Chapter 61
As he was holding Ephinia’s hand, he noticed that it was trembling slightly, so he drew it closer and pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. Since they were in front of many nobles, a flustered expression flickered across Ephinia’s face.
“Your Highness. People are watching…”
“I’m here, so don’t be nervous. I’m the Crown Prince. Anyone who looks down on you or gives you trouble, I can get rid of them all.”
The nobles didn’t show it, but they were surely pricking up their ears to overhear what Kasselard was saying. With those words, they would have realized that Kasselard had completely taken Ephinia’s side. It was reassuring, yet she also wondered if it was a bit too much.
“Thank you for saying that. But if we look too close, it might cause misunderstandings…”
Ephinia tilted her head toward him and whispered softly. Kasselard answered with a bright smile.
“Yeah, Ephie. I like you too.”
“I never said anything like that though?”
She replied with a serious face, but Kasselard didn’t budge.
“Is saying I like you not enough? My Ephie is greedy. Alright then. Ephie, I love you so much.”
He even added a wink as he spoke. The surrounding nobles could be seen gasping and murmuring in shock. Ephinia’s mouth fell open in disbelief. Kasselard burst into laughter for a moment and almost showered her with kisses, but he held himself back.
“Th-that’s not what I meant!!”
“But it’s true that I love you, Baroness.”
When Kasselard said this with a wounded expression, the noblewomen nearby sighed as if the situation was terribly unfortunate. Ephinia felt wronged.
“Who loves who!”
Of course, when he was receiving guiding, he had often thrown around words about liking her. And Ephinia had almost… fallen for it. Not completely, but it was true that her heart had wavered.
But!
‘I’m going to get away from the Crown Prince and marry a modest and kind man!!’
It was a shame about that dazzling, beautiful face, but everyone knew that it’s impossible to fix someone. A person’s nature doesn’t just change.
Ephinia knew what he had been like before he began showing her favor, and she wasn’t foolish enough to trust a man who could revert back into that at any time.
When he refused to listen, she turned her back on him and strode away. Kasselard hurried after her. The nobles, seeing this, became convinced that the Crown Prince was completely bewitched by Baroness Linier.
‘How could this happen!’
Viscount Caneze, who had staked much on meeting Ephinia at this ball and taking his revenge, couldn’t contain his anger. There were rumors in the capital about the A-Class Guide who had become the Crown Prince’s Guide, but there was little detailed information about the family known to have abused that Guide.
Thanks to that, Viscount Caneze had been able to attend this ball by using every connection he knew and paying a large sum of money. If the Marquis and Marchioness Deacon had known, they would have barred the father and daughter from entering, if only to prepare for any possible trouble.
‘Was that wench this cunning? How did she manage that?’
He had been sentenced on charges related to Ephinia and several other servants, but in truth, he knew almost nothing about the girl. He only remembered her as a maid who attended to his daughter and his mother.
After Helena injured Ephinia, he heard that she had been assigned to attend exclusively to his mother, but since he rarely visited or checked on his mother, he had no occasion to see her face.
He had thought this revenge would be easy. After finishing his sentence, when he went to find the servants who had reported him, they had all trembled in fear.
Ephinia might have received a title and become a Baroness, but she was still just a mere woman. He was certain that with a little pressure, she would be too frightened to say a word. He had even heard that at the ball where the Crown Prince humiliated her, she had run away in tears.
So he should have been able to drive her out of high society and cast her down to the very bottom without difficulty, but…
Why was the Crown Prince trailing after that woman like a devoted tail?!
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2 CommentsJennie 🥰
Ilina