Chapter 60

The Princess visited the ducal estate a full week earlier than promised.

This time, the Prince was with her again.

Leaving the suddenly arrived Princess to Samuel and the butler, Johann strode away quickly.

‘D*mn it, Patrizia. Are you playing with numbers?’

He suppressed the anger rising toward the Princess and went to find Lia.

On the way to find Lia, he stopped by the training grounds.

He spotted Veronica, who was teaching Rafaella, and greeted her.

“Sir, don’t let Rafaella leave the training grounds until I come back.”

“What’s the matter?”

“The Princess is here.”

He couldn’t let Rafaella meet the Princess without him.

“…Don’t worry, Your Grace.”

Veronica immediately understood the situation and answered.

Hearing that Lia had gone to the library, he hurried almost at a run.

Arriving on the second floor, where the library was, he witnessed Florian pestering Lia.

‘…That crazy b*stard.’

Johann barely managed to keep curses from spilling out and opened his mouth.

“Let go of that hand, Your Highness.”

“Duke!”

Lia turned her head.

“Why are you here when my sister is somewhere else?”

Florian, still not letting go of Lia’s hand, grinned and asked Johann.

“I said, let go.”

Johann, who had approached them with long strides, pulled Florian’s hand off Lia’s wrist.

“…You make it sound like I’m some shameless man.”

“You’re mistaken.”

Johann shielded Lia behind his back as he answered.

“Then, do you have feelings for this woman?”

At the moment he heard Florian’s words, a certain scene flashed through Johann’s mind.

“Do you perhaps have feelings for Lia?”

A man with curly, dark brown hair had asked him that.

“……”

He was flustered by the sudden memory.

‘What’s this memory now? Who was that man?’

“Since you’re not answering….”

“…I just didn’t feel it was worth answering such nonsense.”

He didn’t bother to hide his rude tone from the Prince.

“Hm. Then why are you hiding her from me?”

Florian didn’t bother to make an issue of his attitude and just asked.

Excessive denial is as good as an admission, and if Johann also liked the woman Florian desired, that would be interesting in its own way.

“I’ve never hidden her.”

“…Well, if you say so. Anyway, it seems nothing more will happen today.”

Florian gave a meaningful smile.

“Her Highness the Princess is waiting for you. Let’s go back.”

Johann ignored what he was saying.

If they lingered here, the Princess would surely find her way here and cause a scene.

“Aren’t you going?”

Johann pressed him, suppressing his impatience.

“I don’t want to get Lia in trouble, so I’ll be off, then.”

He tilted his head and glanced at Lia.

“See you next time.”

Then he waved at her and turned away.

“…I’ll go up with His Highness the Prince, so finish your business.”

“…Yes.”

Lia nodded.

After both the Prince and Johann left, she let out a big sigh in front of the library.

‘…The goosebumps still haven’t gone away.’

His eyes were strange like glass beads, but only his mouth was smiling, for sure.

What should she do if something like this happens again?

She couldn’t just spray self-defense magic potion on a Prince.

She thought she should consult Johann later and entered the library.

While Lia was still flipping through books in the library, Paula came looking for her.

“Miss Lia. The Princess has left, and His Grace the Duke is looking for you.”

Lia, stretching her stiff body from sitting too long, went to meet Johann.

“I’d like to say this will never happen again, but I can’t guarantee it.”

As she sat on the sofa across from him, Johann rubbed his temples and spoke.

“Are you all right?”

It seemed he, too, was exhausted from dealing with them today.

“More than me, you and Rafaella… It would be better for you to stay at the villa for a while.”

He offered a solution.

“The villa?”

Of course, Lia didn’t like that solution.

“If this keeps happening, Rafaella or you…”

“We’ll have to face it sooner or later.”

She refuted his suggestion with resolute eyes.

“Especially Rafaella meeting Her Highness the Princess is something we can’t avoid.”

As long as Johann was engaged to the Princess, it was bound to happen someday.

She may have avoided it out of surprise at first, but she couldn’t keep running away forever.

Neither she nor Rafaella were criminals.

