She was puzzled, and she felt like she had grown more emotional. Still, for the time being, the only option was to believe Cloud’s statements and continue as usual.
No one else would protect her secrets as Cloud did.
“Yes, Lady. I am… I’ll keep an eye on you.”
Cloud, who was still kneeling, said that and stood up and carefully opened the door. Then he truly looked after her so that she could return safely.
When Ayla returned to the room, Capella and Laura were asleep without a care.
The sound of her lying down on the bed made Laura toss and turn, but fortunately, she did not wake up.
Ayla, lying on the bed and looking at the dark ceiling, remembered what had happened to her a little while ago.
Cloud … He was aware of her secrets. Still, he kept her secrets until now. Moreover, he even saved her from danger today.
‘Nonsense.’
It was like a dream.
She stayed up all night, thinking about it all night.
Can she trust Cloud or should she consider other measures?
He had been deceiving her all his life. She was deceived by him and her with Byron and committed an irreversible mortal sin, betraying her heavenly will, and was forced to die, writhing in pain.
But that hadn’t happened yet at this point.
And Cloud… Unlike the others who looked down on her, he was the only one who cared for her a little.
‘But that doesn’t mean the sin of deceiving me goes away.’
Even though he treated her well out of a small sense of guilt, he was still one of those who tried to take advantage of Ayla.
It was something that could not be completely trusted.
‘But I don’t believe him. Is there any other way to cover my mouth?’
She couldn’t kill Cloud secretly. His inaction was not something Ayla could beat, and she wasn’t even sure if she would be able to sneak into his room.
No matter how careless she was, wasn’t she caught by him today?
She couldn’t use poison because the lab where she learned her toxicology was no longer there.
And when Cloud would die, there would be none telling her how things would turn out.
Above all.
It was difficult to admit these feelings but she wanted to trust Cloud.
In this terrible limb with cliffs on all sides, there is even one person on her side.
She let out a windy laugh without even realizing it.
It was really funny. She wanted to laugh at herself for wanting to trust Cloud in a situation like this. How funny it is to see such a weak being so desperate for revenge!!!
‘No, if you think about it carefully. You just have to hold on like this for a little while.’
She didn’t know how long Cloud’s whim would last, but judging by the way he infiltrated Laura into the dukedom, it seemed like it wouldn’t be long before she returned home.
So, if she held on just a little longer…
And just when she decided to trust Cloud for the time being since she had no other choice, she heard a bird chirping outside the window. Before she knew it, the day was bright.
* * *
“Your Highness, please open your eyes and eat. Other than the fork will go into your nostril.”
Joseph’s nagging started again. This was because Winfred was eating lunch while almost half asleep.
It was a good thing that he ate lunch alone that day, but if there was someone there, wouldn’t they have criticized the crown prince’s dining etiquette for being beyond imagination?
‘No, if there were guests in the first place, I wouldn’t act so comfortably.’
Although Winfred often behaved informally in front of Joseph, it was fortunate that when there were eyes to see, he showed the flawless appearance of a perfect crown prince.
And at Chamberlain’s nagging, Winfred opened his mouth wide, yawned, and rubbed his eyes.
“Just look at me today. I’m so sleepy… … .”
He didn’t know why the teacher in charge of the economics class scheduled to be held after lunch was assigning so much homework, so he stayed up all night until the dawn sky was bright and he had barely finished it.
The topic is ‘The impact of the income level of the lowest class on the economy of the Empire.’
Although he didn’t say much, Joseph also felt sorry for the young prince’s murderous schedule, so he simply poured coffee into the prince’s cup without saying a word.
Winfred, who was chewing the salad he had in his mouth while dozing, suddenly woke up as if something occurred to him.
“Why are you doing this, Your Majesty?”
“Assignment!!!!!! I left my homework in my room!”
It was only when daybreak came that he left the finished assignment on the desk in his bedroom.
“All you have to do is send someone to get it, so you can finish eating…”
“No!!!! There is a reason why I have to go.”
Joseph’s suggestion was very common sense and reasonable, but there was one big problem. There was a page with a drawing of Ayla’s face on it to help Winfred relieve stress while working on an assignment.
