Chapter 60

Perhaps because of Elvin's visit a while ago, the Crown Prince's expression completely hardened.

However, he did not argue with me as before as if he knew his mistake.

"Is your wrist okay? Let's call the royal doctor for treatment..."

The Crown Prince asked me in a worried voice. It was obvious that he was trying to manage his expression, but it didn't seem to work.

"You don't have to worry. From now on, please be more careful. There are many eyes around.

"Yes."

The Crown Prince answered without strength with an apologetic face.

"Elvin... Have you two been seeing each other?"

I frowned slightly at his next words.

'Well then.'

He just couldn't let it pass.

"No."

I blatantly lied. Since the opponent was the Crown Prince, I didn't feel any guilt.

"Then what was the conversation about a while ago?"

"I just accidentally picked up what Prince Croix dropped and returned it to him through someone else."

This time it wasn't a lie, it was the truth.

But the Crown Prince still seemed suspicious. Well, if I thought about it, it was an insincere answer.

But there was no reason for me to explain to him who had Claire as his mistress.

"If all your questions are answered, I will leave now."

As I was about to turn around after I finished speaking, the Crown Prince caught me again. Perhaps he was more aware than before, this time the wrist he was holding didn't hurt. When I stopped and looked up at him, he let go of my wrist.

"Do you still have something to tell me?"

I no longer felt the need to keep a smile on my face, so I asked coldly.

"I know I don't have to say this to you, but I want to be sure. My fiancée is you. No one can take your place." (CP)

"... ... That's a relief."

I laughed.

The Crown Prince's complexion darkened when he recognized the sneer in my words.

"A while ago when I passed by Lady Dana, I saw her bracelet was very unique and beautiful."

"..... !"

The Crown Prince opened his mouth as if to say something, and then closed it. He was probably thinking of excuses.

Well, what else could he say?

He just gave a present to his lover for her birthday.

Compared to the things that the Crown Prince had done casually so far, it was a trivial matter.

But while I was standing there just a moment ago, as I listened to Claire and the bracelet she received as a gift, I felt complex emotions.

The Crown Prince who whispered sweet words in front of me but gave precious gifts to Claire as soon as he turned around, or Claire proudly showed off the gifts she received from the Crown Prince in front of me... . Both were absolutely disgusting.

Clearly, if Roxana had been there earlier, she would have been unable to hold back her anger and would have been violent again.

After that one commotion, the same thing always happened over and over again.

Despite the fact that the victim was Roxana, she would have been stigmatized as a vicious villain by people's gossip again. Seeing Claire who was protected by the Crown Prince and had people's pity every time, I wondered what Roxana would think.

In the end, when I think of Roxana, who had collapsed after being scorched, an unknown emotion churned from deep in my heart.

My heart ached.

Roxana was pitiful, the Crown Prince was detestable, and Claire was disgusting.

"I have tried a lot to understand Your Highness so far. But the result is always the same."

"Roxana, I...."

"You don't need to make excuses. Apologies too. I won't take it this time."

"...!"

At that time, the atmosphere in the hall changed and the court musicians played their instruments. A soft melody flowed through the hall, and people's eyes turned towards us. The Crown Prince hesitated a little, but as if he was conscious of people's gaze, he reached out to me.

"Everyone is waiting. We should dance one song."

"I'm sorry... I am not feeling well today."

"Really? Then you don't have to do it."

The Crown Prince awkwardly took back the hand that was extended to me with a slightly embarrassed face. Since I openly refused the dance he asked for, it meant that I didn't show any respect for his face. It was easy to see how much more people would talk about today's event.

Rumors will circulate between me and the Crown Prince, and some may be delighted with the rumors of the breakup of the marriage.

For example, someone like Claire or Lady Flynn......

But now it didn't matter. Because of spreading rumors of the Crown Prince and Claire's affair, I no longer had to be alone in the mud.

'I have decided not to become the future empress, so I don't need to care about the Crown Prince anymore.'

To be honest, I had never thought about entering the palace before.

But now I know.

If I were to become the Empress, I would be the most honored woman in the Empire except for the Crown Prince's mother.

If that happens, I will gain power and honor that cannot be compared with the status of a duke's daughter.

But entering the Imperial Palace was a double-edged sword. The Crown Prince didn't love me, so I couldn't count on his protection.

And Claire's existence cannot be ignored. If I become an empress, I will have great power, but the only true owner of the imperial palace was the emperor. In his realm, the imperial palace, an empress who was not favored could sometimes be in a worse position than a concubine favored by the emperor.

