Finally, the gatekeeper’s voice said that the emperor had arrived.
“Here is His Majesty, Emperor Christian Winston Baltheus, the brightest sun of Baltheus. Everyone, stand up and pay your respects to His Majesty.”
Everyone inside rose to greet the Emperor of Baltheus.
“Meet His Majesty, Emperor Christian Winston Baltheus, the brightest sun of Baltheus.”
And all at the same time bowed to the emperor.
The emperor, who was greeted, sat down at the highest seat and opened his mouth.
“Ha ha, everyone please sit down.”
At the Emperor’s words, we sat down again.
I glanced sideways at the emperor.
He looked about the same age as his father and had a surprisingly good impression for a country’s emperor.
‘I must have read too many novels and naturally came up with something about a tyrant.’
Well, in this world, tyrants were absolutely impossible.
“It’s been a long time since the three dukes are together like this, so I feel very reassured.”
The emperor seemed to be good at saying things he didn’t like.
Emperors of the past were barely occupying their seats, feeling sad that they did not have their own unique and mighty power, unlike those of ducal families.
Especially in the case of this generation, the relationship betweenthe three families was not good and they did not want to see each other, so the emperor had no choice but to create such a meeting periodically for the safety of the empire and seek harmony.
So even now, even though the emperor is sitting at the top table, it was clear that he would not be happy with this kind of seat because he was the person to be noticed the most here.
“Yes, Your Majesty. It’s really nice to see the two dukes like this for the first time in a while.”
“You’re right. Thank you for making this a place, Your Majesty.”
As expected, the two experienced middle-aged dukes answered the emperor’s words in turn.
The first to answer was the Duke of Bayern, and the next one to reply as if arguing was my father.
“Thank you for inviting me, Your Majesty.”
And finally, even Kane expressed his gratitude to the emperor.
The emperor’s role was over by saying hello and asking how he was doing.
After that, the conversation centered around the three dukes.
The others were concentrating on their meal and hardly speaking.
After the dessert was completely empty, everyone except the emperor and the three dukes stood up.
My mother said that she was going to see Her Highness, the empress, who had been close to her since childhood, for a while, since she had been to the imperial palace for the first time in a while.
I thought about waiting for my parents in the carriage because I had nothing to do, but since I was at the palace, I took a walk in the palace garden, thinking about taking a look.
‘I’m pretty tired.’
It was mentally and physically difficult to spend hours in the same space with people I didn’t like.
I couldn’t even remember what the food I ate tasted like because the seat was uncomfortable.
The man sitting in front of me kept staring at me throughout the meal, and the man sitting diagonally did not openly look at me, but glanced at me whenever he had a chance.
I pretended not to care about their stares and was busy stuffing the food into my mouth without even knowing the taste.
‘I don’t want to come again.’
Especially with those two men, I never wanted to come to a dinner like this again.
But i will come again That is my duty and responsibility.
But it was so strange.
Apart from Aiden, why is Kane doing this?
‘Something’s wrong.’
Even though I couldn’t pinpoint exactly where things went wrong or what went wrong, I could tell that even if things went wrong, they were firmly wrong.
As I was thinking about why my head exploded, I heard the sound of footsteps approaching someone.
I stood still and stared at the source of the sound.
The footsteps got closer and closer until finally someone showed up.
It was Aiden Byron.
‘No, why again….’
I ran into this guy again because I had no one to run into.
I let out a deep sigh and nodded at him, then tried to walk past him.
But just as I was about to pass him, he started talking to me.
“I couldn’t imagine that you were the princess of the Heitz family.”
It was the same for me too.
“Me too.”
“It’s been about a year since I saw you at Yullita. Did you continue to travel after that?”
“Yes, what is it?”
I want to answer quickly and leave this place, but Aiden continued talking to me as before, as if he had no intention of letting me go.
“I heard that you went to an orphanage.”
Knowing that I had been there, it was as if the children had told Aiden that they had seen me.
“Yes, I went with Lian. I wanted to show Rihanna that the kids are okay.”
“As expected, you are a kind and friendly person.”
“I just want to do what I can for that child because I got it.”
I deliberately said it as if it was no big deal.
“Is that child, the child named Lian, doing well?”
“Yes, I am doing very well.”
After that answer, there was a moment of silence between us.
But Aiden suddenly started staring at me.
“Why, why?”
“Am I uncomfortable?”
Let’s say that
Of course it’s inconvenient.
