Chapter 86
#086. A Heartfelt Gift to His Fiancée
Early morning at the Crown Prince's Palace.
Count Hagis headed towards the Crown Prince's bedroom, carrying two large pink velvet boxes.
Just moments ago, these two boxes had arrived from the Marquis Etel's residence, containing the Crown Prince's formal attire and shoes. A card, sprayed with a sweet fragrance, was also attached to the large ribbon on top of the boxes.
I will be entering the Imperial Palace soon after I finish getting ready. Yours, Maria.
It was the same message as any other ball.
It had been quite some time since Maria Etel would enter the Imperial Palace before every ball, get ready with the Crown Prince, and accompany him to the entrance of the ball.
However.
Count Hagis paused for a moment. He gazed at the garden beyond the glass window.
Last night, the dew had been particularly heavy. The mist that had risen over the garden was slowly dissipating, and the dreamy atmosphere was enough to make the garden seem mystical.
It was an atmosphere that reminded him of Madeleine, the Princess who had been so confident as the hostess of the ball yesterday.
Count Hagis, who had been staring blankly at the garden as if he were possessed, widened his eyes at the dimly shining sunlight. The grass in the garden reflected the faint sunlight, shimmering in silver.
Like the silver Tiaje Palace.
Count Hagis smiled bitterly and resumed his walk towards the bedroom. Last night, the Crown Prince had gone out to the balcony and had not returned to the ballroom until the end of the ball.
Rumors spread like wildfire throughout the ballroom that the Crown Prince seemed quite heartbroken by Madeleine's rejection. Thanks to that, the Crown Prince was only able to return to his bedroom after all the nobles had left the Imperial Palace.
As he approached the Crown Prince's bedroom, the servant in front of the door carefully opened it.
Inside the bedroom, where little light penetrated, Count Hagis familiarly approached the bed. Yesterday, the Crown Prince had drunk heavily even after entering the bedroom.
Even for the Crown Prince, who was known for his strong tolerance for alcohol, he should be sound asleep by now.
"...Is there any letter for me?A low, deep voice was heard. Startled, Count Hagis turned around.
The Crown Prince, who rarely woke up early the day after drinking, was sitting on the sofa. Count Hagis composed himself and replied.
"Th-the Lady Etel has sent the formal attire. And a card announcing her arrival at the Imperial Palace, as always."
"From Olivia?"
The Crown Prince's voice, strained with gritted teeth, cut off Count Hagis's words. Usually, a quick answer would have followed, but silence lingered.
Leopold turned his head to look at Count Hagis. In Leopold's eyes, which had grown accustomed to the darkness, he could clearly see Count Hagis hesitating with a flustered expression.
It was a clear answer.
...It was truly unbelievable.
At the same time as his strength drained away, the calm voice that had echoed in his head all night repeated itself.
"I would appreciate it if you would refrain from using nicknames when addressing me in the future."
This was absurd.
Leopold had endured throughout the pitch-black night. At least, if it were Olivia whom he knew, she would have sent an excuse or a reason for this.
If that were the case, this would be,
"...Something that will end as a bad dream."
Leopold muttered in a voice thick with emotion. The seething anger savagely clawed at the inside of his throat, but Leopold couldn't even feel the pain.
Yes, he thought it could be dismissed as a nightmare. A dream that would disappear after he woke up, nothing more.
It was impossible for Olivia to brush past him, reject his nickname, and wear the same ring as someone else.
But to have no contact even until this morning.
The moment the thought that something was wrong was increasingly confirmed, Leopold's mind became entangled with the events of yesterday.
Olivia rejecting his nickname. Olivia appearing with the same ring as the Grand Duke. And Olivia looking at someone with a sparkling face...!
A chilling premonition swept through his heart.
Olivia had changed. In a very bad way.
Leopold gasped and inhaled. A terrible pain assailed Leopold. Even though he knew it was an absurd assumption, he couldn't erase the rising premonition.
"Y-Your Highness! Are you alright?"
Count Hagis, startled by the dying breath, hurriedly ran to the window. And he drew back the curtains.
Soon, brilliant sunlight flooded the room.
Leopold frowned at the blindingly intense sunlight. As his eyes gradually adjusted to the light, the garden that stretched out beyond the glass window was etched into his vision.
"Summon the physician immediately!"
"...My garden is shining in silver."
Count Hagis, who was about to pull the bell cord, turned around at the unfamiliar voice.
