Chapter 34
Logan entered the office later than usual. The aide, who had arrived first as always, greeted him briskly.
“You’re late.”
Logan only gave a slight nod and sat down immediately. His mind was clearer than ever. However, after intense activity all night and barely getting any sleep, the fatigue in his body couldn’t be hidden. Benjamin, who saw his face almost every day, quickly noticed his condition.
“You look tired. Did something happen last night?”
“What could possibly happen.”
Benjamin’s expression changed subtly. That blunt reply to a probing question was suspicious. Something had definitely happened. He had heard from a palace maid that Miss Avery had visited last night…
Half concern, half curiosity. The question pressed at him, but he couldn’t ask further. The prince’s mood soured at the mere mention of Anne Agnes.
There was no benefit in provoking him unnecessarily. Benjamin set aside his curiosity and began the day’s work. As usual, he organized the documents the prince needed to review and handed them over, but Logan showed no reaction for quite some time. He didn’t even pretend to open them.
His face looked like he was deep in thought. Benjamin’s eyes trembled. This wasn’t a good sign. Had Miss Avery caused some major trouble again?
He wanted no part in any stray fallout. Benjamin cautiously shifted sideways, inching out of the prince’s line of sight. At that moment, Logan spoke.
“This afternoon… I’ll be out.”
“Where are you going?”
Logan shut his mouth again. It wasn’t that he was trying to hide something, he himself didn’t understand why he had said that so abruptly.
He would go to the Avery estate. He should go and see Anne Agnes. That much he had decided. The problem was, the reason wasn’t clear. Ah, just now, one definite reason came to mind. He would meet her and properly confirm his symptoms.
But why was it so awkward to say out loud? Logan evaded the answer like a coward.
“…Personal business.”
“Ah, yes.”
Benjamin replied crookedly, as if he hadn’t expected an answer anyway. It was rather disrespectful, but Logan wasn’t paying enough attention to his aide to point it out. Growing strangely restless, Logan tapped his fingernails lightly against the desk again.
Benjamin frowned. When had he picked up such a terrible habit? It was truly irritating. Today, he was finally going to say something. Just as Benjamin gathered the courage to point it out, Logan spoke first.
“Tell me more about your wife.”
“Pardon? What…?”
Benjamin looked at him like he had eaten something wrong. Embarrassed, Logan rubbed under his chin. Even he knew it was sudden and out of character.
The truth was, the flow of his thoughts that led him to say that was this. Suddenly, he recalled the sight of Anne Agnes leaving the bedroom at dawn. Afraid she might be caught in his arms again, she had hugged the bundle of her dress and slipped quietly into the next room. Logan had no choice but to pretend to be deeply asleep and let her go.
It was understandable. Even he thought he had acted like a madman. So shouldn’t he try to make up for his behavior from last night, at least a little. He had also treated her too carelessly until now.
No, in the end, it was all an excuse. He had simply felt the urge to see her face, and everything else was just justification.
Having lost trust in himself after yesterday, Logan continued in a somewhat lifeless voice.
“What she likes, where she wants to go… things like that.”
“And why…?”
Benjamin’s expression turned very strange. Logan belatedly realized his mistake. A man suddenly asking about another man’s wife’s preferences. Of course it would sound odd. Before any unpleasant misunderstanding arose, Logan quickly added,
“I mean, not your wife. I’m asking about women’s preferences in general.”
“Ah, if it’s that, I know quite a bit!”
Benjamin’s eyes widened. His voice rose without him realizing it. To hear such words come from Logan. Had he finally started seeing his fiancée as a woman? It seemed his worries yesterday had been unnecessary.
Then he had to be properly helpful. Benjamin began talking excitedly, as if his mouth had wheels. Shops women liked, things women wanted. Since when he had become such a dating expert, Logan couldn’t understand at all.
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