Hello, Readers! I am celebrating my birthday with extra chapter updates, so please enjoy this special chapter release of 4 bonus chapters! 🥳

(Lurelia’s Birthday Bonus – Update 3/4 🎉)

♡ To all readers who purchased these chapters before my Birthday: I can’t express this enough – Thank you for your support. (*ˊᗜˋ*)/ᵗᑋᵃᐢᵏ ᵞᵒᵘ*

I naturally assumed Kyron would sit in the chair I had been in and engage in a calm conversation, at least maintaining basic decorum.

I realized how wrong I was in the very next moment.

“I was planning to visit you first, but since you’ve shown up here, thank you, Your Highness.”

Kyron roughly grabbed the Crown Prince’s arm.

Is he insane?! Is he seriously picking a fight in a place with so many onlookers?

Kyron glared at the Crown Prince like he was a sworn enemy, as if he wanted to kill him.

I wasn’t the only one shocked. The Crown Prince, too, seemed taken aback by the sudden turn of events. His earlier sneering demeanor was nowhere to be seen.

“What is the meaning of this?”

“Don’t mess with what’s mine.”

Even from a distance, I could see Kyron’s hand trembling. It seemed he was gripping the Crown Prince’s arm with considerable strength.

“If you need me, I suggest you act appropriately. Don’t overstep your bounds.”

With those final words, which sounded like a warning, Kyron released his trembling hand.

I hadn’t been able to breathe the entire time this was happening. If two men with such powerful builds started fighting, it would turn into utter chaos.

“It seems calling each other ‘friends’ is too much for us after all.”

The Crown Prince brushed off his clothes with a flick of his hand.

“I sincerely hope you come to your senses soon.”

He shot a sharp glare at Kyron before getting up.

***

On the way back, Kyron’s expression remained dark the entire time we were in the carriage.

He didn’t look at me even once.

“Why did you do that? No matter how angry you were, that was too much!”

“Do you even know why I was angry?”

“…?”

Wasn’t it because of the exchange between the Crown Prince and me? Kyron spoke as though there were some deeper reason.

“Are you siding with the Crown Prince because you’re his fan?”

He closed his eyes tightly for a moment, then opened them, still staring out the window. No matter how I looked at him, he didn’t seem to have calmed down yet.

“You must have hated it when someone as insincere as me proposed to you, considering you’re a fan of the Crown Prince.”

His tone was uncharacteristically sarcastic.

Was he acting like this just because I said I was a fan of the Crown Prince?

“Don’t tell me… you’re jealous?”

Jealousy didn’t suit his character. I wanted to believe it wasn’t true.

But no matter how hard I tried to dismiss the thought, his behavior really did resemble jealousy.

“That’s ridiculous.”

“It seems like you are.”

“I’m not.”

Kyron denied it to the end, but no matter how I looked at it, his behavior could only be explained as jealousy.

“I don’t even like the Crown Prince that much. I just said whatever came to mind because he kept pressing me with questions.”

Kyron didn’t seem to fully believe me.

“You said you liked his looks, his build, and the fact that he’d stop at nothing. Didn’t you?”

“So you’re jealous about that? Honestly, if you leave out the last part, the first two apply to you as well.”

In fact, before our marriage, Kyron was more popular among the young noblewomen than the Crown Prince. Back then, the Crown Prince was even more of a walking disaster, his foul mouth earning him a terrible reputation.

Compared to the Crown Prince, who picked fights with everyone he met, Kyron, who didn’t spare anyone a glance, was far more appealing to the noblewomen.

At my words, Kyron finally turned his gaze away from the window and looked at me, as if asking if I really thought that.

“Why would I like the Crown Prince? I was just flattering him because he was in front of me.”

“Flattering him? Is that how you flatter people? How shallow.”

The word “flattering” seemed to bother him. He frowned and turned back to the window.

The more I thought about it, the more absurd it felt. Why did it matter to him whether I was a fan of the Crown Prince or anyone else?

Perhaps, as my husband, he felt a slight sense of responsibility or camaraderie.

It wasn’t love or possessiveness, but maybe a sense of solidarity, knowing we’d be spending the rest of our lives as partners.

Now that I thought about it, he had referred to me as “my person” earlier.

If that’s the case, then I could understand his reaction.

He might have felt betrayed as a comrade. If that was the case, I needed to make sure he understood how little I cared for the Crown Prince to prevent further misunderstandings.

“I really don’t like the Crown Prince. I even have a reason. I heard a rumor about him somewhere.”

I lowered my voice, speaking in a way that suggested I was sharing a secret, which seemed to pique Kyron’s interest.

“A rumor?”

“I don’t know if you’ve heard this, but apparently, when the Crown Prince needs an alias, he uses a woman’s name. Isn’t that creepy?”

“A woman’s… name?”

“He’s so weird. When I heard that, I completely lost all interest in him. So don’t worry. I’m definitely not a fan of the Crown Prince.”

I pretended to shudder.

“…Is that strange?”

“Yes, it’s creepy. Don’t you think so?”

“….”

He didn’t respond, just stared at me, looking oddly flustered.

Since Kyron worked with the Crown Prince occasionally, he must have known about the aliases. Maybe he even knew the Crown Prince used the Saintess’s real name.

But why was he reacting like that?

Did he not think it was strange?

***

Lia often talked about how much she enjoyed our recent trip to Pierce.

Sometimes, while I rested at the hotel, Lia would have free time, and she would chatter about her experiences during those moments. It must have left a strong impression on her since it was her first time visiting the area.

However, thanks to her stories, I ended up learning some unwelcome news.

She informed me of a recent issue in Pierce.

“I read in the newspaper that priests recently visited the area.”

…Priests?

“What?”

“Would you like to read the article, Madam? Should I bring it to you?”

Since Pierce is a town with an old temple, there were plenty of other reasons for priests to visit. But still… I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that it might be because of the ‘Priest’s Stone.’

It felt like the kind of dread you feel when a troublemaker runs away after causing a mess.

“Yes, I want to read it right away.”

As I read the newspaper Lia brought, my heart began to race faster and faster.

The article reported that priests had come to Pierce to investigate the person who had moved the ‘Priest’s Stone.’

Weren’t they supposed to be corrupt?! Lazy and incompetent?! Do they need a new recruit to boss around? Why are they starting the search so soon?

I pressed my throbbing forehead.

“Madam, are you feeling unwell?”

“No, I’m fine. I’m fine, but… actually, I’m not fine at all.”

“Pardon?”

I knew from the original story just how greedy and incompetent those priests were. I also knew that if they caught me, my life would be far from smooth.

Even the Crown Prince is pressing Kyron to act, so what is Kyron doing right now?!

I need to convince him to act as quickly as possible.