TVTS 34

Chapter 3

Not long after, the door to the reception room swung wide open.

Luckily, I was already wearing my veil. The sunlight poured in unexpectedly through the open door, hitting me directly. If I hadn’t been wearing the veil, I might have collapsed right there in my own home from the sudden brightness. Even at home, I couldn’t let my guard down — how pitiful my situation was.

As soon as the door opened, Nain and I both stood up and bowed politely.

“May the blessing of the god of spring be with you,” I said.

Nain’s greeting was quite different.

“I honor the descendant of the one who treads the shadow of the stars.”

Wizards and common folk had different ways of greeting. Wizards didn’t pray for the blessing of gods.

The backlight blurred my vision for a moment, but soon Adrian’s fresh face came into view. Unlike the last time we met, his complexion looked pale. Entering the reception room with a gloomy expression, his face stiffened as soon as he saw Nain. His eyes flickered for a moment before he raised the corners of his mouth in a pitiful smile.

“So you weren’t alone, Alicia.”

Adrian’s gaze shifted back to Nain.

“Long time no see, Sir Nain Psher. I remember meeting you and Sierra Psher at the royal palace.”

“I once had the honor of visiting the palace as a child, accompanying my grandmother. I’ve also visited with my father several times, though he seems to have forgotten. Even so, I am honored if you remember me at least once,” Nain replied politely but in a tone that didn’t sound very honored at all. Though polite in words, he was plainly calling out Adrian’s poor memory. In a class-based society, Nain was surprisingly equal-opportunity rude—showing no respect to anyone, not even the prince.

Yielding the place of honor to Adrian, I sat on the single sofa between them. I couldn’t chase the guest Nain away from the large seat, nor could I sit beside Adrian, so I reluctantly settled for the smaller spot.

Adrian, seated, didn’t start the conversation right away despite having come on business. Instead, he stared intently at Nain. For a while, Nain seemed to notice Adrian’s attention but then ignored him and went back to his own thoughts. Ignoring such an intense stare was quite a skill. I wasn’t sure whether ignoring was better or being bluntly rude was.

As I was about to take off my veil, I glanced at Adrian for his reaction. People in this world loved sunlight. Maybe Adrian preferred the curtains to be drawn back.

“Shall I draw the curtains, Your Highness?”

“No, it’s fine. Taking off the veil is more comfortable for you, isn’t it?”

I never refuse when invited twice, so I quickly pulled off the veil. I neatly placed it on the small table beside the sofa, then suddenly my thoughts drifted to the two men.

“Wait a minute, the main male lead and the sub male lead are both in this room right now!”

Startled, I looked up just in time to see Adrian staring at Nain while Nain ignored him. The only light was the candle on the central table, making the scene look like a painting.

“What on earth is going on here?”

Somehow, I was enjoying a privilege usually reserved for the heroine.

In the original story, these two always competed whenever they met, vying for the heroine’s attention. Every time, the heroine blatantly sided with Adrian, causing Nain to sigh heavily. Readers often felt frustrated watching these interactions.

But here I was, right in the middle.

“I heard you were attacked, Alicia,” Adrian’s gentle but concerned voice pulled me back.

Before I knew it, Adrian’s gaze was on me, his kind eyes filled with worry.

“You should have come earlier, but Cecilia was unconscious, so you delayed your visit. How are you? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No, Cecilia had it worse than I did.”

I was far too fine, almost suspiciously so. It would have been better if I had been hurt and Cecilia unharmed.

Relieved by my safety, Adrian’s face softened a bit.

“The high priest visited, so she must have recovered quickly. I’m really glad both of you are safe.”

Saying Cecilia was safe was a stretch — she recovered fast, but the injury didn’t just disappear. Finding it hard to agree, I stayed silent.

“I wonder what kind of madman did such a thing.”

“I heard the investigation is ongoing. Do you have any leads, Your Highness?”

Though it was a case related to me, I wasn’t told anything. If I were important in this household, people would have brought information to me without asking. But I wasn’t important enough, and whenever I asked, everyone dodged the questions. Feeling hurt, I decided that if I escaped this fate, I would finally plan a successful life.

