Secrets with the Crown Prince 8
The madman stayed in the Lubiche residence to help me study. And for that reason, I was fine with having him stay in the mansion, but the problem was with my adoptive father and Rioel.
They were very uncomfortable with the madman.
As soon as Rioel and my adoptive father heard that the madman had left for a moment, they called me to the family office room. Then, they kept glancing at the door as if the madman was going to barge in the room at any moment.
“When is his majesty, Reynold going to leave? I can’t go around the residence because it’s so uncomfortable!”
Rioel complained while expressing his clear annoyance. Then, he roughly pulled on his hair and drank his coffee in annoyance. Likewise, my adoptive father, who sat in front of me, agreed and nodded.
“Ena, how about you persuade his majesty?”
It seemed my adoptive father was hesitant to meet the madman after kneeling in front of him.
“He doesn’t listen to me.”
At my words, both my adoptive father and Rioel sighed and glanced at each other.
“But Ena. How do you and his majesty, Reynold, know each other?”
At my father’s question, I recalled my previous conversation with the madman. Thank goodness that I matched what I was going to say with him beforehand.
“You know the madman… no, his majesty, Reynold has visited the Nathan Kingdom before, right? I met him then.”
Fortunately, the story sounded valid. When I first fell into this world, the first country that I had fallen into was not the Alpine Kingdom but the neighboring country, Nathan Kingdom. And five years ago, the madman had visited the Kingdom for a mission.
“It was before I met you at the Carcus mountain, father,” I quickly added.
“What in the world happened there? What did you that his majesty is so crazy about you?”
Rioel asked me.
It was a difficult question to answer, but I still answered while looking at Rioel.
“He’s not crazy about me. He’s just glad to see me after so long.”
At my words, even my adoptive father looked at me like I was speaking nonsense. But how I could explain my situation to them?
“Ena, is it perhaps, related to the memories you have lost?”
“Ah, that’s not it, father…”
I didn’t want to lie to my father, but I couldn’t tell him the truth. Then, he might really look at me like I was crazy.
“It’s ok. You don’t have to tell me if it’s hard to say. But if there’s a time when you want to tell the story to somebody, please at least tell me.”
At my father’s words, my heart filled with warmth. My adoptive father was so kind to me that I wondered if the gods had been sorry to drop me into this world and had gifted him to me. However, Rioel tilted his head like he was not satisfied.
“I want to hear about it right now.”
“Rioel.”
Rioel clicked his tongue at my father’s stern voice. Then, he placed the coffee cup he was drinking down on the table and took out an envelope from his inner coat pockets. My adoptive father looked at Rioel in surprise, but Rioel just shrugged his shoulders.
“It’s a letter for Ena.”
“Why do you have that?”
My adoptive father stared at Rioel in a scolding way, as if Rioel had childishly stolen the letter from me. Aware of the gaze he was getting, Rioel complained.
“It’s a letter from Argan. You know, there are talks about your engagement with him. And you know that Argan is my intimate friend. Father, you favor Ena too much.”
Rioel glared at me as if I was the younger sibling who had stolen all of his parents’ love from him. But my adoptive father’s face didn’t change.
“Do you think you and Ena are the same?”
Rioel responded insincerely, saying, ‘Ah, yeah, yeah. I think I am the child, who was picked up from somewhere else, and he heard a scolding from my father again.
He really was like a child.
I nodded my head and opened the envelope Rioel gave me. My father asked me about the letter’s contents.
Argan Carelis Roadbalt was the heir to the high, reputable noble family, Roadbalt. He was the noble among nobles, and my father and Count Roadbalt were also best friends and had promised each other to marry their daughters and sons if they had one. Thanks to that, I could even think about an engagement with a high noble like Argan.
“He wants to invite me for tea. Not at his residence but at a coffee house in the capital city.”
Why with me? I stared at the envelope like I couldn’t understand. Argan seemed like he didn’t like a foreigner like me much.
“Argan wants to?”
Rioel seemed to have also thought it was strange and asked.
“Yes, that prickly guy asks to.”
At my words, Rioel pointed at me as if he was tattle-telling about me to my father. Even a five-year-old wouldn’t have acted like Rioel. He was so childish, and as if my father thought the same, we both sighed.
“If you really don’t want to, you don’t have to make an engagement with him. Why don’t you think more deeply about this matter?”
My adoptive father smiled warmly, and I couldn’t help but stupidly nod.
‘Ah, father, you are so handsome. I clenched onto my heart and nodded. Yes, father. If it is your words, I could even snatch the stars from the sky.’- I was feeling my head with useless thought when-
“H-h-h-h-his majesty, Reynold has come.”
The servant’s voice perfectly transferred her heart’s feelings. Then, at the servant’s words, both my adoptive father and Rioel looked at me. Their faces seemed to ask me to do something about the madman.
“What is his majesty, Reynold here for? Didn’t you say that he was going to the palace today?”
