“I’m looking forward to it. I hope you’ll show it to me soon.”
Seeing the prince’s smile, as if he knew it was a lie, Britia bit her lips and nodded vigorously up and down.
“Your Highness.”
. Just then, someone called the prince. As they exchanged greetings, Britia finally escaped from his smile hell and let out a sigh of relief. Then, she discreetly stepped back.
“Britia Lockhart.”
Britia was about to retort to Kyra, but Harty suddenly approached her closely and whispered, causing her to startle and close her mouth in surprise.
“Dare you say you stole my wallet?”
He spoke in such a low voice that only she could hear.
“What are you talking about, suggesting I stole Count-nim’s wallet?”
She swore she had never done such a thing. But Harty glared at her with furious eyes and lifted the corner of his mouth.
“Don’t play dumb. You’re wearing that dress as evidence.”
“Are you misunderstanding something? This dress belongs to Kyra.”
“I’m the one who paid for Kyra’s dress.”
As he said that through clenched teeth, Britia let out an “Ah” sound. Come to think of it, didn’t Kyra say it with confidence? She was receiving dresses and things as payment for the bad things Harty did instead.
She thought Kyra would be the one paying, but it turns out it was the Count.
Britia swallowed hard.
“In the end, Count-nim paid for it, but I received this dress as a ‘gift’ from Kyra.”
She felt guilty for lying to the prince, but at least she had nothing to be ashamed of when facing Harty. She met Harty’s threatening gaze confidently. She couldn’t be intimidated by his demeanor anymore. Even if he asked her to return the money now, it would be awkward.
“It’s okay, Britia. He just wants to tease you.”
Kyra looked at both of them and chuckled.
“Even if I hadn’t ‘gifted’ it to you, Harty would have found a way to make sure you came in nice clothes.”
She laughed, suggesting that she might have created an extreme situation where all the clothes were burned, forcing Britia to wear that dress.
“Why would he go to such lengths…”
Britia was at a loss for words. To burn them all and force her to wear that dress—how could he say something so drastic? Of course, the attire didn’t match this place, but why was he so stressed about her clothing choice?
“Of course, that’s the way!”
Harty, who was about to express his anger in a soft voice, glanced to ensure they were far enough from them and Sig. Sig was held by the prince’s arm, unable to move, and he stood like a large statue at the spot where the prince exchanged greetings with the invited guests.
“At first, when you said you’d wear those ill-fitting clothes here, I was going to leave you be.”
Harty, making sure his words wouldn’t reach Sig’s ears, continued speaking.
“I thought it would be interesting. I assumed you’d realize this isn’t your place and immediately leave. But…”
“Duke Turas would insist and hold onto you, and you would end up watching the entire play.”
In place of Harty, who seemed incapable of continuing due to his agony, Kyra spoke.
“The play prepared by His Highness is artistically enchanting every year. Everyone gathered here knows its excellence. But to think that you! If you were to ruin that, just imagining it would make me bite my tongue in my sleep.”
Harty looked at the empty air with eyes that seemed to curse the world.
“If something like that really happened, I… I would have been so embarrassed that I would have collapsed and died right here…”
“More insane than I could ever imagine?”
A man with a gloomy voice and tightly closed eyes, and a woman who laughed loudly as she looked at him.
Both of them seemed strange to Britia.
“Count Slanford, I wondered if there was a small silver caterpillar rolling around, but it turns out to be you.”
At that moment, a man approached them. He was a handsome young man with a gentle demeanor and lowered eyelids. Britia recognized him—Brian Radars, the eldest son and heir of Count Radars.
As soon as Harty saw Brian, his eyes seemed to sharpen, but he soon smiled brightly and exchanged greetings with him. And Kyra, who had momentarily relaxed her facial expression, widened her eyes and glanced at him.
It was time to fulfill the promise with Harty.
“Look, there’s a little pine cone rolling over.”
Kyra mocked while pointing at his brown tousled hair.
“Isn’t a pine cone better than a creepy caterpillar?”
Brian retorted, looking at Harty.
“My outfit seems a bit excessive today.”
Harty smiled apologetically as he scanned himself from top to bottom. But unlike that facial expression, his tail was clearly in a state of excitement. Swishing threateningly from side to side through the air, it suddenly struck Brian’s side with a loud sound.
Britia was taken aback and swallowed her breath. However, neither that tremendous noise nor Harty Slanford’s aggressive tail attacking the man would be visible to anyone but her and the owner of the tail.
The person who had actually been struck seemed to continue mocking Harty until the end, engaging in a verbal dispute with Kyra, and then left abruptly.
