Chapter 35
“Ah, hello! I greet the little sun of the Empire!”
Layla widened her eyes in surprise at the doctor Catherine had brought with her.
“Are you the doctor?”
“Ah! Yes! That’s right!”
Even Anasis looked flustered.
He had expected Rainier to come—but instead, someone else had arrived.
Layla silently asked Catherine what was going on, but Catherine simply shook her head as if she didn’t know either.
“Sigh.”
Crown Prince Anasis frowned irritably and rubbed his face. Then, trying to calm himself, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
The person he was dealing with was someone the Emperor cherished deeply. So much so that he had been hidden away all this time and was thought to be dead.
It was only due to the Emperor’s suspicious behavior that Anasis had realized Rainier was still alive.
But of course, it made no sense to think Rainier would appear in front of him—the Crown Prince—just because he called.
Anasis recalled Rainier’s meticulousness from their childhood and those inhuman, monster-like eyes. Remembering that calmed his irritation.
This was a hard-earned opportunity.
He couldn’t let it go to waste.
Truthfully, he wanted to blockade Count Avier’s estate, surround it with private soldiers, and find and kill Rainier.
But even then, Rainier would likely escape somehow—he always had.
It wasn’t the first time Rainier had slipped away.
‘I need to set a trap. That snake always finds a way to slither out.’
Just like his mother had said, he needed to set a trap and make Rainier walk into it.
“Lady Layla seems to be frequently unwell. I wonder if anyone is actually paying attention.”
“I-I’ll be more careful! But Lady Layla has always been rather frail since childhood…”
“Is that your excuse? If your patient is sick, it’s the doctor’s job to make her well, isn’t it?”
“Ah, y-yes! You’re right, Your Highness! My apologies!”
As Anasis raised his voice in annoyance, the doctor bowed his head deeply.
No matter how wealthy the Avier family was, it wasn’t common for them to encounter royalty. They were not central nobility who freely came and went from the imperial palace, and to a minor noble like this doctor, royalty were like gods.
“Make sure she’s better by tomorrow. Or you might end up the one getting sick instead.”
“Yes, Your Highness! I’ll keep that in mind!”
The doctor trembled as he bowed repeatedly.
Layla coughed lightly, as if trying to feign illness. Watching her, Anasis sighed and prepared to leave.
If he showed that he was getting close to Layla, Rainier—who was overly possessive—would definitely show himself.
That was the assumption Anasis made as he left the Avier estate.
* * *
“So annoying.”
Rainier hadn’t gone to the Avier estate that morning because he had other matters to attend to.
“Right? His persistence is impressive. No wonder he’s rich.”
Liar, who had infiltrated the estate pretending to be the knight commander, had also taken the day off. He was Rainier’s aide, after all.
“Sinking their ships clearly won’t be enough.”
“I agree.”
Even if they sank a shipment, the other side would just find more money and bring in more goods. As long as one shipment got through, they could turn a profit.
That’s how trade worked—buy cheap goods from afar and sell them at a high price here.
Eclaire’s main customers were nobles who were fascinated by exotic foreign products.
These nobles weren’t spending money out of necessity. For them, everything Eclaire sold was a luxury. They didn’t care about cost-effectiveness.
What mattered was that the goods were foreign and guaranteed by Eclaire.
“We need to destroy Eclaire.”
“Great idea. And maybe now’s a good time to score some points with Lady Layla too.”
At Liar’s words, Rainier scowled.
“Why would I?”
“Exactly. Why would you?”
Though Rainier answered sarcastically, Liar had known him long enough to recognize his sour mood.
Lately, Rainier had been oddly preoccupied with his appearance—grooming his eyebrows, practicing his smile…
A man who used to take pride in his natural looks.
He was even practicing penmanship to improve his handwriting.
And buying up different kinds of cologne.
At the Avier estate, the only permitted clothing was a formal undergarment and a white doctor’s coat. But everything else—like colognes or cufflinks—changed regularly.
