The Only Way to Break the Curse is Through Contact with You - Chapter 27
Diart looked at the woman with purple hair, ignoring their blatant criticisms. It was the hair that I knew well.
I didn’t expect to encounter her here, but I couldn’t help but keep my gaze on her. It must be because of Crown Prince Jarvis, who’s famous for his lecherous behavior, as he looks down at her and smiled sweetly.
‘No need to worry.’
I had never cared before, and now that divorce was imminent, I would have even less reason to do so. Diart turned his back on the two people heading towards the terrace and walked away. His confident strides came to an abrupt halt after a short distance.
“What is it, Your Excellency?”
Without answering Milto’s question, Diart turned back on the path he had taken. And before he knew it, he headed towards the terrace where the two people had disappeared from his sight.
Ignoring Milto and Lambert exchanging confused glances, Diart leaned against the wall, leaving the terrace behind him. Through the open terrace door, he could hear the humid summer breeze and the voices of the two people.
“By the way, Your Highness, where do you usually meet women?”
“I didn’t know you were interested in me.”
The conversation that came through the silk curtains looked quite enjoyable.
“I never thought we’d really see the Crown Prince here.”
Milto scratched the back of his head. He had only meant it as a joke; he had no idea that the Crown Prince would be attending this ball. Lambert shrugged, looking towards the terrace.
“Well, I’ve seen him at social gatherings before, so I figured he’d be somewhere around here tonight. But I didn’t think he’d still have the same hair color. And how about the fact that he’s blatantly being rejected but still pretending not to hear it? That’s quite something, Your Highness.”
“That lady is very resolute, even though she knows he is the Crown Prince.”
At that moment, they heard the Crown Prince laugh happily. Milto and Lambert turned to look at him.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen His Highness laugh so happily.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Even though it seems like he’s carefree, he’s surprisingly good at keeping up appearances and sticking to decorum. He doesn’t easily let people into his inner circle.”
“It seems like His Highness really likes that lady.”
“Indeed. He has to settle down soon as well. He won’t be able to live recklessly forever since he’s going to be the Emperor soon.”
“But the more I listen, the more familiar that lady’s voice sounds.”
“Really? I was actually thinking the same thing… “
Lost in thought, Lambert suddenly looked shocked as if he had thought of someone. Diart jerked his chin towards Lambert who turned his head in his direction.
“Instead of gossiping, take a look around.”
“We’re talking between ourselves….”
“I think that man over there is a bit suspicious. Your Excellency, we’ll go check it out!”
Lambert shouted as he covered Milto’s mouth with his hand and dragged him away. Diart detached himself from the wall and turned his head towards the terrace, where the Crown Prince was looking down at Roeni with a happy smile. Even from afar, his gaze was filled with affection.
“It would be an honor to have the opportunity to take the first step with you towards a dazzling future.”
The Crown Prince, who had politely asked her to dance, glanced briefly around.
“The music has just changed.”
Through the curtains, Diart’s and the Crown Prince’s eyes met. It was a brief moment, but a strange current flowed between them.
The Crown Prince, who turned his gaze away first, whispered to Roeni, and she took his hand. His large hand pulled her waist closer, and the two of them were so close that they could feel each other’s breath.
They started dancing together as soon as the music started playing. Whenever the Crown Prince played a prank, Roeni stomped on his foot with an annoyed face, and he laughed wickedly.
“At this point, are you just stomping on me?”
“No way. It’s just because I’m not good at dancing. Don’t get me wrong.”
As she spoke, Roeni stomped on the Crown Prince’s foot again. He groaned but had a cheerful expression on his face.
They danced, stepped on each other’s feet, grumbled, and pouted, but they laughed as if they were having fun. They clearly looked like lovers playing around.
And finally, the dance ended. The Crown Prince held onto the railing and groaned as his feet had been stepped on throughout the dance.
“This is the first time I’ve been trampled so mercilessly by a lady.”
“I apologize.”
Roeni replied with a face that showed no sincerity, smiling smugly. It was a refreshing expression.
“Please help me.”
“Huh? Me?”
Roeni looked down at the Crown Prince’s outstretched hand and stepped back.
“I think I need to sit down and rest a bit. With this foot, I don’t think I can walk all the way back to the hall alone.”
“Even so, relying on a stranger like me…”
“How heartless. It’s really because I can’t walk.”
The Crown Prince urged his hand forward.
“I can’t help it. It’s not right to pretend not to notice someone who’s in pain.”
“Well, thank you for that.”
“Now, take my hand.”
As Roeni’s words fell, the Crown Prince firmly grasped her hand and stood up, placing one arm over her shoulder. Roeni stifled a groan at the sudden weight.
“For a robust man like me to rely on a pitiful woman like you, it’s quite a sight.”
“And yet, you can’t even walk because that pitiful woman stepped on you.”
“That’s because of your stubborn steps.”
“Yes, yes. Where should we go?”
Roeni pretended to have heard the Crown Prince’s words and supported him. In the meantime, the atmosphere of the ball had become even more lively, with more playful music flowing in the hall than before.
Diart, who had been hiding his body, watched Roeni’s back as she crossed the hall with a groan. Judging by the crown prince’s smiling face as he looked down at her, it was clear that not being able to walk was an excuse for him to play tricks.
No wonder, as the Crown Prince took advantage of the opportunity when she was supporting him and twisted her purple hair around his fingers with a very satisfied expression.
‘What am I doing?’
Diart couldn’t understand why he was watching the two of them here. Eavesdropping was not something that suited him.
He recalled why he had come to the ball today. He had to find a spy who was working with the kingdom. He didn’t have time to worry about trivial things, so he turned around.
But even as he strode through the hall, he couldn’t understand why he kept feeling someone watching him from behind.
***
‘It must be curiosity.’
She had been chasing after him for over twenty years. But one day, as if someone else had taken over her, she suddenly lost interest in him.
At first, he thought it was another trick, but he had been watching her closely enough to know that she was sincere.
It was probably because he was worried that the presence that always annoyed him suddenly disappeared. Just like when you suddenly can’t see the dog that you haven’t been paying attention to.
But this too was only temporary. He was not free enough to pay attention to a woman who didn’t interest him. So the promise that Roeni made with the Crown Prince to meet in three days in the capital would soon be erased from his mind.
Diart casually wiped his mouth with a napkin.