Chapter 171
Macy felt a chill run down her spine.
How does he know? Did he follow her…?
“No, that’s not it. He wouldn’t do something like that.”
But her ominous thoughts didn’t last long. Macy quickly shook her head, dispelling the suspicion.
While he might lack awareness, he wasn’t a bad person. Hadn’t he been genuinely concerned about her and trying to help?
On the contrary, Macy felt a faint sense of indebtedness to him.
“…That’s right. It was what I wanted. I think the Duke misunderstood. Please let go of my hand.”
That wasn’t entirely true. Macy had said it to provoke Eren out of frustration.
Perhaps Prince Benedict still believed that Macy wanted to kiss him.
After all, with the rumors about her suddenly becoming Duke Krygen’s mistress circulating overnight, how absurd must that have seemed? And to make matters worse, the person who he had confessed to, expecting some kind of response, had disappeared without a word.
Her residence was guarded by Krygen’s soldiers at the entrance of the Hallain Mountains, so he might have heard the rumors from someone at the estate.
It wasn’t as if he’d shown up uninvited. The fact that he had first asked for a response through letters showed that he wasn’t a bad person. He also seemed to be treating Macy, now the Duke’s mistress, with care.
Even so, it seemed like he was willing to come find her if she didn’t respond to him…
“Hmm… what should I do?”
She had heard that he was staying at the Duke’s residence. She was hesitant to send a reply, worried that Eren might find out about the letters that were being exchanged.
< I’ll wait for you inside a carriage at 135 Pilton Street. >
The last part of the letter mentioned where they would meet on the weekend.
“What’s he planning if I don’t show up…?”
A long sigh escaped from Macy. She was torn, unable to decide. Eventually, she placed the letter from Prince Benedict deep inside a drawer and made up her mind.
‘Alright, I’ll go and sort this out once and for all.’
Though she hadn’t mentioned Prince Benedict again, Eren had been visibly upset at the time, so it was better to resolve the matter cleanly.
She didn’t want Prince Benedict to linger around her any longer.
* * *
It was a night draped in a veil of soft darkness. Macy dressed warmly and left the cabin with Morgan.
She had honestly told him where she was going.
When Macy said she didn’t want to make Eren worry unnecessarily, Morgan agreed far more easily than she had expected.
‘Thank goodness. At least I have one ally.’
As the carriage approached, the Krygen family soldiers stationed at the entrance of the Hallain Mountains asked about their destination.
“We’re heading to the art supply store, as she had run out of materials.”
Morgan answered without hesitation. The art supply store was not far from Pilton Street, a place Macy often visited. Though the area around the store was busy, Pilton Street, a block further in, was narrow and rarely had people passing through.
“At this hour?”
The soldiers seemed suspicious, as it was quite late to be going to an art store.
“Don’t you know that when inspiration strikes, you have to paint? Today’s the day, and she just ran out of materials,” Morgan said with a casual tone. The soldiers briefly glanced at Macy inside the carriage, discussed it among themselves, and then moved aside.
“Get your business done and head back early.”
“Yes. Understood.”
The carriage wheels started turning again. As they descended the mountain slope, the carriage rattled slightly. Was it because she was doing something in secret from Eren? The familiar wobbling felt unsettling, and her palms began to sweat.
‘Why am I like this? It really feels like I’m about to do something bad.’
Macy wiped her palms on her skirt and swallowed anxiously.
As she nervously swallowed her unease, the carriage entered Pilton Street. A black carriage was parked in front of 135. It wasn’t anything special—just an ordinary hired carriage.
Morgan discreetly whispered as he helped Macy out.
“I’ll stand in front. If anything happens, scream. There’s only one chance, so we need to wrap this up today.”
“Yes, I understand. Thank you, Morgan.”
He seemed genuinely worried. Macy, too, hoped this would be the last time she would meet Prince Benedict. She took a deep breath and opened the carriage door. At the end of the dimly lit space, a man was seated.
The man saw Macy and turned on the carriage light.
“Macy, you’ve come.”
Prince Benedict smiled brightly.
“Hello, Your Highness.”
Macy entered the carriage, offering a polite smile.
“I really didn’t expect you to come…”
Benedict stared at her intently, as if he had seen something extraordinary.
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