Chapter 6 (Part 6)

Amelia realized she had done something pointless all along.

“When the culprit didn’t reveal themselves, I was in trouble. Then, I heard from Madame Lowden that you were deliberately trying to come last in etiquette lessons, so I decided to use this opportunity. If a supposed-to-be-eliminated lady became the Crown Princess, it would provoke the culprit. So, I had to manipulate the results.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me the truth from the beginning and ask for my help? If you had, I wouldn’t have had to endure those torturous lessons or be worked to the bone. At the very least, you shouldn’t have given me your assistant’s duties.”

Amelia felt wronged. There was no need to put her through those absurd training sessions under the guise of lessons. Why did she have to go through two months of unnecessary hardship?

“There were duties that the Crown Princess had to handle, and someone needed to do them. Since you were already taking successor lessons, you seemed perfect for the job. So, I assigned you the tasks, and you did well. Thanks to you, it was convenient for me.”

Lucius admitted that he chose Amelia as a stand-in because he couldn’t leave the position of Crown Princess vacant any longer.

‘Wasn’t this too much?’

Amelia was furious at being used without knowing the situation. Now realizing she had been played by him, her gaze towards Lucius became sharp.

“I feel sorry about it. That’s why I was planning to give you financial compensation separately.”

How could he calmly talk about compensating with money after making her suffer both physically and mentally?

The Hamilton family was wealthy anyway, so financial compensation was no comfort to Amelia. The days she endured torturous lessons and was confined to work were just infuriating.

Even if she voiced her grievances, the indifferent Crown Prince would likely just give her a “so what” look. But she didn’t want to just quietly agree either.

She couldn’t understand why he had to find the culprit by using her like this. Lady Limerick had already left for the Epha Empire, so why bother finding the culprit now?

“Why are you looking for the culprit now? If you had known Lady Limerick was being harassed earlier, you wouldn’t have had to look so late!”

When Amelia protested, Lucius’s face, which had been smiling until a moment ago, hardened instantly.

“You’re right. I was negligent.”

Recalling his dealings with Lady Limerick, a bitter smile appeared on his lips. It seemed the rumors about their distant relationship were true.

“If you were that disinterested, why did you suddenly want to find the culprit now?”

“Because I couldn’t forgive it.”

“Suddenly?”

“Of course, I can’t forgive those who did wrong, but more than that, I couldn’t forgive myself. So, I decided to find the culprit to apologize.”

The more Amelia listened to the Crown Prince, the stranger she felt. When she saw them at the banquet, they never exchanged affectionate glances….

It was such an unexpected situation that Amelia asked hesitantly.

“Could it be that you loved Lady Limerick? Is that why you didn’t want any other Crown Princess?”

“…Yes. I don’t need anyone else but Lady Limerick.”

After a brief pause, Lucius answered with a deep sigh.

“Then why did you let her go? If she had known your feelings, she might not have left.”

No matter how severe the harassment or how hard the work, if the Crown Prince had stayed by her side, Lady Limerick might not have run away. If the person supporting her in the royal family was the powerful Crown Prince, what would there be to fear?

“Well, it must be because my love was insufficient.”

Then, his smiling face hardened in an instant, and he soon wore a sad smile. As Amelia felt the pain of heartbreak in his expression, she recalled what Lady Brooke had told her.

‘Ah, didn’t she say Lady Limerick eloped with a man from the Epha Empire?’

“I heard she already left with another man…?”

Since it was Lady Brooke who said it, Amelia wasn’t sure if it was true, so she watched the Crown Prince’s reaction as she spoke.

“Yes. So, I plan to leave for the Epha Empire to find her. I intend to bring her back to my side, even if she likes another man.”

For the first time, Lucius’s usually indifferent eyes sparkled brightly. Just from that look, Amelia could tell how much he liked Lady Limerick.

A man indifferent and cold to women was actually a romantic. It was truly surprising.

It was unexpected, but at the same time, Amelia felt envious of Lady Limerick, who was receiving such great love from the Crown Prince.

‘I want to be loved like that too.’

Amelia suddenly thought of Edwin. The Crown Prince’s situation felt similar to hers. Regretting lost love.

Moreover, Edwin could give as much love as the Crown Prince. The only difference was that the object of his affection wasn’t Amelia.

For the first time, Amelia felt envious of whoever would be beside Edwin. Her heart ached, but it was a pain she had to endure.

The only consolation was that she didn’t have to become the Crown Princess. So, Amelia decided she had to act before Edwin proposed to another lady.

Feeling determined, Amelia planned to gather her courage and confess her feelings to Edwin.

Having said all she needed to, Amelia was about to leave the Crown Prince’s palace after bidding him farewell, but it seemed he had other thoughts. He stopped her, indicating there was more to discuss.

“Wait. I still have something to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Why did you suddenly come to confront me after staying quiet all this time? Did something happen to change your mind? I could punish you for disrespect if you’re not careful.”

The Crown Prince seemed curious about why Amelia had suddenly come to confront him, as he hadn’t expected it.

“I didn’t want to marry you, Your Royal Highness, nor did I want to become the Crown Princess, but more than that, I wanted to be honest with my feelings.”

“Be honest?”

“That is….”

After hesitating for a moment, Amelia’s eyes sparkled brightly. She hadn’t told the person directly yet, but she no longer wanted to hide it from anyone.

“I recently realized feelings I didn’t know I had. So, if Your Highness changes your decision, I plan to reveal my feelings. To Edwin.”

“Oh. I heard you two were childhood friends, but I didn’t think there were feelings involved. Did you always like him, or did you realize it later?”

“I thought of him as a friend, but I recently realized otherwise. Have you received all the answers you wanted?”

It felt odd that a man usually indifferent to others suddenly looked at her with curiosity, but Amelia sincerely answered, trying to wrap up the conversation.

“You heard, right?”

At that moment, Lucius suddenly turned his head to look somewhere. Since only Amelia and the Crown Prince were in the study, she wondered why he was acting like that. Just then, Edwin, who had been hiding, suddenly revealed himself.

‘What? Why is Edwin here?’

Amelia’s eyes widened at the unexpected appearance. At the same time, she recalled what she had just said and her face turned red.

“Don’t be surprised. He came to report to me, but when I heard you were coming, I told him to hide for a bit.”

“W-why did you give such an order?”

“Just in case?”

The Crown Prince shrugged as if it was no big deal. It seemed there was a reason behind what initially seemed like a pointless command.

“….”

Suppressing the urge to question what kind of nonsense this was, Amelia lowered her head.

It was clear the Crown Prince had created this awkward situation to divert attention from his own faults. A convenient distraction.

‘That sly Crown Prince!’

Amelia glared at Lucius, but he just smiled and continued speaking.

“I’m going to find my love, so now it’s your turn. Lady Hamilton, I know I was wrong. But please don’t resent me too much. You benefited from it too.”

“What do you mean?”

“Thanks to me, you realized your feelings.”

Amelia couldn’t say anything in response to Lucius’s words. She couldn’t deny the truth in them.

“Well, I’ll leave you two alone now. You probably need to talk. I’ll give you a room; you can even stay the night.”

Lucius chuckled and pulled a bell cord, and soon a royal attendant knocked and entered.

“Prepare a guest room for these two.”

“Yes, Your Highness. Please follow me.”

The attendant gestured politely for Amelia and Edwin to follow and led them to a guest room before carefully closing the door behind them.