Chapter 68
In the quiet hallway, the distant sound of wind mixed with the sharp click of my heels as I walked.
Even though I tried to walk slowly, I quickly reached the third floor. The path from the second floor, where my office was, to the Crown Prince’s quarters felt unusually short.
At the door, the lead guard—who had driven the horses ahead of the Crown Prince’s group—stood watch.
He glanced at me with his narrow, sharp eyes and merely nodded.
These guys… all of them around the Crown Prince are rude.
No matter how much I glared, the guard knocked without hesitation.
Before he could even speak, a voice called from inside: “Come in.”
The guard opened the door and motioned me in with a nod.
Another name added to my revenge notebook.
As I stepped inside, an unfamiliar scent hit my nose.
“The Empire’s… little sun.”
Only someone like the Emperor’s son could greet me so boldly.
I clenched my teeth at the sight before me.
The Crown Prince wore only a robe and held a glass in his hand. Even for an imperial prince, this was disrespectful toward the Grand Duchess. A mixture of tobacco and alcohol stung my nose.
His hair was slightly damp, likely from a bath, and his eyes were half-lidded.
“Welcome.”
He took a sip from his glass and smiled unpleasantly.
I frowned, and he set the glass down, walking toward me.
“Ah, looks like the Grand Duchess is displeased. Calling you out at this hour must have upset you.”
The closer he came, the stronger the smell of alcohol.
“Still, I hope you understand. I wasted an entire precious day just coming to this miserable place.”
He clasped his hands in a gesture asking for forgiveness. Yet his gaze remained icy.
Seeing me remain silent, Ferdinand pouted and sighed before dragging his slippers to sit on the sofa.
“Ah, this? I brought it. I’m sensitive—cheap or dirty furniture gives me rashes immediately.”
He had brought not just one carriage, but two more, likely carrying this furniture.
“You know, when you’re exhausted, sleep doesn’t come easily. That’s why I drink a little.”
The front of his robe gaped open, revealing his chest. I clicked my tongue in disapproval and turned my head.
The room had several unfamiliar items Ferdinand seemed to have brought, and a bottle of alcohol lay on the floor. Expensive stuff, too.
“By the way, why did you call me here…”
“Ah, yes. I need to ask you something,” he said, pouring more drink into an empty glass and pointing to the sofa with his chin.
“Sit.”
I bit my lower lip and walked to the sofa, moving aside what appeared to be his coat.
He twisted a crystal glass in his hands, frowning. The scar by his eye moved slightly with the expression.
“Curious why I’m here?”
I lifted my head abruptly, uncomfortable with the open front of his robe.
He suddenly laughed, clutching his stomach, tears even forming.
“You really can’t keep your expression under control, can you?”
After a sip from his glass, he wiped his mouth roughly with his sleeve.
His laughter vanished instantly.
“I came because I need to find something.”
He leaned forward, voice low.
“If Kylen were here, it would be difficult to search. That’s why I came now.”
My heart raced. I gripped my dress to hide my trembling hands.
“And… I want the Grand Duchess to help me find it.”
I didn’t know what he was looking for, but now it was clear why he came to Winterford without Kylen.
I tried to think, but nothing came to mind. Sweat dampened my palm gripping the dress.
“Could you tell me what it is you’re looking for?”
“I can’t. I don’t know if you’re on my side or not.”
He chuckled, leaning back.
“If I told you and then hid it even more, wouldn’t that piss you off even more?”
He cursed casually and stared at the ceiling.
Ferdinand’s unusually long neck made him appear almost like a snake raising its head to strike.
I hesitated, unsure how to respond. Should I lie and say I’m on his side?
Then he stood.
On the desk Benjamin had prepared, his luggage was piled up. He took something from a small bag and approached me.
He handed me a thick envelope, shaking it as if to say, “Take it.”
“Open it.”
I slowly opened the envelope. Inside were documents I recognized immediately. I blinked slowly.
“How is it?”
It was exactly as he had hinted earlier. My hands held information on my father, mother, and Aiden.
Not just basic info, but detailed accounts of what they were doing lately.
My father seemed to have started a new business after my marriage to Kylen—a fact I had no idea about.
I clenched my teeth and gripped the envelope tightly.
Ferdinand laughed, but I didn’t care.
My father had invested heavily in this business. Real estate, but extremely risky. If it failed, Rudgar could lose everything.
“The person who looks just like the Grand Duchess… that’s your brother? Studying abroad in Volos?”
He exhaled cigarette smoke and smirked. Half of his golden drink remained in the crystal glass.
He flicked the ash into the glass; the black particles floated before sinking.
“It seems his research is running into difficulties…”
My mind went cold. Ferdinand wasn’t negotiating; he was controlling all my weaknesses.
“Grand Duchess, don’t look so scared. I’d feel bad.”
He laughed, smoke mocking me as it left his lips.
“Look all the way through. All the way.”
He pointed at the documents in my hand.
I pulled out the last paper:
[Iron Ore Distribution Permit]
“Kylen can’t give this. I can.”
He smiled, eyes half-closed. The scar twisted his expression into something terrifying.
Along with the permit, there was a pledge signed by the Emperor to invest imperial backing into my father’s project.
I couldn’t imagine how Ferdinand got this from the Emperor.
With this pledge, my father’s business could succeed greatly with imperial support.
I closed my eyes tightly.
I’m human, after all.
Even with duty ahead, selfish desires stirred. In a few months, I would soon part from Kylen.
Deep inside, greed rose, and my eyebrows trembled.