“Hey, do you know who I am?”
I questioned Aiden with an absurd smile.
“Yes, I know.”
“Then you know why I feel uncomfortable with Confucius Baian.”
“….”
“I think Confucius knows why I went on a trip. I broke off my engagement with Duke Maxius, and left the capital in a hurry to
forget him.”
“….”
However, as if it was the first time he had heard of it, Aiden’s expression was a bit strange.
No way….
“You didn’t know?”
“…Yes, I didn’t know.”
No, how could you not know?
It was clear that all sorts of unfiltered rumors would have spread in an instant in the social world as soon as I got divorced.
But you didn’t know?
“I have one handful of days in the capital for work. I’m back after being out for quite some time. That’s why I didn’t know about the work of the princess, sister, and Duke Maxius. Sorry.”
Aiden bowed his head to me and apologized politely.
‘Ah, that’s why his expression was like that earlier.’
I was bewildered by how he greeted me the first time he saw me, but now I know why.
“I responded too sharply to those who said they didn’t know anything. I will also apologize.”
“No. It’s okay.”
“I think you can go to Confucius’ sister to hear the details, and as I said before, I was the fiancée of Duke Cain Maxius. I heard that
Duke Kane Maxius and his sister, Princess Adela Bayan, broke off their engagement, but I am the one who broke off the engagement because of the two of them.”
After returning to the capital after the trip, I tried to live a completely new life away from Kane’s shadow.
The breakup of marriage, the love for Kane, and so on, he treated them as if they hadn’t happened, and he had no intention of mentioning them any more.
To be honest, I didn’t have feelings for Kane in the first place, so I didn’t have much feelings for Adela or Aiden.
However, I couldn’t deny that this was the best way to avoid getting involved with this man who somehow was willing to do it for me.
So I put on the mask of the pathetic ex-fiancée who was broken off by the duke again.
“Of course, Gongja knows that the reason they broke up is not because of me. I was traveling during that time.”
I told him as if emphasizing that it wasn’t because of me that they broke up.
“But aside from that, the world I knew came crashing down when I got divorced, and it made me feel so devastated that I didn’t want to live in it anymore. How can I be like this with you, Princess Adela Bayon’s younger sister?”
He was quietly listening to me.
“So I hope you understand that I cannot be comfortable with Gongja.”
Even after saying this, if I still can’t understand why I feel uncomfortable with myself, it’s this man’s problem.
I was slightly admiring my acting skills, which had not yet rusted, and said hello to him and tried to turn around.
Suddenly, he heard a deep voice from behind.
“Why?”
“Yes?”
I thought I explained it well, but Aiden suddenly asked back.
When he asked why, I was speechless for a moment in absurdity.
Then, just as I was about to open my mouth to speak to him, I heard a familiar voice calling me.
“Miss.”
“Lian?”
“Lady Belita, the Duke and Duchess have returned.”
Lian seemed to be looking for me to go home with my parents when they finished their business.
“Are your parents here? ok let’s go I just need to go see it.”
I said goodbye to Aiden and left him alone as I stepped out of the garden with Lian.
But Lian’s eyes were fixed on my back.
“Lian?”
“Yes, lady. Let’s go.”
When I called, Lian’s gaze returned to me.
In that fleeting moment, I felt as if I saw a slight smile on Lian’s lips.
But it disappeared too soon, so I left the garden thinking it was my mistake.
“That person, is that the person at that time?”
We were walking together to the carriage when Lian suddenly asked me.
“Huh?”
“The one who rescued my brothers.”
“Oh, right. It’s him. It was Prince Aiden Bayen. Were you surprised that we wouldn’t meet you here? Oh, would you like to go and say hello?”
Anyway, since Aiden had saved the kids from the circus, it felt right that Lian should thank him.
So although I didn’t feel like seeing him again, I told Lian to go back for a while.
“No. And it was the lady who saved me, not him.”
Lian, who always responded positively to my words, rarely firmly refused.
I looked up at Lian for a moment with a puzzled feeling and then nodded.
“That’s right. I saved you.”
“That’s right. The lady saved me.”
He’s cute when he repeats my words. I smiled bashfully at him.
“Never forget. Okay?”
I put on a mischievous expression and pretended to tell Lian firmly.
“I will never forget you.”
Lian’s face looked so spleen at what he said as a joke, so I turned around feeling embarrassed.
When I talked to Ryan, I always kept getting comfortable throwing jokes without even noticing.
