Chapter 46
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He waited all morning. Until yesterday he had openly avoided her, but today was different. After realizing his feelings for her, it was only natural that he would end up waiting for her.
But even long past lunchtime, even after the time she usually came to the imperial palace had passed, no carriage from the Lanas residence came into view.
Kasselard’s patience was very short.
He had already pushed all of his morning schedule together and finished it at once, planning to spend the afternoon with Ephinia. But when she didn’t appear, he immediately got into a carriage and headed straight to the Lanas ducal residence.
“Isn’t it too much to cut me off right after I confessed?!”
Ephinia, who had been waiting shortly when the Crown Prince arrived without warning, was dumbfounded by the words thrown at her out of nowhere.
‘What is he suddenly talking about?!’
Moreover, she was not alone. Duke and Duchess Lanas were also present. As the Empress’s relatives, there was a high chance they would report what they heard directly to Her Majesty.
‘It’s been a long time since I last guided him! What is he doing?!’
“We greet Your Highness the Crown Prince, the Empire’s Little Sun.”
Hylian de Lanas’s calm voice rang through the room, which had fallen silent in surprise. Kasselard, who had stormed right up to Ephinia, finally glanced at the two of them.
“Duke Lanas, forgive my rudeness. My Guide stood me up without any contact, so I wondered if something serious had happened.”
“It must have been a misunderstanding in communication. Baroness Linier would never make Your Highness wait.”
Hylian spoke gently and glanced toward Meredith. Meredith briefly looked at Kasselard, then gave a signal that it was not the case.
Not a single appointment had been set.
Ephinia was newly aware of the difference in status between them. Because she was the one guiding him, she had treated him rather casually, but he was the Crown Prince. He was in a position where he could barge into the Lanas Duchy’s manor, a place she personally found so difficult and uncomfortable, without hearing a single complaint.
“If you had contacted us in advance, we could have given you an answer…”
Fleur, the Duchess of Lanas, showed her displeasure beneath a gentle smile. Kasselard merely scoffed and kept his gaze fixed only on Ephinia.
Ephinia felt uncomfortable for no reason. It was true that she had avoided him because the words he had said yesterday had made her uneasy.
“It is good that Your Highness’s misunderstanding has been resolved. Then… we will take our leave so the two of you may speak. We have a prior engagement this afternoon and will be leaving the estate. If you require anything, please ask our head steward.”
“Very well.”
Normally, it would be unthinkable for the lord and lady of the house to go out while a member of the imperial family was visiting. But if the visitor was a Transcendent who had come to see their Guide, it was possible.
Feeling Hylian’s hand around her shoulders, Fleur glanced back at Ephinia. She truly sympathized with her. She herself was also guiding a Transcendent two ranks above her.
‘I married this man because I liked him, but…’
Fleur had, of course, attended the ball where the Crown Prince had behaved so rudely. She decided that when she had time, she would treat Ephinia especially well.
‘After treating her so badly, he even chased her to her home just to get guiding. The Crown Prince really is trash.’
The fact that her match rate with him had remained only average must have been the Goddess’s protection.
After Fleur and Hylian left, Kasselard examined Ephinia. Her face was not red, but she looked thoroughly irritated.
“Why do you look like that? If anyone should be angry, it’s me, I’ve been waiting all morning!”
“We never made an appointment! And why would you say something like that in front of Their Graces?! You don’t even like me!!”
“It’s true that you’ve been looking pretty lately.”
With a sulky expression, Kasselard said this and stepped closer to Ephinia. He really was big. Big in many ways.
His proportions were so good that from a distance it was hard to realize how large he was, but up close the difference in size between them was obvious.
“I want to receive guiding, so let’s go upstairs. Should we go to your room? Or should I ask for another bedroom?”
It was shameless to the point of being blatant. Ephinia reminded herself that this was the capital, a completely different world from the provincial Caneze Viscountcy where she had lived.
This was a world where contraceptive magic tools existed. Once someone came of age, it was customary to receive and wear a contraceptive ring.
“Fine. Let’s go to a guest room.”
She didn’t want to think of Kasselard in the place where she slept.
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