“Send a message to the third prince immediately.”

“…What should I say?”

“Tell him that the concern he had has become a reality. Tell him that it’s already known that Anne is here.”

It was true that she didn’t welcome the visit of a high-ranking person who interfered with hospital management, but now she needed the presence of Prince Howard Vails more than anyone else.

“Immediately!”

Prince Howard Vails, whom she had longed for so much, arrived two days later.

Garnet spent the past two days keeping a vigil at the hospital, monitoring the situation. After observing the man, Garnet was convinced that he was insane.

The man ate only the crumbs of bread given by his attendants while searching through all the documents.

While he was away, she tried to sneak a look at Anne’s report, but it was no use. Whenever he was absent, he would have his subordinates guard the place.

This was the first time something like this had happened, and even Garnet, who was usually calm in all situations, didn’t know what to do.

Garnet’s secretary rushed over to her with some news.

“P-Prince Howard Vails is here!”

Garnet smiled as she tied up her long hair with both hands.

“It looks like things will be resolved somehow. Tell them to take care of the aftermath, and let’s take a little break.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

With a smile on her face, Garnet headed to her office. She laid down on the sofa, her body tense from days of preparing for an emergency.

Just as she was drifting off to sleep, a sudden question popped into her mind.

‘It’s not noble, I know. Who on earth would do such a thing? Could it be a love triangle involving Miss Anne? …Well, not my problem.’

* * *

Not long after Garnet fell asleep, there was a loud knock on the door. She was too exhausted to respond.

Eventually, the secretary barged in and shook Garnet’s shoulder, shouting.

“Emergency! Emergency!”

“What’s going on?”

Garnet frowned, irritated by the secretary’s unauthorized entry.

“…There’s a fight.”

“This isn’t the first time. Just break it up.”

“T-The Prince!”

“What?”

A chill ran down Garnet’s spine.

‘No way.’

She hastily ran her hands through her hair and, without even putting on her shoes properly, followed the secretary to the scene.

There she found…

An unknown noble and Prince Howard, both bruised and battered, were fighting and rolling on the ground. Garnet grimaced and shouted.

“S-Stop this at once!”

Despite her words, they didn’t stop. Eventually, patients from other rooms started watching the scene unfold.

One of the nearby rooms housed a noble with close ties to a weekly magazine, making the situation even more problematic.

Garnet stomped her feet and yelled, but the two men wouldn’t stop fighting.

“Where have you hidden Anne?”

“What are you planning to do once you find out?”

Smack.

Blood trickled from the corners of their mouths, possibly from split lips.

It was utter chaos until Garnet threw herself at Howard, grabbing his shoulder and pulling him down.

As soon as she intervened, both men froze, ensuring she wasn’t harmed. However, as the mediator of this love feud, she was caught in an awkward situation between the two men for several days.

Once the discussion was roughly settled, Anne Riley was semi-coerced into keeping quiet about the matter.

So Garnet made a vow.

One day, she would tell Anne everything.

‘The prince who’s a strong candidate for the throne? The foreign duke? They can both go to hell.’

While Anne was enjoying a break, Garnet had spent the last few days dealing with this mess, so much so that even her well-maintained face had gained a wrinkle. She was fed up.

She instinctively realized that Anne was the only person the two men feared, so she had nothing to worry about.

“They both came to see you, so please stay here for the time being. Got it?”

Garnet tightly held Anne’s hands and repeated her request several times. Anne turned to look at Howard and Evan.

“What on earth have you done?”

“…It’s nothing. The Prince and the foreign Duke haven’t done anything wrong. In fact, there’s great news: the hospital has received an astronomical donation. I’m busy handling other matters right now, so I need you, Miss Anne, to take care of them for a while. Got it?”

“What? Uh, okay.”

Garnet had an appointment with a famous local news reporter in just an hour.

Although Evan and Howard had agreed to generously cover the cost to prevent the article, Garnet was currently overwhelmed with the aftermath of their mess.

“Please break up any fights between them. Now, I’ll be off. I’ll have someone send you a bed by the end of the day.”

Garnet hurriedly left the hospital room. But a question arose in Anne’s mind.

“Break up any fights between them?”

“Fights?”

At those words, Howard and Evan’s expressions hardened.

“These terrible injuries… Did you two get them from fighting?”

“…Well.”

Worried about being scolded for hitting the man she loved, Howard hesitated, but Evan boldly answered.

“That’s correct.”

“Why did you fight?”

“I had no choice but to pressure the prince to get your information.”

Evan answered nonchalantly. Even now, thinking back, he finds Prince Howard Vails utterly despicable.

“The prince wasn’t trying to hide me. You know I ran away on my own, and you also know why we can’t be together.”

“I’ve already told you, the reasons you gave aren’t enough to keep us apart, Anne.”

At a loss for words, Anne pushed Evan away and hurriedly left the hospital room. It was clearly an escape.

Evan watched her retreating figure as if even that was precious to him.

Left behind, Howard smiled awkwardly.

“Duke, how far do you plan to go?”

“To the very end.”

“She might refuse you until the very end.”

“If she refuses, I’ll have to take her by force.”

Howard chuckled at that.

“Are you giving up on winning her heart?”

“…Yes.”

After a brief silence, Evan added, “Or maybe I’ll give up everything and come here.”

“Ha.”

Howard sighed. He couldn’t believe those words were coming from someone like Evan, who had been treated like royalty since birth.

“What can you do without your title as a duke? And are you really saying you’d give up all those lands and wealth to come here?”

Howard also had feelings for Anne, but he had never considered giving up his position as a prince to be with her.

“Yes. I’ll give up my claim to the throne and everything else. If I need a job, working under the Vails royal family would be fine.”

Evan was sincere.

If that allowed him to stay by Anne’s side, it even seemed easy.

Howard responded with a weary expression.

“Who said they’d accept you?”

“It won’t be easy to find someone as talented as I am.”

Howard raised his hands in surrender and murmured as if giving up.

“Fine, fine. It all depends on how Anne feels. If she decides to go, I won’t interfere any further.”

“Alright.”

By this point, the two were speaking more casually with each other. They weren’t friends, but a sense of camaraderie had begun to form between them.

“I’m rooting for you two, in my own way.”

It wasn’t the encouragement he wanted, but it didn’t feel bad. And thinking that Howard had a hand in ensuring Anne could stay in such a good environment made Evan feel a bit grateful.

But there was one thing that needed to be made clear.

“Stop playing her lover. If you cross the line any further, I won’t let it slide.”

Evan’s cold voice echoed in the hospital room, but Howard responded with a relaxed smile.

“We’ll see, depending on the situation.”

TL NOTE: Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories