“If you tell the truth, I was going to share some good news.”
Aidan said, still wearing a playful smile.
“Good news?”
“Are you curious?”
His eyes curved even more.
“If you tell me you missed me, I’ll tell you.”
So this is how he was going to play it.
“I’m not curious, so it’s fine.”
When she answered somewhat coldly, Aidan chuckled.
“You’re really not cute at all.”
She flinched at those words. She knew well that she wasn’t particularly cute or affectionate by nature. Was that why ‘Aidan’ had always met other women?
“But that’s also your charm.”
At his following words, she lifted her gaze from the floor to find Aidan’s eyes still fixed steadily on her. Those deep topaz-colored eyes held only her in their gaze.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to say things like you missed me. I can say it twice as much to make up for it.”
He answered good-naturedly as he rose from his seat and approached Karina. He turned her chair to face him, then cupped her cheek with one hand to make her look up at him.
“You’re not just going to have tea and leave, right? I had them prepare dinner.”
She had planned to have dinner together anyway since she’d come all this way. When she gave a barely perceptible nod, Aidan’s smile deepened.
“Just dinner?”
She only blinked at him, wondering what he meant.
“You could stay the night too.”
His gentle and affectionate tone made the meaning of his words register a beat late. Embarrassed, she slightly pushed away his hand from her cheek and turned her head.
“You’re not saying no?”
“Mind your propriety.”
“There’s nothing improper about it, is there? I’m asking my wife to sleep together.”
“I didn’t realize ‘staying the night’ meant sharing a bed. Your Highness’s palace has plenty of bedrooms.”
At her response suggesting they could sleep separately, Aidan burst out laughing.
“That’s fine too. What matters is that you stay close by, even if just a little. I’m in no hurry, so I’ll wait. Until you’re ready.”
“Ready?”
She wondered what she needed to be ready for.
“Ready to handle me all night?”
When she stared blankly, not understanding his mischievous joke, his gaze traveled from her face downward. Finally understanding, Karina felt her face flush hot and quickly turned away.
“I should tell them to prepare dinner slowly. Your face right now is too precious to show to others.”
Aidan smiled and bent down to kiss her cheek. When Karina covered her kissed cheek with one hand and glared at him, he laughed out loud again, clearly enjoying himself.
“Are you not going to tell me what the good news is?”
Thinking it better to change the subject, she brought up what he had mentioned earlier.
“Ah, right.”
Aidan seemed to have completely forgotten about it.
“Do you remember Liam Smith?”
Liam Smith? After thinking for a moment, Karina let out a small “ah.”
“Emily the maid’s lover? The one who worked for His Highness Lloyd?”
“That guy woke up. On the day of the knights’ tournament.”
Ah. That was already several days ago.
“It took some time to convince him. I promised to guarantee his family’s safety against Lloyd if he would testify about what he did. How are his mother and younger sister doing?”
Liam Smith’s mother and sister were currently under the protection of House Hewitt.
“I heard they’re doing fine.”
“Could you strengthen their guard just in case?”
“I will. But did he agree easily?”
Even with his family’s safety at stake, testifying directly about the attack on Aidan couldn’t have been an easy decision. Whether Lloyd ordered it or not, he couldn’t escape the crime of attempting to attack a prince.
“He didn’t have many options either. He probably figured it was better than being hunted down by Lloyd and dying like a dog.”
He was someone who had already been driven to the brink of death once. Aidan explained that having truly felt he could die, he would choose the option that gave him even a slight chance of survival.
“I’m bringing him to the palace tomorrow.”
“Will His Highness Lloyd just stand by and watch?”
“Of course that bastard won’t know. Not until Liam Smith stands before the Emperor and testifies.”
Aidan answered with a confident expression, clearly having something in mind.
“So, about tonight, will you really not stay over in this palace?”
Why did the conclusion suddenly jump back to that? When she stared at him uncomprehendingly, Aidan smiled with an utterly innocent expression.
*
Crash! The teacup Lloyd threw shattered against the wall.
“Say that again.”
His voice sank low. He even emanated killing intent, as if he might growl and tear someone’s throat out at any moment. The knight who had made the report could only swallow hard and step back, unable to speak again.
“Who went into Aidan’s palace?”
