"Oh my God! His Highness the Crown Prince is coming this way!"
The young ladies blushed and made a fuss. Crown Prince David Havelion. Karina suddenly remembered the past when she had arrested and interrogated anyone related to Croana Poison. He looked different from the neat appearance he had now, but you never know what's inside a person.
'There's no need to get involved for no reason.
Karina looked around to quietly move her seat. She thought that she could slip away while the Crown Prince came and talked to the young ladies. While she was quietly waiting for an opportunity, the Crown Prince came and stood in front of Karina.
"Nice to meet you."
It was a softer and sweeter voice than he expected.
"His Highness the Crown Prince."
Karina lifted the hem of her dress slightly and bowed her head politely.
"His Highness the Crown Prince."
The other young ladies also bowed their heads and showed their respect to him.
"All the beautiful ladies of the empire are gathered here."
The Crown Prince smiled leisurely. If someone else had said it, it would have been considered a bit harsh, but when the beautiful Crown Prince said it, it sounded like an ordinary greeting.
"Oh, you compliment me too much, Your Highness."
The other young ladies greeted him with a laugh. While they were exchanging greetings, Karina took a step back. She thought that if she left quietly like this, it wouldn't be noticeable. So Karina tried to leave the place using the other young ladies as a shield. At that moment.
"I must ask for your understanding for a moment, my ladies. I have a business to attend to with the Grand Duchess of Colesburg, so I would appreciate it if you could all step aside for a moment."
The Crown Prince openly pointed out Karina.
"...?"
The other young ladies looked back and forth between Karina and the Crown Prince with surprised expressions. But Karina was just as surprised.
'What does the Crown Prince have to talk to me about?'
She had no contact with the Crown Prince. It was the same in the past. But when he suddenly asked her to talk to him, she felt embarrassed. However, she couldn't ignore the Crown Prince and leave. The other young ladies were the same. They couldn't hide their curious expressions, but they left the room according to the Crown Prince's words.
'What do you want with me?'
Karina tried to recall as much information as she could about the Crown Prince in the past. However, at the time, she had no interest in the Crown Prince and had hardly ever been involved with him, so there wasn't much information that came to mind. However, the relationship between the Emperor and the Crown Prince was not as close as it seemed on the surface. The fact that the Marquis of Milliner, who was loyal to the Emperor, surprisingly didn't think much of the Crown Prince. In fact, he had even shown signs of being secretly hostile to him.
Karina wondered why the Marquis of Milliner, who was obsessed with materialism and greed and risked his life for power, would be hostile to the Crown Prince who was about to ascend to the throne, but since they were related to the throne, she thought there must be a reason. And since it was their own business, Karina didn't pay much attention to it.
Karina waited anxiously for the Crown Prince to speak. The Crown Prince opened his mouth with a calm expression.
"I heard you were involved in a hostage situation by escaped convicts. Are you okay?"
Karina was puzzled as to why the Crown Prince, with whom she was not particularly close, would ask such a question, but she answered obediently.
"Yes, Your Highness. I am fine now. Thank you for your concern."
The Crown Prince smiled awkwardly at Karina's polite answer.
"It's the Colesberg family's job to protect the northern part of the empire, so it's natural to be worried. I'm glad you're okay."
Hearing that, Karina understood a little. The Crown Prince was concerned about external relations with the Colesberg family, not her.
'Oh, if that's the reason, then you don't have to do this to me at all.'
Karina smiled, hiding her annoyance.
"Now that I think about it, this is the first time I've seen you since the wedding. I also attended the wedding that day."
"..."
To be honest, Karina couldn't remember at all whether the Crown Prince was present at the wedding or not. It had been a month for the Crown Prince. No, it had been two months, but it had been three years and two months for Karina. And on the wedding day, Karina could only see Jeremiah. It felt like a dream that she was marrying the person she had chosen, even though he was a noble. She felt like she was floating on clouds, thanking God.
'Why did I do that back then?'
Now that she thinks about it again, she feels a bit wronged.
"I sent my congratulations to the Grand Duke of Colesberg that day, but I was not able to meet the Grand Duchess in person."
In the empire, when holding a wedding, it was customary for the bride to avoid meeting other men until she met her groom.
"I'm sorry I couldn't congratulate you on the day. Please don't be too upset."
Karina answered right away, not feeling bad at all.
"Of course, Your Highness. I am fine, so don't worry about it."
"I am grateful that the Grand Duchess understands. Although it is a bit late, congratulations on your wedding."
"..."
Karina momentarily wondered if it was right to accept the congratulations from the Crown Prince.
'In just a few hours I will be divorcing the Grand Duke.'
Although she had such thoughts, she could not reveal her intention to divorce right here and now. The Emperor and Marquis Milliner had not yet appeared at the banquet hall. Karina decided to wait a little longer with patience.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Karina greeted him again with an indifferent expression. She wished that he would just leave now that his business was over. However, contrary to Karina's wishes, the Crown Prince seemed to have no intention of ending the conversation. The Crown Prince suddenly said something unexpected.
