Still, it was nerve-wracking. When Cecilia’s fingertips were carefully running over the letter’s edges as if to unfold it, a knock woke her up.
“Your Highness, if you can’t find it, may I help you?”
It was Abby's voice.
“No. I found it.”
Cecilia answered hurriedly, putting the letter in his father's jacket pocket so that only the tip of it was visible. If it was going to fall off when she picked up the jacket, it probably wasn't hidden well in the first place.
“I have already organized the content that can be included in the report. There are a few things that came to mind after His Highness and I recently visited the island of Laner.”
Cecilia casually handed Curtis his jacket. Curtis put his arms through the jacket and pushed the letter, with the corners slightly protruding, deep inside.
“Yes, I’ll read it and let you know if there’s anything I need to improve on.”
It was a natural movement, like flowing water. Cecilia saw all of this but pretended not to see it, and saw her father off with a smile.
“Cecilia.”
Just as she was turning around in front of the front door, Eden dismissed all the servants and cautiously called Cecilia. Cecilia looked at Eden. Eden’s gaze was scanning every part of Cecilia’s face.
“Why are you like that?”
“I thought you were in a bad mood.”
Eden frowned slightly in response to Cecilia's question.
"Ah..."
Was it enough to make me feel better? Cecilia raised one hand and touched his face.
“I really have no relationship with Ilya Nova.”
Eden suddenly explained his relationship with Ilya. Cecilia looked up at Eden with a bewildered expression. Could it be that she was suspicious of the relationship between Eden and Ilya?
She thought it was ridiculous. But the moment she noticed the faint anxiety in his eyes, Cecilia realized that she was right.
“Cecilia.”
Cecilia lowered her head and burst into laughter without realizing it. Eden tilted his head slightly like a dog watching its owner's expression, trying to observe Cecilia's expression.
“Is it really a misunderstanding?”
Cecilia, with her expression hidden, asked Eden. Eden took Cecilia's hand and said that it was all a misunderstanding and that he had not paid any attention to Ilya.
“I also heard the servants say that Your Highness seems to be interested in Ilya. I am not an idiot, so I know that much.”
Cecilia spoke in a cold voice. However, her half-downturned expression looked clouded, like a woman hurt by her husband's affair.
“Your Highness complimented Ilya on her beauty and even escorted her down to the restaurant. It would have been impossible without your interest.”
“Cecilia, that’s...”
Eden frowned and opened his mouth.
“I know. Ilya is a more attractive woman than me. Who would be attracted to a tasteless woman like me?”
It wasn't a big deal that Cecilia cut him off. It wasn't unpleasant at all. But if the content was degrading Cecilia herself, Eden couldn't tolerate it.
“Who said that?”
It was a soft and gentle voice, but it felt somewhat cold. Cecilia raised her head and met Eden’s gaze.
“It just feels like...”
That meant Eden was angry.
“Your senses are poor, Cecilia.”
Eden let out a low sigh at Cecilia's confession. Cecilia's eyes widened in shock at the unexpected words.
“You are being harsh.”
“But it’s true.”
As Eden spoke, he lifted Cecilia’s face lightly with both hands. Her green eyes, sparkling like jewels, met his gaze with delight.
“I did a favor to Ilya Nova so I could find out what she was thinking and see how you would react.”
“...”
“To see if you’re jealous or not.”
He didn't want to reveal the details because he was embarrassed, but it was better than Cecilia digging a tunnel.
"...Why?"
“I wonder if you really mean it when you say you love me.”
Cecilia flinched without realizing it. She thought she was hiding it well. But did Eden feel a sense of rejection and distance towards him from time to time? It was an obvious mistake.
“Of course I was sincere, and of course I was jealous. It’s just that I couldn’t show it, just as Your Highness couldn’t show it.”
So Cecilia smiled with the most beautiful face she could muster and whispered her false confession in the softest voice she could muster.
Then, Eden laughed along. It was a smile as beautiful as Cecilia's lies.
“Your Highness, if you can’t find it, may I help you?”
It was Abby's voice.
“No. I found it.”
Cecilia answered hurriedly, putting the letter in his father's jacket pocket so that only the tip of it was visible. If it was going to fall off when she picked up the jacket, it probably wasn't hidden well in the first place.
“I have already organized the content that can be included in the report. There are a few things that came to mind after His Highness and I recently visited the island of Laner.”
Cecilia casually handed Curtis his jacket. Curtis put his arms through the jacket and pushed the letter, with the corners slightly protruding, deep inside.
“Yes, I’ll read it and let you know if there’s anything I need to improve on.”
It was a natural movement, like flowing water. Cecilia saw all of this but pretended not to see it, and saw her father off with a smile.
“Cecilia.”
Just as she was turning around in front of the front door, Eden dismissed all the servants and cautiously called Cecilia. Cecilia looked at Eden. Eden’s gaze was scanning every part of Cecilia’s face.
“Why are you like that?”
“I thought you were in a bad mood.”
Eden frowned slightly in response to Cecilia's question.
"Ah..."
