75. The Reason He Doesn’t Look at Me

The necklace eventually found its way back to my neck.

I had long known how to remove this shackle.

With the surveillance network now sparse, I could take it off as long as I stayed within the mansion. If it bothered me, I could hide it in a drawer or somewhere within the house. Even with its tracking function, it wouldn’t give away my precise location.

Given that they couldn’t find me immediately in the imperial forest, it seemed the tracking only provided a general area. According to the magician, it only had communication capabilities, not video. Besides, he no longer contacted me…

So, it was this necklace that transmitted his voice in the forest. He had used it to reach out.

I hadn’t realized because his voice had echoed through the air.

“Did your necklace come off? Shall I put it back on for you?” Suren asked, noticing the necklace in my hand.

“Yes, please.”

I handed it to her. Suren took it lightly, fixing the broken clasp.

She bent the hook back into place and put it around my neck. The cold metal brushed against my collarbone and neck.

“This doesn’t rust, does it? It’s fascinating,” Suren murmured to herself.

In the window across from me, the jewel on my neck glimmered faintly.

The self-imposed shackle around my neck gleamed brightly.

* * *

Clunk.

The carriage came to a stop in front of a familiar mansion. It had been a long time since I’d seen this place.

The grand tower looming in the center of the capital, the dense forest, the vines climbing the pointed fence, and the bright yellow evening primroses blooming in the garden.

Adjusting my hat, I carefully stepped onto the mansion’s stairs.

I rang the bell and knocked on the door. Visiting as a guest for the first time made me nervous. My heart kept pounding.

Before the bell’s chime faded, the large door swung open.

The one who appeared was a young butler. He had been appointed as the prince’s butler after a brief handover from the previous head butler.

I remembered him because he had often received instruction from the head butler, standing by his side.

The butler’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected visit.

“What brings you here unannounced?”

Was my visit really such a surprise? His body had gone rigid. It seemed he had forgotten the basics of hospitality.

“Aren’t you going to let me in?” I prompted.

He snapped out of his daze and opened the door wide.

He led me to the reception room and showed me to a sofa.

I sat down. The sofa, which I always used to lean back into deeply, felt new and different. It didn’t creak when I moved. Its plush comfort wrapped around me in a way that couldn’t be compared to the furnishings at the separate residence.

“So, what brings you here? Coming to the capital without prior notice… Did you get permission from His Highness?” he asked, a bit flustered.

I responded with a hint of cheekiness, “No. I came here on an errand and thought I’d stop by. The former head butler, now butler, who went to the separate residence asked me to pass on his regards.”

“What?”

“I also came to collect next month’s budget in advance.”

On the day I was supposed to head to the capital to submit the survey and collect the budget, the head butler had fallen ill with a cold.

<Maybe I shouldn’t have suggested we harvest the fruit,> he had said, coughing.

The night before, he, Suren, and I had picked all the apples from the trees, using long poles. The extended time outside seemed to have worsened his cough. He had bent over, hacking away, when he replied.

<It’s not your fault, my lady. I wanted to get some fresh air and help, but I forgot I’m not as young as I used to be. I still think I’m in my youth, apparently.>

He struggled to catch his breath, his cough rattling with phlegm.

<But we need to go to the capital to get next month’s budget for groceries…>

His survey was lying next to him.

<Don’t they send the money down each time?>

<This time, I have to go up and collect it myself. I also need to hand over the survey.>

I stared at the documents before me, then an idea sparked in my eyes.

<I’ll go. I’ll deliver it in your stead and collect the budget.>

Seeing my sudden enthusiasm, the head butler had chuckled.

He knew I wouldn’t just do the errand quietly and return but would visit the prince’s domain and meet people. Yet, he pretended not to know and let me go.

I organized the survey documents, clipping them at the top with a pin.

Suren, who had been sorting fallen fruit, glanced over.

<You’re going to go?>

She transferred the fruit to a basket. She planned to cut out any bruised or damaged parts and place them on the table.

<Yes.>

<Are you sure you can go alone?>

<Do you think I’m a child? I wandered the streets of the capital like they were my own just a few weeks ago.>

<But that was the bustling streets meant for nobles.>

Suren, slicing the fruit and digging out the worm-eaten parts, spoke up again.

<Why don’t you take the opportunity to renegotiate the budget at the prince’s domain?>

I had considered it, but I wasn’t confident I could face him and ask for more money.

Moreover, his fiancée resided in the mansion. Wouldn’t it seem like I was squandering her fiancé’s wealth?

<I’m not confident in negotiations. I’ve always had nerve but never luck. What if I bring it up and they reduce the budget instead?>

Suren stabbed the knife into the fruit and straightened her posture.

