Chapter 37. This One’s a Princess Too.

One afternoon, as Camilla and Aster’s wedding approached. Helen, who was attending the regular penthouse meeting, grew tired of the annoying conversations and stepped out for a moment.

As soon as she reached the artificial fountain, she threw her reticule into the bushes in a fit of anger and screamed.

“Argh!”

Even after that, she continued to grumble several times. Her bad mood was due to the scandal that had been making a lot of noise for days.

Everyone kept asking her about Camilla and Aster whenever they saw her. It was infuriating to have people bombard her with questions about them, especially when she was already angry about her ruined debutante.

“What’s so great about that wedding!”

Someone was clearly playing the role of instigator. Otherwise, the entire area wouldn’t be so noisy.

All the talk about harmony had even made her father overly kind to Camilla. The current favorable situation seemed to benefit the family business, making him dote on Camilla more than his own daughter.

It was infuriating that he was treating his daughter coldly while pampering a daughter-in-law who hadn’t even had her wedding yet.

To make matters worse, when she heard that the wedding would be held at the Imperial Palace, she was consumed with jealousy. For every lady, a wedding at the Imperial Palace was a dream come true.

She wanted to be the first to do it, but Camilla had taken it away overnight, making her furious. And she could barely breathe in her own house these days.

‘You foolish girl. You’re causing all this trouble by acting arrogantly, relying only on your family name.’

Her father’s disdain since her ruined debutante, coupled with her mother’s preoccupation with Paris, made her situation even more unjust.

It was truly unfair. If Aster hadn’t contacted all her suitors, she might have been the belle of the ball this year.

But making such an excuse would only further reduce her already halved allowance, so she had to grit her teeth and endure. To top it off, Camilla’s presence at Blanche Castle was provoking her mother.

‘Not only is there no other women involved, but it seems like he was interested from the start. How could you speak without properly investigating? When will you stop being so naive? Huh?’

Her mother’s cold voice echoed in her mind. The more Camilla paraded around, the more her mother scolded Helen harshly.

The situation had completely reversed since her mother had praised her for hinting that Aster had a woman. The contemptuous look in her mother’s eyes was unbearable.

“Damn it, why is it always me…!”

Helen was fuming when someone picked up the reticule she had thrown. She turned her head sharply to glare at the person.

A tall man with an exotic appearance was holding the small reticule. His shirt was unbuttoned, revealing his chest.

Helen’s gaze naturally focused on his well-toned muscles against his tanned skin. The man tilted his head and asked casually,

“Is this yours?”

Helen nodded as if entranced, and he waved the reticule in his hand as he approached.

“You sure throw around expensive bags carelessly. Must be overflowing with money.”

A man speaking informally from the first meeting.

Moreover, his sarcastic tone made Helen scowl. The ridiculous thing was that his handsome face made her less angry despite his rude attitude.

“Of course, I have plenty of money.”

Helen snatched the reticule and responded haughtily. Blanche was known for its wealth in Ahivith. This reticule was something she would have used and discarded in a day—before her allowance was cut, that is.

“So, have you been exiled somewhere?”

It was a question implying that he should know who she was. Sezad chuckled at her arrogant provocation.

“This one’s a princess too.”

He muttered to himself and then took her hand, planting a deep kiss on the back of it. It was an uncouth greeting.

“What are you doing?”

“Oh, is this wrong? I’m uneducated, so this is all I know.”

He grinned and let go of her hand, causing Helen to take a step back.

“So what’s your name?”

“Shouldn’t you introduce yourself first?”

“Aha.”

He let out a light exclamation and then bowed politely.

“Sezad Vaikan. As you can see, I’ve been rolling around on an island, so I lack manners.”

“Huh!”

Helen fanned herself, looking astonished.

“Helen Blanche.”

“Ah, Blanche.”

Sezad smirked at the mention of Blanche. No wonder he felt uneasy from the moment he saw her silver hair and red eyes.

He came to relieve his boredom while waiting for Camilla, and now Blanche had appeared right in front of him.

“Right. So, show some respect, will you?”

“Not really.”

“…….”

“Your family’s event has been causing quite a stir lately. Is the wedding preparation going well?”

Helen’s face contorted at the mention of the wedding again.

“Why are you asking me that?”

“So sensitive.”

Sezad shrugged, as if he hadn’t expected an answer from her anyway.

“Well then, keep throwing your bag around.”

“What did you say?”

“Or do you want to sleep with me? I saw you checking me out earlier.”

“You, you rude…!”

Helen was speechless with indignation and threw her reticule at him. Sezad easily caught it and chuckled. Knowing she was from Blanche made him want to torment her even more.

For now, Blanche was the number one family Sezad wanted to deal with.

“Well, never mind then. What a temper. No wonder you’re from Blanche.”

“I’ll sue you!”

“Go ahead. I have plenty of money too.”

“W-what?”

“Oh, if you change your mind, come find me. I’m pretty good at what I do.”

He nonchalantly placed his business card into her reticule and then dropped it on the ground before turning and walking away.

Helen watched Sezad walk away, muttering with a flushed face.

“What kind of person is that?”

She was so taken aback by the rude encounter that she almost forgot why she had been annoyed earlier.

She picked up the reticule in frustration and checked the business card.

* * *

Upon hearing that Sezad had arrived in Apelli, I headed straight for my regular place, the Moss Tavern. It was the same place where I first met Aster.

“He just arrived.”

The staff member who spotted me promptly guided me to where Sezad was. Descending into the basement, I found Sezad puffing on a cigarette, greeting me.

“Hey, Queen. Long time no see.”

“Put out the cigarette.”

“So picky. Just like a queen.”

He crushed the cigarette and adjusted his posture. Perhaps because he felt hot, his shirt was already unbuttoned. I glanced at his disheveled appearance and took a seat.

“Why not just walk around n*ked?”

“Can I?”

“Do you think you can?”

Sezad chuckled and began buttoning his shirt. He was like a wild horse that was hard to tame.

Meeting him after a long time made him seem even more uncontrollable. His arrogance towards everyone contributed to that feeling.

“So, why are you suddenly getting married? Did someone catch you in a weak moment?”

His blunt question made me blink before I answered plainly.

“Why else? Because I like him. Have you ever seen me do anything under duress?”

“Do you really like him? A Blanche? Yeah, right!”

Sezad scoffed in disbelief, as if he knew better than anyone that it couldn’t be true.

Given that it was Blanche, his reaction was understandable. I crossed my legs and said,

“After meeting him, I found he was quite to my taste.”

The word ‘taste’ made Sezad’s eyes widen. He leaned forward and asked,

“I thought you didn’t care about looks since you rejected me. Or do you just have weird tastes?”

“If you see him, you’ll understand why I want to marry him. His face could make anyone develop a new taste.”

I smiled sweetly, and Sezad scoffed again, this time closer to a sneer at a bride boasting about her groom.

“Ridiculous. I thought you called me to ruin the wedding.”

“Why would I need you for that?”

I wouldn’t dream of causing a scandal with someone who changes women daily. He was notorious for his promiscuity, enough to circle the island with his lovers from Vaikan.

Even when I was considering elopement, he wasn’t even on my list of options. I had no interest in him whatsoever.

To be honest, compared to Sezad, Paris and Helen’s wild antics were child’s play. This man in front of me had a knack for seducing anyone, regardless of gender, making him a dangerous lunatic.

I shuddered, recalling his proposal and boast of his harem. It still gave me chills.

“I’d rather be caught with a stray dog.”

Sezad frowned at my sharp critique and said,

“That hurts my feelings.”

Despite his words, his expression showed no sign of being hurt.