“Roxana?”
The Crown Prince’s mouth opened, but he fell silent for a while.
Eventually he said with a frown on his face.
“I thought you were soone else for a mont.”
“Is that a complint?”
“You look beautiful now, but personally, I think I liked it better before.”
The Crown Prince said with a slightly sad face.
“Don’t get wrong. I didn’t an that you’re not beautiful now. But I think the dress you wore earlier suits you better.”
“Is that so?”
It seed as if the Crown Prince was trying to change what I wore.
“Okay. Let’s go now.”
As I walked forward, I heard footsteps behind .
The Crown Prince quickly caught up with my steps with his long legs.
I could feel the gaze from the side, but I didn’t look back.
As I entered the banquet hall, people’s gaze turned towards .
Maybe it was because of my mood, but the way they looked at seed a little different from before.
I passed them and headed straight to the Duke.
Fortunately, the Crown Prince did not follow.
“You’re here. Your dress….”
The Duke looked at with slightly startled eyes.
At that mont, the emperor, who was standing a little further away, approached and said,
“She’s grown up a lot since I haven’t seen her. I thought she was soone else for a mont.”
“I see you, Your Majesty.”
The emperor smiled kindly at .
“Princess, haven’t you decided on the wish I said last ti?”
“Actually, there is one thing I would like to ask of Your Majesty.”
“What is it?”
“I would like to request an investigation into the case of Viscountess Willis, who recently committed suicide in the Imperial Palace Prison.”
The Emperor’s face hardened a little at my words.
“I told you to say what you want, but I didn’t know you would say this.”
The Emperor stared at .
He even spoke in a soothing tone.
“An opportunity like this doesn’t co easily. But you’re going to use it for soone else? For soone who’s already died?”
“The nanny betrayed , but she was with for a long ti. I hope there wasn’t any resentnt at the end.”
“I don’t know who dares to use their hands on sinners in the palace. Does the royal guard look so lax in the eyes of the Princess?”
“Roxana.”
When the Emperor revealed his uneasy feelings, the Duke pulled behind him.
“Your Majesty, forgive . My daughter made a mistake because she was still young.”
“No. Duke, I’d like to hear why the Princess thought that way.”
The Emperor softened his voice again.
Considering the achievents the Duke had made, the emperor seed to have overlooked my bluntness.
“The nanny was a venomous person. But she was not the kind of person who would leave her children behind like that. I was suspicious of that, but I didn’t think of anything else.”
“Okay. Since I told you personally you could make any wishes, I have to take responsibility. But I ask you one thing. If there was another cause behind the death of the sinner, what would you do?”
The Emperor narrowed his eyes.
I was suffocated by the feeling of oppression I had experienced for the first ti.
“I have no intention of doing anything. I just want to know the truth.”
“Is that really all?”
“Yes.”
I nodded my head without thinking for a long ti.
“I see. I’ll investigate soon and report the results.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
I bowed my head and expressed my gratitude.
The emperor raised the corners of his lips with a frown on his face.
“Duke, your daughter is very clever.”
After the emperor left, the Duke asked with a puzzled face.
“Roxana, what you said to His Majesty a while ago…”
“I thought it was strange from the beginning. Then, after reading the nanny’s will a few days ago, I beca more and more convinced that the nanny might not have committed suicide.”
“Could it be that soone encouraged her?”
The Duke looked at with a worried face.
Perhaps he was worried that there were dangerous people around .
“It’s not like that. I’m sorry I did this without consulting you in advance. But I won’t cause any harm to our family.”
The Duke sighed.
He then looked at and said in a stern voice.
“I have no intention of stopping whatever you are doing as long as it does not endanger you.”
“Yes.”
The Duke’s gaze at softened again at the gentle answer.
He patted on the shoulder with a complicated face.
“Yes, you’ve been a smart kid since you were little. I trust you.”
I felt his words were sincere rather than empty words, which made it even more uncomfortable.
I smiled awkwardly.
“Okay. Don’t worry.”
The banquet ended after a long ti.
I stayed with the Duke until almost the end of the banquet, and was only able to return ho at dawn.
On the way back, I dozed off in the carriage.
As soon as I returned to my room with the help of the maids, I was completely exhausted.
Lying on the bed in a dreamy state, I could feel Annie removing my makeup and taking off my clothes.
But I was so tired that I didn’t even want to open my eyes.
The next day, when I woke up, the sun was already in the middle of the sky.
It was much later than usual.
The maids also looked more dazed than usual due to the aftermath of yesterday.
While everyone looked tired, only Annie was healthy and full of vitality.
“What is this?”
I looked at the two boxes on the shelf curiously.
One was a tiara sent by the Crown Prince.
It was pretty because I knew what it ant, but I didn’t use it on purpose.
And the other one…..
“It was sent by the Second Prince.”
Annie answered in a bright voice.
Instead of following to the banquet yesterday, she arranged the presents that had co for .
Thanks to the rits of the Duke, this birthday was more prosperous than ever.
