🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 8
Katrina was dumbfounded by Raymond’s words.
He clearly knew she had been cursed, so what kind of ridiculous thing was he saying?
“You slandered a member of the imperial family. You committed the crime of insulting royalty, Katrina.”
“…….”
“But I’ll let it slide. I rather like you, after all.”
Raymond spoke as though he had just bestowed an enormous act of mercy upon her.
Katrina furrowed her brows.
What was wrong with this man?
“I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do to help you.”
“……Why?”
“Because.”
Raymond smiled brightly.
Unlike the emotionless smiles he had worn until now, this was a genuinely innocent, cheerful smile.
He looked remarkably gentle when he smiled like that.
And with that very smile,
“I want to see you suffer.”
He looked at Katrina.
“I hope you get plunged straight into the abyss.”
With an innocent expression on his face, he cursed Katrina.
“So the negotiations are over.”
“…….”
“I only came here to see how you were doing.”
Raymond rose from the sofa as though his business here was finished.
Raymond left.
Katrina was left feeling utterly bewildered.
He really just left like that?
Was he serious?
“Katrina.”
After Raymond departed, Katrina also left the room.
As she was walking down the stairs, she ran into Damian.
Katrina looked the man up and down with tired eyes.
“Going out?”
She was about to walk past Damian after saying that, but then she heard his voice.
“You don’t look well.”
His tone sounded as though he knew exactly what was going on with her.
Of course, that was impossible.
“I’m just tired.”
She certainly was exhausted after dealing with Raymond.
“Really? To me, you look disappointed because you failed to win the Crown Prince’s favor.”
“…….”
“You’ve always looked like that after meeting the Crown Prince.”
Honestly.
Both Raymond and Damian.
They all seemed to think she was in love with him.
“Do I have to tell you again that I’m tired?”
“It would be strange if you were smiling confidently instead.”
She was already in a terrible mood, and now, after Raymond, Damian was deliberately getting on her nerves too.
How irritating.
“What did you do?”
“…….”
“The Crown Prince hates you. How did you manage to get him to come here?”
How did she get him to come?
Now that she thought about it, even if she hadn’t sent the letter, he probably would have come just to mock her.
‘He’s definitely been cursed.’
For a moment, Raymond’s confidence had made her doubt herself, but there was absolutely no way his words could be true.
Katrina had her reasons for being certain.
And yet he had rejected her offer.
Despite the considerable pain he must have been in, he was determined to endure it?
‘What a stubborn man.’
Now that she had returned, Katrina had no intention of fighting with the protagonists anymore.
She didn’t want to get involved with them any further.
“I’m tired and want to rest. Let me pass.”
So she didn’t want to clash with Damian either.
Katrina deliberately tried to avoid him.
“Katrina.”
But Damian called her.
“My father has invited you to dinner.”
An invitation to dinner?
He must want to hear what she had talked about with Raymond.
“I don’t know what you can possibly change, but I hope you do your best.”
His words carried the implication that no matter what she did, she would eventually end up going to the monastery.
Having said everything he wanted to say, Damian walked past Katrina.
‘Raymond and Damian…….’
They were all equally arrogant and irritating.
Even though Katrina was the only one in this household who knew what had happened inside that room.
Raymond had already left.
Evening came.
Katrina headed to the dining hall.
“So, how did it go?”
Katrina looked toward the dining table.
The Duke of Abice sat at the head of the table. Directly below him sat the Duchess and Damian, facing each other.
Selena sat beside him.
There was no seat for Katrina.
“I heard something happened with the Crown Prince.”
Katrina immediately understood.
Her position would be determined by how she answered here.
“Of course, I should tell you.”
Katrina didn’t avoid Damian’s gaze.
The perceptive Damian seemed to know that she had returned after suffering a major failure.
And he had mocked her for it.
Wasn’t he the person in this household who wanted Katrina to go to the monastery the most?
He had always hated the sight of her.
He had always believed that Katrina had taken his place from him.
Which was, in fact, true.
“I’ve been waiting for you to call me in anyway.”
Since everything had already gone wrong, Katrina decided to be bold.
“I think I’ll be able to bring you some good news soon.”
Katrina’s goal was to get out of this place anyway.
Just Raymond’s visit alone had instantly changed the atmosphere throughout the estate.
Besides, they had no choice but to hear what had happened directly from Katrina.
Surely they couldn’t have heard it directly from Raymond.
Even if they could, he probably wouldn’t tell them right away.
“Good news?”
Damian, who had noticed Katrina’s lie, spoke up.
“Your expression looked terrible earlier, so I thought something bad had happened. I’m glad to hear that isn’t the case.”
“I told you I was tired, Damian. I suppose you didn’t hear me.”
“What exactly did His Highness the Crown Prince say that made you think things had gone well?”
Katrina smiled faintly.
“Obviously, it was the atmosphere.”
“The atmosphere? That sounds like a baseless statement guided by nothing more than a feeling.”
“Yes, Katrina. What do you mean, ‘the atmosphere’?”
Selena also sided with Damian.
To Selena, Katrina had always been an obstacle.
She believed that if it weren’t for Katrina, she could enjoy much more within House Abice.
“You’ll see when the time comes.”
Katrina ignored them and looked at the Duke of Abice.
“I’m planning to give His Highness the Crown Prince a perfume that I made myself.”
The Duke of Abice quietly listened to her.
“Please give me permission, Father.”
Damian quickly objected to Katrina.
“That is completely baseless. I’m afraid such a pointless action could bring trouble upon our family.”
The Duchess, who disliked Katrina, and Selena followed suit.
“That’s right, Katrina. Damian is correct. You’ve already brought great shame upon the family. You should be keeping a low profile.”
“We don’t even know when Katrina will be sent to the monastery. I don’t think it would be wise to send her out in public like that, Father.”
Everyone was united in opposing Katrina.
This familiar atmosphere.
It had been a long time.
“Of course, I intend to keep a low profile as well.”
Katrina could practically hear the Duke of Abice weighing the pros and cons.
So she pushed the scales firmly in her favor.
“That’s why I’m only going to give him a perfume, isn’t it?”
“…….”
“His Highness the Crown Prince was concerned about me enough to personally come visit me while I was ill. If anything, I think the gift is too modest.”
The Duke of Abice looked deeply conflicted.
There was no way the Crown Prince liked Katrina. He didn’t believe that the Crown Prince had suddenly changed his mind.
But what if……?
Just what if.
That was what bothered him.
What if there had been some small change?
“Yes, Father?”
It was only a bottle of perfume.
There was no real harm in allowing her to give him that.
They could observe what happened, and if Raymond’s visit turned out to mean nothing after all, they could simply send Katrina to the monastery as planned.
“All right, Katrina. I’ll allow that much.”
Katrina smiled brightly.
“I promise I won’t disappoint you, Father.”
