Richard was still surrounded by the noble ladies. Her mother, Patricia, was also among them by now. Courtney stared at Richard’s profile with a sullen expression.
Even though she had not asked, he went out of his way to spread such rumors, without caring that it would damage his own dignity.
Feeling her gaze, Richard turned his head. As soon as their eyes met, he flashed a charming smile.
Despite his impure motives, he always did his best to take care of Courtney. So, even after she discovered he was a pervert, she could not help but feel her heart flutter.
“Wow, what a dazzling smile.”
“You must really care about Lady Devon.”
“I’m so jealous.”
With these comments coming from all around, Courtney felt unnecessarily shy. She was about to look away when Richard excused himself from the group and walked towards her with his long strides.
The ladies gasped in admiration and scattered like a flock of sparrows. Courtney awkwardly stood up and opened her mouth.
“Why are you doing this?”
“I’m leaving now.”
“Oh, okay.”
“But I forgot something.”
She tilted her head, not understanding. Richard smiled mysteriously and bent slightly towards her.
His lips gently brushed Courtney’s cheek. The kiss was light and quick, but it left her frozen like one of the statues decorating the garden. It felt like the entire atmosphere had vanished; everyone who had been watching held their breath and fell silent.
With the rustling sound of the wind, Courtney snapped back to reality.
“W-what was that…!”
“See you later.”
Leaving Courtney as red as a ripe octopus, Richard turned and walked away nonchalantly.
As she stood there in a daze, the girls quickly surrounded her. A public display of affection from such a powerful figure as the Crown Prince was more intriguing to them than a war.
“Oh my, my heart almost stopped.”
“How could he be so romantic?”
“His eyes were completely filled with love.”
It was a scene befitting a blossoming spring day. The girls, with dreamy expressions, showered Courtney with envious praise. And then, an overly excited young lady made an unforgivable mistake.
“Right? That odd Prince Richard…”
The air grew cold as if someone had poured icy water over them. The Crown Prince was known to be kind and gentle, but it was a well-known fact that he could be utterly ruthless to those who displeased him. The girls who followed him knew this better than anyone.
Of course, as with all power, not every truth was to be spoken. The girl who made the mistake began to back away.
“I must go now. My grandmother is unwell.”
“Oh, hurry home then.”
“No, wait.”
Courtney tried to stop her, but the other girls urged her to leave quickly. The girl who had misspoken fled in a hurry.
Courtney turned to Celine Aberdeen, who had been the friendliest.
“Lady Aberdeen, I’m not very knowledgeable. Could you tell me about the Crown Prince?”
“What could I possibly know that Lady Devon doesn’t?”
“Lady Anson?”
“The Crown Prince is always perfect in every way. Handsome and kind. Everyone thinks so, right?”
“Of course.”
Hannah Anson’s over-the-top praise was met with unanimous agreement. Courtney felt at a loss, as if they had rehearsed this without her.
Sensing the opportunity, the oldest and most perceptive, Hannah, changed the subject.
“Now, let’s talk about something else. Lady Devon, which seamstress is making your wedding dress?”
“Will the wedding be in the palace? In the grand cathedral, perhaps?”
“Well… nothing’s decided yet.”
That day’s tea party buzzed with talk of Courtney Devon’s upcoming wedding to the Crown Prince, but no one made any more mistakes.
Courtney’s mind grew more tangled. The Crown Prince, who she had thought was merely a pervert, was turning out to be a potential tyrant with a twisted personality. She doubted if this marriage could proceed smoothly. She was losing confidence.
Chapter 3
From the day after the tea party, Courtney began her own investigation into the Crown Prince. However, with no real friends to rely on, there wasn’t much she could uncover.
She found a few unconfirmed rumors, like the one about him breaking the fingers of a noble who had insulted him. The Crown Prince breaking someone’s fingers for being rude to him didn’t seem that strange. Just a bit hot-tempered.
There must be something more, she thought. Courtney decided it might be faster to ask him directly and concluded her investigation.
Anyway, she spent today organizing the accounts. She was settling debts with the dowry the Emperor had provided and preparing the estate inventory for management by a proxy after her marriage.
A knock at the door made her look up to see Hanson standing at the slightly open study door.
“Lady Devon, are you busy?”
“No, come in.”
Hanson bowed politely as he entered. He had just returned from an audience with the Crown Prince at the palace.
As they say, the position shapes the person. Courtney had grown used to the respectful behavior of her servants. This was a positive change in Hanson’s eyes. The Crown Princess must not feel awkward commanding people.
“Yes, the Crown Prince asked if you could accompany him on an outing sometime.”
“I’m available anytime… any time is fine…”
Courtney trailed off as she answered without much thought. Richard’s words from the tea party came to mind. He had said he would take his punishment later. Was he hoping to do something like what was in that book? Her face heated up at the thought.
“Hmm. Then tomorrow.”
“Understood.”
As soon as Hanson left, she sighed deeply. She had read that suspicious book several times after finishing it, but she still was not sure she could do what was described. To be honest, she doubted she would ever gain the confidence.
It would be nice to discuss this with someone, but she was too embarrassed to talk to Hanson, and she could not just blurt out the Crown Prince’s secrets to anyone.
“This is driving me crazy…”
She buried her head in her hands, and just then, the door Hanson had just closed swung open again.
“Hey! Courtney!”
The culprit was Frederick Devon, the root cause of all her headaches. Without lifting her head, Courtney replied curtly.
“What.”
“Hey, look at me.”
Courtney reluctantly looked up. Her brother’s face, now bruise-free and perfectly fine, was as obnoxious as ever.
“What is it? What do you want?”
“Some money.”
Did he think she was his bank? Even if he had left money with her, she would not want to give it to him now. This was why she avoided dealing with him. She waved her hand dismissively, as if shooing away a fly.
“Get lost.”
“Listen to me for a second.”
He barked while she continued to check her estate inventory from the top. Ignored, Frederick continued his pathetic rambling.
“I have a great business plan.”
“Keep it to yourself.”
“Come on, really.”
Courtney glared at him and grabbed a new ink bottle from the desk. Knowing that it could fly at him, Frederick quickly backed down.
“Dear sister, please hear me out.”
“No, and no.”
Contrary to her expectations, Frederick had not put up much of a fight when banned from gambling houses recently. Then again, he always talked about quitting once he won big and started a business, so gambling might not be the issue anymore.
Despite her uncooperative attitude, Frederick rambled on about his foolish plan.
“It’s a really great idea. A servant who used to work at the Chelder household stole the design for a magical mill…”
“Are you crazy? Stealing is your business plan?”
“It’s free competition. They wouldn’t dare report it, would they?”
“Yes, I will report it, so get lost with your nonsense.”
She had to tell him to get lost and go away several times before Frederick finally lost his temper. He had already boasted to his friends that he would provide the initial funds.
“Hey, I’m doing this to revive our family…”
“You’re the reason it’s falling apart, so get lost!”
Finally, Courtney threw everything within reach—books, pens, the ink bottle. Frederick cursed but couldn’t get into a physical fight with his only source of money.
After kicking him out, she buried her head in her hands again. A fallen god must have cursed her life.
Thinking about meeting Richard tomorrow made her stomach churn. She dreaded what might happen. When the Crown Prince first proposed, she thought it was finally her lucky break.
But harsh reality—one mountain after another. Regardless of her fear for tomorrow, today’s sun was already setting outside her window.
Leave a Reply