Chapter 27
Luisa let out a deep sigh. It wasn’t just because she was family—objectively speaking, her sister had a face that would stand out anywhere.
But because of the useless men who approached her in the wrong way, her sister had lacked confidence in her looks since she was young, despite always putting on a brave face. Somehow, Luisa felt like that was all her fault.
“And anyway, knowing your place and dreaming of an ideal are two different things, sis.”
“That’s what I’m saying. If your ideals are high but reality is in the gutter, wouldn’t it be better not to dream at all?”
“Ugh. Every time we have conversations like this, I feel like your emotions are just bone-dry.”
Luisa shook her head as if admitting defeat at her sister’s constant cynical replies.
“I hear from friends that if you find someone with decent enough conditions, you can still like them enough to marry and spend your life together. But I just don’t get it. I mean, how can I entrust my whole life to someone just on that basis? I can’t.”
“Sometimes I really wonder…”
“What?”
“…what you’d be like if you were crazy in love.”
At Luisa’s words, Iella scrunched her face as if she’d just heard something absurd.
“That’s something I’ve never once thought about.”
“It’s not like there’s a law saying it can’t happen.”
“It won’t happen, Luisa.”
Iella’s reply was sharp and final. Luisa simply smiled faintly, curling her lips.
“Don’t be too sure. Whatever happens, I’ll always be on your side.”
“That’s a relief.”
“I’ll leave the ointment here. Apply it often so it doesn’t get worse.”
“Okay. Thanks. I’m sorry for showing you this side of me as your sister.”
“Sorry? Over something like this? Anyway, I’ll head out so you can rest. You look tired.”
Her eyes were puffy, and her face was so worn out it looked like she could collapse at any moment. With a pale face, Iella murmured her thanks again before collapsing onto the bed and falling into a deep sleep.
When she awoke, it was to the sudden intrusion of a food smell. The sun was already sinking low in the sky. Other than the tea she’d had at Grenville, she hadn’t eaten anything all day, and the hunger struck her fast and hard. As she curled her aching palm and opened her eyes, the warm scent of bread and soup tickled her nose.
“Mmm.”
“Oh? You’re awake?”
Sandy, who had been wringing out a wet towel, turned around in surprise to look at Iella.
“Sandy. How’s Betty?”
“She’s resting in her room.”
“That’s a relief.”
Iella let out a sigh of relief.
“I’m sorry, miss.”
“Hm?”
She glanced at Sandy, wondering what she meant, only to see the girl looking at her hand.
“It’s my fault this happened.”
“It’s fine. Still, you’ve got a really high fever, miss. Everyone’s worried about you.”
She had been wiping away Iella’s cold sweat with the damp towel just moments before.
Iella touched her own forehead.
“…Is it? Anyway, something smells really good. Can I have some?”
“Huh? Oh, yes!”
When Sandy went to fetch the tray she’d placed on the desk, Iella carefully sat up, leaning against the bed’s headboard. Her head spun, and she couldn’t muster any strength—it seemed she really was sick.
“Here you go.”
On the tray were soup and bread.
“Since your hand’s hurt, I’ll feed you, miss.”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll eat slowly. Sandy, you can go now.”
“Then… I’ll come back in a bit.”
Once Sandy left, Iella carefully gripped the spoon. A searing pain shot through her palm, enough to make her eyes water, and even lifting the spoon felt like a struggle. But her hunger persisted.
As the food went down bit by bit, her stomach growled for more. She couldn’t help but laugh at herself—hungry at a time like this.
“I guess hunger strikes aren’t for me.”
Her mouth felt rough, so she left the bread aside, but she finished all the soup. Even that much made her feel alive again. She lay back down and drifted off to sleep.
Hans, having returned from an errand, headed to Franz’s office to report—he also had to tell him about an unexpected visitor earlier that day.
Franz, who had been propping his chin and staring blankly at Iella’s notebook, gave Hans a sidelong glance before lowering his gaze again.
“Why are you alone?”
“Well… Lady Iella is sick. She’s in no condition to go out.”
“Sick?”
“Yes. The maid who delivered the message said she’s been bedridden since yesterday.”
“She’s really sick?”
“She even had a doctor come by, so I doubt she was lying.”