“Yes, he definitely told me that he was going to the palace today.”
“It seems like he had run back here to take a glance at Ena. You know, he is crazy about her these days.”
“Rioel, watch the way you speak.”
At my father’s warnings, Rioel pouted his lips. ‘Was he really twenty-four years old?’ While I was lost in thought about Rioel, the madman entered the office room.
As if he had come back from the palace, he was in a neat, formal wear. The sharp-looking formal wear he was wearing was dark beige with golden embroidery, matching his silver hair incredibly. He looked crazy handsome, and just looking at him made you stare in awe.
Both Rioel and my adoptive father got out of their seats and greeted the madman. Because of them, I had to also follow and give the madman a greeting. Then, seeing me, the madman took off his jacket and carelessly tossed it at the servant, who was following him, and sat down next to me.
“It’s been a while, Count Lubiche. We reside in the same mansion, but it’s so difficult to see your face as if you have been avoiding me.”
My adoptive father’s face looked a bit guilty.
“How could that be? I have been so busy with work these days since we have a cabinet meeting soon. I apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable.”
My adoptive father apologized sincerely to the madman, and the madman simply stared as if he was taking the time to judge my father’s words.
‘Why was he being like this to my adoptive father?’ I glanced at him, and the madman finally turned to me. Well, to be exact, his eyes landed on the letter in my hands.
“What’s that?”
“A letter.”
“I can see that it is a letter.”
“What are you exactly curious about?”
“I want to know who sent it.”
“Why are you curious about that?”
“Because it is your letter.”
“Why would you, mad- no, your majesty be curious about my letter?”
“I told you to call me by my name.”
“I have to call you ‘your majesty’ when I am in front of other people. If I don’t do that, what will I become? Can’t you think in my persepective?”
The madman obediently closed his mouth- I always had to say something before he listened.
As I grumbled inside my mind, I raised my head when I felt some stares on me. I saw my adoptive father and Rioel look at the madman and me, stunned.
“Your relationship with Ena is really good, your majesty.”
My adoptive father talked like he was possessed. Then, he made a teary voice and looked mortified, as if a thief had stolen his daughter.
But why would he say that our relationship seemed good, though? How could he say that, hearing what I said to the madman!
“Our relationship is good for sure since I am crazy about Ena.”
The madman’s nonsense caught me off guard, and at that moment, he glanced at the letter I was holding and read it.
“Ah! Don’t read it!”
I raised my letter high up, and at my response, the madman glanced at my father and Rioel and made a sulky face. His expression looked like the main character in a melodrama movie- right before tears trickled down their cheeks.
I quickly gave up. I didn’t want to show my adoptive father another strange scene.
“I won’t say anything, so don’t cry.”
Please.
“You were engaged?”
It seemed like he had read the letter in that short moment; he always did have sharp eyes.
“Not yet, but unless there are some unforeseen circumstances, I will probably have to go through it?”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Did I have to?”
“You are not going to cancel it?”
Since I wasn’t even engaged to Argan yet, there wasn’t anything to cancel. But would I need to even do that when it was something my adoptive father wanted me to do? I mean, first of all, Argan was good-looking.
“Count Lubiche.”
The madman called my adoptive father in a low voice. And even without the madman saying anything, my adoptive father answered as if he had expected everything.
“I don’t think this is something for me to answer.”
“Why is that?”
“It is for Ena to decide. I think this is a matter that not even your majesty can change.”
I thought the madman would tell my adoptive father to just break the engagement, but he closed his mouth. His expression seemed to say that he agreed with my father. Then, he placed his hand on his chin and seemed to think deeply about something for a while until he spoke again with a smile.
“Then, do I just have to convince Ena?”
Rioel, who had been watching this interesting situation, gaped with his mouth hanging open. He looked back and forth between the madman and me in shock, as if he knew what the madman would say.
“What do you think about becoming the crown princess?”
“I don’t want to. I really don’t want to. I hate it.”
At my instant response, my adoptive father stroke his heart and breathed out a sigh of relief. The madman seemed to have known that I said my response out of immediate reflex and stared at my face.
“Do you hate me?”
“Then, did you think that I would like you?”
The madman sulked like a puppy with its tail down at my response.
“Why do you hate me? I am good-looking, competent, my background is amazing, and I have lots of money. You used to like things like that. You know, young and rich, tall and handsome, pretty guy. That’s perfectly me.”
“Why did you forget what I said before? I said I didn’t like dating at the workplace, and you used to be my terrible boss.”
“Well, that means you admit that I am a young and rich, tall and handsome, pretty guy. That is enough. Since I’m not your boss anymore, there’s no problem.”
Ha. With a tired face, I leaned my face on the sofa and closed my eyes. Talking to the madman was an exhausting task. And I wasn’t saying this because I wasn’t confident in beating him in an argument. Not at all!
‘And please, someone, take this guy away! Whenever I talk to him, I feel dizzy!’
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