“….I forgot. I couldn’t think of anything when I saw the Crown Prince approaching you.”
“It’s not just that you hated the Crown Prince, but that you rushed like you wanted to kill him right away…..,” Since Kalcion wasn’t a person who wore his innermost thoughts on his face, Selena could only guess. She never hated a man so much, and yet, she really hated him. She shook her head in frustration.
“Did the Duke come running when he heard about the Crown Prince’s appearance?”
Kalcion’s clothes were the same as when he was training in the morning. Because it was a military uniform, it was not suitable for a trip outside.
“…Something like that…”
Selena could not speak, and which she could not persuade herself, Kalcion equivocated. Instead of asking further questions, Selena walked with her arms crossed past Kalcion.
“There must be guards near me, so what are you so worried about? Oh, by the way, how are the escorts doing around me?”
“Fine. Why do you ask?”
“I’m sure the Crown Prince has been escorted, so I was afraid they might have been taken down by his escorts.”
Kalcion, who was naturally keeping pace with Selena’s steps, stopped.
“….I shouldn’t have been anxious….. Haha…..,” The heated glances of the people around were added to the displeasure that came from Kalcion. Selena admitted that she had made a terrible mistake. “I’ll trust you no matter what happens from now on.”
“You don’t need to mess around.”
“But I have a strong bodyguard who can protect me no matter how much I mess around, don’t I?”
Kalcion turned his head, but at the same time, she felt the air around her softening. Selena finally breathed a sigh of relief. “I don’t know if the Crown Prince knew that I had escorts, but he didn’t mean to hurt me.”
“Hmm….”
“I don’t think he would have done anything about it right now. If he had planned it today, he would have asked me to talk somewhere else. It only takes a moment to die.”
The attempted murder in the bathroom during the journey was similar. Gaps were everywhere. If Selena was in an unfamiliar place, the gaps would get even bigger. Everything about the Capital was new to Selena. No matter where she was and what she did, there was no choice but to create a gap from the moment she left the mansion. Even if the capital’s security was better, it was impossible not to squeeze in one of the gaps if one was determined to aim for it.
“I think there’s a reason why he’s being so friendly to me and pretending to have a crush on me…. Oh.”
“What?”
“I don’t think it was just a crush he has on me, I think he really fell in love with me.” Selena’s face turned serious. Kalcion frowned as well. “….What if the Crown Prince really has a crush on me? Would you have a duel over me?”
Kalcion laughed darkly.
“…..I would love that. I’ll have a chance to kill him legally.”
Selena was confused about who the villain was. This man, apparently, was just a recluse who didn’t want to get involved until he was in Renbird. Maybe it was because things were rough, but the person had changed in a while. She wondered what fertilizer spread the bud of hatred toward the Crown Prince that had only been planted in Kalcion’s mind. Kalcion’s sudden change was sickening.
“I think we will have to wait and observe the Crown Prince. If I have a chance, I may get closer and dig.”
“Why?”
Selena explained briefly to Kalcion what had happened in the mansion earlier. “We have confirmed that Lirel acts at Rosalyn’s will, and that Rosalyn has some sort of connection with the Crown Prince. What do you think? Amazing, isn’t it?”
It was a pretty big achievement for a short time. It was worth being proud of. Selena stretched out her chest and was elated.
“Rosalyn was originally after the Crown Princess’ seat.”
“…..Okay?”
“It’s not a big secret. It was an open secret.”
“Oh, what is it……?”
“Isn’t it an open secret that Rosalyn still has feelings for the Crown Prince?”
“I didn’t know that. Is that important? The Crown Prince doesn’t have any feelings anyway.”
“Is it such a straightforward question?”
“It’s unbelievable that the Crown Prince goes on having a crush on people. There’s no such thing in the world.”
‘You’re not in a position to say that……’ She couldn’t bring herself to say that.
“Don’t make any useless guesses about the Crown Prince. It’s dangerous.”
“Guesses……?”
“The premise is that the Prince has a real crush on me.”
She didn’t brag about it. Selena pouted with resentment. I personally experienced the phenomenon and it was so amazing, she couldn’t even speak.
“It wasn’t a boast, it was a report on how things could turn this way, and what to do about it.”
“There’s no way things could turn that way, so don’t seriously think about the premise itself in the first place.” Kalcion still denied that the Crown Prince fell in love. “Just don’t believe everything the Crown Prince says,” he added a strange demand.
The Crown Prince was a strange man, and he was a person to be careful of, so she knew that even good feelings could be dangerous.
“Why are you so angry?”
It went beyond simply being lazy and unwilling to deal with it. He was angry just from hearing the name of the Prince. The Crown Prince never did anything directly bad to her. So Selena treated the Prince with relatively objective eyes. But as time went by, Kalcion was inflating his ill feelings even more. Once a person begins hating another, their hatred turns more threatening even if the other doesn’t do anything.
But now Kalcion’s anger was excessive. At this point, Selena thought he just wanted the prince to be the culprit.
“It’s clear that Roseline and the Crown Prince have something to connect with, so why don’t we just call the Crown Prince the culprit and finish the investigation?” Selena suggested a brilliant idea. This was good for both of them. Selena would be able to return without further work, and Kalcion would be able to discriminate against the people he disliked and fight for revenge. Kalcion was momentarily shaken by Selena’s suggestion. But his answer was,
“No.”
“Why?!”
“The ‘real’ culprit and the ‘story’ of the case must be found out before it’s over. Not until you find out who are the people involved and how far they are entangled, I can’t let you go.”
“Wow, tyranny……”
But Kalcion was the only one who could send Selena back.
“And not just because you think that person is a criminal. I must know the exact context.”
“Aren’t you expecting too much from me? I’m not a professional investigator.”
“It’s such a difficult task that even professional investigators fail, so I’m offering you that kind of reward. If you want the reward, take as much time as you need to investigate.”
“That’s cheap. You’re a bad employer if you expect much beyond your employee’s capabilities,” Selena complained, but there was no change in the contract. But there was a slight change in Kalcion’s face. Different than usual, his faint smile was invisible to Selena’s eyes as she walked beside him.
***
“I’ll escort you inside,” Kalcion decided. Selena sat inside the carriage while Kalcion led his horse beside it.
While he was at the tea party, he was thought of as a lover who galloped alongside his precious. He was a romantic of the century in terms of his actions.
This change, which did not match his personality or way of thinking, confused Selena. As her carriage rattled along the road, she wondered if he was still the person she knew. It was not easy to say that he would step out first and escort him into the mansion.
Kalcion was a man of good manners, but not kind. The fact that he came to the house of Royle beside the same carriage was more of a kindness than manners, and to escort her further inside was kindness at the level of buying beef.
“It’s okay….. it’s alright. I’m the only one who is invited.”
“It’s for your own safety.”
If Kalcion had to go in, the only place he could not enter in the world was the room having the Crown Prince and Rosalyn. Even the royal palace was not important for a person who could cross most places, such as an invitation to a tea party.
Rather, most tea party organizers would be grateful just for the appearance of Kalcion, as they would not have been able to send an invitation out of fear. But Kalcion was by no means a man to do it for no reason.
“There’s no need to worry if you’re up against the Prince’s escort, you said it yourself. So what else are you worried about?”
“Some guy like the Prince might show up to annoy you.”
Selena, who was staring at Kalcion’s hand urging her to grab it quickly, made up her mind and asked.
“…..Where did you go to get those acting lessons?”
“Does it look like I’m acting?”
“You never do these things in your right mind.”
“It’s true that I’m out of my mind. I think I’m half crazy right now.”
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