Chapter 27

At first glance, it seemed as if they pitied Astrid for her unfortunate accident, but the young ladies present quickly grasped the true meaning hidden beneath the surface. They exchanged glances and giggled behind their fans, covering their mouths.

After that, led by Vivian, Sophia and the others continued to disparage the mistress of the dead fiancé, but Astrid silently endured the insults.

Even now, it was like this—if they ever found out about her and Kaiden, they would never let it go.

The night Kaiden came to see her again, Astrid lined up chairs in front of the bookshelf.

She didn’t even know if he would come, so it felt a little excessive, but she couldn’t just sit still.

She tried to move the table as well, pushing at the corner, but her hand slipped in the end. Astrid sat down heavily on the floor, staring at the table that wouldn’t budge.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t shake off Kaiden.

She wanted to dismiss it as her body simply remembering the pleasure he gave, but he was always on her mind.

She was so disgusted with herself for being this way.

In the end, Astrid didn’t take her medicine late into the night, even though she was in pain. Only after midnight did she finally drink the painkiller under her blanket.

When she woke up at dawn, the two of them lying in bed were n*ked.

Her eyelashes trembled with despair at that moment, and a faint laugh sounded beside her.

When Astrid looked up, Sophia’s pretty face was right in front of her.

“If you had any shame, you’d quietly disappear. How long are you going to cling to the Duke’s house?”

“It seems I’ll be able to recover my health and find a place to stay before Her Highness’ wedding.”

“My goodness, are you planning to hold out until then? How shameless. For the sake of Duke Raselles, who must be troubled because of you, Miss Selinger, Your Highness, the two of you should hurry up and get married!”

When Vivian raised her voice, Sophia nodded in agreement.

To them, Brielle Selinger was nothing more and nothing less than a shameless nuisance.

Kaiden had given her money, but with biting remarks coming from all sides without rest, Astrid felt exhausted. The finest tea and desserts before her seemed like hideous poison.

At that moment, Sophia suddenly stood up.

The other young ladies hurriedly followed, and when Astrid turned around, she saw Prince Benedict and Kaiden approaching from afar.

The two men went straight to the Queen.

The Queen, as if to show off, held out her hand to Kaiden.

“To think the busy Duke Raselles would come all this way to greet me, how pleasant.”

“Your Majesty the Queen, my apologies.”

“Did you come to see Sophia?”

The Queen no longer bothered with social niceties.

Rather than endure her daughter’s pestering, she chose to set aside her dignity. However, the handsome Duke, rather irreverently, remained silent.

From long ago, the second son of the Raselles Duchy never spoke empty words under the guise of courtesy. No matter how much Sophia acted cute or clung to him, Kaiden only gazed at the princess with cold eyes.

As the silence dragged on, Benedict stepped forward.

“Of course Kaiden came to see Sophia. In his stead, I’ll escort the ailing Dowager Duchess.”

“Ah, the ailing Dowager Duchess……”

The Queen gave a meaningful smile, and all eyes turned to the Dowager Duchess. Sensing the situation, she gave a small cough.

Benedict politely extended his hand to the Dowager Duchess.

“Oh my, I’ll escort you to your carriage.”

“Your Highness the Prince, thank you for your kindness.”

Since Benedict was so insistent, the Dowager Duchess rose from her seat without protest.

It seemed the entire royal family was working to push Kaiden and Sophia’s marriage forward.

As the Dowager Duchess placed her hand on Benedict’s arm, Astrid quickly followed after the two.

Just then, a small hand reached out and gripped Astrid’s arm tightly. The nails digging into her bare skin hurt so much it startled her.

“While I’m being nice, get out of the Duke’s house.”

In Sophia’s voice, there was more desperation than anger.

Astrid gazed steadily at the corners of Sophia’s upturned eyes. She wanted to tell the princess that she would disappear on her own without having to be treated so miserably. But not yet.

Sophia glared at Astrid as if she would k*ll her, then let go. Immediately after, she completely changed her demeanor to greet Kaiden.

Ignoring the brightly smiling Sophia, Kaiden spoke.

“Miss Selinger, please look after my mother.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Without concern, Sophia linked her arm with Kaiden’s. He let her do as she pleased and stayed where he was.

His golden eyes flickered, as if he had more to say, but Astrid avoided his gaze.

I must look strange right now.

Astrid quickly left the drawing room. If she stayed in the palace any longer, she felt her heart wouldn’t survive.

***

Kaiden entered his room with weary steps. A servant followed, but he waved him away and quietly undressed.

He had only gone to the palace as usual, but his shoulders felt stiff as if he had fought a battle.

Maybe if he had just fired a gun at an enemy, he wouldn’t feel so disgusted.

While drinking tea, the princess had gazed up at him with wistful eyes.

Her pitiful act made him cringe, but he held back from pushing Sophia away immediately, thinking Astrid might be blamed.

Hoo. With a sigh, Kaiden entered the bathroom. After taking a long bath, he put on his robe and leaned against the window.

Spring had come to the once-barren garden. New buds had appeared on every branch, preparing for the season when the leaves would grow thick.

Come to think of it, today’s tea party invitation had said, “Waiting for the coming spring.”

D*mn it.

Even cursing didn’t improve his mood.

During the meeting earlier, Kaiden had worried about Astrid so much that he asked his subordinates for updates every break.

Still, he couldn’t relax, and his eyes kept drifting toward the garden. Benedict, watching him, had come over with long strides.

〈Is there someone you’re worried about?〉

〈Your Highness, even though my mother is unwell, she attended the tea party. I want to check on her.〉

〈Is that so? Then let’s go together.〉

A little later, Kaiden arrived at the drawing room with Benedict. There, he saw Astrid surrounded by Sophia and her group. For a moment, it felt like his blood was boiling in reverse.

As he walked over, Kaiden struggled not to strangle someone.

Sophia had been smiling oddly, but as soon as she spotted Kaiden, she blinked her large eyes. Just moments earlier, she had been viciously biting into Astrid.

It truly was a detestable tea party. Could that cruel time really be called a tea party?

There may not have been gunfire, but what they did to Astrid was no different from a battle on the battlefield.

So Kaiden decided not to hold back any longer.

「Duke Raselles, did you come to see Her Highness the Princess?」

「How romantic. The two of you look so good together, it’s enviable.」

The young ladies Sophia had brought as friends praised the two in gentle voices. But to Kaiden, it was nothing but noisy flattery.

The young ladies must have thought currying favor with the princess and future Duchess Raselles would help their families, but Kaiden committed their disgraceful faces to memory.

「Her Highness the Princess was my late brother Norton’s fiancée, so I saw her often. If we are close, that is the only reason.」

The atmosphere instantly froze.

Sophia hurriedly set down her teacup, trying not to spill, but the resulting clatter rang loudly in the quiet room.

Kaiden’s cold golden eyes turned to Princess Sophia, and she forced a smile. But under the table, her small fist trembled.

Looking down at Sophia, Kaiden stood up.

「I’m sorry, but I have another appointment, so I’ll leave first.」

「Duke Raselles, may I have a word……」

「Sophia. We’ll go, since I have something to discuss with Kaiden.」

Benedict signaled to Kaiden, then quickly left the room.

The two had become close comrades on the battlefield against the Grafton Empire, but with his sister involved, the prince’s attitude shifted.

As soon as they stepped into the garden, Benedict grabbed Kaiden roughly by the collar.