Chapter 1 – Part 3

“We have arrived at the Lequizet estate. Please disembark, My Lady.”

Eliana leaned out of the carriage. Six o’clock on the dot. She had arrived on time, but the Crown Prince’s carriage was nowhere in sight. Cedric had been trying to avoid appearing with Eliana during this period. Although Eliana had always tried to follow the Emperor’s command to accompany him, the Crown Prince never listened.

“Eliana, the Crown Prince hasn’t arrived yet?”

Paul looked at Eliana with a sneer, noticing the Crown Prince’s absence.

“He must really hate showing up with you. I wouldn’t want to be seen with someone as boring as you, either.”

Paul always used the Crown Prince’s lack of affection for Eliana as a weapon to attack her. He dramatically scanned the area, exaggerating his search for the Crown Prince.

“Paul shut up. Your chatter is giving me a headache.”

Eliana spoke sharply. Paul couldn’t believe what he heard; it wasn’t her usual tone.

“What? What did you just say?”

“I told you to shut up.“

“Are you out of your mind? How dare you speak to me like that?”

Paul scowled, furrowing his brow.

“And what will you do about it if I am?”

“Are you drunk…?”

Just as Paul was about to unleash a tirade, the royal carriage appeared in the distance.

“I’ll deal with you later.”

Paul reluctantly fell silent.

“His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, has arrived!”

The Lequizet servant announced Cedric’s arrival. The distinguished nobles in attendance immediately paused to greet the Crown Prince. Among them, Eliana stood alone, detached from any emotion.

‘I neither admire nor respect you.’

Cedric stepped down from the gold-adorned carriage.

‘Cedric Kynes…’

Eliana stared straight at him.

‘The one who betrayed me… the traitor who stabbed me in the back.‘

Cedric’s eyes met Eliana’s as he descended from the carriage. His expression hardened, showing no potential for emotional development between them.

‘He’s making it so obvious, so why did I cling to him so desperately?’

Eliana felt regret. At that moment, a second carriage pulled up behind the royal one. Eliana immediately recognized its owner.

Rachel Slonian. It was the carriage of Baron Slonian’s family.

‘He didn’t time it to match with me, but with Rachel.’

And on top of that,

‘They even coordinated their outfits?’

Eliana finally noticed it. Rachel stepped out of the carriage but didn’t immediately enter the mansion. Instead, she looked around, searching for Cedric.

‘While I was struggling, they must have been playing out their great love story. Just the two of them.‘

Eliana’s gaze grew colder. She didn’t move to greet Cedric until he took several steps closer. That was something she had never done before.

“Sister, His Highness is coming closer. Why aren’t you greeting him?”

Sylvia tugged at her dress.

“All right.”

Eliana slowly approached him. Cedric’s sculpted face became more apparent as she neared. His silver hair was neatly pulled back, though a few strands had naturally fallen loose in the wind, adding to his charm. But it no longer made her heart race as it once did.

“Why are you standing there like a fool?”

Cedric frowned deeply and snapped at her when she didn’t greet him with her usual enthusiastic bow.

“You’re being harsh, Your Highness and I’m not happy to hear you call me a fool right off the bat.“

“What?”

Cedric had expected Eliana to greet him with her usual playful affection. But today, she wore a stiff expression and pointed out that she disliked what he said. Cedric wasn’t the type to tolerate even the slightest criticism.

“You can’t even greet me properly, yet you complain.”

Cedric muttered under his breath, his tone laden with authority despite their engagement.

“If you had arrived on time, I would have welcomed you properly.”

“...”

“You’ve been late every time lately.”

Cedric furrowed his brow, unintentionally fixing his gaze on Eliana.

‘What’s with her today? She’s never acted like this before.’

She was challenging his words.

‘No matter how harsh I was, she always smiled…’

Cedric looked her up and down. In fact, when he first stepped out of the carriage, Cedric hadn’t recognized Eliana immediately because her appearance was different from usual.

‘Unlike before, she hasn’t draped herself in ribbons like a messy doll. Her face is expressionless, too. She used to giggle like a fool, looking only at me.’

