Chapter 78…………………………
Lloyd stayed up all night, sending a letter to Minerva.
“I have to… speak.”
He had wanted to remain Id Mente in front of Minerva.
So he hadn’t intended to accept even a marriage proposal.
But the moment she recognized that Lloyd Eckhart wasn’t pathetic, that he was making an effort, his heart had tipped over in an instant.
He tried to rationally balance the scales, but when Aslan also stepped onto the scale, there was nothing more he could do.
It was a complete defeat for him.
“If I told her I was hiding my identity, she would definitely feel betrayed.”
They had met in Mente’s territory while hiding their true identities.
But Minerva had hidden hers for the sake of her child.
Her reason was different from Lloyd’s.
She might be furious that he had deceived her all this time, or pretended not to know even when he did.
“Princess Priscilla must be scary, but she still tries to get away. She hasn’t given up completely. Even with all the trouble that’ll come, she took in Aslan and me too. Isn’t that brave? She’s already a great help to me.”
Perhaps she would even retract that evaluation.
If she was going to take it back anyway, he might as well use it now.
Lloyd repeated Minerva’s words to himself, reciting a spell of courage.
“I am a brave person. Brave people don’t run away.”
Even if he was hated, Minerva would direct her dislike at him alone, not at Ayla.
That alone would be enough…
“…No!”
Lloyd slammed his head onto the desk.
After all, she was his first neighbor, and as a single parent, she had been a great support.
Just thinking about the cold wind Minerva would blow his way was enough to make his fledgling courage falter.
Should he speak? Or not?
He debated whether he could speak honestly without a mask, and before he knew it, dawn had broken.
The candle he had lit had long since melted down to the base, losing its light.
He had agonized all night yet made no decisions. He felt pathetic.
“I wish someone would at least give me a push right now.”
Relying on Ayla felt too childish for a grown man.
He had no choice but to muster his courage alone. Just as he resolved to stand up, stiff and weary, a voice rang out:
“Th-There’s trouble! Your Highness!”
The door swung open without a knock.
Instinctively, Lloyd covered his face with his hand, then frowned upon recognizing the intruder as Pablo, a rogue.
“I told you to knock first…”
“P-Pris! Pris! She’s here!”
Pablo babbled incoherently like someone who had lost their language, repeatedly slapping his own cheeks.
Finally, he delivered the alert in a proper sentence.
“Princess Priscilla has arrived!”
Breathless, Lloyd ran to the main hall—and there she was.
Her mint-colored hair swept back.
Ice-cold blue eyes.
Wrinkles around her mouth giving her a stern expression.
Her stubborn lips, meticulously painted in deep red, held a tobacco pipe.
She stood tall in the center of the staircase connecting the first and second floors, back to a massive curtain, and exhaled smoke the moment she spotted Lloyd.
“It’s been a while.”
“…Mother.”
It was truly Priscilla.
Lloyd nearly lost his strength in his legs but barely held himself up.
“No need for an intermediary, what brings you here?”
“Seems your mother has aged, son. Since when would it be a problem for me to visit my own castle? In fact, you, unable to feel at ease even in your own home, seem far more like an outsider.”
As always, Priscilla pointed out his ridiculous state.
Lloyd could hardly argue—she was right. He couldn’t even show his face comfortably in his own home.
Normally, a tedious lecture would have followed, but Priscilla had her servant flick ash from her pipe into the tray before asking:
“Is my room in order?”
“Won’t you tell me why you came?”
“Still impatient, I see. I don’t recall teaching that.”
Priscilla handed the pipe back to the servant with a look of mild disappointment and turned away.
“The carriage ride has been long and tiring. Let’s rest a moment and talk.”
Her servant bowed apologetically and followed her as she walked away.
It felt like a great storm had just passed.
Lloyd sank down, having nothing to hold onto, practically melting to the floor.
“Your Highness!”
His heart pounded wildly, his mind reeling again.
But now was not the time.
Pushing away Pablo, who tried to support him, Lloyd gritted his teeth and said:
“Pablo. Immediately tell the princess that my mother has come, and that Aslan must not leave the villa for the time being. Ayla as well… make sure she stays inside… lock her in some underground cell if necessary, and make sure she cannot get out…”
Priscilla still wielded influence in politics.
Even as his mother, he could not let her discover Aslan’s presence.
And Ayla, too, should not be seen by Priscilla yet.
Pablo, who had watched Lloyd’s situation unfold, nodded gravely.
After his conversation with Id, Lloyd tried to calm his troubled mind with a walk, but found the main hall in an uproar.
What was going on? A guest?
When he opened the villa door, an unfamiliar man was pacing inside.
He looked relieved to have found Lloyd and said:
“Greetings, Your Highness. I am Pablo Barnes, aide to the Duke. I bring a message from the Duke.”
Seeing Lloyd’s flustered face, he hurriedly poured out the Duke’s message like someone pressed for time.
“Princess Priscilla has arrived?”
“Yes. Therefore, it is requested that you remain inside the villa for the time being.”
Even if he were told to stay inside, Lloyd had never gone to the main hall, nor intended to.
Above all, he didn’t want to face Priscilla.
“Understood.”
“Thank you for your understanding. And I apologize, but… please keep Ayla inside as well. She is likely with Aslan right now.”
His eyes narrowed at that.
“…Ayla? What about Sir Mente?”
“As you know, she is attending closely to the Duke’s matters. She is closer to Sir Mente than to me.”
“Hmm…”
A smile of amusement crept onto his face.
No matter how stern the Duke was, he would not concern himself with his subordinate’s daughter.
They must be desperate.
Even the Duke’s household recognized Priscilla’s formidable reputation.
He had some inkling of it, but if she was enough to require evacuating his daughter and Ayla, it was another matter entirely.
“I’ve changed my mind. So, your name…?”
“Yes, yes. Pablo Barnes.”
“Very well, Sir Barnes.”
The Duke feared Priscilla.
No mere successful business venture could free him from her shadow, and he must have known that, at least subconsciously.
“But if I’m with her, things are different.”
The deal depended on trust, but it wasn’t formalized yet, so he worried the Duke might change his mind at any time.
Better to make it irreversible now.
He smiled faintly at Pablo, as if to confirm his suspicion.
“She came all this way at her age. Surely it is only proper to greet her.”
“Yes, yes?”
Pablo’s expression contorted amusingly.
Even unconsciously, Minerva’s usual cynical expression appeared on Lloyd’s face.
“I told you that pretending not to notice when you know she’s here is impolite. Above all, if you pretend not to notice between me and Princess Priscilla, how disappointed would she be?”
Ah, he could hear it.
He could not refuse the princess’s command and silently screamed inside.
Lloyd’s frustration toward him eased a bit.
He laughed, joyfully opening the villa doors that had just closed.
“Come, I’ll guide you.”
