The Only Way to Break the Curse is Through Contact with You

#87

“Stay here.”

The place the maid guided me to was an outer building connected to the palace. It was furnished and decorated on a scale that would be believable even if it were called a separate palace. But Diart’s expression, after he had briefly glanced inside, seemed dissatisfied.

“How crude.”

I internally shook my head at Diart’s disdainful attitude.

‘I double you’d find anything to your liking here.’

Since we arrived at the nearby forest through the portal, Diart’s mood has visibly soured. Throughout our journey across Montrenoir, his raised eyebrows didn’t relax, and as we passed through the palace, a subtle discomfort emanated from his shoulders, openly revealing his discomfort.

As a result, the tense atmosphere that had filled the carriage dissipated, but I became tense in a different way.

‘This banquet, will it end without incident?’

Amidst all this, Diart, who seemed determined not to let go as an escort, reached out his hand to me as soon as the coachman opened the carriage door. I couldn’t bring myself to grasp that hand, knowing the sensations I would feel.

Feeling the tension that seemed to have reached its limit inside the carriage, I turned my gaze to Milto, who was standing opposite Diart. Milto, who was glancing at Diart with a puzzled look on his face when I held out a hand in front of him, reluctantly escorted me due to my insistence.

Diart’s frustration was evident in the fierce stare I felt over Milto’s flinching shoulder.

“Roeni.”

Diart called my name with a hint of displeasure in his voice and stood in front of me and Milto, blocking his way. Despite his hand reaching out towards me as though asking me to grab it quickly, his eyes were fixed on Milto. Milto gave me a glance and asked me to save him. I had no choice but to approach Diart, and instead of his outstretched hand, I grabbed his wrist, which was wrapped around his clothes. Diart furrowed his brow.

I didn’t want to provoke his mood, which was already sharper than usual. I was the one who needed contact with Diart more than anyone else right now. But my senses had become sensitive due to the fact that I hadn’t been in contact with him for a long time, so even touching him made me feel uneasy.

What if he loses control of his temper and attacks the imperial palace instead of the mansion? Then, one more rumor of a fire on top of the already bad reputation would be added.

‘Well, it doesn’t matter since our reputation is already a mess anyway.’

In any case, Diart’s mood, which was already bad, seemed to be getting worse because of that.

“I’ll meet the emperor and come back.”

Diart’s eyebrows shot up, as they always did when he was in a bad mood. There was one reason why the Crown Prince’s birthday party, which usually lasted only one night, was held for two days. In fact, the real purpose of this party was not to celebrate Jarvis’ birthday but to show the nobles that the relationship between the imperial family and the Wheatons was strong despite rumors.

By allowing Diart to stay at the palace for two days, the Emperor showed that he did not suspect him, and Diart, accompanied by only a few knights, enters the palace, which was guarded by the imperial guards, to show that he has no intention of rebellion. It was written in Leticia’s letter that Diart and the emperor had already agreed on this.

‘But if he goes to meet the emperor with that face, no one will believe it.’

Now, it looked like he wouldn’t let anyone get away with anything. I shouted at Diart’s back with a thought in mind.

“I want to live in peace, okay?!”

He half-turned his body to look at me.

“I understand. I’m going to let you live that way.”

I’m not sure which part of my words pleased him, but Diart answered with a relaxed expression and even a faint smile. As I stared blankly, unable to adapt to the sudden change in temperature, he came back and grabbed my shoulder, urging me.

“Don’t move from here until I return. Don’t go anywhere. Don’t meet anyone.”

I nodded my head in understanding, and Diart stretched his lips before leaving the reception room. Even his shoulders, which were stiff just a moment ago, seemed light, which puzzled me as I sat down on the sofa, tilting my head.

How long has it been since I spent time chatting with Lily? Diart hasn’t returned yet; his meeting with the emperor is taking a long time. Today, on the first day of the banquet, I heard that a simple reception and small events were taking place in the rear garden, so I dressed in a light evening dress and headed to the annex.