Today, her face showed a displeased expression. It was as if she was forcing herself to be here, and her tone was defiant with every word she spoke.

“Is there something on my face? You’ve been staring at me for quite a while. Am I particularly pleasing to your eyes today?”

Her question was bold. Cedric, worried she might believe the latter, quickly turned his head away.

“Nonsense.”

Cedric shook his head as if he were having a fit. Eliana was satisfied with Cedric’s displeased reaction.

‘Good. We’re already on bad terms, so let’s break it faster.‘

“Your Highness, we’re honored to have you at our family’s party.”

The Marquis and Marchioness of Lequizet approached the Crown Prince and greeted him warmly.

“Cedric, thank you for coming. We truly appreciate it.”

Lucie, Cedric’s close friend, also greeted him.

“Yes, the party’s atmosphere is quite lively from the entrance.”

Cedric momentarily put aside his anger toward Eliana to respond to their greetings. This kind of reception was a regular occurrence, and everything was the same as usual, except for Eliana Leiberte, who didn’t greet him properly and spoke strangely.

‘The more I think about it, the more irritating it becomes. I’d like to get rid of her right now.’

But for now, he couldn’t. He wasn’t the Emperor yet, so he couldn’t disregard the eyes watching him.

‘The imperial palace and the temple are pushing for Eliana to be my partner.’

Cedric glanced at Eliana. Although she stood by his side, she never pleased him.

‘I’d get rid of her at the first chance I get.’

Cedric had not yet revealed all his claws at this point in his life. He needed to appease his father, Emperor Davon until he ascended to the throne.

Eliana met Cedric’s gaze. She could see exactly how he felt about her.

‘You must be frustrated that you can’t get rid of me immediately, even though you want to.’

Cedric resumed his conversation with Lucie. Cedric and Lucie Lequizet were quite close friends.

When he talked to Lucie, Cedric’s expression was relaxed. He was a Crown Prince who openly showed favoritism.

“Eliana was already here, waiting for you.”

Lucie Lequizet, who had noticed this earlier, pointed it out to Cedric.

“Oh, really?”

Cedric replied indifferently.

“It wasn’t a long wait, so don’t worry about it, Lucie.”

Eliana responded to Lucie, who had shown concern for her.

“That’s good to hear. I was worried you might have been bored waiting.”

Lucie seemed concerned because he knew the relationship between the two wasn’t good. In fact, it wasn’t just Lucie who knew; almost all the nobles in Moira were aware of the tension between the Crown Prince and Eliana. The private conversation between Cedric and Lucie dragged on.

“Lucie!”

At that moment, Rachel called out loudly from behind them. Eliana’s expression hardened.

“Good to see you, Lucie.“

“Rachel, come on over.”

Rachel and Lucie chatted and laughed loudly. Cedric’s gaze was fixed on Rachel’s every move. Eliana observed them as if she were an outsider.

“Your Highness, hello. Eliana, hello to you too.”

Rachel greeted them both. Her innocent face belied the cruelty that allowed her to enjoy Eliana’s downfall. But Eliana knew Rachel’s true nature. Her friendly approach made Eliana shiver with disgust.

“Rachel. You’re even more beautiful today.”

Cedric complimented her. He tried to restrain himself, but the upward curve of his lips betrayed his feelings.

“Oh, really? Thank you for the compliment, Your Highness. I did put some effort into my appearance today.”

Rachel smiled shyly, her eyes crinkling as she gazed at Cedric. Their conversation was a pretense of casual familiarity, a charade of a deep relationship hidden under a facade.

‘My fists clench on their own.’

Cedric, feeling a sting on his cheek, glanced to the side. Eliana was staring at him with cold eyes. Cedric raised his chin, deliberately ignoring her. The thought of including her in their conversation didn’t even cross his mind.

‘She can’t even join the conversation properly.’

That was the only thought Cedric had as he watched Eliana. Unlike before, she didn’t try to join their conversation. Instead, they continued their lively chatter, intentionally leaving her out. At that moment, a new carriage arrived, and the person who stepped out was Calix Vartica.

‘Calix… My childhood friend who was the only one besides my father to respond to my plea for help when I was imprisoned…’