“Count, I thought you were only doing that to me, but you’ve been doing it all along, haven’t you?”
Britia asked as Kyra temporarily excused herself to go to the restroom.
“What do you mean?”
Harty smiled quietly as he removed the gum, as if agreeing with her. Just as she said, Harty had secretly sought retribution against humans he disliked.
Well, no one could see his tail. Seeking revenge in that way did ease his mood a little. The only downside was that no one knew they had been struck.
But she can see it, this woman can.
Until he was called a caterpillar, Harty had felt dirty, but somehow, his words made him feel better.
As Sig stood by, dividing his attention between the guests and the man right in front of him, he found himself constantly looking at Britia, who had somehow ended up far away. Harty Slanford was by her side.
“Your Highness, be cautious of Harty Slanford. You must never let that man be close to her.”
Evry had emphasized it to him. But what could he do? Even now, she was close to him. Their distance was so vast, after all.
“Why are you like that?”
The prince asked Sig, who stood stiffly in place. He was well aware that Sig would become this tense when he stood in front of unfamiliar people. But the problem was that the unfamiliar people had already left, and yet there was no sign of his tension easing.
“Why are you staring like that?”
Without answering, Sig followed the direction of his gaze, which was fixedly focused on Britia Lockhart.
Due to his recent attendance at Lockhart’s party, Sig, known for disliking parties, had become a topic of conversation. Of course, Sig was well aware that the reason he had attended Lockhart’s party was due to his mother’s threats. So he assumed that the rumors would soon die down.
But what happened?
The rumors, which he had believed would quiet down, had instead grown larger and more substantial as the days went by. From being refused after proposing, to being rejected but still chasing after her because he liked her too much. Recently, rumors had even spread that he had dueled with a man who insulted her and even challenged Robley.
He had planned to meet her today to ask if those rumors were true, but he was surprised that he was the one to bring up the topic first.
He asked if he could watch a play with Britia Lockhart.
“I told you to bring her to confirm if the rumors were true, but it seems they are true after all, don’t they?”
Seeing Sig unable to take his eyes off her even when talking beside him, the prince couldn’t help but laugh.
“While I want to cheer him on, that’s all.”
Didn’t that woman reject Sig’s proposal once? He wasn’t sure if it was true or not, and he hesitated to ask Sig himself. Surprisingly sensitive, he worried that Sig might be hurt.
If that were true, she would be spending time with him after rejecting his proposal. It was rather puzzling what game she was playing. And yet, the woman who was now with him suddenly started chattering about how she loved arts.
He loved everything related to art, including theater, artworks, and musical instruments, and spared no expense in investments and sponsorships. He was often approached by aspiring artists who wanted to make it big.
The red-haired woman seemed to belong to that same category. If that were the case, it could only mean that she had come this far, using Sig to bring that woman before him.
The prince couldn’t help but think it was all too excessive, but something felt off. She seemed taken aback when he asked her to show him the drawing she was grateful for, as if there was an underlying tension.
“Brother.”
Sig finally regained his senses and turned to me, as if he had something he wanted to ask. The prince nodded, gesturing for him to proceed, and he licked his lips before speaking.
“You always put on a fake smile for people, don’t you?”
“It doesn’t sound pleasant when you call it a fake smile.”
“Of course, I think it’s a charming smile. However, I prefer the faces you show me, the ones that come from your heart. I mean all expressions, not just smiles.”
While it was quite a touching statement, why would he bring up such words to ask a question?
The prince patiently waited with a slightly perplexed expression, uncertain of what he should say to ask.
“Why do you make those expressions for me?”
“First, because I trust you. Second, because I love you.”
The corners of Sig’s mouth twitched upon hearing the response.
“Sig, don’t my trust and love please you?”
“No, they do. I’m grateful for your trust and love. But doesn’t that ultimately mean that the other man thinks the same way?”
Sig gestured with his eyes to where Harty Slanford was.
“That man also puts on a smile that feels uncomfortable, like what you do in front of him or me. But he doesn’t do that in front of her, does he?”
“Can you distinguish the expressions of a man so far away to that extent?”
The prince frowned, asking how good his eyesight was. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t see it.
“I don’t know what conversation they’re having, but it looks enjoyable and relaxed. But strangely, my heart doesn’t feel at ease. I’m anxious and uneasy. Is it okay for me to go to her side?”
“Are all the greetings over?” Sig asked in a gloomy voice. The prince glanced at him and burst into laughter.
“Sig, don’t smile, just tell me.”
Seeing Sig’s face grow more serious than usual, he couldn’t help but laugh sincerely.
“No, it’s just that the eyes of a jealous man are quite intense.”
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