“I see.”
Franz nodded lightly, as if it wasn’t a big deal.
“And according to the report from the person I discreetly assigned to watch her, she hasn’t done anything unusual since her outing to Manchester. Nothing suspicious.”
Hans added that, from what he’d heard, Lady Clarence had been followed from a distance by the prince himself that day.
“Ah.”
Franz knew exactly which day that was.
“So what was she looking for that day?”
“The merchants said… she was looking for a portrait.”
“A portrait?”
Franz raised an eyebrow. But at Hans’s next words, his fingers—idly tapping on the desk—froze.
“She was looking for your portrait, Your Highness.”
“…Well, that’s unexpected.”
What on earth was with this woman? Unlike other women, she didn’t seem to like him, yet she followed him around. Then suddenly, her eyes would soften. She’d act blatantly uncomfortable around him, and now… she was looking for his portrait?
“Hans.”
“Yes, Your Highness?”
“She really doesn’t like me, right?”
Hans hesitated, unsure if he should tell the truth. But lying wasn’t an option.
“In my opinion, yes.”
“Hmm. I think so too.”
Then why was she acting so inconsistently…? Confusing.
“When someone acts like that, it really makes you curious about what they’re hiding. Don’t you think, Hans?”
Franz’s expression was one of pure amusement.
Hans, too, was growing curious. The look in her eyes when she saw the prince wasn’t that of a woman smitten, yet her actions created mixed signals. There had to be some reason for it.
And besides, Hans had never seen anyone else provoke this much emotional reaction from the prince before.
“Your Highness, why do you care about her? I’m not sure she’s worth the attention.”
The prince Hans knew never invested more emotion than necessary into anything. He disliked wasting feelings on pointless matters. Normally, this was something Hans would handle without his master needing to care.
“It’s fun.”
“…That’s it?”
“What else should there be?”
Hans had asked, thinking surely there must be more—but the prince’s gaze was utterly devoid of any deeper emotion. It was unexpected enough to leave him momentarily speechless.
“It’s just that I’ve never seen you take this kind of interest in anyone before, Your Highness. My apologies.”
“Forget it. It’s not a big deal.”
Perhaps she was nothing more than a fresh plaything. Hans suddenly felt a twinge of pity for Lady Clarence.
“What time are the steel company executives coming tomorrow?”
“One o’clock.”
“Good. Tell Iella Clarence to come at two.”
“…Two, sir?”
In the entire history of the company, not once had a planning, marketing, or emergency meeting ever wrapped up quickly. Franz was the kind of man who, after exhausting everyone’s mental and physical stamina with marathon meetings, would rise with a refreshed expression.
The moment a meeting started, it was a guaranteed soul-draining ordeal—and now he was saying two o’clock? Did he plan to finish in an hour?
At Hans’s questioning tone, Franz’s eyebrow twitched.
“Hans, lately you’re making me repeat myself twice. Are you going deaf, or is your comprehension failing?”
The chill in his voice snapped Hans back to his senses.
“No, sir. I’ll tell her two o’clock.”
“Don’t make me say things twice.”
“My apologies.”
“And this—”
He handed over the event documents for the Rose Festival that the hotel’s marketing director had revised.
“Tell them to proceed as is. Sometimes they need a bit of my temper to wake them up.”
As Hans took the papers, he recalled the meeting from a few days ago. The atmosphere had been like walking on thin ice.
When Franz was angry, he didn’t explode—he stayed cold, relentlessly questioning until the tension was unbearable. That, more than shouting, was terrifying to witness.
“Is this the best you’re capable of? In my company, incompetence has no place. If I see another report like this, prepare to be fired. Or you can quit now. Don’t expect me to give you a second chance.”
The executives couldn’t even raise their heads, apologizing over and over. Strangely, instead of being offended, one would start to wonder—Am I really this useless?
When that razor-edged meeting ended, the executives left with drooping shoulders, as if all life had been drained from them. Hans knew he had to keep his own wits sharp to avoid the same fate.
“Yes, sir. And…”
Franz looked at him expectantly when he didn’t leave.
“Miss Agnes requests an audience with you.”
“Now?”
“Yes. She’s waiting in the reception room.”