Unlike the voice that had gasped for breath in the darkness just a moment ago, the Crown Prince looked perfectly fine. His handsome face, showing no signs of having stayed up all night, was gazing at the garden with a strange look in his eyes that was impossible to fathom.
Following his gaze, he saw a spectacle that was indeed worthy of being called silver.
But Count Hagis couldn't say anything. Because there was no one in this Imperial Palace who didn't know who the 'silver' referred to.
Count Hagis's heart beat strangely.
Right now, Count Hagis felt like he could predict what words would come from the Crown Prince's slowly falling lips.
"...Olivia."
And Count Hagis's thoughts were exactly right. He bowed his head and replied.
"The Princess returned to the Grand Duke's Residence with the Grand Duke yesterday."
It was the residence he had guessed, but it made him feel even more disgusted than he had heard before.
He had to change Olivia's residence to Tiaje Palace, or rather, to the Crown Princess Consort's room in this Crown Prince's Palace, immediately. Now that Olivia had returned to the capital, it was the perfect time.
If he could just hold out for a few more months, it would be a year, and then, as soon as the engagement period with Maria ended, he could hold a state wedding with Olivia, and everything would return to its original place.
Impatience consumed Leopold.
The image of yesterday's Olivia, who seemed to be disappearing at any moment, was vivid in his mind, and Leopold spat out hoarsely.
"...Bring her here so I can see her before the ball today."
"I am sorry, but Your Highness's schedule is full before the ball."
"Clear it."
Count Hagis, a competent aide, would be able to adjust the schedule as much as he wanted. But unlike usual, Count Hagis bowed his head.
"I apologize, Your Highness. The first meeting with the Heferti Delegation cannot be adjusted. After that, the greetings from the delegation of the Kingdom of Oran are waiting."
Leopold cursed inwardly at the returning answer. A brief regret lingered at the end of his sharp eyes, but it was useless.
No matter how desperate he was, Leopold was the Crown Prince.
It was the first meeting with Heferti after the war. Since the Grand Duke had chosen the negotiations with Heferti as his first official duty, today's greeting would be the cornerstone of the negotiations, not just a simple greeting.
Instead, Leopold's brilliant mind chose another plan.
"Send Olivia a dress."
A dress. Count Hagis hesitated for a moment. He had sent dresses to the Princess many times in the past, but the Crown Prince's order now felt a little different.
"What kind of dress should I send?"
"Well."
Leopold, who was about to mention the splendid dress she had worn yesterday, closed his mouth for a moment. That fairy-like beauty was not for him.
He remembered Olivia, who had worn a dark-colored dress but whose eyes had sparkled as if he were the only one in the world. Even if it wasn't entirely to his liking, if those ambiguous dresses could bring Olivia back to her original self. It was a moment of contemplation.
"How about it, Your Highness?"
A slightly trembling voice, as if she was very nervous, echoed beyond the old memories. Leopold frowned and rummaged through his memories.
It seemed to be a very hot day. It was definitely one of the days when he was preparing for his engagement ceremony with Olivia. That day, Olivia had asked him, wearing a dazzling white dress.
Only when the image of Olivia, looking at him with expectations filling her youthful face, became clearer, did Leopold open his tightly closed lips and answer.
"White. White would be good."
As if recalling a rather old memory, Leopold's sea-blue eyes became affectionate. With that level of memory, Olivia would surely recall the eleven years of emotions she had held.
But unfortunately, Leopold had completely forgotten what answer he had given to Olivia's question in that old memory.
"...I knew it wouldn't be great, but I didn't know it would be this bad. The Princess isn't the type to look radiant."
"...I understand, Your Highness. As you said, from now on, white dresses will..."
The face that blinked her big eyes repeatedly as if she wouldn't cry, and the small hands that tightly gripped the hem of the dress.
Leopold didn't remember any of it. Just like he was completely forgetting his current lover, Maria Etel.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, after Leopold entered the bathroom.
Count Hagis, who had told the Chamberlain about the dress, let out a light sigh. A white dress. It was fortunate that there were many options. In addition, there were no orders regarding His Highness's own formal attire.
Count Hagis opened the box with a thud. Maria Etel's formal attire was, as always, the shape and material that best suited His Highness the Crown Prince.
Count Hagis, who was carefully examining the formal attire, unknowingly let out a small breath.
The elaborately embroidered imperial family crest and the perfectly tailored formal attire. No, this was not just a well-made formal attire, it was an excessively formal attire. It was the kind that would be used at an engagement ceremony or a wedding.
