Chapter 98

After the man finished speaking, he raised his head slightly to observe Elvin's reaction.

Elvin asked after a moment's silence with a thoughtful face.

"Is His Majesty aware of this?"

"He doesn't know yet."

"Then, send the letter and report it right away."

"Yes. I will."

After the man left, Elvin sat down on the sofa.

It was true that the emperor cherished him as his nephew.

It was said that when the princess, who was Elvin's mother, the emperor's only sister, was alive, the relationship between the siblings was very good.

At times the emperor seemed to pay more attention and affection to Elvin than to his own children.

But basically, all the people of the imperial family were heartless.

The emperor was so cold-hearted that he would just watch as his own son fought in deadly battles.

Why would he (Emperor) care about his nephew?

Because Elvin was worth using. It was for this reason that the emperor was particularly generous with Elvin.

The emperor often called Elvin to the imperial palace to discuss difficult matters with him.

At first, the emperor was just trying to test him.

However, after learning that his nephew was smarter and more brilliant than he thought, he began to pay attention to him in earnest.

Elvin amassed his wealth at Hermes, and with that wealth he built his own knightly order.

For others, they would not have been able to achieve so much in such a short time.

The emperor noticed early on and helped, but he didn't do much to test his abilities.

The emperor's help was just to put a little bit of firewood into the roaring flame.

Elvin's expression darkened a little while looking at the fireplace.

It was because of his memory of a few days ago.

He said that he would be upset if the Princess got closer to her new friend. At that time, he said it as a joke, but there was sincerity in it.

'When did they become so close?'

Recently the Princess and the second Prince seemed to have gotten close.

Suddenly his mouth felt dry and his heart felt uncomfortable.

Elvin frowned and gave the order to the servant.

"Tell everyone. Tomorrow before dawn, get the job done and go back as soon as possible."

***

"The Crown Prince has just left."

While I was resting, someone knocked on the door.

When I opened the door, there stood the Duke.

"Can I come in for a moment?"

As he sat down on the sofa, Tien served refreshments.

She poured tea into the empty teacup.

The duke didn't say anything until then, as if he was still in thought. Seeing his dark complexion and subdued gaze, he must be in a bad mood.

This made me a little anxious too.

The uncomfortable silence was unbearable, so I picked up one of the cookies Tien brought with the tea and ate it.

It was very delicious because it had apricot jam on top of the fragrant buttery scent.

Just as I was about to feel better savoring the taste of the sweet cookie, the Duke opened his mouth with a heavy expression.

"That bracelet... it's something I've never seen before."

The Duke's gaze reached the bracelet on my wrist.

It was from Elvin.

"By the way, what's hanging on the end of that necklace? Isn't that a whistle for self-defense? It's very elaborately made. At first glance, you might think it's just a simple jewel."

The necklace was also given by Elvin.

He gave me these and always told me not to take them off my body.

At first glance, it was simple and light in weight, so it was not inconvenient to wear them daily.

Because of that, it seemed that it had become a habit to wear them at home as I continue to do it.

I didn't do anything bad, but I felt guilty for some reason.

I took a sip of tea while maintaining a casual smile.

"Roxana, are you dating anyone other than the Crown Prince these days?"

"No."

I instinctively denied and looked at the Duke in amazement.

Why did he suddenly ask such a thing after meeting the Crown Prince?

Did the Crown Prince say anything?

He must have.

Somehow, from the moment the Duke entered the room, his complexion was not good, and it was strange when he asked about my accessories.

"I see."

The Duke's complexion darkened even more at my answer.

He nodded his head with a bitter face.

Then he got up from his seat as if he had finished talking.

"Then rest well."

The Duke's attitude today was certainly strange.

The cause was probably the Crown Prince.

Somehow, his broad back seemed a little slumped today.

I pondered for a moment, looking at his back as he left.

****

The Duke who left the room stumbled in shock.

Then Stephen quickly supported him.

"Sir, are you okay?"

"Yes."

The Duke put one hand on his forehead and took a step.

Stephen followed him from behind, worry etched on his face.

The Duke who returned to his office was different from usual.

He sat down in his chair, a thoughtful look on his face, without even thinking about looking at the papers piled up on the desk.

He apparently had suspected that the owner of Hermes had something to do with Roxana.

The thought of losing his daughter to a mysterious, unknown person made him upset.

But now the worry was real.

The word "mountain beyond the mountain" was used at this time.

The notoriety of Elvin Croix that the Crown Prince spoke of was something he had also heard of.

He also had a number of nobles who had been humiliated by him.

He had a deep, arrogant and cold personality.

They said that he's disrespectful to his parents, that he feared no one and nothing in the world, that he did not know how to care for women or sympathize with anyone.