In addition, the Imperial Palace was a dangerous place that could not be compared with ordinary noble families. Do I want to go into such a place and feel like walking on thin ice every day? For someone who doesn't even love me?

No matter how stupid I was, I couldn't do such a thing. And I had no desire whatsoever for the things in the imperial palace.

The life in the Duke's family was already full of abundance.

In addition, there were many servants in the mansion who listened to me, as well as competent butlers, cooks, and gardeners.

Roxana considered herself unhappy in this mansion, but she was free and prosperous.

However, entering the Imperial Palace was a different story.

Every single thing I do will be restricted, and all rules and manners will suffocate me.

One small mistake will have a huge impact and will eventually come back as a big storm.

So in conclusion, I had no intention of entering the Imperial Palace. The only thing I was concerned about was the process to go through for the breakup and the things after that. Having confirmed the attitude of the Duke, the breakup may not be as difficult as I thought. However, even if the breakup was successfully concluded, the work behind it was more complicated and demanding, so I had to pay attention to it.

Claire always came to Roxana with a smirk and turned her world upside down.

If looking at it that way, Claire's speculation was also significant.

Of course, she would want to be the Crown Prince's only lover. Actually, it would be the same for anyone other than Claire.

The desire to possess the one you love alone.

The imperial family wouldn't accept it, but... If Claire becomes the Empress, what will happen then?

The relationship between Roxana and Claire went wrong from the start and is now irreversible. If the Crown Prince becomes emperor and Claire is still by his side... Just imagining it for a moment was terrifying and I shuddered.

"Is everything okay?"

When I returned to my seat, the Duke narrowed his eyes and looked me up and down.

"Yes."

"The Crown Prince... ... No, what did he say to you?"

"It was nothing special. He was just apologizing to me."

"Is that really all?"

The Duke looked at me suspiciously. His gaze was full of concern.

"Don't bear with it. Even if His Highness, or whoever your opponent is, tell me if you're having a hard time again. Father will take care of it."

"Yes."

I nodded meekly.

Still, the Duke's worried gaze did not fall from me.

Somehow I laughed. In the eyes of others, I was a foolish and vicious villain, but in my parents' eyes, I was only weak and pitiful.

The music flowing in the hall changed several times. After standing for a long time in high shoes, my feet started to hurt little by little.

'There is still a long way to go before the banquet is over... .'

I looked around, walked over to the Duke and said,

"I'll take a break in the break room and come back."

"Take the knights...."

"We're in the Imperial Palace. There are guards all over the place, so it's no big deal."

I hurriedly cut the duke's words and said to make him feel at ease.

It was cumbersome and inconvenient to carry several people with me every time I go anywhere. Since the knights were people of the Duke, even if that was not the intention, I felt as if my actions were being monitored one by one, so it was annoying. At my words, the Duke thought about it for a moment, and then said.

"Then take the maids with you. If anything happens, scream right away."

It was absurd.

'I'm not a five-year-old kid..'

But knowing that all these words come from the hearts of parents who care about their children, I couldn't refuse and nodded my head.

"Okay."

As the Duke said, I took Joan and Annie into the break room.

There were already people inside.

It was the young Lady Flynn and her crowd.

The moment I opened the door without thinking and stepped inside, there was a strange silence in the room. But after a few seconds, the rest of the girls, with the exception of Lady Flynn, greeted me with smiles.

"Princess, long time no see. You have become more beautiful while we haven't seen each other."

"Where did you get that dress? It suits you well. It looks expensive, but if I can afford it, I would like to buy a similar one."

Several pairs of eyes turned to me.

'If I leave right away as soon as I come in, it'll look weird.'

I sighed inwardly, answered with a smile on my face, and sat down.

"I got it as a gift, so I don't know where it came from."

A look of disappointment crossed the faces of the young girls at my words.

"I've been to all the shops in the capital, but I've never seen such pretty clothes. The sewing is sophisticated and gorgeous..... ."

One of them clapped her hands with a bright face as if she had realized something.

"Ah, did you receive a present from the Crown Prince?"

In an instant, Lady Flynn's eyebrows twitched.

She raised the teacup with a calm face as if she had not heard our conversation. However, I could see that the fingers holding the teacup had a lot of strength in it.

"Unfortunately, that's not the case."

I answered in a sarcastic but casual voice. After the sweet commentary, they were wary and quietly brought up the subject.

"Did the princess see the bracelet that Lady Dana wore on her wrist today? It looked like she was trying to brag about it because it was a gift from the Crown Prince."

"Even if I put iron plates on my face, I won't be able to do it like her. She really is shameless, isn't she?"