142 - Pieces of the Broken Glass Slipper
Shattered Glass Slipper Shards 142
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I can’t believe the Empress asked Roena to take care of the Crown Prince. I just wondered why Roena of all people.
What on earth is she up to? What is she intending?
I forced my lips, which wouldn't fall, to move and said to Roena.
"Okay, I'll ask His Highness. If he allows it, it'll be fine."
Since Pulcher had allowed it, there was no way to refuse unless I dared to confirm it. And she wasn't the type to back down easily if I didn't say it like this.
Surprisingly, Roena readily agreed to my words and nodded. And she kept saying, with a cheerful smile, that she was counting on me.
I don't know why, but she seemed to think that everything would go her way. Her eyes, shining brightly, showed it. I was so surprised by her belief that I wanted to ask her instead.
What on earth are you intending? What do you know that makes you so elated?
This question was easily solved by the Crown Prince.
"It seems Mother is very anxious because I'm not trying to get under her skirt. So she's trying to attach the most beautiful woman in the Empire to me. She must have thought that I, a son famous for being a playboy, wouldn't refuse. Well, I thought it would be fun, so I indulged in that game for a while, but it wasn't as good as I thought."
His face, answering lightly as if it were nothing, was that of a bad man himself. Even the world's greatest playboy couldn't be more cruel than this. The fact that Roena's pure heart was just a brief amusement to him was simply astonishing. Wasn't he in love with her before?
It was a moment when I felt sorry for Roena, who was probably waiting for me to return to the Bishvarts Family mansion, unable to hide her flushed cheeks, for just a brief moment.
The weather was nice today, so I set out for a spring hunting trip with several young masters and ladies. Due to the Crown Prince's attendance, only the cream of the crop, the nobles among nobles, were gathered in this situation, and I was still occupying his side seat with Lady Roshan.
Other nobles watched him carefully and tried to squeeze in somehow, but his refusal was so firm that they couldn't even approach him anymore.
A large circle was drawn around us. Thanks to that, I was glad that I could share such a story without any problems.
Unlike me, who hesitated several times and finally plucked up the courage to talk about Roena, the Crown Prince reacted as if such a topic was nothing. Rather, he aimed his arrow at a deer running far away and continued speaking in an indifferent tone.
"Actually, if I were to connect you with someone, it would be better if it were you."
If it were an ordinary woman, her heart would have dropped and she would have been breathless.
"Your Highness."
Lady Roshan said to him reproachfully. It was a rebuke for how he could say such a thing so casually.
"Lüce, you think so too, don't you? There's no woman like this."
I smiled softly and countered his words.
"Someone who's just good to take advantage of?"
"That's right. But she's Mel's lover, so there's nothing we can do about it, is there? So I can only smack my lips in regret."
It was absurd. I said firmly in a resolute voice.
"I'm not his lover."
"But everyone knows that. And Mel is hoping for it too."
The second arrow pierces the deer's neck. The young deer's body trembled, then slumped powerlessly. Everyone clapped and cheered at the cruel sight. Some praised the Crown Prince's amazing archery skills.
When young masters go hunting, most young ladies sit in the resting place and take a break. That's what happened when I went to the hunting ground with Princess Dieunzel.
But when hunting with the Crown Prince, it was different, as all the women stood far away, watching him like spectators.
Lady Roshan also stood there without complaint, as if she was used to following the Crown Prince. So I was able to watch him catch two rabbits and one deer in a row.
The Crown Prince ordered a servant to check the dead deer and then continued.
"Since I met you, I keep turning Mel away. His jealousy is beyond imagination."
He doesn't believe what he doesn't see. He constantly doubts and doubts until he is convinced himself. It was the nasty thing that Sissae of the past did to Sir Halberd.
But Sir Ayres was repeating the same thing I did back then. I suddenly had a headache and frowned slightly.
"Sir Aires could meet someone better."
At my words, the Crown Prince smiled and took the arrow that the servant had retrieved. He didn't deny the words "someone better" and uttered the words "His stubbornness is the best among us." It was a confession that even he couldn't help it.
At the same time, he twisted his lips and said to me, which was clearly nothing more than a mockery that aroused the other person's shame.
"But are you rejecting Aires to find a man better than Aires?"
It must mean, what are you that you reject a man like Sir Ayres? It was a sound that completely ignored my situation.
At his words, Lüset Roshan took a step forward. She was frowning deeply, as if she was very angry. If I hadn't stepped forward first, she might have forgotten that this was a hunting ground and gotten very angry.
I answered his words in a calm tone.
"Is there anyone better than Sir Ayres? I don't know."
It was a sarcasm that even if he was the Crown Prince, he was inferior to Michael Ayres. It was a perfect return of the mockery he had sent, eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. It was a bold act that I could utter quietly because I was conscious of the shield of Lüset Roshan and the eyes of the people around me.
"Oh, that's a sad thing to say. I admitted that you were a better woman than your sister."
"I think Idi is better than Your Highness."
"What? Idi?"
"Yes, Idi."
I continued speaking nonchalantly.