The Duke had also seen him several times.

He could not judge everything about a person just by seeing him a few times from a distance.

But seeing the Grand Duke could not do anything about his son, it wasn't hard to guess.

No matter who Roxana was dating, it was less of a problem if it was just a casual meeting without marriage, but she, too, would be an adult in a few months.

She was soon of the age she would get married and she needed to be a little more careful.

His future son-in-law must have a straight-hearted and docile personality.

He should be a sensitive, kind and warm-hearted person.

Being too low was not good, but being too high wasn't good either.

People should look inward rather than outward, but the appearance should not be bad either.

The most important thing was that he should treat Roxana with sincerity and be faithful.

The Crown Prince dared to treat her badly, having a mistress even while engaged to Roxana. Elvin wasn't a good option either.

***

My expectation of waiting a few more days was exactly right.

Rumors began to circulate that the Crown Prince was deceived by beauty and killed innocent people and silenced them.

According to the rumors, he was a fool like no other in the world, and Claire was a siren.

Well, the rumors were exaggerated, but it was not entirely wrong.

Everything was self-sufficient.

After getting off the carriage with Tien's help, I saw the now familiar scenery of the Imperial Palace.

One of the Knights, who was standing a short distance away, saw me and came to greet me.

"Nice to meet you. My name is April."

The knight who introduced herself as April was also one of the knights belonging to the second Prince, and a familiar emblem was seen on the chest of the uniform.

She had her long hair tied high and a sword around her waist.

"The Second Prince ordered me to bring the princess, so please follow me. I will guide you to his Palace."

When it comes to the Imperial Palace, Roxana had visited countless times, and she was familiar with it, as I had also been here a few times.

But today, as I was going to the place for the first time in my life, the road was unfamiliar and I was a little nervous.

Knights in uniform were guarding the entrance to the palace.

They looked at me and bowed their heads politely.

"I see you, Princess."

"Greetings."

I nodded my head slightly and passed them.

This was the palace where Payne's mother, the Empress, lived.

And he also grew up in this palace from an early age.

Although the name, owner, and interior appearance had changed from the Imperial Palace to the Second Prince palace, I heard that the garden remained almost the same even after many years.

When I closed my eyes, I could imagine the sight of a beautiful woman leisurely strolling through the garden.

I followed Sir April for a little walk and saw Payne's figure.

At about the same time I found him, he also found me and walked this way. Today, Payne was out of uniform, and in its place he wore a white shirt, black pants, and a light overcoat.

It was a different look from the neat uniform he usually wore, looking more relaxed and gentle and softer than usual.

"I see you, Second Prince."

"Did you have any inconvenience coming here?"

"Thanks for your attention, It was fine."

"I've prepared tea, so shall we sit down and talk?"

There was a large flower tree in the corner of the garden, and when the wind blew, the pink petals fluttered about like a painting.

A white tea table was placed under the shade of the tree, and the table was full of cute, colorful delicacies.

They looked tasty and had a wide variety.

I picked up the egg tart on the nearest plate and put it in my mouth.

The pleasant sweetness spread softly in my mouth.

"Do you like sweets?"

Payne looked at me and asked.

"It's delicious."

"This is the first time I have invited anyone to the garden. I'm glad it's a nice day."

I raised my head and looked up at the sky. Clearly, as Payne said, the sunny weather was good. It was the perfect weather for a walk while admiring the flowers.

***

In front of the old brick house, an incongruous colorful carriage stopped. And a pretty lady came down from inside. Eileen rushed to the front door and knocked.

"Sarah, are you in there?"

There was no answer from inside.

Eileen knocked on the door with patience and called her once more.

"Sarah, are you in there? If so, please open the door."

Fortunately, it wasn't in vain.

Suddenly, the door opened and Sarah, who looked haggard, walked out.

"Eileen."

Sarah's gaze on Eileen seemed

The way she looked at her made Eileen feel a little squeamish, but now was not the time for her to question that.

"I'm sorry I came here without notice," she said. "I have something to ask you."

Sarah hesitated for a moment, then nodded her head.

"Come in."

Eileen glanced over Sarah's shoulder.

The fire was not properly lit, so the gloomy interior was visible.

The narrow and shabby house could not be compared to that of the Count's, and it seemed too lonely considering she lived alone.

On top of that, dust was piled up as if it had not been cleaned up well.

Eileen's face hardened a little.

It was a place she never got used to.

Still, back in the day, when Viscountess Willis was alive, it seemed like a home for people, but now it was not.

She hesitated, reluctant to step inside.

"What's wrong?"

When she didn't hear the sound of following footsteps, Sarah looked back with a puzzled expression. Eileen forcibly raised the corners of her lips and said with a smile.

"It's nothing."