The more he learned about her, the more his interest and curiosity about her grew. However, David couldn't find any trace of the original purpose.
'How did Karina know Perso?
Then, the Empire's New Year's Festival was just around the corner. David approached Karina, who was attending the New Year's Festival, to find out how the bet was going and to learn more about her. He pushed away the people around him who were only bothering him and asked her while leaving her alone.
"Is the Grand Duchess still as happy as she was on her wedding day?"
Asked how things were now, two months after the wedding.
"How do I look to His Highness the Crown Prince?"
But instead of an answer, a question came back. Seeing her avoiding the answer, he thought, 'That's right.'
It was a little different from what he expected, thinking that she would be frustrated and despair over her unreturned love.
'First of all, the bet is my win.'
At that time, David was confident of his victory.
"If it's okay, would you like to dance a song with me?"
He invited her to dance to celebrate his victory. Of course, she couldn't dance because of Jeremiah's immediate appearance.
"I understand that the first dance partner at a banquet is usually with your spouse."
Looking at his cold, settled voice and his slightly stiff expression, he wondered if Jeremiah was just doing that to save face.
'I'm already married, what should I do now?"
As if mocking his thoughts.
"I don't want to be a couple anymore! Please give me a divorce!"
Karina made the bombshell announcement that day in front of the Emperor and the nobles that she would divorce. It was truly a bold move.
'The daughter of the Margrave of Millainer, not the Grand Duke of Colesberg, does not wish to continue this marriage any longer.'
David's face turned curious as he had expected Karina to be hung up on love and Jeremiah to be rejected. Looking at the pale, tired face of the Marquis of Milliner, he reacted as if he had not known. It meant that this was not an action ordered by the Marquis, but an action entirely of Karina's own will.
The corners of David's mouth went up.
'This is really fun.'
Even after that, Karina never let David down. It was the same when the two of them were captured by the monster. The situation was what it was, and she deliberately hinted to him that she had a way to escape safely. She understood what he meant right away, whether she was clueless or not.
Even so, he couldn't see her clinging to him. Even in the cave where her life was at stake, she calmly thanked him and left, saying she would figure out her own way to survive. Her actions, which were always beyond his expectations, kept catching his eye and making him nervous. A simple interest. An interest that would become a new amusement in his daily life filled with lies and pretense.
'It was just that much...'
But as they escaped the cave together, David's thoughts and feelings about Karina changed a lot from when they first started.
"You're not really smiling."
It was a decisive word. Since he became a fool, she was the first person who could see through his smiling face and see his true self. David was so flustered that he almost showed his true self. He quickly regained his expression, but he wondered how much she could see through it.
David, who had come out of his flashbacks, asked the man on the other side of the communication port.
"Was there anything else?"
"She was also curious about the progress of the commission she had previously entrusted to you."
"I see. By the way, how is the investigation into the wishing potion going?"
"We found out that the potion came from the Magic Tower. However, there was no information beyond that. The number of potions on the market was very small in the first place and the wizard who created. the potion never left the Magic Tower, so it was difficult to find out more details."
"I see."
David was lost in thought. If he handed over the information that the source of the wishing potion was the magic tower, it would be easier for her to get information from the wizard who was in charge of her escort than from Perso. In addition, the request she had made was over if she got what she wanted.
Until she asked for a new request, there was no reason to get involved with him.
'I don't want to lose touch with her like this.'
He offered to help with the divorce, but that wasn't enough. David's worries deepened.
Before he knew it, dawn was breaking. The dark night sky became lighter.
Knock knock.
"Your Highness."
Levy came to find David.
"Come in."
David, who was awake, immediately brought him into the room.
"You must now prepare to enter the palace."
David checked the time and arched his eyebrows in slight dissatisfaction.
"It's still the crack of dawn and you're already doing this? Take your time."
David intended to talk to Karina some more when daylight came. But...
"His Majesty the Emperor has ordered that you and the Grand Duke of Colesberg enter the palace at once as soon as the morning breaks."
"..."
David smiled, the corners of his mouth turned up, a picture-perfect smile. But his eyes were as cold as frost. Levy knew that was the expression David made when he was very displeased with something.
"His Majesty the Emperor is very impatient. He cannot stand seeing me meeting anyone other than the Emperor's faction."
David let out a grumble.
"Yeah. Because today isn't the only day."
It wasn't time yet.
"Tell the search party to prepare to enter the palace."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Levy bowed his head politely and followed his orders.
***
David and Jeremiah had finished preparing since dawn to enter the palace and boarded the carriage. They wondered if it was necessary to ride in the same carriage, but at Levy's strong insistence, David, Levy, Jeremiah, and the doctor rode in the same carriage and headed to the palace.
