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~CHAPTER 89~
“I’m doing my best in my own way.”
“Doing your best in your own way means the Crown Prince still isn’t listening to you, right?”
“…Right? But why?”
“Why else? I have to tell Father you’re still useless.”
“…….”
I meant for him to react that way, but hearing it come out of Aidan’s mouth somehow annoyed me.
“Honestly, I’ve told him several times already, but he just won’t believe me. He keeps saying you’ve changed.”
Of course, the Duke might be despicable, but he’s not stupid.
He’s only met me a few times and never even saw me with the Crown Prince, yet he still noticed.
“Anyway, drop by home sometime soon. Since you won’t come, Father keeps sending me instead. It’s annoying!”
“…….”
With that, Aidan thankfully walked away, grumbling.
I felt relieved that he left so quietly — for Aidan, anyway.
Then Eric approached me with a sly look.
He gestured toward the book I was holding.
“Did you borrow that from the Crown Prince’s library?”
“Huh? Yeah.”
“I saw you earlier coming out of the east wing with His Highness.”
“Yeah.”
“Isn’t the east wing for work?”
“It is.”
Eric’s lips curved into a grin at my answer.
“You seem to be doing pretty well.”
“What do you mean, doing well?”
He looked at me like he had figured something out, so I just played dumb.
Eric had always been too sharp for his own good.
“Don’t worry. I won’t say anything to the family. They wouldn’t ask me anyway.”
“Eric, seriously, everyone ignores me around here.”
“Sure, sure.”
“About coming out of there with His Highness—oh, wait, I just wanted to see him. That’s all. Like always.”
“So, he doesn’t avoid you anymore, huh?”
“…….”
Eric chuckled softly, turned, and started walking after his brother.
But Aidan had stopped ahead, frozen in place.
“Brother, what is it…?”
He was staring at something blankly.
Following his gaze, I saw Sylvia, who had just returned from going out.
A warning bell went off in my head.
I rushed over and grabbed Sylvia’s wrist.
“Oh, Lady!”
“Amelia, th-that man is—!”
“Goodbye, Brother! See you laaaater!”
Without asking or explaining, I dragged Sylvia away from Aidan as fast as I could.
I could feel his lingering, regretful gaze behind me, but I ignored it completely.
“Lady, who was that…?”
“My brother, but please, don’t ever speak to him if you see him again. He’ll make your life miserable.”
“Ah… okay. I’ll remember that.”
Sylvia nodded obediently, seeming to understand enough.
“So, where were you headed?”
“Oh! Do you know where His Highness the Crown Prince is right now? I calculated the estimated mana usage from the experiment at the Mage Tower the other day. I thought it might help if I reported it.”
“Ah… He’s done for the day, so he should be in the west wing.”
“I see. Then, Lady, could you deliver this to him for me?”
Sylvia pulled out a few loose sheets of paper and handed them to me.
“You’re not giving them to him yourself?”
“My quarters are in the east wing! It feels awkward for me to just walk in over there.”
“The east wing…?”
The west wing was the Crown Prince’s living space, while the east wing was his workspace.
That’s where I went every morning, to report for work.
Rooms in the east wing were reserved for visiting officials or guests who stayed temporarily for business.
It was tidy and comfortable, of course, but not nearly as luxurious as the guest rooms in the west wing.
Even the original Amelia, before she lived in the Crown Prince’s palace, stayed in the west wing whenever she couldn’t return home at night.
“Still, isn’t she supposed to be his fiancée?”
Sylvia’s quarters being in the east wing didn’t seem right.
In the original story, she used to run into the Crown Prince even at night — that couldn’t have happened if she’d been staying in the east wing.
Even if there aren’t any feelings yet, isn’t she a bit too far away?
Though, Sylvia didn’t seem to mind.
“Lady?”
“Ah, yes. I’ll give it to him.”
I took the documents and placed them with my book.
“Thank you!”
She walked off gracefully, and I found myself staring after her.
Her silver hair fluttering in the breeze looked so beautiful, I couldn’t help but admire it for a moment.
“Lady.”
A quiet voice came from behind me, followed by something heavy settling on my shoulders.
It was Derek’s coat.
“Sir Derek?”
I called out, puzzled, and he looked at me with his usual calm expression.
“It’s getting cold. You should head inside.”
I was thankful that his face stayed expressionless.
If he’d been any kinder, my already tangled thoughts would’ve gotten worse.
“Thank you.”
After a brief word of thanks, I turned toward the west wing — the living quarters I shared with Vincent.
Where could Vincent be?
It wasn’t dark yet, so he wouldn’t be in his bedroom.
It wasn’t dinner time either, so maybe the study?
I walked, lost in thought, and noticed the ground covered with fallen maple leaves.
I picked up a couple that looked nice and headed for the study.
As expected, Vincent was there.
Through the half-open door, I saw him sitting back in his chair, facing away from the entrance.
Knock, knock—
As soon as I knocked, he turned his head.
When he saw me, he smiled softly, and I bit my lip.
For some reason, I felt like smiling back.
“Amelia, has Aidan left?”
“Yes, he has. He came to deliver Father’s complaints.”
“You’re having a hard time for no reason.”
“It’s fine. I expected it.”
Vincent stood and moved to the table, gesturing for me to sit.
When I did, he sat across from me.
“Sorry, there’s no tea. I don’t usually drink it unless it’s necessary for work.”
“…That’s fine.”
Hearing that made me oddly somber.
Tea again… That poisoned tea is what created the distance between me and Vincent in the first place.
He looked completely unbothered while talking about it, which surprised me.
Then I noticed his eyes fix on something in my hand.
“Ah.”
I handed him the largest and neatest maple leaf among the three I’d picked up.
“Throw away the old one and use this instead.”
“Thank you. I’ll make good use of it.”
His emerald eyes softened as he accepted the leaf, and my heart reacted again.
Please, don’t smile like that.
I quickly looked down and handed over the papers Sylvia had given me.
“These are from Lady Sylvia.”
“Oh?”
“She said it’s a mana usage calculation from the Mage Tower.”
“Ah, yes. I asked her for that.”
Vincent took the papers, skimmed them, and folded them in half before setting them down.
Watching him, I couldn’t help asking,
“By the way, why is Lady Sylvia’s room in the east wing?”
“Hm? We usually house outsiders there. Is there a problem?”
His face showed pure confusion, which only filled my head with more questions.
Why am I, also an outsider, staying in the best room in the west wing?
Is it really okay for me to be here?
Does he truly feel nothing for Sylvia at all?
So many questions, but I didn’t want the answers.
In the end, I said nothing.
Vincent seemed to take my silence a different way.
“I thought you’d be uncomfortable, so I gave her the east wing room.
But if even that makes you uneasy, I can move her to a detached palace. It’s not far from here.”
“What? Oh, no, that’s not it. I was the one who asked you to bring her here.
I just wanted her to be more comfortable.
Doesn’t the west wing have any empty rooms?”
Of course, it did — dozens of them, unused and collecting dust.
But as soon as I said that, Vincent’s expression darkened.