She wasn’t confident she wouldn’t tremble in front of the Princess, but she had no intention of acting like a sinner.

‘If anything, I was first.’

“Besides, if we go to the villa, the relationship between you and Raffy, Duke, which has just started to improve, might become awkward again.”

“That seems more important to you.”

Johann raised one eyebrow.

“Of course! I can endure Her Highness the Princess insulting me or His Highness the Prince making me uncomfortable as much as needed.”

She leaned forward as she spoke.

“…But I can’t let you and Raffy drift apart.”

“I think we’ve gotten quite close already.”

“No, there’s still a long way to go. Besides, they say distance makes the heart grow apart.”

Rafaella hadn’t grown close enough to Johann to endure her absence.

Rafaella’s first priority was still Lia, and Johann was still below that.

“Phew, the Princess is one thing, but the Prince with you…”

Johann sighed as he looked at Lia’s stubbornness.

“About that….”

She hesitated and spoke.

“…If I use the self-defense magic potion, will His Highness the Prince just let it go?”

“…Who knows, but if you need to, don’t hesitate to use it.”

Thinking it was a decent method, Johann replied while calculating various scenarios in his head.

“I’ll take responsibility for what comes after.”

Even if it worsened his relationship with the Interim Empress, it didn’t matter.

The Emperor watched everything from a distance, so he wouldn’t interfere in an incident where the Prince harassed a commoner woman.

“Yes. I hope I never have to use it.”

Lia mumbled quietly.

“…By the way, about your friend.”

Just as Lia was about to leave, Johann suddenly brought something up.

“Who? Alma?”

“No, not the woman.”

He shook his head.

“You mean Raul?”

“That friend—I think I saw him when we went to Lorem Mountain last time. Curly hair, was it brown?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Lia answered.

“But why do you ask about Raul?”

“…No reason.”

Johann avoided the question and turned his head.

“Really? Then I’ll be going.”

As Lia left, Johann watched her back and fell into thought.

‘…Did I really love you? Is that why, even though I have no memory, I keep getting bothered and concerned about you?’

Would those memories return?

If they did, would I regret having forgotten her?

* * *

“Sis, you’d better be on your guard.”

“What?”

In the carriage on the way back to the palace, Patrizia asked in an annoyed voice at Florian’s words.

“The Duke of Blumhart and that woman.”

“Who is that woman? Why do you never say anything from start to finish and always talk in bits and pieces?”

“That’s more fun. If I say it all at once, I can’t enjoy your reaction.”

He rested his head on his clasped hands.

“Hey!”

Patrizia shouted in anger.

“My favorite thing in this boring palace is your reactions.”

Having everything and finding life tedious, he always sought stimulation.

Watching his sister’s intense reactions was part of that.

“You’re really annoying and hateful. So, who the h*ll is that woman?”

Patrizia wanted to shut her annoying brother’s mouth, but she couldn’t resist her curiosity.

“The woman who lived with the Duke.”

At those words, Patrizia’s eyes sharpened.

“When I was with her earlier, the Duke came over with a terrifying look in his eyes.”

He stretched his eyes upward with his fingers to illustrate.

“He even hid her behind his back as soon as he arrived. I barely saw her at all.”

Florian let out an exaggerated sigh.

“The Duke did that? By the way, did you follow me just to see that woman?”

“Yeah. I fell for her at first sight.”

He raised the corners of his mouth.

Patrizia found that smile revolting.

“Do you know how many women you’ve fallen for at first sight?”

“Well. Falling in love easily isn’t a crime, is it?”

“You’re really crazy. So, are you saying the Duke is interested in that woman?”

She had no qualms about using harsh words.

“If what I saw is correct.”

“…You’re saying the Duke has fallen for that worthless country girl!”

Patrizia, infuriated, panted for breath.

“Calm down. I don’t think he’s lost his heart just yet.”

“How can I calm down? It’s bad enough I have to marry a man with a child…. Now…!”

“Sis, want me to help?”

Florian whispered slyly to her.

“You?”

“You take the Duke, I take the woman. Let’s both get what we want.”

He drew a smile so beautiful it was chilling at the corners of his lips.