Chapter 6 (Part 3)

“Ahhhhh!”

Eri’s scream echoed through Amelia’s bedroom.

Before Amelia went to sleep, Eri had come into the room carrying a gift box, saying that someone had sent her a gift anonymously. She had insisted on checking it first, leading to this commotion.

“What’s going on?”

“I think it’s best if you don’t come any closer.”

This was the third time Amelia had been blatantly harassed, and Eri’s face turned pale as she opened the gift box. Despite Eri’s attempt to stop her, Amelia approached the box to see for herself.

“Ugh!”

She almost screamed but managed to cover her mouth just in time. Her heart pounded, but she maintained her composure as she looked inside the box again.

Inside was a decapitated, taxidermied cat. The sight of its eyes, seemingly staring at her, made her feel suffocated.

The sight was so gruesome that Amelia was sure of one thing: it must have taken time to taxidermy the animal, so it was likely intended for Lady Limerick but sent to her instead.

‘Did Lady Limerick leave of her own will, or was she driven away by someone else’s?’

As she closed the box’s lid with a tense face, the study door opened.

“What’s going on?”

Lucius entered with a stern face, accompanied by knights. It seemed that the attendants who heard Eri’s scream had informed him.

While Amelia alternated between looking at him and the box in confusion, Edwin, who was standing behind Lucius, walked over and picked up the box to check its contents.

Seeing Edwin’s gaunt face for the first time in a while, Amelia’s gaze lingered on him rather than the box.

“What is it?”

As Edwin’s brow furrowed slightly, Lucius also checked the contents of the box and frowned.

“Who sent this?”

“G-greetings, Your Royal Highness. I, I couldn’t determine the sender, so I checked it myself.”

Eri, who had been standing in a daze, finally greeted the Crown Prince and briefly explained the situation.

“Has something like this happened before?”

“Yes? Yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I thought it was nothing serious, I told her not to inform you.”

Before Eri could answer, Amelia spoke up. For a moment, Lucius’s face seemed to contort in pain, but he suddenly smiled and approached.

“Well, well. To think that Lady Hamilton would face the same harassment. Are you alright?”

Of course, his eyes weren’t smiling at all. He seemed to realize that someone didn’t want Amelia to become the Crown Princess and was harassing her.

“I’m fine.”

“Good. It doesn’t seem like a big deal. I’ll take the box with me.”

He seemed to dismiss it as a minor issue and signaled an attendant to take the box before leaving with them. However, Edwin called out to him.

“Your Highness, may I speak with Lady Amelia for a moment?”

“Ah, Lady Hamilton must be quite shocked, so go ahead.”

Since it was late, Edwin asked for the Crown Prince’s permission to be alone with Amelia, and he readily agreed.

“I-I’ll leave now too.”

Eri, who had been observing the situation, was the last to leave the room. Once everyone was gone, Edwin approached Amelia.

“Are you alright?”

His tone was stiff, but strangely, it felt kind. Perhaps it was because he was the most familiar and comforting presence to her at the moment.

“Oh? Oh, I’m fine. Really.”

Contrary to her words, she felt weak and wobbled slightly. The memory of the cat’s eyes still haunted her, making it hard to calm down.

As Edwin approached to support her, she felt so reassured by the embrace of her old friend that she unknowingly wrapped her arms around his waist.

Edwin didn’t push her away. He held her and patted her back. Seeing his comforting gesture, the pent-up sorrow overwhelmed her, and her eyes welled up with tears.

In a palace where she could trust no one, having even one person she could rely on felt like a blessing.

At the same time, she felt guilty. How could he be so kind as if nothing had happened despite her cold treatment?

‘Hadn’t I avoided him out of anger?’ 

With mixed emotions, Amelia buried her face in Edwin’s chest to hide her tears. Eventually, she couldn’t hold back and burst into tears.

“Sniff.”

Amelia stayed in Edwin’s embrace until her tears stopped. After a long time, when she finally calmed down, she felt embarrassed.

‘What was I thinking! How could I seek comfort from Edwin?’

At that moment, she recalled the harsh words she had said to him. The words she had spoken out of spite came back to haunt her, making it hard to look him in the eye.

“I-I’m sorry.”

Amelia quickly turned her head.

“For what?”

“You must hate me.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because I… rejected you. And said harsh things.”

“Didn’t you say we’re friends? There’s no like or dislike between friends.”

‘Friends…. ‘

At this moment, the word “friends” felt both comforting and heavy. 

‘Was friendship supposed to evoke such complex emotions?’

“I thought you were avoiding me because you didn’t like me.”

“I only avoided you because I thought you’d feel uncomfortable.”

“Oh….”

Realizing it was a misunderstanding, she felt relieved but also more guilty toward Edwin.

‘I can’t use someone as kind and considerate as Edwin.’

Amelia made a decision at that moment. No matter how much the Duke of Hamilton pressured her or how much she didn’t want to become the Crown Princess, she didn’t want to use Edwin any longer.

‘Someone like me doesn’t deserve him.’

She hoped he would meet someone far better than her selfish self. So she thought it would be better for him not to be involved with her anymore.

The comforting hand that had been soothing her suddenly gripped her shoulders and tried to push her away. Amelia looked up at Edwin with a puzzled expression, her hands still wrapped around his waist.

‘Why is he acting like this all of a sudden? Is it because he feels uncomfortable with me? Even if he says he’s not angry, he must be mad at me, right?’

Amelia could understand if Edwin disliked her, but she couldn’t help feeling a bit hurt. If he was going to be kind, it would have been nice if he continued a bit longer. As she thought this, she felt something hard against her thigh.

‘Huh?’

Knowing well what this heavy sensation was, Amelia looked down in surprise and noticed the bulge in his trousers.

Startled, Amelia instinctively tried to step back, but instead, she lost her balance and stumbled. Edwin caught her waist, pulling their bodies closer again.

“S-sorry. In this situation, I… I didn’t mean to. Please pretend you didn’t see it.”

Edwin bit his lower lip, looking pained. Seeing his flushed face, the sorrow and fear Amelia had felt moments ago eased a bit.

‘So he wasn’t actually mad at me?’

As Amelia tilted her head in confusion, a smile slowly spread across her lips. The realization that he didn’t dislike her brought her immense relief.

“Look at me.”

When Amelia moved to face Edwin, he turned his head in the opposite direction.

His flustered and blushing demeanor seemed oddly cute to her. It was a side of him she had never seen before, and her curiosity piqued.

Simultaneously, feelings she had never experienced toward Edwin began to surface.

‘I must be crazy.’

Amelia thought that perhaps she was feeling vulnerable due to the recent hardships. Otherwise, why would Edwin appear different to her now.

At that moment, she recalled Edwin’s previous proposal. At the time, she had been too overwhelmed to ask further, and later, she had been too busy to think about it.

But now, remembering it, she had different thoughts. Edwin wouldn’t propose to her just out of friendship.

‘Could he actually like me? Maybe he proposed not out of responsibility but because he genuinely liked me.’

It might be a misunderstanding, but considering Edwin’s recent behavior, her guess wasn’t entirely baseless.

‘If he really likes me….’

If that were the case, Amelia wanted to reconsider her earlier decision not to use Edwin.

No, even if that wasn’t the case, she wanted to use Edwin. One thing was clear: his trousers were bulging.

She didn’t want to lose a man who reacted to her body. So, if she wanted to hold onto Edwin, now was the chance. She thought it would be good to seduce him and then subtly bring up her father’s proposal when he was filled with pleasure.