Count Hagis hurriedly shook his head. He must have been too engrossed in the 'white dress' that His Highness the Crown Prince had mentioned a moment ago. An engagement ceremony for the summer ball.
Forcibly ignoring the ominous feeling that was creeping up on him, Count Hagis put down the formal attire. He was already overwhelmed just by trying to fathom the changing heart of the Crown Prince.
* * *
"...No matter what, you must attend tomorrow!"
The shrill scream echoed in her head.
The resentful eyes that looked at her as if she were a bad person, and the triumphant appearance as if she believed that something would change if she attended the ball today.
If she went to the ball today, what would change?
"...Via. Olivia?"
A soft voice called Olivia. Awakening from her self-deprecating thoughts, Olivia was startled and raised her head.
The reception room of the Grand Duke's Residence in the capital.
Edwin, who was sitting right in front of her, was holding a letter and looking at Olivia. And after looking at her face, he shook his head.
"This won't do. Olivia."
"Yes?"
"You need to go back to the Territory of Vikander soon. There are too many things here that are stealing my lady's attention."
Sobel, who knew how hard the Grand Duke was gritting his teeth under the quietly summarized words, said nothing.
But to Olivia, it was just a rather amusing joke.
Seeing her face quickly brighten with a smile, Edwin forced down the rising emotions.
And he said in a pleading voice, as if he were suffering.
"It's not something to laugh about like that. I'm really serious. I don't know if Olivia knows, but just know that I'm really holding back."
"If you don't hold back,"
Olivia, who was about to continue the joke cheerfully, stopped speaking for a moment.
When Edwin's red eyes, which had been pretending to pity her, flashed darkly, Olivia thought that perhaps Edwin's words were half-serious, and continued her words.
"...I won't ask the foolish question of what you would do."
"You can ask it perfectly fine. For me."
Perhaps he was holding back more than half... Edwin's seductive voice, as if he were tempting her, was lowered.
Olivia, who had been looking at Edwin with a voice so handsome that her cheeks were flushed, realized and looked at Sobel.
Sobel, who had been observing the pink atmosphere without making it obvious, lowered his gaze with a straight face.
"...After you check the letters and reply, I will send someone right away."
Letters...?
Olivia, who was bewildered by the sudden words, finally realized the existence of the letters that were piled up on the table, not just the letter that Edwin was holding.
"Are those all letters for me?"
The letters with the imperial family's seal were carelessly thrown on the floor, but neither Olivia nor Edwin pointed it out.
"Yes. Well."
Edwin, who was looking at the letters as if he didn't like them, immediately shook the letter he was holding.
"Among them, if there is a letter that Olivia would care about, it would be this one?"
Olivia's face brightened as she checked Esella's personal seal stamped on the pretty pink envelope. Edwin, who was watching her with loosely curved eyes, composed his expression and quickly hid the letter behind his back.
Huh?
As Olivia blinked her big eyes, a subtle voice turned to Olivia.
"If I give you this letter, what will my lady give me?"
"Isn't it a letter that came to me anyway?"
"It's in my hands now."
His languid eyes did not miss Olivia. The unavoidable gaze became increasingly seductive.
Her reddening cheeks, her flushed neck, her pouty lips.
Edwin's expression gradually relaxed as he looked at her eyes, which were constantly meeting his as if she didn't know what to do.
"...You're being petty."
"Sometimes I have to be petty to try harder than my lady, who only gives me attention."
He wouldn't give in a single word. Although it was not intentional, her lips, which she had deliberately pouted, were very seductive to the man who had put on the face of a gentleman. Edwin, who had slowly moved his Adam's apple, slowly got up.
Of course, he didn't forget to wave his hand as if telling Sobel to leave.
With this level of nagging, it was a very light case of being upset that his attention had been stolen. Edwin swallowed a smile.
* * *
At that time, the main gate of the Imperial Palace, where the sunlight was blazing.
"What, did you say?!"
The Viscount and Viscountess Katangta, who had been making a dazed expression as if they were overwhelmed by the large and magnificent castle walls, asked back in embarrassment.
"Please check again. Surely, Her Highness the Princess...!"
"Unfortunately."
With a face that was not at all regretful, the Knight repeated what he had said.
"Your names are not on the invitation list for the ball."
The faces of the Viscount and Viscountess Katangta soon turned bright red.
