Chapter 20……………………………………..
I hesitated for a moment, unsure how to respond to Perphone calling my name.
“Lady Rize?”
At the sweet voice coming from behind me, I felt the smile on Perphone’s face freeze.
There was only one person in the imperial palace who could make Perphone react like that.
That person was…
“Lord Rozian.”
I stood up and bowed my head politely to the person standing before me.
The man in front of me was someone whose influence within the imperial palace had grown almost as strong as that of the crown prince—especially now that the emperor had gone mad.
As he brushed back his wavy, light pink hair, his eyes sparkled. His jewel-like turquoise eyes shone without the slightest dullness.
Rozian Starriu.
The emperor’s only concubine had appeared unexpectedly.
“I heard that Lady Rize was meeting Perphone, so I came to see for myself.”
“Ah…”
It was certainly strange in a way.
Rozian Starriu had been in the imperial palace since before I even entered the ducal house at thirteen.
Several years had passed, yet his face remained unchanged—without a single wrinkle.
It was beautiful… but at the same time, it gave off a bizarre feeling.
He smiled brightly at me, but it was obvious he wasn’t pleased with me.
A marriage between the imperial family and the ducal house meant Rozian Starriu’s position would weaken.
“Lord Rozian.”
Perphone’s lips curved upward, but her eyes did not smile as she looked at Rozian coldly.
Just earlier, when he spoke about breaking off the engagement, his gaze had been gentle.
Seeing him now, he truly resembled the imperial crest itself—like a golden lion.
“I know that you are close with His Majesty.”
“……”
“But I don’t think we’re close enough for you to call me ‘Perphone’ so casually.”
That was true.
Rozian was different from ordinary concubines.
He was, quite literally, nothing more than a beloved companion—without any official title.
If he could bear children, it might have been different.
But that wasn’t the case.
Because he was a man.
I suddenly felt relieved that Rozian Starriu, being a man, could not have children.
The enchanting smile on Rozian’s face stiffened instantly.
“…You’re right, Your Highness.”
No matter how much the emperor favored him, Rozian was not a noble.
And even if he had been, no one in the imperial family had the right to treat Perphone lightly.
After all, Perphone was the only one who would inherit the throne.
“I suppose, since I’ve known Your Highness since you were a child, I felt like a mother.”
“……”
“Please forgive my rudeness.”
The displeasure that had hardened his expression vanished in an instant.
Then Rozian’s gaze turned toward me.
“I’m glad to see that Lady Rize has recovered. It seems the Duke is well too.”
“…?”
What did he mean by that?
A faint crease formed between my brows.
“Lady, could you excuse us for a moment?”
Perphone gently asked me to leave.
Staying here would only mean getting caught between two whales fighting, so I nodded.
“Next time we meet, I hope you’ll give me a positive answer to what I said.”
Even in this situation, Perphone brought up the matter of breaking the engagement again.
I couldn’t help but admire him.
When we were younger, he had looked like nothing more than a tiny kitten.
When had he grown so much?
Without giving a positive or negative answer to Perphone’s final words, I quietly left the imperial garden.
“That’s strange.”
If Rozian was acting like that, it would make more sense for the crown prince to marry a daughter of the ducal house.
That would give him a powerful force capable of checking Rozian.
Unless there was someone else supporting Perphone’s back…
“But there shouldn’t be anyone like that in the Empire.”
No family had as long a lineage or as much power as the House of Rize.
At best, there was only one grand duke who had married the emperor’s half-sister.
And the only child between them was…
Damian.
Thinking of Damian, I bit the inside of my cheek.
“I really don’t understand what’s going on.”
Ha…
I ran a hand roughly through my hair and sighed.
“I have someone else I care about.”
“Really?”
It was simply surprising.
It didn’t sound like a lie.
And remembering the Perphone I knew from the past, he wasn’t the type to lie about something like that.
The crown prince was already twenty-two years old.