Cecilia, who had better access to information, was confident that the temple and the kingdom were cooperating and that the culprit would soon be revealed.

Oh, I hadn’t told anyone I saw a pest during the attack. If the attacker was a pest, Cecilia might not believe me and might suspect me.

…No, Cecilia wouldn’t disbelieve me. She’d probably comfort me, saying I was confused in the chaos, but wouldn’t flat-out deny my story. I’ll tell her as soon as I see her. Better to nip the problem in the bud than to let it grow by silence.

Adrian pressed his temples, troubled.

“It’s strange. They’re investigating, but nothing is coming up. It’s like they vanished. Did you see anything, Alicia?”

Should I tell him now? That a strange man appeared in the fog and chased us? That the fog was a barrier, according to Nain? He glanced sideways, still deep in thought. It couldn’t be easy to blatantly ignore the people beside him like that. Nain was extraordinary in many ways.

If I said the fog was a barrier and the strange man was a pest, would Adrian think I was crazy?

Remembering the terrifying shadow wielding an axe made my left hand tremble. I quickly clasped my hands together.

Though I said I was fine, mentally I wasn’t. How could I be fine after meeting such a madman? I was scared to leave. It was reassuring to have the excuse of illness not to go out.

Slowly, I released my hands. Thankfully, my hands stopped trembling.

Seeing my reaction, Adrian dropped the subject and changed the topic.

“By the way, there’s a famous rumor these days. Want to hear it?”

“A rumor? What kind?”

Grateful for the change, I nervously hid my left hand behind my back, afraid it might tremble again.

I hoped it would be something fun. Maybe like the actor scandal from before? I wanted to forget my fears with some soap opera-style drama.

Adrian’s smile deepened.

“I heard the Gardener and Psher families are expecting a joyous occasion.”

I didn’t expect to be part of that love triangle.

I withdrew my healthy right hand from the teacup and hid it behind my back. The snacks I had been enjoying earlier now felt stuck in my throat.

“Is it about the two of them?”

I wanted to run away, even more than before.

I rolled my eyes.

There was a sinister vibe from him, even though his smile was pure. Adrian never confessed his love to Alicia, nor were they dating, so it wasn’t a relationship where I should be cautious, yet why was this answer so hard?

At that moment, Nain suddenly stood up.

“Yes, we should improve the Moonberry medicine a bit more as the base…!”

“Sir Nain?”

Adrian called him distractedly, and Nain looked back at us, as if to ask what was wrong.

“Oh.”

Nain asked curiously, sensing the awkward atmosphere.

“Why do you ask?”

“Did you overhear our conversation?”

“I was lost in thought and didn’t hear. Please forgive my rudeness.”

Nain answered confidently. So confidently that I was impressed. Adrian’s smile cracked. He wiped his face with one hand, as if holding back something, then asked again.

“We were just talking about the rumor that the Psher and Gardener families are expecting a happy event.”

“That seems to be about Alicia and me. Fortunately, our feelings are mutual, and we’ve promised to plan a future together.”

Not only confident but shameless too. Though she’d told Cecilia and the maid, it was always embarrassing and awkward. How could Nain lie so smoothly with no shame? Though rude, he was talented.

“We’ll soon have an engagement ceremony and be able to enjoy happy times. All thanks to Alicia accepting me.”

If it weren’t for his stern expression, I might have been fooled.

Adrian’s light smile faded, his face stiffening. Nain, oblivious or indifferent to Adrian’s change, didn’t even look his way but came over to whisper in my ear.

“I just thought of a good idea. I’ll leave first.”

“Leaving me alone with the prince?”

As I hurried to grab his sleeve, Nain lightly twisted his body to avoid me. When I glared at him, he smirked mischievously.

“I thought of an innovative way to improve the medicine.”

“Go ahead. I’ll manage on my own.”

He chuckled at my change of tone.

Soon stopping his laughter, Nain bowed politely to Adrian.

“My apologies, Your Highness. Something urgent came to mind, so I must leave first. Please forgive my rudeness.”

“How urgent can it be to leave your fiancée alone with another man?”

“The friendship between you two is so well-known that I can only trust it.”

Nain might be a trickster, but he was no fool. Adrian had no reply.

“…Alright, I understand.”