Chapter 67
“If I had known this damn place would be this cold, I wouldn’t have come at all.”
Tsk, Ferdinand clicked his tongue, quickly scanning the castle, and strode past me toward the halls.
I hurriedly followed the Crown Prince.
“Shall I guide you to the reception room—?”
“No need. I’ve been sitting in the train and carriage all day. I just want to lie down. Prepare a warm bath.”
This guy…
I stopped in my tracks, fists clenching tightly at Ferdinand’s attitude, as if he were speaking to a maid rather than the Grand Duchess.
“Your Grace…”
Greta, who had been watching from behind, stepped forward.
“I will guide His Royal Highness,” she said with a reassuring smile before quickly catching up to Ferdinand and the staff.
Greta bowed deeply and whispered something to him. Ferdinand turned briefly to look at me before resuming his pace.
Ferdinand’s quarters had been prepared on the south side of Winterford Castle, on the third floor. Once they disappeared from view, I relaxed my clenched hands.
“Eli.”
Aiden approached, worry etched on his face.
He seemed unsure what to say, opening his mouth but closing it without a word.
“It’s okay. I’m fine,” I said, placing a hand on my waist and smiling brightly at him.
“Our guest seems to be going to bed early, so I’ll return to the office to finish some work. What about you?”
Aiden simply smiled faintly and said, “I’ll check the library. There are books I can’t find in the Kingdom of Volos.”
“Alright then. See you tomorrow.”
After bidding him goodbye, I sent Mia away and entered the office at a brisk pace.
The warm air immediately embraced me.
After standing in the freezing cold for an hour, my ears and cheeks burned as my body thawed.
I tossed my coat and gloves onto the sofa, swapped my thick shoes for wool slippers, and sank into a chair by the fireplace.
“Crazy bastard.”
My frozen feet ached as they warmed in front of the fire. I pressed them with my hands and cursed again.
“Son of a—”
He hadn’t even been invited, yet he came and acted like that! If his intention was to insult me, he had succeeded.
“Ugh, so annoying!”
I punched and kicked the air wildly, kicking up dust, until I was out of breath.
When Kylen is at the empire’s highest rank, I will watch Ferdinand’s downfall from the front row.
Just as I was catching my breath, a knock came.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me, Dylan.”
“Come in.”
I slipped back into my slippers and Dylan cautiously entered.
“What is it?”
“Just a quick word…”
Dylan looked stiff and tense. I stood up.
“Why… your hair…”
“Oh, just… never mind. But do you have something to tell me?”
My hair was messy from my frantic movements. I tidied it roughly as I asked.
“It’s nothing urgent, but I wanted to inform you of a few things.”
“What is it?”
Dylan adjusted his glasses and began:
“You should have received a letter by now. If you left immediately, it would take only a few hours to arrive. But I thought you should know…”
He continued:
“Your Grace left Mark, Paul, and Gus behind at Winterford Castle. Mark took the letter you wrote and hurried to the border region. Gus is secretly observing the Crown Prince. And Paul is continuously guarding you, so there’s no need to worry about assassins.”
My head spun. Assassins? Targeting me? But Paul was constantly guarding me?
I looked around. It was just Dylan and me in the office.
Then the curtain fluttered, and Paul emerged.
“When did you get there—?”
The quiet Paul bowed. I quickly blinked and turned to Dylan.
“When did this start?”
“Pardon?”
“When did the constant guard begin?”
“Since you sent the letter. Your Grace said not to follow closely unless there’s danger, and asked us not to tell you so you wouldn’t worry. I apologize for not telling you sooner.”
Oh my god.
I buried my face in my hands.
“Grand Duchess?”
“Why…?”
Dylan stepped closer, concerned.
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier!”
I lifted my face, shouting. Dylan’s eyes widened in shock.
He must have seen it… Damn it!
Earlier, I had thrown punches and kicks at the air like a boxer: left hook, right hook, uppercut, front kick, side kick, spinning kick—even Taekwondo forms.
I cautiously looked at Paul, kneeling quietly.
“You saw… right?”
“…”
“You did see.”
I rested my forehead in my hand and stayed silent for a moment, then peeked at him again.
If it were Caspian, the whole Winterford Castle would know within an hour.
The thought gave me chills worse than seeing Ferdinand earlier.
I rubbed my arms and approached Paul.
“Paul.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“What must a knight protect?”
Paul looked up briefly, flinched, and bowed his head.
“To train your body, protect the weak, and dedicate your body and soul to your lord under the sword’s oath…”
“No! That’s the spirit of a knight!”
Paul frowned, confused by my question.
“Your mouth… heavy! Understand?”
I zipped my lips with a gesture and stared at him.
Paul swallowed and nodded, understanding.
I’ll be watching.
I pointed alternately at my eyes and him.
A knock sounded again.
“Grand Duchess, it’s Greta.”
Greta said the Crown Prince seemed ready to sleep.
Good. By morning, Kylen would have returned.
I exhaled in relief and praised everyone’s efforts.
Two hours later, the Crown Prince’s aide arrived.
“What is it at this hour?”
It was past 11 p.m., two hours after Ferdinand had gone to his room grumbling about the cold. The aide arrived without greeting or apology.
“The Crown Prince requests your presence.”
As the saying goes, “Clear waters upstream make clear waters downstream.”
“Do you know what time it is?”
“Yes, 11:03 p.m.”
The aide checked his watch and told me the time without shame.
“Night? Day?”
“Obviously night.”
“I see. I thought maybe you didn’t know. Now I know it’s night, and who I am,” I said, making him flinch.
“His Royal Highness has an urgent message for you, so he insisted I bring you here,” the aide said.
There was no way to refuse. Still, I grumbled a little for mischief.
“I’ll come properly dressed.”
“Understood.”
I closed the office door, pretending to be composed, and listened carefully as his footsteps faded.
Once the hallway was quiet, I paced the office dramatically.
“What… why am I being summoned? Wasn’t today supposed to be a night off?”
Kylen still had some time before returning.
Could I hold out until then?
I shook my head sharply.
The news of the Crown Prince’s arrival had disrupted my plans. I should have been resting in the bedroom…
I exhaled and glanced at where Paul had been hiding.
Yes. Let’s deal with this.