It wouldn’t be strange at all if he loved someone else.
“Who could it be?”
I didn’t care about the people in the ducal household.
But Perphone was different.
He had always felt like a younger brother to me.
If he had someone he liked, I wanted to help—quietly, if possible.
Since I didn’t want to return to the ducal mansion right away, I wandered around the imperial garden.
Then suddenly—
“Just how long do you expect us to tolerate your stubbornness?!”
A thunderous shout echoed, making my shoulders flinch.
Where did that come from?
Looking around, I spotted a well-dressed man standing behind one of the garden buildings in the distance.
Count Beatrice?
Thinking it would be trouble if I got caught eavesdropping, I was about to turn back.
“Do you even realize how many people are laughing at Adolf because of your actions?!”
“Even so, I have no intention of quitting.”
Unlike the furious voice of Count Beatrice, the calm and steady voice belonged to Adonis.
“Adolf is still in the Second Knight Order not because of me, but because of his own eff—”
Smack!
The sharp sound echoed through the quiet garden, making me jump.
It seemed Count Beatrice had lost his temper and struck Adonis across the face with his thick hand.
“I shouldn’t have let a girl hold a sword.”
“……”
“For your sister’s sake, give up the sword now.”
“I can’t.”
Adonis’s firm answer stopped my feet from leaving.
“You wret—!”
The count raised his hand again.
“Sir Adonis?”
As I called his name and stepped forward, the furious count saw me and immediately turned his head away slightly.
“…Lady Rize?”
“You were here. My brother was looking for you.”
“For me?”
There was another change after three years.
Back in the academy, Adonis had always tied her long hair into a tight ponytail.
Now it was cut as short as Lian’s.
“Ahem.”
As I interrupted their conversation, the count shot me a sharp look before walking past me.
He left.
I had stepped in unnecessarily, but it couldn’t be helped.
“I heard that you had returned to the mansion, Lady. I’m glad to see you’re in good health.”
“Thank you for worrying— Sir, you’re bleeding.”
He had been hit hard across the cheek, and in trying to endure it, his lip had split.
At this point, instead of worrying about myself, I felt like I should ask if Adonis was okay.
Seeing him wipe the blood roughly with the back of his hand made it seem even more painful.
“Here.”
I held out my handkerchief, but Adonis shook his head.
“It’s fine. This kind of injury is nothing.”
He had no intention of taking it.
My lips moved again.
“If you don’t take it, Sir Adonis, my arm might fall off from holding it out.”
“…What?”
“Rejecting a lady’s kindness isn’t exactly knightly behavior either.”
It was a trivial matter, but once I brought up chivalry, Adonis finally gave in and accepted the handkerchief.
“If the inside of your mouth is torn, be careful for a few days.”
“…Thank you.”
He bowed his head in gratitude.
I was just about to turn around to leave when—
“Lady.”
Adonis, who I hadn’t expected to stop me, spoke.
I tilted my head.
“Yes?”
“About what you just saw…”
He covered his mouth with the handkerchief as he spoke.
“Could you keep it a secret?”
Do I look like the kind of person who goes around spreading rumors?
I genuinely wanted to ask that.
But I held back.
To others, it might have sounded like mockery—and the April he knew might indeed have seemed like that kind of person.
“I don’t have a hobby of gossiping about other people’s matters.”
Especially not about Adonis being slapped by his father.
When I nodded in agreement, Adonis let out a short sigh.
“Thank you for granting my request.”
“It’s nothing.”
I had no intention of getting involved in someone else’s family affairs.
“Keep the handkerchief.”
I turned to leave, having no intention of taking it back.
I didn’t really want to return to the ducal mansion…
If I asked Duke Rize about the crown prince breaking off the engagement, would he know?
Probably not.
If he had known, he would have warned me beforehand.
Among the people in the ducal house, the only one April could talk to about every little thing was…
“Sir Adonis.”
