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Chapter 52
“My goodness.”
Rather than speaking, Leraige pressed his hand to his forehead.
Calliope shrugged her shoulders and replied,
“My mother was really an advocate of early education.”
“It doesn’t seem like early education is the problem here.”
“Well, at least I learned enough not to get caught by royal scrutiny, didn’t I?”
A successful example of early education, perhaps.
Calliope gave a small smile, and Leraige looked at her with an exasperated expression.
“When I think about it, you always seem to stay positive about the strangest things.”
“Oh, I tend to be generally optimistic, you know?”
“Then why doesn’t that optimism apply to me?”
“Leraige Dion Arenfrit.”
Calliope called him with a soft smile.
“Keep your conscience intact.”
Leraige, caught off guard, fell silent for a moment, recalling the things he had done.
During the brief silence, Calliope muttered, deep in thought,
“Anyway, I was too complacent. I overlooked how difficult it is to change the prejudices that have already settled in people’s minds.”
Leraige nodded in agreement.
“It seems things won’t go as smoothly as I thought.”
“Exactly. If we can’t fully fool people’s eyes, there’s no way we’ll gain grandfather’s approval either.”
Leraige expected Calliope to be disappointed and discouraged.
But the moment he looked into her eyes, he realized his worry was unfounded.
Calliope’s violet eyes burned with a fierce competitive spirit.
“Yes. We can’t give up.”
When their gazes met, the gemstone-like sparkle in her eyes slightly flustered him.
“So, let’s work even harder from now on.”
As Calliope’s eyes gleamed, a shiver ran down Leraige’s spine.
This was definitely a bad premonition.
“For example… what do you mean?”
Trying to shake off the eerie feeling, he asked.
“We have to put on a performance as a couple that will be remembered for centuries.”
Indeed, his ominous premonition had been right.
The chilling conversation ended abruptly, interrupted by the urgent voice of a servant shouting from a distance.
“Seventh Prince!”
The servant, spotting the two of them, widened his eyes. He rushed over and bowed deeply, his breathing heavy as if he had been running for a while.
Leraige, having composed himself, asked calmly,
“What is it?”
“The Second Prince wishes to see the Seventh Prince.”
“…My brother?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Calliope, watching their exchange, froze for a moment.
“Huh?”
Her eyes widened, noticing the expression flashing across Leraige’s face.
But it was so brief she wasn’t entirely sure she had seen it correctly.
“I’ll be back shortly, Calliope.”
“Oh? O-okay, be careful.”
Even she didn’t know why she added that last part.
It was kind of funny.
In the palace, with soldiers stationed everywhere, how much danger could a royal actually be in?
‘Besides, he’s not just anyone—he’s a Sword Master.’
Thinking the same thing, Leraige chuckled lightly and said,
“I’ll be back soon. Rest here.”
But the moment he turned to leave, Calliope felt an unusual impulse to hold him back.
It was strange.
‘He’s just going to meet someone briefly… why do I have such a bad feeling about this?’
Yet, before she could act, Leraige had already left with the servant.
“I guess I’ve been too on edge lately. Doing things that aren’t like me.”
Calliope, out of habit, brushed her hair aside, then paused as her fingers caught something.
“Oh, right…”
She felt the cool touch of the hair ornament.
Carefully, she removed the ornament from her voluminous red hair.
She was finally able to examine the accessory she had been wearing all this time.
Seeing it properly, she was a little taken aback.
‘This is way too luxurious.’
It was a hairpiece decorated with green emeralds, pure white pearls, and pink diamonds.
Not only were there multiple types of gemstones, but their quality was exceptional—clear, flawless, top-tier.
“If you give me something this expensive, what am I supposed to do with it?”
Feeling unnecessarily guilty, Calliope muttered as she tried to put the ornament back on.
“Lady Calliope, there you are.”
She turned to see a man standing beside her, wearing pristine white formal attire. In the dim light, his brown hair glimmered.
Recognizing him, Calliope immediately knelt.
“Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”
He secretly enjoyed the respectful greeting while feigning slight disappointment.
“You don’t have to be so formal. Didn’t we already greet each other earlier?”
“How could I be rude to the Little Sun of the Empire?”
Of course, Calliope, seeing through Lucius’s intentions, was not fooled.
“So, what brings you here?”
Lucius smiled lightly.
“Is it necessary to have a reason to speak with you?”
Calliope’s brows twitched.
‘Here we go again.’
Irritation surged up. She had just exhausted herself performing flawlessly in front of the imperial nobles, only to fail.
Her nerves were already frayed, making it impossible to gracefully dodge the Crown Prince’s unfunny flirtation.
And there was another annoyance.
‘Is he really trying this with the woman who publicly declared she’s dating his brother?’
Even if her mother were different, Leraige was Lucius’s brother. His behavior was completely worthy of criticism.
“Seeing such a beautiful lady alone makes me feel sorry for you.”
“That’s such a cliché line.”
Calliope responded bluntly.
Lucius’s fake sympathy was laughable, and she wasn’t in a situation that required pity.
For a moment, displeasure flashed across Lucius’s face before vanishing.
“Haha. If I offended you, I apologize.”
Instead of getting angry, he offered an apology.
“As a gesture, I’d like to invite you to dine at my palace. What do you say?”
For someone, this might be a golden opportunity—but not for Calliope.
She absolutely refused any meal alone with the Crown Prince.
‘Just thinking about it makes me want to throw up.’
Every time she had politely avoided him before, it seemed it hadn’t worked.
So Calliope clarified for the Crown Prince.
“I have a terrible condition where I get sick if I dine with someone I’m not close to.”
“Oh my. That could be fatal for a noble, couldn’t it?”
“Exactly. So while I appreciate the offer…”
“Then let me personally guide you through the palace. How does that sound?”
Lucius was a tougher opponent than she had expected. A small vein throbbed on her forehead.
‘Touring the palace with you isn’t sightseeing—it’s protocol.’
She had many things to do, and this man was just in the way.
Suppressing her irritation, Calliope smiled politely.
“Sorry, but today I’m wearing exceptionally high heels. Walking through the vast palace would be impossible…”
“I saw you dancing just fine in those heels earlier.”
Suddenly, the Crown Prince’s voice dropped. His face had hardened.
‘Hah.’
With other nobles, she would have cowered, trying to placate him, but not Calliope.