"That man who blew away the thugs without a second thought. He was much more manly without measuring this and that."
"So you're saying you have feelings for Idi?"
"If he had the same boldness as Wolf Mask, then maybe. But both are lacking."
At my words, the Crown Prince made a strange expression. He suddenly put his hand on his heart and muttered, "Something is stirring."
"It's clear that it's an unintentional word, but strangely, I've become conscious of it? But I have to make sure of what I need to confirm."
Even while talking to me, the Crown Prince skillfully aimed his bow and pierced the prey he was aiming for at once. It was an amazing level of skill.
It is said that the Crown Prince is more skilled with a bow than a sword, and I think I know why such rumors have spread. Even I, who am ignorant of archery, was impressed by his ghostly skills, so what more can I say?
So when he pretended to accidentally bring the arrowhead to me, I had no choice but to take a deep breath. Soon, the Crown Prince said, "Oh, excuse me," as if it were nothing, but it was clearly not an accident. It was nothing more or less than an act to surprise me.
"I can only admire your boldness every time, so what should I do?"
He said it as if it were flowing, but the words he uttered were accurately stuck in my ears.
"I'm strangely tempted."
It was a situation where my teeth were grinding. My fingernails were digging mercilessly into the soft flesh of my palm.
I forced myself to smile, holding back the rising anger. I was angry, but I was also afraid, so I couldn't take any proper offensive. It was a contradictory feeling because I knew that the word "lacking" was meant to provoke me, but I didn't know that I would have to risk my life to that extent.
But in the midst of all this, he says he's tempted? How can he say such a thing to me?
I wanted to bite my tongue in humiliation. I hated him so much for forgetting the promise to treat me well and for soon ridiculing, insulting, and ignoring me like a street thug.
But soon I calmed down. It was because I could realize so quickly what situation I was in now. Reason was shouting at me to be calm.
Yes, you were this kind of person. If curiosity doesn't arise, he presents fear with an insensitive gaze, and if he is tempted, he puts it in his grasp and uses it like a puppet.
Except for the old Emperor, who wouldn't be surprised if he died tomorrow, he was a complete person who had nothing to fear under the sky, so there was nothing to be afraid of.
Therefore, even if he kills someone here by pretending to make a mistake, he will be given an "accident" as an excuse. So breaking a promise with a low-status woman is not a big deal.
I quietly took a breath and tried to hide my expression. And I reminded him of the fact that he had forgotten.
"Didn't you say you respected me?"
At my words, he laughs. As if he heard something funny. This time, Lady Roshan was laughing with him.
At that moment, I realized that Lady Roshan had not stepped forward in the most insulting and humiliating situation, and my eyes widened. The emotion that had swelled up in an instant subsided with a whoosh. A sense of futility was washing over me like a tide.
So, this is now...?
"I'm sorry. I'll explain. His Highness is a bit clumsy with words."
She pulls my hand. She was trying to walk towards the resting place prepared far away, as if there was no need to stand by the Crown Prince's side anymore. The Crown Prince's voice flowed like the wind behind my back.
"It's not a lie that I'm tempted. I hope you know that."
It was only natural that Lady Roshan's brow furrowed again.
She held my hand tightly and opened her mouth as she walked slowly. The voice that leaked through her parted lips was full of apology.
"His Highness is very suspicious because of his position. So he always tests and tests the other person. He especially enjoys creating situations where the other person reveals their emotions so nakedly. It's a bad habit."
Lüset Roshan's words were simple. It meant that he couldn't accept anything carelessly because he was about to ascend the throne soon, so he had no choice but to measure this and that.
The dance at the Founding Day, the conversation we had when we went out on the street in plain clothes, the murderous intent in the carriage, and the threat now... All of these were things that could happen when the other person thought they were off guard.
The Crown Prince did not miss this and tried to draw out my instincts by stimulating me as sharply as possible.
"Those with a purpose try to be calm, weighing their thoughts, because they think about the task given to them even when any threat comes. But Lady was different. She was purely angry. And she was afraid."
Lady Roshan said that I would no longer be suspected. It was a sound that it was all over. Her expression was shining brightly as she said this.
But I couldn't smile back. My mouth was dry with fear. My head was already spinning and about to explode. Numerous questions gathered and disappeared repeatedly.
Did they know that the Baroness of Flanders had told me to approach the Crown Prince? Or did someone see me being pushed by Beatrice and dancing with the Crown Prince?
Or did the Empress's check plant another suspicion? Just like Roena started approaching the Crown Prince under her orders. My stomach was churning with fear.
"I'm sorry. I really like Sis, but I don't have the power to stop His Highness. I have to follow what he wants to do. So I had no choice but to watch your shame. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."
"Roena, what will happen to Roena?"
I opened my mouth with difficulty and asked her.
And what should I do?
Lüset Roshan sighs with a pitiful expression. It was pity for Roena, not for me.
"Let your beautiful sister have her way, Sis. That's what Pulcher wants."
Her voice was faintly breaking.
Please be considerate so that His Highness can enjoy the fun enough.
