Chapter 81 – Anxious n (2)
The next day, I asked a lady-in-waiting to pay a visit to Grand Duke Kapn to see how he was doing.
“What happened yesterday?”
“Grand Duke Kapn had so trouble with the Emperor. We hadn’t the chance to talk afterwards.”
The lady-in-waiting gave a sympathetic nod before leaving, and I sat at the table to wait for her to report back. Grand Duke Kapn said yesterday he would return to his room and drink the antidote, so he should be fine by now. I was more worried if he ca across Sovieshu again yesterday.
To my surprise, the lady-in-waiting did not return alone, but was accompanied by Grand Duke Kapn. I went to the parlor room to greet him.
He looked sowhat different than yesterday. He normally wore comfortable, practical outfits, but today his attire was much finer, and his was hair also ticulously combed back, emphasizing his strong jawline. When I looked into his eyes, I noticed they were moist again.
“Are you all right...?”
Kapn didn’t look well, but I asked him anyway out of politeness. He shook his head and asked for a private conversation. I nodded, and the ladies-in-waiting left as quick as they could. When we were alone, he spoke in a tight voice, as if exhausted from heavy restraint.
“I missed you. I was dying to see you...no, listen.”
Imdiately following the humiliating words ca an awkward smile. Still, he seed more in control than yesterday, and I had him seated at a table.
“Is there no antidote?”
In all honesty, while his predicant was amusing, I was far more worried about him. It was my first ti seeing that human eyes could be filled with such affection, but Grand Duke Kapn’s current behavior would look strange to any outside observers. The problem was, he was obligated to keep eting for our diplomatic negotiations.
“There is. It didn’t work.”
“Oh...do you have another antidote? The other antidote could be the wrong one.”
I thought would be suspicious if he had the correct antidote in the first place. Instead of answering, however, Grand Duke Kapn put his hands together and awkwardly stared out the window.
“Grand Duke?”
Was this the effect of dicine? He looked quite sheepish.
“Would you like to cover my face?”
I looked at him anxiously, but he shook his head.
“No. Then I just won’t be able to see your face. It won’t work.”
“...”
Did the an the potion worked even when I’m not in front of him? The potion was influencing his words, but he sounded clear here...what should I do?
In any case, it was hugely embarrassing. The speaker must be experiencing a more hellish feeling.
“It’s not the wrong antidote.”
“Why are you so sure? It wasn’t an antidote for a love potion, was it?”
“...”
Why didn’t he answer? Surely...
“It was?”
I looked at him in astonishnt, and he pursed his lips.
“Yes.”
My eyes widened. Why did Grand Duke Kapn already have an antidote for that specific drug? He nervously tapped the table with his fingertips before making a confession.
“It was a gift from .”
“The love potion?”
“...Yes. I didn’t expect its effect to be this powerful.”
My mouth opened in surprise as I processed the information. Grand Duke Kapn was the anonymous sender of the love potion. I knew the duke was behaving oddly now because of the potion, but he would have been sober when he first sent it to .
My mind blanked on a suitable response, and when Grand Duke Kapn spoke it was in a stiff voice.
“It was frustrating.”
“Frustrating... ?”
Ah.
“Is this about , Sovieshu and Rashta?”
I rembered the ti when Grand Duke Kapn had ignored both and Rashta, then left as if I wasn’t good enough. Grand Duke Kapn’s shoulders dropped.
“I know it was foolish, but I didn’t like to see you struggling. ”
So the love potion was so kind of consolation? It was hard to tell if he was serious. I stared at him, but he looked away with a frown on his face.
An embarrassed silence cloaked the room, punctuated only by the unusually loud ticking of the clock. Finally, Grand Duke Kapn heaved a sigh.
“I shouldn’t keep further company with you. I keep becoming interested in you, and I shouldn’t say anything.”
“Are you going to leave now?”
“Can I hold you?”
“!”
“I’m going.”
He stood up from his seat and walked to the door, and I followed him from behind. He half-opened the door, then suddenly turned back.
The wildness in his dark gaze left stunned.
“...”
“...”
An oppressive silence reigned, and when I swallowed it was like dry needles in my throat. The look in his eyes were not the sa as those of his usual indifference and pity, nor the ones of yesterday’s anxiety.
Laura’s words drifted to the front of my mind: love soone who can love you back with the intensity of a man starved for a hundred years. That was exactly how Grand Duke Kapn was looking at .
He raised his hand to cover his eyelids.
“We shouldn’t run into each other until the effects disappear by themselves.”
“Yes...”
It seed that way to .
*
*
*
The man on his knees had been speaking for quite a while now, but his story didn’t quite enter my ears. He finally said, “My God...” then dissolved into tears. At the sight, I imdiately felt pity for him. His situation must have been serious if he ca all this way to the audience chamber, out of tens of thousands of people who clamored to step foot in here. This was a once in a lifeti opportunity. My heart broke in sympathy, so I gathered the fractured bits of his story in my head and pieced it together. I gave my words of sincere consolation and the man sobbed again.
After the final visitor left, the officials closed the heavy door of the audience chamber.
I sighed and touched my forehead. Few people ca to the audience room to give good news. Why not bless a baby? They all ca to give unjust, outrageous and sad stories. As a result, it was not easy to concentrate fully on them as I worried about a dozen other problems. Just like today.
I slowly rose from the throne.
“Is your joke over?”
Before I could fully stand up, however, Sovieshu spoke and I lowered myself back into my seat. I gave him a questioning look, and he leaned back on his throne and looked at with cold eyes.
“On hindsight, I was completely deceived.”
“Deceived?”
“Grand Duke Kapn. His face was red—but was it from looking at the Empress?”
“To my eyes, he looked like that when he saw you. No?”
“!”
Sovieshu recoiled in disgust, I quickly left my seat this ti. Before I exited the audience chamber, I looked back and saw Sovieshu watching . I kept my expression as smooth as possible when I closed the door.
I turned around, and this ti I saw Prince Heinley leaning against a pillar, as if waiting for . When our eyes t, he smiled quietly and lifted the docunts he was holding.
“I ca here to talk to you about sothing. Will that be alright?”
Reviews
All reviews (0)