Was it enough to make me feel better? Cecilia raised one hand and touched his face.
“I really have no relationship with Ilya Nova.”
Eden suddenly explained his relationship with Ilya. Cecilia looked up at Eden with a bewildered expression. Could it be that she was suspicious of the relationship between Eden and Ilya?
She thought it was ridiculous. But the moment she noticed the faint anxiety in his eyes, Cecilia realized that she was right.
“Cecilia.”
Cecilia lowered her head and burst into laughter without realizing it. Eden tilted his head slightly like a dog watching its owner's expression, trying to observe Cecilia's expression.
“Is it really a misunderstanding?”
Cecilia, with her expression hidden, asked Eden. Eden took Cecilia's hand and said that it was all a misunderstanding and that he had not paid any attention to Ilya.
“I also heard the servants say that Your Highness seems to be interested in Ilya. I am not an idiot, so I know that much.”
Cecilia spoke in a cold voice. However, her half-downturned expression looked clouded, like a woman hurt by her husband's affair.
“Your Highness complimented Ilya on her beauty and even escorted her down to the restaurant. It would have been impossible without your interest.”
“Cecilia, that’s...”
Eden frowned and opened his mouth.
“I know. Ilya is a more attractive woman than me. Who would be attracted to a tasteless woman like me?”
It wasn't a big deal that Cecilia cut him off. It wasn't unpleasant at all. But if the content was degrading Cecilia herself, Eden couldn't tolerate it.
“Who said that?”
It was a soft and gentle voice, but it felt somewhat cold. Cecilia raised her head and met Eden’s gaze.
“It just feels like...”
That meant Eden was angry.
“Your senses are poor, Cecilia.”
Eden let out a low sigh at Cecilia's confession. Cecilia's eyes widened in shock at the unexpected words.
“You are being harsh.”
“But it’s true.”
As Eden spoke, he lifted Cecilia’s face lightly with both hands. Her green eyes, sparkling like jewels, met his gaze with delight.
“I did a favor to Ilya Nova so I could find out what she was thinking and see how you would react.”
“...”
“To see if you’re jealous or not.”
He didn't want to reveal the details because he was embarrassed, but it was better than Cecilia digging a tunnel.
"...Why?"
“I wonder if you really mean it when you say you love me.”
Cecilia flinched without realizing it. She thought she was hiding it well. But did Eden feel a sense of rejection and distance towards him from time to time? It was an obvious mistake.
“Of course I was sincere, and of course I was jealous. It’s just that I couldn’t show it, just as Your Highness couldn’t show it.”
So Cecilia smiled with the most beautiful face she could muster and whispered her false confession in the softest voice she could muster.
Then, Eden laughed along. It was a smile as beautiful as Cecilia's lies.
***
“Who are you?”
It was still early in the morning before guests arrived. However, someone came to the mansion where Count Nova was staying. The butler greeted the man, who was looking down at me with sleepy eyes.
“Open the door, for I have come on the orders of His Highness the Crown Prince.”
"...Yes?"
Who? The butler asked, trying to clear his blurred vision. Then, the man in front of him sighed and took something out of his bosom, and showed it to him.
"OMG!"
The butler of Count Nova felt as if he had been awakened from his slumber. What the man had brought was a request for permission to enter with the Crown Prince’s seal on it. It was a request for permission, but in reality, it was an order that could not be refused.
“Well, come in. I will speak to the Count right away. He is sleeping right now...”
This was the first time something like this had happened. Not even Duke Lane had ever come to visit without prior notice.
"No."
“Yes? Aren’t you here to meet the master?”
“Take me straight to the office.”
As a butler, he couldn't understand why he was looking for the office when he wasn't even the owner of the mansion. This was because he didn't know what the man with the permission letter with the Crown Prince's seal meant.
“The office is the master’s domain...”
“Do you think that a single Count has more authority than His Highness the Crown Prince?”
The man pulled back the hood of the robe he was wearing and asked in a commanding tone. The butler quickly shook his head, overcome by the intimidation of the man, who had a long sword scar on one side of his face.
Of course, Count Nova was also a man who held his own life in his hands, but his dignity and power were not comparable to that of the Crown Prince. Furthermore, what could Count Nova say when he could be killed by the man right in front of him?
“Oh, please come in. Hey, show this person to the office quickly.”
He couldn't figure out what the man in front of him was doing, but the gaze looking down at him was so cold and sharp that he couldn't help but open the door. The butler hurriedly opened the door and welcomed the guest.
“Please come in.”
The man turned around and spoke. Only then did the butler realize that there was another person behind this man. How could he possibly notice that there was another person behind him when his body was so large and solid that it blocked his view?
“What is this...?”
But even so, how could so many people not be seen? He has never seen such a large body before.
The butler blinked in surprise. In addition to the two men who followed the servant into the mansion, quite a few soldiers were surrounding the mansion. The butler turned his gaze to the backs of those who were hurriedly climbing the stairs.
He was nothing but an insignificant being in the mansion, and he knew nothing. However, he had a strong feeling that something was wrong. Should he run away now? The butler's eyes, which were rolling their heads, were also rolling as fast as their heads.
