˖:✧ ⑅•.⋅༻♔༺•⑅ ✧:˖
“Dahlia! How could you do such a terrible thing!”
Betty was taken to the dungeon. Since the matter involved another country, judgment and punishment will be deliberated very carefully. She was currently awaiting the verdict of her crimes. Though his father was a duke, her mother was only a commoner. I’m sure there won’t be any problems that will arise.
The problem was that this incident involved one of the Great Dukes. The balance of power among the nobilities would surely change. While there was an arduous debate about the punishment of the Duke of Stuart, His Highness Cody came to me while I was drinking tea in the room I was given.
Outside the room, I heard a knight’s voice condemning His Highness for entering the room without my permission, but it seemed that he was unable to use force against the royalty and let him in.
Bridgette, who was standing beside me, immediately moved to a position where she could protect me. As my personal lady-in-waiting and bodyguard, she always kept a dagger under her uniform. She was ready to kill His Highness Cody at any time. His Highness wrinkled his brow at Brigitte, who had stepped between him and me.
“Stand down. I’m a member of a royal family.”
“Forgive me, but the only royal members I serve are that of Estoria. I don’t listen to royals from another country.”
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“Ebyv?”
Useu pyv sd vbl psqy clbkde Jaketlvvl yde tzyale yv xl, obs oyp eakdjkdt vly.
“Rq vbl xypvla kp awel vbld kv kpd’v pwarakpkdt vs qkde vbl plahydvp awel yp olzz. Fs wdekpnkrzkdle. Mbkp kp obu usw olal pldv vs vbl nsdhldv obld usw olal uswdt.”
Tl xwpv byhl blyae vbyv qasx Jlvvu. R alxlxclale vbspl vkxlp obld R wple vs byhl y nwr sq vly okvb bkx.
“Rv’p sjyu, Jaketlvvl.”
“…R wdelapvyde.”
Plprkvl bla ekpyrrashyz, Jaketlvvl pbkqvle bla cseu vs vbl pkel yde zlv Tkp Tktbdlpp Useu rypp. Tl pvaszzle kd wdnlalxsdkswpzu yde pyv esod kd qasdv sq xl.
Mbl qynlp sq vbl plahydvp kd vbl assx dyvwayzzu vokpvle kd ekprzlypwal yp bl naspple bkp yaxp yde zltp kd yd yaastydv xyddla. Rv oyp yd kdpwzv vs Opvsaky’p qkapv rakdnlpp vs clbyhl kd pwnb y xyddla. Xdl sq xu twyaep obs oyp kd vbl assx oldv swv sq vbl assx wddsvknle. Tl xwpv byhl tsdl swv vs nyzz Uwavkp.
“I’m a prince. I’ve come all this way and you don’t even offer me tea?”
He’s such a brazen man. I think he was cute when he was younger.
“Are you going to stay in the room of the fiancée of another country’s royalty long enough to drink tea?”
He replied with a cluck of his tongue as I implicitly told him to get the hell out of here. I thought I saw Bridgette pull something shiny out of her sleeve, though it was only for a moment. If this keeps up, the assassination of the prince is going to happen in my room. I should quickly wrap this up.
“So, what can I do for you?”
“Pardon?”
“I said, what can I do for you, Your Highness?”
“Are you asking me that because you really don’t know?”
His Highness, Prince Cody clenched his fists tightly, his body trembling with anger.
“I’m asking you because I don’t know.”
I want to quickly wrap up whatever he wanted to ask of me without a hitch.
“It’s about Betty..Aren’t you ashamed of framing up your own sister?”
“I don’t have a sister.”
“Betty is your sister! Can’t you really accept her just because she has the blood of a commoner? The nobility and royalty are equally kept alive by the commoners. You should welcome them with open arms, not look down on them.”
What he said was right, but I don’t think he really understands what those words meant. He’s like a child who only nods at his teacher’s words but never takes it to heart.
“I have long separated myself from the ducal family. When that happened, I already became someone without a sister. I’m sure she never even treated me as a sister, anyway.”
“Betty was always concerned about you going to another country. She has always liked you no matter how badly you treated her.”
That was a funny statement. At the same time, it also made me feel sad.
“I don’t know what you’ve heard from her…”
My cup was now empty. Bridgette immediately poured me another cup of tea. The aroma of the freshly brewed tea calmed my buzzing mind.
“…you have always only looked at one side of the story.”
“That’s not true.”
I couldn’t help but let out an empty laugh at his words.
“Why don’t you believe me then? It’s always been a one-way street between you and me. It’s the same with this case. You’re always assuming I’m a bad person. If you ask the people around you, you’ll find out for yourself which side is true.”
Prince Cody’s face expressed his frustration at my reply. He was biting his lip, which caused blood to flow from the edges of his mouth.
“Everyone speaks ill of Betty just because she’s a child of a commoner.”
So did you think everyone was protecting me against her to save their own skin?
“I think Betty would have been a perfect match for you.”
“What?”
His Highness Cody looked at me suspiciously at my sudden words. I turned the cup in my hand and stared at the moving tea. I’m sure his heart is swaying just like this tea.
“Both of you hide your hideous selves behind words that are pleasing to hear.”
“Wha—”
Prince Cody stared at me as if I had hit the bull’s eye. He reached out his hand to me, wondering what I was thinking. Bridgette immediately pulled out her dagger without hesitation yet it never reached her target. Words that came before it blocked her action in time.
“How long are you going to monopolize my lovely fiancée’s time, Your Highness, Prince Cody?”
“…Prince Curtis.”
Curtis looked disapprovingly at Cody’s outstretched hand toward me, then came to my side and pulled me into a hug.
“Your Highness. I am not a very generous man. Especially when it comes to Dahlia.”
“Why are you doing so much for her…” Prince Cody muttered in a daze.
Curtis’ eyebrows shot up.
“It’s only natural since she’s my fiancée. Who would want bugs crawling on their loved ones?”
“…bugs.”
“Prince Cody, I will certainly report this matter to His Majesty. Surely, you’re done asking questions now?”
It was Curtis’ way of telling him to leave. Cody tried to argue, but Curtis’ intimidation only made him pale and ran away.
Bridgette put a cup of freshly brewed tea in front of Curtis.
“Are you okay, Dahlia?”
“Yes.”
“I see, that’s reassuring. But promise me, you’re never to be alone with another man but me ever again.”
“Alone? I had a knight and Bridgette with me inside the room. And—”
“Promise me.”
“…okay.”
“Good girl,” Curtis praised as he kissed my forehead.
˖:✧ ⑅•.⋅༻♔༺•⑅ ✧:˖
Curtis is such a good man.