Chapter 42
“Where did you say you were going?”
Just as Ian was leaving the Empress’s garden, Dustin and Aed’s faces froze with bewilderment at the words they had just heard.
Aed, wondering if he had misheard, stuck a finger in his ear and asked again with a playful grin. Ian shot him a cold glare before finally opening his mouth again.
“Did I not order you to prepare the carriage for Baron Sebish’s estate?”
The furrow in Ian’s brow deepened, as if irritated at having to repeat himself. Aed, suddenly grave at the unexpected remark, spoke again.
“But— the wedding is only a few days away. What business could you possibly have at Baron Sebish’s estate now?”
When Aed had suggested before that Ian should at least see his bride once before the ceremony, Ian had brushed it off as nonsense. Yet now, when he would see her in only a matter of days, he wanted to go in person?
It was an impudent question that crossed the line between subordinate and superior, but Ian only kept walking without offering a single reply. It seemed less like he was refusing to answer and more like he was dismissing something bothersome.
“Surely… you don’t mean to say you intend to personally deliver the necklace that Her Majesty the Empress bestowed—?”
Aed added a flippant “Eh—” at the end, his mouth still running, until Dustin jabbed him hard in the ribs.
“What the—!” Aed mouthed in silent protest, grimacing. Dustin only sighed heavily and shook his head.
Then Dustin pointed at Aed with one finger, before sliding that same hand across his own throat in a cutting gesture. At that, Aed snapped his mouth shut with a sharp gasp.
He patted his chest, relieved he had narrowly avoided letting his curiosity cost him his life—again. But that didn’t mean the question burning inside him was gone.
“When I urged him to go at least once before, he dismissed it as if I were barking like a stray dog. And now, so close to the wedding—what if he doesn’t like her? It’s not as if he can back out at this point…”
Aed grumbled inwardly but remembered Dustin’s warning and clamped his mouth shut, following quietly behind.
But then—
As the three of them left the Empress’s rose garden and made their way toward the palace gates, their steps halted when a figure suddenly appeared from around the corridor.
A young woman, dressed like a palace maid, blocked their path. Ian’s face darkened with instant displeasure.
“What is this about?”
His voice, cool and sharp, made the maid flinch and bow her head quickly.
“Forgive me for blocking your way, Your Excellency. But may I beg a moment of your time?”
Her absurd words stunned not only Ian but also Dustin and Aed standing behind him.
“How dare you order—”
Before Dustin, his face twisted with menace, could scold her on Ian’s behalf, the maid rushed to continue.
“‘A high personage’ requests Your Excellency’s presence. I am merely the messenger.”
“……”
‘A high personage?’ Ian’s eyes narrowed as he pieced it together, and then he let out a derisive laugh.
There was only one person in the palace who would call for him so secretly.
The new Crown Princess—Isabel.
In the past, when she had merely been the daughter of a baron, Ian could have ignored her letters or messengers without a second thought. But now things were different.
Now that she was a member of the imperial family, he could not simply spurn the Crown Princess’s summons outright.
It was as though she had been waiting for him to arrive at the palace, sending a maid to fetch him in secret. The cold light in Ian’s eyes grew sharper.
Dustin and Aed, too, seemed to realize who had called for him, for they kept their mouths shut and watched Ian anxiously.
After a long silence, Ian finally spoke in a heavy tone.
“Lead the way.”
The maid, who had been waiting with tense breath, exhaled in relief, bowed deeply, and turned around.
As he followed, Ian tossed out words over his shoulder without glancing back.
“You two wait here. It won’t take long.”
Trailing the maid’s quick steps, Ian’s figure soon disappeared down the end of the corridor.
The maid led him to a small garden attached to a secluded chamber, set apart from the Crown Prince’s palace.
A crooked smile tugged at Ian’s lips. That the Crown Princess, so newly arrived at court, had already secured such hidden meeting places was almost impressive.
“This way, Your Excellency.”
The maid stopped before the chamber door, gesturing politely for him to enter.
“……”
Without so much as a pause, Ian brushed past her, flung open the door, and stepped inside.
The room, though seldom used, was kept immaculately neat, as if under careful management. Inside, the back of a woman came into view.
Sensing his presence, the figure slowly turned. A mocking glint curved Ian’s mouth when he saw the victorious smile on Isabel’s face.
“It has been a while, Duke.”
She spoke like someone who had gained the upper hand. One of Ian’s brows twitched, and a cold smile curled across his lips.
“So this was the ‘high personage’ who sent for me in secret like a thieving cat. I must admit, I did not expect anyone else.”
“…Did I surprise you? Yet surely no more than I was surprised, hearing that a man who shunned marriage his whole life, despite his many liaisons, would suddenly wed.”
Though she smiled, the glint in her eyes seethed with years of suppressed resentment.
Ian, recognizing the meaning behind that venomous gaze, replied with a calm, detached voice.
“Isn’t that rather mutual? Was I not the fool toyed with by a young girl who weighed me against the Crown Prince like trinkets on a scale?”
The veneer of courtesy toward the Crown Princess dropped from Ian’s face, replaced by harsh scorn.
Isabel’s feigned smile vanished as well.
“…Do you remember how I sent countless letters and messages to explain? Never once did you give me the chance to clear that misunderstanding. And now you think you have the right to reproach me?”
Her eyes blazed with bitter reproach.
“Misunderstanding?”
“……”
Ian’s voice came out low and twisted, his brows knotted with icy rage. But Isabel did not yield.
“Yes. But what does it matter now?”
“……”
“You were never someone worth salvaging my relationship with—even if it meant stooping to such explanations.”
“……”
Her eyes turned glacial at his blatant derision.
A white-hot fury washed through Isabel, her jaw trembling, her bitten lips nearly bleeding.
But Ian, staring at her fury without the slightest flicker of emotion, continued coolly:
“So then, in the future, restrain yourself from lowering the dignity of the imperial house with such vulgar antics—like a cat in heat. Learn to conduct yourself properly.”
“……”
“Crown Princess.”
He even bowed his head slightly, hand before him in mock formality, as if twisting the knife.
It had been a long time since Isabel had felt rage so blinding it turned her vision white.
Ian, having tossed off his scornful farewell, glanced at her one last time, then turned to leave.
But then—
A frigid voice, laced with venom, slipped from Isabel’s lips.
“The cat in heat is not me—
…it’s Hezenne.”