“I need to go out for a bit...”
It was just as the butler concluded that it would be best to run away, that he began to stealthily step out the door. A man with a stone statue-like expression blocked the butler’s movements.
“I’m on my way to the market because my master asked me to do something.”
The butler spoke in a whisper, almost in a cowardly tone. But the man did not back down.
“By His Highness the Crown Prince’s order, from this hour onwards not even a single rat is allowed to fly out of the mansion.”
The scabbard the man was holding hit the floor heavily. The butler flinched and hurriedly stepped back. Only then did his dull mind realize who these men were. The clear symbol on the scabbard was that of the Wyatt royal family.
“Even if it is Count Nova and his immediate family.”
A military force that operates only on the orders of the imperial family. It was the imperial guard, comprised only of elite soldiers.
“Get out of the way!”
It was at that moment. A voice with sharp voice was heard beyond the soldiers. It was Ilya, a young lady who had been serving others for decades and was difficult to please even for a butler.
“This is my house, why can’t I go in? I have to see my father right now!”
As Ilya continued to scream, the mansion began to wake up. The butler quietly looked up at the windows, where lights were coming on one by one.
“Are you Ilya Nova?”
The dawn, like a man's low voice, was also passing by.
“...But, what about that?”
Whatever it was, she thought it might be too late.
It was still early in the morning before guests arrived. However, someone came to the mansion where Count Nova was staying. The butler greeted the man, who was looking down at me with sleepy eyes.
“Open the door, for I have come on the orders of His Highness the Crown Prince.”
"...Yes?"
Who? The butler asked, trying to clear his blurred vision. Then, the man in front of him sighed and took something out of his bosom, and showed it to him.
"OMG!"
The butler of Count Nova felt as if he had been awakened from his slumber. What the man had brought was a request for permission to enter with the Crown Prince’s seal on it. It was a request for permission, but in reality, it was an order that could not be refused.
“Well, come in. I will speak to the Count right away. He is sleeping right now...”
This was the first time something like this had happened. Not even Duke Lane had ever come to visit without prior notice.
"No."
“Yes? Aren’t you here to meet the master?”
“Take me straight to the office.”
As a butler, he couldn't understand why he was looking for the office when he wasn't even the owner of the mansion. This was because he didn't know what the man with the permission letter with the Crown Prince's seal meant.
“The office is the master’s domain...”
“Do you think that a single Count has more authority than His Highness the Crown Prince?”
The man pulled back the hood of the robe he was wearing and asked in a commanding tone. The butler quickly shook his head, overcome by the intimidation of the man, who had a long sword scar on one side of his face.
Of course, Count Nova was also a man who held his own life in his hands, but his dignity and power were not comparable to that of the Crown Prince. Furthermore, what could Count Nova say when he could be killed by the man right in front of him?
“Oh, please come in. Hey, show this person to the office quickly.”
He couldn't figure out what the man in front of him was doing, but the gaze looking down at him was so cold and sharp that he couldn't help but open the door. The butler hurriedly opened the door and welcomed the guest.
“Please come in.”
The man turned around and spoke. Only then did the butler realize that there was another person behind this man. How could he possibly notice that there was another person behind him when his body was so large and solid that it blocked his view?
“What is this...?”
But even so, how could so many people not be seen? He has never seen such a large body before.
The butler blinked in surprise. In addition to the two men who followed the servant into the mansion, quite a few soldiers were surrounding the mansion. The butler turned his gaze to the backs of those who were hurriedly climbing the stairs.
He was nothing but an insignificant being in the mansion, and he knew nothing. However, he had a strong feeling that something was wrong. Should he run away now? The butler's eyes, which were rolling their heads, were also rolling as fast as their heads.
“I need to go out for a bit...”
It was just as the butler concluded that it would be best to run away, that he began to stealthily step out the door. A man with a stone statue-like expression blocked the butler’s movements.
“I’m on my way to the market because my master asked me to do something.”
The butler spoke in a whisper, almost in a cowardly tone. But the man did not back down.
“By His Highness the Crown Prince’s order, from this hour onwards not even a single rat is allowed to fly out of the mansion.”
The scabbard the man was holding hit the floor heavily. The butler flinched and hurriedly stepped back. Only then did his dull mind realize who these men were. The clear symbol on the scabbard was that of the Wyatt royal family.
“Even if it is Count Nova and his immediate family.”
A military force that operates only on the orders of the imperial family. It was the imperial guard, comprised only of elite soldiers.
“Get out of the way!”
It was at that moment. A voice with sharp voice was heard beyond the soldiers. It was Ilya, a young lady who had been serving others for decades and was difficult to please even for a butler.
“This is my house, why can’t I go in? I have to see my father right now!”
As Ilya continued to scream, the mansion began to wake up. The butler quietly looked up at the windows, where lights were coming on one by one.
“Are you Ilya Nova?”
The dawn, like a man's low voice, was also passing by.
“...But, what about that?”
Whatever it was, she thought it might be too late.
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