.
“My father wants to help His Highness the Archduke.”
When she stopped, Fernan looked back at her with narrowed eyes.
“From what I heard earlier, it seemed like you were planning to divorce Her Majesty Rain at some point.”
Cornelia tucks her hair behind her ear, her snake-like eyes sparkling.
Eyes full of greed. Her gaze was very familiar to him.
“How are you? “After your divorce, you formed a relationship with our family.”
Only then did Fernan, who was frowning indifferently, sneer slightly as if he had just heard some novel bullshit.
“Are you out of your mind?”
“yes… ?”
“Other than that, it looks like something is lacking.”
Cornelia’s eyes wavered mercilessly. She looked like she was wondering if she had heard something wrong.
Fernan stared at her for a moment, as if looking at her worthlessness, and then left the terrace.
If it was amazing that she even sold their father just to say something like that, it was amazing.
There have been many women who have approached him like that. And she, for one, was not bothered by his marital status or anything like that.
Secret infidelity was common among the capital’s nobility, so it seemed like they took it for granted.
However, Fernan despised such people very much.
It was not because he was very moral or faithful. It’s just that he felt instinctively disgusted with people like that.
When he came back to the banquet hall, the loud music irritated his nerves. At the same time, He caught sight of Julia leaving the banquet hall in the distance.
“under… .”
Fernan was momentarily dumbfounded by the fact that she was the first thing he saw out of all these people.