“Her… Her Highness the Consort…”
Karina going to Aidan’s palace alone wasn’t enough to cause such anger. The problem was what came after. It was already late at night. Most people would be heading to bed at this hour. Until this hour, Karina had not left Aidan’s palace. The servants at Aidan’s palace were excited, saying the two were finally consummating their marriage.
“Ha!”
Lloyd let out a harsh breath and roughly swept the teapot and other teacups off the table with his arm. Crash! At the loud noise, even the servants waiting outside stiffened.
“Your Highness…”
The knight who had unintentionally delivered news that would provoke his anger spoke while trembling.
“Actually, Marquis Belmont has also been contacted…”
At the mention of Belmont’s name, Lloyd’s frown deepened, his irritation already at its peak.
“It seems Liam Smith is alive…”
The knight couldn’t finish his sentence and just bowed his head deeply.
“Liam Smith?”
Lloyd clenched his jaw after repeating his name.
“And?”
The knight stared at Lloyd with a blank expression at his question.
“I’m asking what they plan to do about him being alive!”
When he shouted with an irritated voice, the knight flinched again. Though he felt somewhat wronged since it wasn’t his fault, quickly delivering his message and leaving this room was the best he could do.
“He said he’s mobilizing maximum forces to find him… and that he’ll handle it, so there’s no need to worry. However…”
“However?”
“If this matter is handled well, he asked if you could reconsider the matter of Marquis Belmont’s adopted daughter that was mentioned before…”
“Ha!”
A scoff escaped his lips. These men, one and all, only thought about gaining power by placing their daughters as the prince’s consort. The Count of Spencer had already been coming to the palace to petition the Emperor, making things difficult enough, and now Marquis Belmont wanted to join in too.
“Tell him I understand, so just handle the matter well.”
Whether it was Kate Spencer or Marquis Belmont’s adopted daughter, they were all the same. If that was the case, perhaps it would be better to choose the option that could benefit him more.
*
Karina changed into her nightgown and stood by the window, looking down outside. The garden’s scenery, different from her own palace, felt strange again.
‘Good night. Dream of me if you can.’
She had been extremely tense when he half-forced her to stay overnight at his palace, but after dinner, Aidan simply left her in his bedroom with a cheerful goodnight greeting. When she turned around, she could see Aidan’s bed.
She sighed, wondering why he insisted on her using his bedroom if he was going to leave her alone like this, rather than giving her another bedroom.
Tonight, Aidan and Kai planned to move to bring Liam Smith to the palace. Concerned that Lloyd might be watching Aidan, they used Karina as a distraction. In fact, after entering the bedroom with Karina, Aidan had changed into the same clothes as other knights and left through the window. The servants and most knights, except for the few moving with Kai, all believed Aidan was consummating his marriage with Karina.
I hope nothing goes wrong?
Looking at Aidan’s empty bed made her worry about his safety. It was different from going outside during the day. She was especially concerned because he took only a few knights to avoid being noticed by others. What if Lloyd’s side noticed and made a move…? She shook her head at the terrible thought.
Just a month ago, right after the wedding, she hadn’t felt even a slight stirring when she saw him lying attacked… Far from feeling sympathy or pity, she had even thought he deserved it for his philandering. But now she worried about him getting even slightly hurt.
In three years of marriage, she had never felt this way… While Aidan’s soul had changed and his way of treating her had changed, her feelings toward him had also changed greatly.
Karina approached Aidan’s bed and sat down, then lay down only to jump up startled. Aidan’s scent permeated the bed sheets.
This is going to make it difficult to rest comfortably…
She didn’t trust herself to sleep surrounded by Aidan’s scent in his empty bed. If she lay there, she would surely lie awake all night feeling as if she were in his embrace. If it had been any other bedroom in this palace, it wouldn’t have mattered… Could Aidan have insisted on this room on purpose?
Thinking she should return to her own palace, she went to the entrance and grabbed the doorknob but couldn’t turn it to open.
‘Her Highness the Consort needs to stay here so Lloyd’s attention will focus here.’
Remembering Kai’s words, she could only let out a long sigh.
*
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Aelthia
Using her as a distraction is one thing, but do they not see how she could/is a target for multiple reasons? It’s a good plan, but it’s also more reckless than I would have thought ‘Aiden’ willing to risk.