I thought about waiting, recalling Diart’s words when he told me not to go anywhere, but I couldn’t just wait indefinitely because I didn’t know when he would come. I had to show the nobles that I attended the banquet and that I had already made plans to meet with Leticia.

Being in the same space as Jarvis would attract attention, but it would be better to act nonchalant and prove that the rumors were false. Leticia would also be there, so it should be fine.

I asked Lily and Milto to accompany me after I told them to tell Diart that I would go to the rear garden first. We left for the annex.

* * *

“Only the Duchess can enter the inner area.”

As I entered the interior, leaving Lily and Milto at the entrance guarded by palace guards, the gaze of the nobles turned towards me.

Although they looked at me strangely or whispered among themselves, I didn’t care. Diart, who had heard that I went to the rear garden first, would come straight here.

“Oh my, Roeni!”

When I turned my head at the familiar voice, Leticia, who was surrounded by noblewomen, approached me with a delighted expression and grabbed my hand.

“Goodness, it’s been so long since we last saw each other.”

Do you know how much I wanted to see you during that time? Tears welled up in Leticia’s eyes.

“Me too. I missed you so much, Leticia.”

After experiencing so many events during that time, it felt incredibly joyful to see Leticia again after a year¹. I wanted to embrace her tightly and jump around, but with so many eyes watching, I couldn’t do as I pleased, which was regrettable. Leticia seemed to have the same expression.

Although we exchanged letters during that time, it was our first actual meeting, so I felt a bit anxious. But her gaze towards me was just as it used to be.

Despite the kidnapping incident and the conflicts with the imperial family afterwards, she remained affectionate and warm. Seeing Leticia examine my body several times and pour out her concerns, my tension melted away.

As I chatted happily with Leticia, the gazes of the people who had been looking at me lost interest and drifted away. Finally, I was able to ask about Jarvis’s whereabouts. This was a celebration of his achievement, but I hadn’t seen him since earlier.

“He’ll be here soon. He’s always late, saying that the protagonist is never on time.”

Leticia rolled her eyes as though she were tired of hearing it. I laughed cheerfully at the bickering between the long-lost siblings. Although I needed to see Jarvis’s condition for myself to be completely relieved, seeing him still absent didn’t worry me as much.

“It seems that Duke Wheaton’s meeting with my father is taking a long time.”

I nodded at Leticia’s words. Diart had insulted the imperial family in front of the nobles, and had been at odds against them to the point where there were public rumors about a rebellion, so they must think that there must be some kind of deal going on.

It would be difficult to completely prevent the nobles’ gossip with just this kind of banquet.

At that moment, a bell rang in the place where people had gathered, and the announcer shouted loudly.

“We will now begin the treasure hunt!”

A treasure hunt at the Crown Prince’s birthday? Was that what they meant by a small event? When I turned back with a bewildered expression, Leticia spoke up.

“It’s an inside joke between my brother and me. It’s something we used to do when we were very young. I didn’t know we would do it again when we’re adults.”

She explained it that way. But Leticia lowered her head in embarrassment.

“But I hear there are some pretty good gifts hidden in there, so let’s go find them together.”

Leticia looked disgusted, but she seemed to be enjoying herself secretly. It was much better than a boring party.

“Okay. Since we’re doing this, we should get the best gifts.”

I enthusiastically joined Leticia in the treasure hunt. But no matter how much we searched, we couldn’t find any notes with gifts written on them. Frustrated, I looked around with my eyes wide open and didn’t even notice that Leticia was no longer by my side.

“How could you do this to me!”

As I frantically searched through the bushes, I heard a commotion from the opposite side. With a smack, the man’s jaw turned sharply as he received a slap from the woman. Forgetting about the treasure hunt, I watched them with great interest as they fought.

“Oh my god, oh my god.”

“Couple fights are always the most fun.”

Just as I was admiring the woman’s ruthless attack on the man, I suddenly heard a familiar voice right next to me, causing me to turn my head abruptly.

“Isn’t that right?”

Crown Prince Jarvis looked down at me and smiled mischievously.