~Chapter 91~
The road from the Prince’s Palace to the Crown Prince’s Palace was quiet and peaceful.
I was supposed to go to lunch with Bastian together with Richard, but Richard’s training was running late, so I headed to the Crown Prince’s Palace first.
“Miss Amelie, is it hard for you to walk? The wind is blowing a bit—are you cold?”
Melona stuck close to my side, always checking on me.
I was grateful she took care of me, but it was a bit much.
“Melona… If walking this much or this bit of wind was too hard, I wouldn’t be able to survive in this world.”
“But Your Highness, you just look so delicate.”
“Me?”
I looked at Melona in surprise.
‘She’s even smaller than me!’
From what I’ve gathered, I think my height is about average for a woman in this world.
But Melona is so short, she barely comes up to my nose, and she’s very thin—she’s not in a position to call me delicate!
“Yes, Your Highness! But don’t worry, I’m here with you.”
“Haha, thank you, Melona.”
Melona darted around me like an idol bodyguard, watching the area, even though there were palace guards nearby.
With her cute protection, we soon reached the front of the Crown Prince’s Palace.
A servant guided us to the dining room, where a big table was already covered with delicious food. The smell alone made my mouth water.
“Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
“Welcome, Miss Amelie.”
I greeted Bastian, who was sitting at the head of the table, and he welcomed me with a smile.
“Where did you leave your fiancé?”
“Ah, Richard’s training ran a little late, so I came first.”
It was a little teasing to call Richard my fiancé, but I answered as if I didn’t notice.
Luckily, Bastian didn’t tease me any further, and suggested we start eating.
“Are you getting used to life at the palace? Of course, it’s not your first time here.”
“Thanks to you, I’m doing well. By the way, I was so busy I didn’t get to thank you properly before—thank you so much for helping us get engaged.”
“No need to thank me. Watching your engagement is a happy thing for me, too.”
Bastian’s light answer showed he cared about me.
But I knew our engagement couldn’t have been easy for him.
He had to go against the Empress, who supported Wudian as a witness.
“Your Highness, I hope our engagement didn’t trouble you.”
“Rather than trouble… it made me take sides. I’ve completely turned against the Empress now.”
“Taken sides?”
So it wasn’t something to be happy about!
I was surprised, but Bastian seemed calm, even when saying he had fully separated from the Empress.
“Don’t be shocked. This was bound to happen sooner or later. And since Richard is on my side, things aren’t all bad.”
“But… Your Highness, you’ve gone against the Empress, and Richard is even more distant from his mother now… I feel sorry for causing all this.”
“Miss Amelie. The engagement was Richard’s idea and his choice. You just accepted his offer. You have nothing to feel guilty about.”
Bastian’s warm words calmed me, but my heart still felt heavy.
After all, Richard only thought of the engagement because of me.
Then Bastian suddenly smiled.
“A few days ago, Her Majesty the Empress visited the Crown Prince’s Palace.”
“Why did the Empress come here?”
“She can’t go into the Prince’s Palace as she likes, so she came here instead. She said I tricked Richard into getting engaged to you.”
“She must really want to believe that.”
From what Richard said before, the Empress hated Bastian getting any attention.
She probably wanted her own son to be Crown Prince.
So, when things didn’t go her way, she decided to believe the engagement was all Bastian’s plan.
“Too bad for her. So I showed her the letters Richard sent me.”
“Letters? What did they say?”
I looked at Bastian with curious eyes, but he just smiled mysteriously.
“Sorry, I can’t tell you that. But I can say Richard was very sure he wanted to be with you.”
My face got hot all of a sudden. I grabbed my water and took a sip.
Bastian laughed and, with a playful smile, went on.
“The Prince’s Palace used to be full of people spying for the Empress. But before you arrived, Richard cleaned them all out. Did you know?”
“When we had our engagement ceremony, I realized Richard really plans everything. He’s very thorough.”
“Very thorough, huh. That’s true, especially when it comes to you.”
How many times was he going to tease me like this?
Bastian always managed to play with my feelings with his mysterious words.
I don’t know how many times I’ve been tricked by him now.
As I stared at him in annoyance, Bastian let out a soft, different kind of laugh.
“Anyway, don’t tell Richard about what I said about the Empress. It won’t make him feel any better.”
“Alright, I won’t.”
I was about to ask more about the Empress, when the dining room door opened and Richard came in.
“Sorry I’m late.”
He sat down across from me, and I could smell a faint scent of soap, as if he’d just washed up.
‘He looks even better with his hair down instead of slicked back.’
His golden hair, still a little damp, covered his forehead and gave him a different charm.
“So, how’s married life?”
When I stared at Richard, Bastian must have noticed and pressed his teasing button again.
“We’re not even married yet, so what newlywed life?”
Richard answered bluntly, as if Bastian was being ridiculous.
He was right—even our engagement was fake.
“I heard you two live on different floors. Even if you’re just engaged, doesn’t it look strange? And if something happened, wouldn’t it be better to be close to Miss Amelie?”
Richard suddenly looked at me.
“There are guards and assistants. And nothing bad will happen at the Prince’s Palace.”
Only then did I wonder, ‘Is it weird for us to live on different floors?’
I’d always thought it was normal, but after what Bastian said, I felt a little sad.
No, it’s just a contract engagement. It would be stranger if we were closer!
Even if we did, nothing would change.
I tried to comfort myself, but I still felt a little upset.
Meanwhile, Richard and Bastian started talking about the upcoming festival.
“Yvonne will make her debut at the festival in two weeks. So, Miss Amelie.”
Suddenly, Bastian called my name, and I jumped a bit.
“Yes? Yes, Your Highness?”
“Could you help Yvonne with her debut? Normally the lady of the house should do it, but as you know, the Countess of Medaniel is absent. Lysa asked me directly, so I couldn’t refuse. I hope you can help her. It’s not too hard, so don’t feel pressured.”
“Lysa asked you?”
If it was Lysa’s request, I couldn’t say no.
I nodded, even though I felt unsure.
“I’ll try my best.”
“I’ll help you too, so don’t worry.”
Richard met my eyes and encouraged me.
‘With Richard by my side, I can do anything.’
Even though I still felt nervous after running into Yvonne earlier, knowing Richard was with me made me feel better.