The problem was that he laid down in bed after finishing his assignment to sleep for just an hour or two.
Winfred finished the meal by gulping down the still-steaming coffee in one go as if it wasn’t even hot. He had to go to the bedroom quickly.
‘You idiot! How dare you go to sleep carelessly hiding such a picture.’
He moved to the bedroom and held his head. He couldn’t help but blame himself.
It wouldn’t matter if it would be caught by Joseph, who had already seen and met her, but if the spy planted by his uncle even saw the picture… …
It was impossible to guarantee the safety of Ayla, who was no different from the hostage.
Winfred arrived at the bedroom and opened the door.
There was no one to knock on entering his room, but the problem was that there was someone inside.
Binka, who was just about to tidy up his desk, was startled by the sudden appearance of the crown prince and lost the paper she was trying to organize, which fluttered and fell to the floor.
“Ugh! That!”
Winfred screamed and rushed towards the sheaf of papers on the floor.
As it happened, the portrait of Ayla, which had been in the middle, had been mixed up and ended up on top.
He flapped his arms awkwardly and hurriedly hid Ayla’s picture behind his back. Then he looked at Binka With mournful eyes and asked:
“Ho, did you see it?”
He hoped she didn’t see it. He sincerely hoped that it was such a brief moment that she didn’t get to see it properly.
“Uh… …, a portrait of a cow or a girl? Yes, I saw it.”
But unfortunately, his wish did not come true. Binka’s visual acuity must have been quite good, as she had already seen the picture in that split second.
“… … ah.”
Ruined.
In that brief moment, Winfred ran tons of thousands of calculations in his head.
‘What should I do if Binka starts a rumor? No, I don’t think I’m that soft-spoken type… … . Still, I can’t be sure.’
And his imagination didn’t end there.
‘Could it be that Binka is not a spy planted by my uncle? She’s only seventeen now? I wouldn’t use a seventeen-year-old like this as a spy…? But just because she is young, seeing as Ayla, I cannot rule out the possibility that Binka is a spy.’
He even assumed that she was someone Byron had planted and that she might have approached him on purpose, but no matter how much he thought about it, it seemed far-fetched.
How could it be that his uncle accidentally found the precious handkerchief he had lost? Isn’t that ridiculous?
And if she’s a spy… Would he be that careless? He often gets scolded by Joseph for messing around on bad days.
While Winfred was sweating and thinking about it, Binka approached him with an uncomfortable face, as she normally did when she made a mistake. Then she started collecting the papers that had fallen on the floor.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I was so surprised…”
“Oh, no. “It’s because I came in suddenly, whatever.”
He looked blankly at Binka, who was looking at the paper. How should he bring up the story? He has to ask her to keep what she saw today a secret…
But before Winfred could say anything, Binka struck.
“That… …, Don’t worry, Your Highness. I won’t tell anyone.”
“Huh?”
“I mean that picture.”
Binka smiled brightly as she neatly organized the papers and put them back on the desk. It was a friendly smile that put his mind at ease.
“Your Highness keeps my secrets, but I’m afraid I can’t do that much.”
It was only then that Winfred realized an important fact from Binka’s words.
‘That’s right, Binka and I have a special relationship where we share secrets.’
It was just one more secret between the two.
“… … Thank you.”
Only then did Winfred feel relieved and timidly hid the portrait behind his back in a drawer. A chest of drawers can only be opened with a key.
“I guess she’s Your Highness’s favorite lady. There was a lot of love put into the painting.”
“Ugh, I like this kid.”
Hearing Binka’s comments, his face seemed to heat up for no apparent reason. For some reason, he believed he had been discovered dating his sister.
Binka wasn’t his sister, She just liked him alone but Ayla and he were not lovers either.
“No wonder. So you kept your distance because you were afraid that people would misunderstand your relationship with me?”
“There is a lady you like,” she said with a grin. The tone seemed to be teasing Winfred.
“… … Yes.”
He wanted to refuse it but it was true, so he could only blush and nod.
“Your Highness, if there is anything I can do to help you with your relationship with that lady, you can tell me at any time because women know their hearts well.”
Binka advised squinting one eye. For example, it meant offering dating advice.
