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Chapter 18
I ran straight back into the room.
‘I’ll have to get used to the switched titles.’
After the kiss, I couldn’t respond properly to the softly spoken words and ended up blurting out something completely unrelated.
‘…It’s hot today. I should go in now.’
Anyone could tell I was flustered. The weather was cold, and I was wearing only a thin dress.
Of course, I had a shawl draped over it, but it couldn’t block out all the cold.
Hot…?
On top of that, I had even dropped the shawl.
Meanwhile, Johannes looked extremely calm, as if a kiss meant nothing to him.
‘Must have done this a lot before.’
Of course. He probably had some romantic experience.
He never said he had no past; he just said there was nothing to worry about.
Yet here I was—a woman who was about to be his wife—pretending everything was fine, and running away just from a single kiss.
He must have found it hilarious.
“Ahhh!”
My whole body burned.
I threw myself onto the bed and pounded the mattress with my legs.
I decided it would be best not to see Johannes Schultz for a while, even if I had to use the banquet preparation as an excuse.
All ten or so windows were open. The pitch-black night sky was like a masterpiece in this room.
I inhaled deeply, then exhaled, letting the smoke of my cigarette disappear into the air. Johannes stubbed out the cigarette he hadn’t finished and sat up from the chair he had been leaning against.
Fret Gunner, who had been waiting for the moment, handed over a thick folder.
“This is the guest list for the upcoming banquet. Shall we also send invitations to the royal family?”
A clear line appeared between Johannes’ otherwise smooth brows.
“Well…”
The king, who used to be somewhat clever, now seemed more like a toad whose greed grew by the day, revealing more with each passing moment.
‘Duke Schultz… no, no, now it’s Duke Schultz! I hope he runs Musen well in his father’s stead, with a sense of responsibility.’
There was no trace of guilt on that lecherous, smiling face.
All of the toad’s offspring were the same—one useless little fox, one snake destined to inherit the next throne.
Johannes flipped through the sheets of the guest list with his large hands. Most nobles were included.
His eyes fell on the names marked in red:
House of Windsor, Edward Windsor.
House of Russell, Bellatrix Russell.
“Is it okay to proceed as is?”
Fret Gunner asked. Johannes nodded with a dry expression.
“And the royal family’s response?”
“No unusual movements. From the servants we placed, we cautiously speculate that they may know the master has disappeared.”
He continued, watching Johannes’ expression.
“They are particularly interested in the romantic involvement with a commoner woman. Especially Prince Edward.”
Edward Windsor.
Johannes’ brows furrowed, recalling the unpleasant face of the royal who was even more detestable than the king himself.
A royal with no abilities, holding the honorary title of head of Barden’s police department, doing who knows what.
Among the moths eager to exploit Johannes’ weaknesses, he was the least worth worrying about.
Johannes had no intention of giving attention to a fox whining for recognition like a dog.
Fret Gunner seemed to sense Johannes’ silent decision and delivered the last report—or rather, asked a question.
“Was there anything with Miss Edith Prim?”
Edith Prim. There was much to say about her.
Dancing, walking in the garden, and now even being asked about being lovers. And then…
“He said you might be busy preparing for the banquet for the time being.”
Johannes let out a sudden harsh laugh. The excuse was transparent, and the recent events were vivid in his mind.
“Nothing happened.”
Fret Gunner lingered, hoping Johannes might explain further, but was quickly dismissed under his sharp gaze.
Johannes leaned back in his chair, recalling the face of the woman who had boldly demanded a kiss.
The face she had when part of the ducal household and the completely different one she showed outside of it.
‘You really can just do it. I don’t put meaning in things like that.’
The woman who had tried to hide her reluctance and accept the kiss had frozen like a statue, then bolted.
Dropping her shawl and running in a hurry was both ridiculous and, to be honest, irritating.
Johannes glanced at the cream-colored shawl thrown on the sofa.
Her face alternating between the expression she wore trying to hide her feelings and the one scrunching up in panic as she ran away.
Finally, the fragile expression he had seen outside.
‘Edith Prim.’
And…
With eyes shining like the morning star, he looked once more at the guest list. The cold green eyes that had stared at him directly blocked his vision.
For a moment, Johannes twisted his lips.
Maybe she disliked him so much she ran away.
Since then, I tried to avoid Johannes as much as possible.
I tried to practice dancing mostly with Marilyn and often skipped meals, claiming I wasn’t hungry.
But it was true that I had been keeping myself extremely busy, even reducing sleep. My body wasn’t in the best condition.
That routine ended today. The banquet was tomorrow, so I had to meet Johannes at least once.
It had been almost a week since our last meeting.
“You’ve been quite busy, I hear.”
Johannes said this with an indifferent expression while eating. Fortunately, he seemed unconcerned about the previous events.
All my efforts to avoid him felt instantly pointless.
I nodded, keeping a neutral face.
“You left your shawl behind.”
“…Did I? I didn’t notice because it was hot at the time.”
I gave a clumsy lie, yet he believed it deeply.
Perhaps due to his long military service—or maybe it was just his nature—but he sometimes showed this kind of stiff yet innocent attitude.
It was fortunate.
“I recall it being rather cold that day. You must have a warm body.”
“Yes, something like that.”
Another obvious lie. I was far more sensitive to the cold than anyone else. I kept long sleeves even into early summer.
“I should wear thinner clothes from now on.”
I said this, keeping my emotions out of it. Johannes seemed to accept it at face value.
He looked at me with his blue eyes and gave a somewhat stiff smile.
“I’ll remember that.”
Johannes meant it sincerely when he said he would remember.
“Duke has sent a new dress.”
On the morning of the banquet, the box he sent contained a very thin cream-colored muslin dress and high heels.
I picked up the simple card decorating the dress:
Dear Edith Prim,
You came to mind as the sun streamed through the window. I hope you wear this with a joyful heart.
I looked at the cream-colored muslin dress with a baffled expression.
“You seem quite sensitive to heat. Although this is a winter gift, giving you a thin dress shows he noticed. Interesting.”
Marilyn said this in a dry voice. She examined the muslin dress and smiled with satisfaction.
“It follows modern trends but isn’t too common. The color suits Miss Prim well. The master certainly has good taste.”
“…Is that so?”
At this point, I couldn’t refuse. The lie I had uttered to avoid the situation had grown too large to explain.
Besides, what humiliation was there in accepting it?
I recalled his blue eyes, which had seemed so sincere.
I didn’t want to be marked as a liar in front of the man who would become my husband.
“I like it too.”
I forced a smile.
The good thing, as Marilyn said, was that the dress suited me perfectly.
“Perfect, really. You’ll look splendid next to the Duke.”
Marilyn, who helped me put on the dress and hair accessories, praised me genuinely for the first time.
“You won’t need a shawl.”
I only forced a smile in reply. I had no intention of accepting it and causing more misunderstandings.
I wondered if she might have prepared a shawl for me, but she didn’t.
From now on, when the servants called, all I had to do was leave on time.
I sighed involuntarily.
I was doomed. My headache, which had been throbbing for a while, seemed to worsen.
