Chapter 58
The Truth Behind the Misunderstanding
Terban noticed that Chenil wasn’t around while he was talking with others and stepped out of the banquet hall.
Just as he was about to head to the lounge, thinking she might have gone to rest, his steps froze at the sound of a familiar name.
He turned his head toward the source.
“Did you see? Princess Elrea is flirting again.”
‘Princess Elrea… flirting?’
The unusual comment made Terban stop at a slight distance, heading in the opposite direction of the lounge, as the voice became clearer.
Peeking quietly, he saw three young ladies gathered, deep in conversation.
Outside the banquet hall, the surroundings were quiet, so he could hear their words clearly. They were so focused on their talk that they didn’t even notice Terban’s presence.
“Of course. She dances with that expression as if she knows nothing. It’s not even funny.”
“She’s definitely trying to flirt with Duke Cheilen. Otherwise, why would he request a dance with someone he barely knows? She must have used her status as a princess to pressure him.”
Terban’s brows furrowed instinctively at their gossip about Elrea.
The princess of Zebernica wasn’t someone to be treated lightly, yet they were criticizing her actions based on baseless claims.
Just as Terban was about to intervene, another comment behind them made him freeze in place.
“I told you before. The princess approached His Majesty with other intentions. We should have seen it from then on.”
“Really? Can she even do that just because she’s a princess?”
‘What on earth…’
Terban’s mind became confused at their conversation.
At that moment, the memory of the day Elrea and Chenil had tea together flashed before him.
Elrea’s sharp reaction to his words suddenly made all the pieces fall into place.
He understood why she had reacted so strongly.
‘Could it have been because of this story that day too?’
One young lady, surprised by the story, elicited a comment from another who had been there.
“I was there too. From what I heard, it’s clear she approached with intent. She deliberately went to the emperor’s direct knight order, pretending it was a coincidence to meet him. Isn’t it obvious?”
“Exactly. And calling it an excuse is ridiculous. Miss Chenil just accepted it as kindness, so we had to intervene. Even Miss Heris, who was there, got puffed up because the princess treated her well. Alone, it would have been nothing.”
The young ladies who had attended the tea party recounted the events candidly, with more emotion than before.
“So she did it deliberately to Duke Cheilen today as well?”
When the topic shifted to Duke Cheilen, Terban could no longer tolerate it and stepped into their conversation.
He hated hearing Elrea being spoken of falsely.
“Stop talking now.”
The moment Terban appeared with a cold voice, the excited young ladies froze, lowering their heads in panic.
Their hidden eyes quickly darted, trying to guess how much he had overheard.
“Y-Your Majesty.”
But Terban wasn’t in the mood to accept their greetings.
The young ladies glanced at each other nervously, worried he had heard everything.
“Just because you were cheerful before doesn’t mean you can shut your mouths now and be fine.”
“Your Majesty, that is…”
Terban had no intention of listening to their feeble excuses.
He didn’t even know why he was so angry, but his emotions were uncontrollable.
“If you have any sense, it would be wise to remain silent now. Do you even realize how grave your wrongdoing is?”
Overwhelmed by Terban’s piercing gaze and presence, the young ladies couldn’t speak. Only after grasping the situation did they apologize.
“We were wrong, Your Majesty.”
“For the sake of Miss Chenil…”
“Enough. Do you even know how disastrous it would be if the princess heard the nonsense you were just talking about, and it spread across Zebernica? The young ladies’ parents should also know what their children are saying outside.”
Realizing the gravity of the situation, they fell to their knees, tears streaming down their faces.
“We committed a grave mistake.”
“Yes. This will never happen again. Please, forgive us just this once.”
Despite their tearful pleas, it was already futile. Terban had no intention of forgiving them from the moment he heard their words.
“I will report this to your families and punish you accordingly. You’d better prepare yourselves.”
Ignoring their tearful begging, Terban turned away. Frustrated, he didn’t return to the banquet hall but walked toward the duke’s garden. The cool air did little to relieve his heavy heart.
Terban now fully understood. That day, he had clearly wronged Elrea.
He also understood why her reaction had been so sharp. The words must have felt utterly insulting to her.
He had seen her care and sincerity toward the knights and, contrary to the young ladies’ claims, was certain that Elrea had no such intentions.
Yet he had only blamed her.
“What should I do now…”
Terban had no idea how to apologize for the hurt he had caused.
In his mind, the title of Princess of Zebekia mattered less now than his overwhelming guilt toward Elrea.
Meanwhile, unaware that someone had overheard their conversation, Hisben and Chenil continued talking.
“Any special movements from the emperor? Especially regarding Duke Cheilen?”
“No particular reports. From what I can tell, he hasn’t heard anything. But he seems to accept Cheilen becoming a duke.”
“Still, he hasn’t been told yet. He’s probably observing. Seeing if the emperor is on his side or not.”
With just that piece of information from Chenil, Hisben had a rough understanding of the situation.
He smiled knowingly, realizing he still had an opportunity.
“If what I sent today brings something, the advantage will be ours. We have far more on our side than the newly made Duke Cheilen. And enemies are already forming.”
“That’s fortunate. It will go according to our plans, Father.”
“Yes.”
Hisben was already confident that he would win against Cheilen, and like before, Kaisher would disappear.
“The maid I planted near the princess is working hard for me as well. She’s surprisingly useful. I like that she dislikes the princess the most.”
Chenil thought of Mari, who had shown loyalty before her, and prepared to wait calmly for the news she would bring.
He wouldn’t have to lift a finger; Elrea’s weakness would be delivered to him.
Elrea, having landed safely from the terrace, sensed no immediate threat and began to move.
“First, let’s get rid of these annoying shoes.”
Seeing no one around, she took off her shoes and hid them in the bushes. Then she left the banquet hall, heading toward the main building of the duke’s residence.
The main building wasn’t far, and as Hisben had said, it was empty, probably due to the banquet.
‘Well, Arun, who oversees the estate, is in the banquet hall anyway.’
Elrea felt guilty about sneaking in but focused only on solving the urgent situation.
“Cheilen will probably search his room or office.”
Thinking of where information about Cheilen might be, she began ascending the stairs.
She assumed the duke’s quarters would be on the top floor and headed straight there.
From the moment she arrived, she held her breath and moved as silently as possible. An intruder was likely nearby.
‘Now it’s a matter of probability.’
She began checking the doors closest to her, opening them slowly after sensing any presence inside.
The rooms were empty.
‘Not here.’
She continued checking, each room empty, tension unrelieved.
‘Only two left.’
She opened one of the remaining doors cautiously.
This room showed signs of use and had antique furniture, suggesting it was Cheilen’s.
‘Then the other room must be the target.’
She couldn’t be sure if he had already left or was still there.
In a hurry, she left Cheilen’s room and approached the next door. For some reason, she paused, unlike before.
Then, smiling slightly, she opened the door and moved to the side.
As soon as the door opened, a figure swung a sword sharply, entering the room.
If Elrea hadn’t moved, she would have been impaled.
But she dodged, and the attacker lost balance and stumbled inside.
Seeing no one, he looked very flustered.
“What?”
Elrea, who had observed the situation from the start, slammed the door deliberately. The sound drew the intruder’s attention to her.
“Your skill is pathetic. Did you know you couldn’t conceal your presence when you stood at the door? I could hear your tense breathing from beyond the door.”
Elrea kindly explained what she had already noticed.
The intruder quickly regained composure, readjusted his grip on the sword, and swung at her again, even though she was unarmed.