That’s probably because Lian doesn’t know the original Belita.
It was very comforting to me that since Ryan didn’t know her, he didn’t have any doubts when I was just being myself.
So, it was pretty good to spend time talking just the two of us like this.
Of course, like now, Lian is infinitely serious, so it’s not fun, but well, it wasn’t bad.
“We talked about training earlier, but how is life in the Knights? I get along well? Are there any difficulties?”
“Doesn’t exist.”
Well, I wonder if William will take good care of it.
We’ve been together for two years.
We traveled together, ate together, and settled on lodging.
The bond was greater than expected.
That’s why, even if I didn’t tell William, he must be taking good care of Lian.
“Are you listening to William? Aren’t you neglecting training?”
“I am learning by doing my best.”
From what I heard through Mary, Lian was definitely training hard.
And because Lian’s speed of learning was superior to others, her ability to learn shined even brighter in systematic training.
“You have to work harder. So, when I become the head of household, won’t you take a seat too?”
Rian looked at me with her eyes wide open, as if surprised by my words.
“What, those eyes? Did you really want to leave me?”
When I looked at it with a slightly suspicious eye because of my playfulness again, Lian spoke urgently.
“I will never leave.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I will never leave if you tell me to stay. I will protect her even if I risk my life for the rest of my life.”
What do you really do with this serious man?
“You can’t do that. And don’t recklessly risk your life for someone. If one day you find someone you love, tell that person then.”
“I will give my life only for you, my lady.”
“No, but if you find someone you love-”
“No, I am yours. So, my life is also yours.”
I kept my mouth shut because if I refuted further, I would say that the heart, gallbladder, and liver are all mine.
Still, I didn’t hate the blind single-mindedness towards me.
I smiled heartily and made a hand gesture asking Lian to bow his head.
It was an act he did so often, so Lian understood it perfectly and bowed his head.
But this time, instead of stroking it as usual, he playfully scattered his gray hair.
“Ha ha ha!”
I couldn’t help but laugh at why it was so fun to make fun of Lian, who didn’t respond.
Again, this time, Lian was unresponsive.
Ryan just stared at me.
“Why are you dissatisfied?”
“No.”
“I’ll sort it out.”
I motioned him to bow again.
“It’s okay. I will do it.”
When Lian’s hand tried to reach the hair, I quickly grabbed his forearm.
“No, I will do it. Hurry down.”
Lian’s expression seemed to be somewhat confused.
But when I forcefully gave the order, he had no choice but to bow his head in front of me again.
And instead of tidying up, I messed up his hair once more.
“Puhaha!”
It was so much fun that I even clapped my hands and laughed out loud.
Lian burst into laughter at my action, as if it were absurd.
“Isn’t it fun? Is it fun?”
Until we reached the carriage, I continued to play pranks on Lian, and Lian played tricks on me over and over again to entertain me.
* * *
As Belita left the garden, Aiden thought for a moment, suppressing the desire to hold her.
I was surprised the moment I saw her at the dinner table, but it was nice to see her like this.
Belita Heights.
To think that the girl who introduced herself as Belle was the princess of the Duke of Heitz.
It was a truly unexpected development.
When I first saw her, I already knew from her appearance and attitude that she was a noble lady.
Of course, there were also a lot of behaviors that weren’t like a noble lady, so I was worried or looked at her one more time.
When she found out he was Aiden Byron, she seemed as surprised as he was.
But it was a bit strange.
I felt like I was avoiding his gaze for some reason.
‘Why is that?’
At the same time as questioning, I didn’t feel very good.
She wasn’t like that when we met again by chance in Yullita.
The woman who visited the circus troupe to ask about the children and helped him when he was in pain due to the necklace was not like that.
However, when we met again, she clearly distanced herself to the point of showing her will to never look at her, as if she had seen something she couldn’t see.
I kept trying to talk but acted like I didn’t want to mix things up with him.
And I was sure the moment I heard an unexpected answer to a question I had been thinking about.
Called Bell, or now Belita Heights, she was talking about things with him like they never happened.
Anxiety and displeasure rose for some reason.
Even though we met twice, I thought we shared a lot in that short time.
However, to her, the fact that those things had become things she wanted to erase now made his mood go downhill.
In fact, there was no reason to be angry with her for taking that attitude.
It wasn’t like I fell in love at first sight with Belita because I wasn’t the type to give someone my heart easily from the start.
But she had eyes similar to his.