<My lady, have you forgotten? You are His Highness’s only blood donor. You still have leverage. Be confident.>

<But His Highness no longer drinks my blood. I have no bargaining chip.>

<Even so…>

Returning to the present, I met the butler’s questioning gaze and said, “Please let His Highness know I’m here. I need to speak with him.”

The butler nodded and left to inform the prince of my arrival, leaving me alone in the reception room, my heart pounding even harder.

Suren fell silent, seemingly at a loss for words.

Regardless, I was determined to meet him. Even if it was just to see his handsome face again. Without Suren asking, I was going to confront him.

After handing over the survey the butler had asked me to deliver to the office in the separate residence, I headed straight to the prince’s domain and knocked on the door.

“The butler sends his regards and asks how the plant he gave you that night is doing.”

The butler’s stern expression brightened at the mention of his mentor. The current butler had been trained by the butler since he was a child.

“It’s doing very well. How is the butler?”

“He’s usually in good health, but today he has a cold, so I came in his place. On the way, I thought I’d drop by to see His Highness and inquire about his well-being.”

“Oh dear… I have some herbs that are good for muscle pain and colds. Would you like to take some when you leave?”

“That would be great, thank you.”

I eagerly accepted his kindness. The longer I stayed at the mansion, the better. If it got late, perhaps they’d offer me a place to stay for the night…

“I’ll escort you to His Highness as soon as he returns. But in the future, please don’t visit without permission.”

He pretended to be stern, though his expression had softened considerably.

I sat on the sofa, waiting for Daon. The sun was already setting outside the window.

After sitting in the same position for a long time, my legs started to go numb.

At this time, he usually returned on horseback. He was later than I expected. The indefinite waiting stretched on.

Knock, knock.

The door to the reception room opened again.

Maybe it’s Daon. I looked up eagerly, only to be disappointed when it was the maid from earlier.

“Shall I refill your cup?”

The day had dimmed, and the cooling air made the tea cool faster. The maids came in precisely every 30 minutes to refill the cup with hot water.

At first, I welcomed her visits. We had run out of tea at the separate residence, and we were conserving what little we had left. This tea was a rare treat.

The familiar sweetness, the familiar tartness, even the slight bitterness on the tongue—I enjoyed it all.

My tea had been refilled three times already, yet Daon was nowhere in sight.

The repeated kindness was starting to wear on me. It was becoming clear that I was overstaying my welcome. Unwanted kindness can be awkward.

“No, thank you. I’m fine.”

“Then please call if you’d like more tea.”

The maid quietly closed the reception room door.

The butler had also returned briefly to inform me that His Highness was expected to be later than planned and then disappeared again.

It had already been two hours.

He hadn’t returned, and my tea had gone cold three times. Watching the maids repeatedly refill my cup, reheat the water, and clear the used teacups was becoming increasingly uncomfortable.

Could it really take this long? Or perhaps, was he deliberately avoiding me, hoping I’d give up and leave?

As I pondered this, a commotion arose outside. The door suddenly swung open.

The butler stood there, beads of sweat on his forehead. He opened the door, bowed politely, and gestured toward the exit.

“It would be best if you returned for now. We received a message that His Highness will be delayed. We’ll contact you later.”

After making me wait for two hours, he wanted me to leave? And once I left this reception room, I’d have to go back to the separate residence.

Any belated communication would reach me there. If I didn’t meet him now, I might not get another chance.

Stubbornness flared up within me. I hadn’t planned to see him until the steward fell ill. My trip to the capital was by chance, and visiting the mansion wasn’t planned. I intended to leave if he wasn’t here, but now I was curious why he was making me wait and stand me up.

“Then I’ll stay overnight. I can meet him early tomorrow,” I said.

The butler’s expression darkened slightly. He seemed agitated.

“I’m sorry, but we’ll send someone later.”

“Is that so? Perhaps…,” I hesitated, then continued, “Is it because another woman staying in a house with a betrothed man is inappropriate?”

Isella Snowa. She flashed in my mind for a brief moment.

“No, that’s not it. It’s just… I believe His Highness won’t return tomorrow either.”

Won’t return tomorrow? Was he so determined not to set foot in the prince’s domain until I left?

I had been falsely accused of trying to harm the future princess, but was it really to this extent? It was infuriating.

“What do you mean he won’t return tomorrow? Are you saying he plans to avoid this place entirely until I leave?”

The butler’s silence spoke volumes.

Realization dawned on me, and frustration bubbled up. “Is this because of the misunderstanding about Isela? It seems excessive to avoid me to this extent.”

The butler avoided my gaze, confirming my suspicions.

Determined, I stood up.

“I refuse to be dismissed so easily. If he won’t come to me, I’ll find him myself.”

Ignoring the butler’s protests, I headed towards the door, resolved to confront Daon and settle this once and for all.