Trap (11)
"Sierra Coelho, didn't our friendship end a long time ago? It's time for you to treat me with courtesy."
"..."
"Do you not understand what I am saying? What I am saying is that you must first seek my understanding before joining me."
Sierra's face was stained with contempt.
The corners of her mouth twitched as if she was convulsing, but she quickly regained her composure and opened up her fan.
"I am here as the partner of Grand Duke Anton Romena. I am about to be engaged to him. Shouldn't you be the one who should be respectful, not me?"
"It seems you still haven't been able to fix the habit of relying on others' positions for your self-esteem. Right now, you are just a Countess's daughter."
"..."
"Even if you were engaged to the Grand Duke, nothing would change. Young Lady Coelho. I am a guardian. The only beings who surpass my position are the Kings of the three countries."
Sierra gritted her teeth.
Then, she glanced at Rahon and suddenly started to cry with a hurt expression on her face.
"I'm sorry, Guardian. I was short-sighted. No matter how long we've been friends, Guardian, it's over... No... It's my fault for being weak-hearted and not being able to easily cut off ties with people."
Are you saying that I cut people off easily? I stared dryly at Sierra, who was secretly criticizing me.
'I guess she's good at holding back her anger because she's conscious of Rahon.'
I knew it...
No matter how angry Sierra was, she wasn't shallow enough to show her emotions in a public place where people were watching.
It was like that in the past too.
Although she would spew harsh words at me when we were alone, she treated me like a Queen when other people were around.
One time, I was so sleepy that I went out with her, and she wiped the dust off my shoes in front of everyone.
From that day on, rumors began to spread that I treated Lady Coelho like a maid.
Sierra, who had been sobbing sadly, wiped away her tears. Beneath her deeply hurt expression, it was obvious that she was feeling embarrassed.
Until now, whenever she even shed a tear, many men would rush to offer her a handkerchief and offer her comfort.
But how absurd would it be if Rahon didn't even lift a finger?
At that moment, an unexpected person entered the waiting room..
Sierra opened her eyes wide and sat up abruptly.
"Your Highness!"
Anton glanced around the waiting room and lowered his head. It seemed like he hadn't realized there were so many people there.
Sierra asked him questioningly.
"What brought you to the hunting competition? Surely it's not over yet?"
"I abstained...But."
"Yes?!"
Blue veins stood out on Sierra's round forehead. She barely suppressed her anger and smiled coquettishly as she linked arms with Anton.
"Our Grand Prince must be very tired. You did a good job."
"...Were you with the Guardian?"
"We just exchanged greetings. My seat is over there. Come here."
Anton kept glancing in my direction as he was dragged along by Sierra.
'Do you have anything to say to me?'
I opened my mouth and lifted my teacup.
"Lady Coelho, you were caught trying to trade the jewels you stole from me for stolen goods. Did that go well?"
"...!"
Sierra's steps suddenly stopped. She soon looked at me with wavering eyes.
When I saw that pale, tired expression, the anger that had been buried deep inside me finally rose up.
'Yeah, that's the way you should look. Not with a shameless face like nothing happened.'
Sierra avoided arrest with Oslo's help and paid off her debt with Anton's money.
Did she really tell Anton the truth and borrow the money?
'That can't be true.'
The rumor that he had an affair with his friend's lover could somehow be dismissed as a misunderstanding, but there was no room for excuses for something as obvious as theft.
Of course, she would have borrowed money from Anton for some other reason.
As expected, Anton looked puzzled. He asked, wiping his forehead with a handkerchief.
"Huh, what do you mean by stealing? Wasn't that a gift the Guardian gave to my fiancée?"
"I will not report the gift stolen, Your Highness."
"Sierra, what's going on? You told me that you lost the gift the Guardian gave you and that I had to buy it again."
Sierra pushed Anton's hand away with a hurt expression.
"Are you doubting me now?"
"Ah, no, it's not that I doubt it, it's just that it's so different from what you said..."
"Why would I steal someone else's stuff? If I did, I would have been arrested already!"
"Wasn't it possible to avoid being arrested thanks to His Highness the Third Prince's power?"
The surroundings became quiet at my soft muttering. Anton raised his voice with his face flushed red.
"You said you had no relationship with the Third Prince! You said you never spoke even once! Are you deceiving me?"
Sierra chewed her lips, but soon began to sob and clung to Anton.
"I've told you several times. Millenia has been jealous of me for a long time..."
"Why on earth does the Guardian envy you?"
"Because unlike me, she is not loved. Think about it, what man would like a woman who can't even see what's in front of him?"
"..."
"Millenia is jealous of the relationship between me and the Grand Duke right now. She's trying to frame me and break us apart! The Grand Duke doesn't know anything... Oh, I'm really upset..."
Anton's spirits were dampened by her tears. His eyes, looking at Sierra, were filled with pity and sorrow.
I wondered why Anton was fooled by Sierra's obvious lie, but it couldn't be helped.
I used to feel weak when Sierra cried.
I thought it was better to endure it myself than to see the person I loved cry.
In the waiting room, only Sierra's sobs continued.
But Anton was the only one who sympathized with her here. Evenady Saiga and Lady Gideon just fanned her with tired expressions.
It was Rahon who broke the silence. He cupped my cheek and asked softly.
"Millenia."
"Yes?"
"Was my love so lacking that you envied that kind of woman?"
Huh?
I blinked for a while and then answered.
"...No."
"Yes?"
Rahon smiled as if he could melt my mouth and rubbed the tip of his nose against my perfectly sculpted nose.
Then he looked at me, and his gaze was so sweet that I could taste the sweetness on my tongue.
Sierra just stared at us blankly.
I'm sure this is the most embarrassing moment for her.
I kept my mouth shut because I thought I was going to burst out laughing, but the curtain covering the entrance to the waiting room was lifted and Baba came in without making a sound.
"Guardian, I will take you to your private room."
Even in the midst of all this, Sierra could not stand the discrimination. She quickly wiped away her tears and began to question Baba.
"Wait a minute, a private room? Why are they only giving private rooms to those people? This person is the Grand Duke of the Grand Duchy of Romena, and I am his fiancée! And why are we here with those people!"
Lady Saiga and Lady Gideon's faces distorted as they were pointed out as such people.
Baba said with a dry expression.
"Young lady, these are your guardians."
"..."
What I meant was that you can't treat the Guardian on the same level as a mere noble lady like you..
Sierra's face turned bright red as she heard exactly what Baba said. Lady Saiga and Lady Gideon also covered their mouths with expressions of delight.
In a strange atmosphere where one wants to laugh but cannot. Rahon asks Anton an odd question.
"When are you going to pay for the medicine?"
"Huh? Oh, I gave you 20,000 gold the day before yesterday..."
"Not that one."
“Ah...”
Sierra opened her eyes wide and questioned Anton, who seemed to be hesitating for some reason.
"Your Highness, medicine? What kind of medicine are you taking? You didn't tell me anything."
"..."
Anton must have felt it too.
That she doesn't want to heal him.
Also, she has been cleverly using his weaknesses to trample on his self-esteem.
After a long silence, surprisingly, it was not Sierra but me who Anton spoke to.
"Lady Astrod."
"Go ahead."
"Please give me... some time. I have something to ask you."
"Your Highness!"
Sierra grabbed Anton with a look of abandonment on her face, but Anton just silently shook her hand away.
Then Sierra glared at me. Her eyes were a confusing mix of malice and anxiety, and I snorted.
She's scared of what I might say to Anton.
'But you will be the one to tell Anton the truth, not me.'
"Let's go to my private room first."
"..."
Anton nodded, his shoulders slumping.
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