The eyes, darker than the blue sky, knew loneliness and emptiness.
So I thought of her often, no, often.
How will I be, where will I be traveling now, or will I return home, will I still have those same eyes….
To him, who rarely paid attention to others, she was almost the only object he cared about for a long time.
So it seems.
He had wondered so much during the time he hadn’t seen her, but I guess she wasn’t.
I wondered why.
I had to talk to her to see why.
After the meal, I let Adela rest in the carriage and went straight to Belita.
She happened to be heading towards the garden and he followed her.
And the moment he heard why Belita did it, he felt dizzy, as if someone had hit him on the head with a solid piece of metal.
‘Adela Bayern, Kane Maxius, and Belita Heights.’
He rarely stayed in the capital.
It was because he traveled here and there for family matters and because he was busy with personal matters, but more than anything else, it was because the Duke of Bayern was reluctant to have him in the capital.
Moreover, he had no interest in social gossip.
So I had no idea what was going on between the three of them.
It was only later that I found out that Kane broke off his engagement to his ex-fiancé, then became engaged to Adela, and broke off the engagement again, but he did not know the exact story behind their relationship.
Belita told him to listen to what had happened through Adela, but he seemed to know without listening.
Since childhood, Adela has been weak in mind as much as her body has been weak.
In addition, I couldn’t go outside, so my craving for people was severe.
She likes to get attention from others.
And he grew up receiving enough love from his father and servants in the mansion.
Perhaps because he knew what it was like to be loved, he was not stingy with favors.
I could tell just by thinking about what she had done to Aiden and him.
Ever since she was little, whenever she was scolded by the Duke of Bayern and was intimidated, she always appeared and comforted him.
– Aiden, are you sick? Why would your father do that to you?
– You have to save your body. Understand?
– Now your body is not yours alone. Because he bore the name Bayon.
Of course, now I know why she was concerned about his body and health.
But apart from that, I thought Adela’s love for him wouldn’t be a lie.
It was his trust in Adela, who treated him like a real family member, unlike the duke, who only saw him as a useful tool since he was a child.
Aiden escaped from the flashbacks of the past and returned to the present.
‘Cain Maxius.’
A man who broke off engagement with Adela following Belita.
I don’t know him well because I have no contact with the duke, but I knew one thing.
He did not take his eyes off Belita throughout the meal.
Just like he was, so was he.
‘It’s ridiculous.’
His cowardly and cowardly behavior is absurd, but at the same time, why is it so disgusting?
Is it because of Adela?
Or not….
Even he couldn’t tell exactly what feelings he had for Belita.
However, after an unfortunate short conversation with Belita, I was able to find out only one thing.
When I met her in the garden, she was different.
The loneliness and emptiness that had filled her eyes was, if not completely absent, almost gone.
Aiden was curious about that.
I wanted to know what that method was.
I wanted to hear from her how the emptiness and loneliness in her heart had disappeared.
At some point, I wanted to ask how I could make this empty mind, which is nestled deep inside me, disappear.
He wanted to hold her.
* * *
After that day, it was normal days.
It was one day when I was learning and doing things one by one.
Something happened that broke this peaceful daily life at once.
“Ah, lady…!”
Mary called me urgently from outside the room.
I told her to come in and put the book I was reading out of my hand.
However, when Mary came inside, the expression on her face was serious.
It was a subtle expression that seemed to have seen something that could not be seen and was full of worries.
“What’s the matter?”
“Excuse me….”
“Why? What is it?”
Mary rarely lingered this long, so I looked at her with a puzzled expression.
“I…Duke Cain Maxius has arrived….”
“What?”
For a moment I thought I had heard something wrong.
Why is Kane here, not anyone else?
“What are you talking about. Who said you came?”
“Duke Cain Maxius….”
Seeing that he said the same name twice, it seemed that the man had really come.
“Are you here to see your father?”
Looking back, this wasn’t a place he couldn’t come to.
Although in Belita’s memory and in my memory he had never been here.
In any case, although the relationship between the families was not very good, it could have been that he had come because he had to meet his father for work.
So I answered in a non-trivial tone.
“It’s not like that…!”
“Otherwise what?”
“He said he came to see Mrs. The Duke is waiting for the lady in the drawing room…!”
“What?”
No, what kind of absurd development is this?
I was so dumbfounded that Kane had come to see me, so I was speechless for a moment and looked at Mary with a blank expression.
“Miss?”
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