"I'm really jealous."
"Yes?"
Karina asked back, not knowing what to say out of the blue.
"You've been married for a short time, so you're still in the honeymoon phase."
"Ah."
Karina managed to raise the corners of her lips and smile.
"That's true."
"If you don't mind, may I ask how your married life is going? At your wedding, you looked so happy, like you had everything in the world."
It was already an uncomfortable topic, but the Crown Prince dug deeper.
"Is the Grand Duke treating you well?"
"..."
The Crown Prince quickly added his words to Karina's subtle expression.
"Was that a bit rude of a question? I'm sorry. I just can't imagine the gruff Duke of Colesberg being nice to you."
The Crown Prince added with a smile, but Karina had a hard time taking it as a joke.
"...Is that so?"
"Is the Grand Duchess still as happy as you were on your wedding day?"
Karina couldn't even open her mouth to answer that question. She couldn't even answer with empty words.
"How do I look to His Highness the Crown Prince?"
Karina asked back, avoiding the question.
"Well."
The Crown Prince, who was asked a question again, was lost in thought. A strange look flashed through his eyes as he looked at Karina.
"It seems a little different from what I expected."
Since she couldn't figure out what he was expecting, she couldn't figure out what he meant. So Karina gave an ambiguous answer.
"There were some circumstances."
Many things were going on, so it wasn't a lie. The Crown Prince looked interested as he saw Karina speaking in a calm tone.
"I understand. Everyone has their own circumstances."
The Crown Prince smiled brightly and passed it off lightly without asking any more questions. Karina thought he was a strange person. She thought he was asking a question that was difficult to answer, but he easily avoided answering the question even though he had asked it out of curiosity. She felt that it would be best to avoid getting involved as much as possible.
'Anyway, after today passes, I won't have any business or encounter with the Crown Prince.'
Karina didn't think much of it. Then, the knight standing next to the banquet hall stage shouted loudly.
"His Majesty Emperor Edmir Havelion, the High Sun of the glorious Havelion Empire, enters!"
"...!"
Finally, the Emperor appeared in the banquet hall. All the nobles in the banquet hall stopped what they were doing and bowed their heads to the Emperor. The Emperor walked to the front of the stage with a majestic expression. The Emperor began his congratulatory speech while holding a glass of champagne brought by his attendant.
"It has been 300 years since the Havellion Empire was founded. I am very happy to be here with you all on this glorious and monumental occasion. In the past, our empire fought bravely against foreign invasions under the protection and blessings of the dragons...."
While the Emperor was giving his speech, Karina looked around to find Marquis Milliner. Finding him wasn't difficult, since Marquis Milliner was accustomed to sitting close to the Emperor.
"...May the royal family and the empire enjoy everlasting glory in the future!"
"Infinite glory to the Empire!"
As the Emperor's speech ended, the people in the banquet hall cheered and applauded, shouting the glory of the Empire. Immediately after, music began to play in the banquet hall. The Crown Prince, who was standing next to her, politely extended his hand to Karina.
"Grand Duchess, if it's alright, would you like to dance a song with me?"
"..."
Karina was taken aback by his suggestion, as she had no intention of dancing.
"Ah..."
Karina was about to say no when she heard a voice from behind her.
"Excuse me, Your Highness, the Crown Prince."
It was Jeremiah who returned from his work.
"I understand that the first dance partner at a banquet is usually with your spouse."
"Ah, the Grand Duke of Colesberg."
The Crown Prince welcomed Jeremiah warmly.
"It's been a while. How have you been?"
"Yes."
Jeremiah's expression was stiff as he answered briefly. The Crown Prince, observing his expression, smiled wryly.
"I hope you don't misunderstand. I just made this suggestion so that the Grand Duchess, who is left alone, wouldn't be bored, since you seem to be very busy, Grand Duchess."
Even after the Crown Prince's explanation, Jeremiah's expression did not soften. If it had been someone other than Jeremiah, he would have been struck down for being rude. The Crown Prince rubbed his chin with an awkward expression at Jeremiah's strangely stern attitude. Then he chuckled as if it was funny and looked at Karina.
"It was nice talking to you, Your Highness. I hope we can meet again sometime soon."
Karina had no intention of seeing the Crown Prince again, but she greeted him with a smile.
"It was a pleasure for me too, Your Highness. I look forward to seeing you again."
The crown prince walked forward with a leisurely smile on his face. He also passed by Jeremiah and gave him a greeting.
"See you next time, Grand Duke Colesberg."
Jeremiah nodded his head blankly in greeting. After the Crown Prince had completely left, Jeremiah approached Karina and asked her.
"Have you been with His Highness the Crown Prince all this time?"
There was a clear note of displeasure in his voice as he asked that question.
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