Chapter 2 (Part 5)

The next day, Amelia defiantly attended the masquerade ball, ignoring Edwin’s warning. What difference would it make if she disobeyed him?

She didn’t want to ruin her plans by listening to unnecessary advice.

However, once again, she left empty-handed. It wasn’t that she couldn’t find a suitable man; rather, Edwin’s actions kept coming to mind.

It wasn’t that she was scared of his actions, but the fear that a man’s strength could lead to unwanted situations. As frustrating as it was, his warning had an effect.

That night, Amelia could hardly sleep, tossing and turning all night. She finally fell asleep late, but Mary woke her up early in the morning, making it impossible to get enough rest.

“Young Lady, the Duke of Hamilton is calling for you.”

“For me? Ahaam.”

Yawning as she got up, Amelia looked puzzled. It was the first time her father had called her so early, waking her up.

Suppressing her lingering drowsiness, Amelia quickly got ready and entered the study. There, she saw the Duke of Hamilton with a stern expression.

As soon as he saw her, he spoke as if he had been waiting.

“I’ve heard something strange.”

“What did you hear?”

“I heard that you’ve been attending masquerade balls in the middle of the night, avoiding my eyes.”

“What?”

At the Duke’s words, her half-closed eyes flew open.

‘Oh no, how did he find out? Did someone tell him? Or did he see me leave last night?’

Amelia, not good at lying, failed to manage her expression. The Duke’s face hardened even more, noticing her reaction.

“Judging by your surprised expression, it must be true.”

“….”

Seeing him so certain from her expression, it seemed he hadn’t caught her sneaking out last night.

Instead of answering, Amelia lowered her head. She couldn’t reveal her plans, nor could she deny it now that she was caught.

“Why did you do it? Can you tell me why you did such a thing?”

The Duke of Hamilton looked puzzled.

At first, he didn’t believe it could be true. But to think that his daughter, who had never caused trouble, would attend a masquerade ball….

He felt a deep sense of betrayal. Everyone knew what kind of people went to those places!

Everyone knew that masquerade balls were frequented by men and women of loose morals.

Of course, the Duke didn’t intend to enforce premarital chastity. It was natural for lovers to be intimate. But he couldn’t tolerate her giving herself to just anyone.

Moreover, even though people wore masks, secrets were never kept forever. Some people occasionally got caught.

Sometimes, there were mischievous people who deliberately removed masks during intimate moments. How could she go to such a shameless place!

“I can’t tell you. It’s just a personal matter.”

“Are you dissatisfied with becoming the Crown Princess and acting out? I told you not to bring disgrace to the family.”

“No, it’s not that. I never intended to bring harm to the family.”

“I’m disappointed in you.”

“I’m sorry.”

Feeling the weight of guilt on her shoulders, Amelia immediately apologized for her mistake. But she was curious about how the Duke found out.

If he had been spying on her, she would be deeply disappointed. Even though she had acted wrongly, she had her reasons and hoped he would trust her.

“But how did you know I went to the masquerade ball? Did you follow me?”

“N-no, of course not.”

When she looked at him with narrowed eyes, the Duke stammered in his rebuttal. The anger on his face turned to embarrassment.

“Then how did you know?”

She had kept her identity well-hidden, so there was no way rumors could have spread. No one in the mansion who knew about her outing would have told the Duke. That left only one possible person.

The one who had coercively told her not to go to the masquerade ball and had done those awful things….

Amelia glanced at the desk. There was a crumpled piece of paper on it. It seemed the Duke had read a letter from someone and became enraged, prompting him to call her immediately to confirm the truth.

“Did Edwin tell you?”

He wasn’t good at lying either, and his eyes wavered uneasily at that moment.

“Judging by your expression, it seems he did.”

“….”

The Duke didn’t respond, but Amelia took his silence as a confirmation.

‘Did Edwin really tell him? Instead of sending an apology letter, he tattled to my father? How could he do this? Why? Why is he interfering in my affairs?’

Now that the Duke knew, it would be difficult to continue attending the masquerade ball to find a partner. His surveillance would undoubtedly increase.

Moreover, no one in the mansion would help her anymore. Hiding something at her request was one thing, but disobeying the Duke’s orders was another.

Amelia didn’t want to put them in a difficult position either. So she decided not to go there anymore.

As her plans fell apart, she grew angrier, but she couldn’t take it out on her father, so she held it in.

“From now on, don’t go to such ridiculous places. I absolutely forbid it.”

“Okay. I’ll follow your words. You’re going to keep an eye on me anyway.”

The Duke didn’t deny it. Not wanting to continue the conversation with her father, Amelia left the study, fuming.

‘Why is he doing this to me?’

Suppressing her emotions, Amelia finally let out all her resentment towards Edwin. No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t understand him. First, he committed those shameless acts, and now he had told her father, effectively cutting off her ability to attend the masquerade ball. His actions were too excessive to be considered a mere concern for her.

‘This can’t go on.’

No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. Who did he think he was to keep interfering in her affairs?

Amelia decided she wanted to meet Edwin and find out why he was so intent on meddling in her life. If she didn’t, she felt like her chest would burst from the frustration.

* * *

Edwin read the letter Amelia had sent. It had been a long time since he had received a letter from her—the first since her last visit to the estate. The letter was brief, stating only that she wanted to meet and talk, but reading it made him chuckle.

It wasn’t the content that was amusing, but rather imagining the state of mind Amelia must have been in when she wrote it.

“The Duke of Hamilton must have failed to hide his expression.”

He had known from the start that his actions would be discovered. In fact, he had deliberately sent the letter to the Duke for that very reason.

Surely, the Duke of Hamilton must have mentioned Edwin’s name while forcefully preventing her from attending the masquerade ball. Angered by his actions, she would come to confront him.

That was exactly what Edwin had intended.

“You look amused.”

The Duchess of Birken entered the room just in time, surprised to see her son smiling, which was unusual for him.

“Amelia is visiting the Birken estate after a long time.”

“Really? I thought things had become awkward between you two. Have you reconciled?”

The Duchess’s face lit up at the mention of Amelia’s name. She had felt a bit sad not seeing Amelia for a while, so the news of her visit was welcome.

The Duchess of Birken was rather reserved, not one to socialize much or enjoy outings, and she rarely attended social gatherings. She would occasionally host tea parties, inviting only close friends, including the Duchess of Hamilton.

Amelia had been one of the few people she enjoyed meeting, but after Amelia started avoiding Edwin, their meetings ceased.

The Duchess had suspected that Amelia’s absence was related to her son, so she hadn’t invited her over.

“We never fought, so there’s nothing to reconcile.”

“That’s a relief, but…”

“There’s no need to worry. Things will return to how they used to be.”

Edwin was merely accommodating Amelia. Since she wanted to keep her distance, he had refrained from contacting her, but he still considered their relationship unchanged. Though, she probably didn’t see it that way.

“Is that so? It seems I was worried for nothing.”

Hearing his confident voice, the Duchess felt relieved, her face showing a hint of ease. Seeing her like this, Edwin’s smile widened slightly.

They couldn’t remain in this awkward state forever. It was time to return to how things used to be.

No, Edwin planned to become even closer to Amelia than before. Otherwise, they would remain distant forever.