“How about starting a competitor to Eclaire?”
Liar said this to steer the conversation elsewhere.
Today’s cologne was “A Gentleman Like the Dawn”, a favorite among women despite the quirky name. It had a fresh, clean scent.
“Sounds good.”
But even though Rainier wore it, Layla seemed not to notice at all.
She was always alert to how people saw her but rarely noticed changes in others.
“Also, maybe switch your cologne to ‘Orpheus’s Tears’.”
“Why?”
Because it had the richest yet softest scent.
“It’s what Sonet Bruce wears.”
“Get out.”
Rainier glared fiercely at Liar. Liar only shrugged and left the room.
“Sigh.”
Once he was alone, Rainier picked up a book with a red cover written in Balkan.
When Sonet Bruce began showing interest in Siber, Layla became sad.
She thought it was her fault that everyone she loved was drawn to her older sister.
That because she was less charming than her sister, all the men fell for Siber.
So even though she resented her sister, she couldn’t truly hate her.
Her lack of appeal was her own fault—not her sister’s.
“Did Your Highness really come to see me?”
“Of course. You’ve been sick so often—it’s starting to bother me.”
Crown Prince Anasis looked at Layla with gentle golden eyes, different from the way Sonet had looked at her with indifference.
Layla’s heart fluttered.
“Your Highness, you don’t need to lie to me. If you came to see my sister, please just say so.”
“I told you, I came because you’re unwell. Lady Siber means nothing to me.”
When he tucked her hair behind her ear, Layla lowered her gaze with a sorrowful expression. Then, as he gently brushed the shell of her ear, she couldn’t help but shiver.
“Layla.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
He couldn’t hold it back any longer and said what had been on his mind.
“Would you rather become Empress than Marchioness Bruce?”
“…What?”
“When I become Emperor someday, I want you to—”
Thud!
“Sigh.”
Unable to contain himself, Rainier threw the book against the wall.
“Damn it.”
He trembled in rage, clenching his fists.
Then he stood up and headed straight for the Avier estate.
“Rain?”
Layla was startled to see Rainier entering her room late at night with medicine in hand, especially since she knew it was his day off.
“I heard you’ve been having nightmares lately.”
“I don’t. Lately, I’ve only had really nice dreams.”
“Remembering your dreams isn’t a good sign.”
Layla didn’t know what to say as he shamelessly walked right in.
Catherine, who had been drying Layla’s damp hair, glanced at her for direction—should she chase him out?
But Layla thought it was best to stay on his good side.
“Just sit on the sofa, Rain. I need to dry my hair first.”
“Sure.”
He smiled faintly and went to sit down. In that brief moment their eyes met, Layla realized he was faking the smile again.
As he sat, the only sound in the room was the gentle brushing of Layla’s damp hair.
“Do you perhaps like old men?”
“…What? That’s random.”
“Is that why you like white hair too?”
“I don’t like white hair.”
Layla turned to look at him, wondering why he was picking a fight. But when their eyes met, his expression was far too intense to be just teasing.
“B-Black hair is my favorite.”
She blurted it out instinctively—out of fear. Because Rainier had black hair.
At that, the dangerous glint in his eyes faded and turned calm again.
“You’re saying things you don’t mean again.”
Layla was confused. If he liked her, he always seemed cold and distant, and even his kind tone had a sharp edge.
“I’ll dry your hair instead.”
“What? But—”
“It’s fine. Catherine, thank you. I’ll take it from here.”
“…Yes, my lady.”
Catherine glanced at Rainier, who had come close before she noticed.
“…Ah.”
The moment their eyes met, she felt frozen, like a deer caught by a bear. Her knees weakened and her heart pounded.
“Please leave, maid.”
“Y-Yes.”
Only then did she snap out of it and quickly flee the room.
Once the door shut behind them and they were alone, Rainier got straight to the point.
“I’m going to shut down Eclaire. Join me.”
Layla’s blue eyes and her damp, rosy hair glistened in the dim light.