"The Grand Duke of Colesberg has also had a hard time since dawn."
In the heavy silence, David spoke.
"By the way, how is the Grand Duchess condition?"
Jeremiah's eyebrows quirked when he asked about Karina.
"Why are you curious about that?"
A sharp reaction came out.
"Why? Since we were both captured by the monsters, isn't it natural to be worried to this extent?"
David answered strangely. Levy and the doctor in the carriage looked as if they could do the same.
"..."
Still, Jeremiah kept his mouth shut and did not answer easily.
"I heard that the Grand Duchess had to rest just before leaving, so she couldn't come out to see her off."
Levy spoke instead of Jeremiah, who did not respond.
"I see. I wanted to have breakfast with the Grand Duchess, but that's too bad."
"..."
Jeremiah was dissatisfied with the fact that Karina's story kept coming out of David's mouth. It was also very unpleasant for him to visit Karina's bedroom in the middle of the night. And on top of that, the things he had heard from Karina. Jeremiah was very annoyed by David.
"Your Highness. I think you are a bit too interested in my wife. I hope you will be careful in the future so that there are no unnecessary misunderstandings."
So David said it straight to the point.
"Oh, I made a mistake. You're not divorced yet, are you?"
David admitted it readily and smiled brightly.
"But I'm still being careful. That's why I'm putting off calling her Karina until after your divorce. I'm not sure if I should continue this effort."
At those words, Jeremiah's face turned fierce.
"I don't understand why His Highness the Crown Prince is interested in my wife."
The hostility was completely evident. It seemed as if there was no intention of hiding it.
"Karina is the Grand Duchess now, but if she divorces the Grand Duke, she will no longer be the Grand Duchess. Then, there will be no problem at all If I show interest in her, right?"
"As I already told you, we are not getting divorced."
"That's just the Grand Duke's opinion. The Grand Duchess seems to be very determined about the divorce."
"..."
"And to say something like that, it seems there is absolutely no trust or faith between you and the Grand Duchess."
"..."
David poked Jeremiah where it hurt. Jeremiah couldn't refute that, and just scrunched his face even more fiercely. But then he said softly.
"We will build it up from now on."
"Hmm, from now on..."
David tilted his head slightly and muttered something out loud as if to tell Jeremiah to listen.
"Is it possible?"
"..."
The tension between the two settled. The aura emanating from Jeremiah was so intense that it was almost murderous. The pressure was so great that it seemed that if a person could kill with a look, he would have already killed the Crown Prince.
In the meantime, Levy quietly observed the situation as if he had become somewhat Immune, and only the doctor was sweating profusely and trembling with fear. Fortunately, the carriage arrived at the palace just before the real fight broke out. Levy jumped up as soon as the carriage stopped and opened the carriage door wide enough to see inside.
"Welcome. I've been waiting for you."
Outside, the palace attendants were waiting for him. David got out of the carriage, smiling brightly as if nothing had happened. Jeremiah, with a firm expression, got out, giving off an air that made it difficult to talk to him.
"Whew."
Only after they got off the carriage and entered the palace could the doctor breathe a sigh of relief that he was alive. It was very fortunate that the palace doctor was there, so he only had to accompany them here.
***
Morning dawned. Karina tossed and turned, feeling heavy. When she opened her eyes, she was met with red eyes staring at her right in front of her.
"Are you awake?"
"...!"
Mikhail was lying neatly next to her, looking at her face. But the problem was that his face was too close. Karina, startled, tried to quickly pull back. But as soon as she tried to move, her whole body screamed.
"Ugh...!"
There was no place that was not sore from the neck down to the tips of her toes. Karina collapsed and couldn't move.
"Ugh..."
"Karina. Are you in a lot of pain?"
Mikhail looked at Karina's grimacing face and asked with a worried look.
"It's okay."
She answered, barely able to squeeze out her voice through the pain.
"It doesn't look good."
Mikhail sighed softly and looked around Karina's body.
"I think it's muscle pain."
"Ah..."
Karina sighed at Mikhail's words.
'Well, after all that hard work, it would be stranger if I didn't feel any muscle pain.'
She knew it was muscle pain, but it hurt more than she thought. Her whole body ached as if she had been beaten, and it hurt so much that she couldn't even move a single finger. Karina groaned.
"I will cast a healing spell so that you will not get sick."
Mikhail's straight, pretty hands wrapped around Karina's nape. He leaned closer and carefully hugged Karina's body.
"For a moment..."
Karina was confused and was about to ask what he was doing, but Mikhail spoke faster.
"It works better this way."
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