Because of that, Annie looked busy as if her work had not yet been completed.
I slowly opened the box in front of .
Inside the box was a pair of silver earrings studded with light water-colored jewels.
It was not as flashy and conspicuous as the gift from Elvin or the Crown Prince, but the neat and elegant design drew attention the more I looked at it.
“It’s pretty. Put it in order.”
I put the earrings back in the box.
Then I looked elsewhere.
Then I found a bracelet on the dressing table.
It was given by Alvin.
When I think of yesterday’s conversation, my face ward without realizing it.
I turned away and picked up a fan nearby.
Then Joan asked with her puzzled face.
“Lady, are you hot?”
“It’s a little hot.”
“It’s strange. The weather is cool today, so I think it’s fine, but if it’s hot, should I open the window?”
“Yes. That would be nice.”
“Then wait a minute…”
Joan got up and went to the window.
As she opened the window, a cold wind blew in and rain poured down.
The sky was darker than usual, and it was raining all of a sudden.
“Lady, are you really hot?”
Tien looked at worriedly.
I couldn’t say anything.
***
“Your Highness, Lady Dana has co to visit. Should I tell her that you will not be able to et her because you are busy again this ti?”
The servant asked.
The Crown Prince was sitting at his desk as usual, looking at the docunts.
Lately, he had been avoiding his beloved Lady Dana.
He would make excuses and refuse to et her, so it was natural for Lady Dana to be upset.
The servant thought it would be the sa today.
But the answer he heard was different from usual.
“Tell her to wait in the parlor.”
“Yes. Then I’ll send her back…What?”
The servant opened his eyes and looked at the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince still didn’t take his eyes off the papers.
“I’ll be there in a little bit, so tell her to wait. Do I have to say this many tis for you to understand?”
The Crown Prince said in a dissatisfied voice.
“No.”
The servant hurriedly bowed his head, answered and left.
“How did it go?”
When the servant went to see Claire, who was waiting with an anxious face.
Today Claire was wearing a bright yellow dress.
Her bright and innocent atmosphere made her look more attractive.
Today, he felt a little lighter because he didn’t have to see a beautiful woman disappointed.
“The Crown Prince said to wait. He will co soon when the work is done. So why don’t you have a cup of tea in the anti?”
“Yes. Okay.”
Claire answered ekly.
The servant took her to the parlor and then quickly left the room.
In the spacious parlor p, Claire was left alone.
Soon several maids ca in, gave her delicious refreshnts and tea, and then left again.
It was in that state for a long ti.
‘Why aren’t you coming?’
Claire bit her nails with an irritated face.
Recently, the Crown Prince did not want to et her.
But today, for so reason, he told her to wait in the parlor.
It was only one eting, but it has to be so hard.
It was a mont when the difference in status beca evident.
At the sa ti, it also ant that the heart of the Crown Prince was different from before.
Another hour passed.
Finally, impatient, Claire went out of the room and asked a servant who was passing by the hallway.
“I have an appointnt with His Highness, can you find out when he’ll be done?”
The servant looked Claire up and down once. Claire’s visit to the Crown Prince and returning without eting him was already widespread in the Crown Prince’s Palace.
He thought it was a similar situation today and made a sullen face.
“Please wait. If you have co with an appointnt, His Highness will co soon.”
It was a very unpleasant conversation. Not long ago, the courtiers of the Imperial Palace were kind to her. But these days, the way they looked at her seed to be dealing with uninvited guests.
Clearly different from before, Claire bit her lip secretly. She rembered an incident not long ago when she had just been released from prison.
At that ti, the royal servants sent by the Crown Prince had co to pick her up. On her way back ho with their support, she t the Princess. Their attitude towards the Princess and her was very different. Things around Clair were getting worse and worse.
***
“Your Highness, won’t you go see her?”
The servant ca and asked.
The Crown Prince took his eyes off the docunt and turned his gaze to the watch.
He looked at the ti and noticed that a lot of ti had passed.
He then looked a little annoyed.
“What about Claire? Is she still waiting?”
“Yes. It’s been almost two hours already.”
“I made her wait too long. Let’s go.”
The Crown Prince put down the papers he was holding in his hand and stood up.
On the way out of the parlor, he saw a familiar figure in the distance through the window.
It was Elvin.
The place he was headed was the passageway to the Imperial Palace. Seeing that the emperor’s attendant was next to him, it seed that he had been called by the emperor again this ti. The Crown Prince frowned at once.
“He cos and goes to the imperial palace as if it’s his own house.
I can’t understand why the emperor wraps up such a jerk just because he’s pretty.”
The Crown Prince turned his head away and walked, then stopped his steps.
He then narrowed his eyes and looked towards Elvin.
Today Elvin was wearing a creamy cravat with his black overcoat.
The brooch on his chest was exceptionally gorgeous and sophisticated, making it very noticeable.
The Crown Prince paused for a mont.
Then he stared at it.
Elvin’s brooch looked familiar as if he had seen it sowhere.
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