The Crown Prince's Search
The fierce battle among the women was as intense as that among the men.
Most of the ladies gathered there were blatantly ignoring Esika Klaus.
Esika is the Duchess, yet those trying to harass her, despite her husband's lower title, looked down on her with contemptuous eyes and speech, as if it had become a habit.
Someone must have picked up bad habits.
"......"
Lesban Deon Rusein, who had come here to intimidate the Count, was merely interested in the ladies' conversation.
He couldn't be sure whether the white butterfly that had tormented him once, dismissed as a mere illusion, and then tormented his heart like a fever was truly in the Klaus family.
Besides watching the bloody war, this was the only thing that had recently piqued his interest.
He held a wine glass.
Every time the wine, red like blood, spilled over, his Adam's apple moved.
Even in the fleeting glance, her presence was clear.
Her blue eyes were calm.
Her noble nose and chin showed her dignity.
The other women's faces flushed red then turned pale.
Sometimes Esika Klaus extended her slender fingers to hold the teacup.
And with slightly parted red lips, she savored the tea.
Lesban felt a thirst because of the neat shape of her nails, so he took another sip of wine.
Esika was as noble and poisonous as a white rose in the weeds.
After the situation where she pricked with her nails and returned the thorns, the ladies who were desperate to blame her slowly closed their mouths.
It seemed they were like beasts comparing sizes and learning whose jaws were dangerous.
The outcome was clear, to the point that it felt less exciting than expected.
"Let's... go."
"Yes. Ah."
Without forgetting that she was a guest, the players first exited the arena.
'I can't even be an opponent.'
Memories of the few trivial battles he had fought came to mind.
A deep smile appeared on Lesban's lips and then disappeared.
Esika didn't stand up from her seat.
His gaze stayed on her.
When she revealed the purpose she had hidden in her calm blue eyes, his throat felt a bit tight again.
And the next conversation was, perhaps, even more interesting.
How did she know the identity of that child? What was the purpose? The conversation was even more intriguing.
"Love is bound to change. No matter how sweet a man whispers sweet words, he can't stop the power of time. If you choose him by giving up the splendid and warm life in the palace, you might regret it until you die of old age."
Her red lips trembled.
Her voice was low, but Lesban could hear her voice clearly.
The lips that had been looking at her eyes twisted slightly.
Her emblem, a tragically beautiful and desolate one with poison mixed in.
The fingerprint he had been searching for so long was quietly shining in her blue eyes.
Twenty years ago, that child who had left an unforgettable impression was indeed her.
"Ha... Your Highness the Crown Prince."
The Crown Prince ordered the Count of Alhemitz to correct the inventory records that didn't match the materials.
And a while later, the Count of Alhemitz appeared in front of the Crown Prince, flustered, holding a bundle of papers.
Sweat was flowing on his bald forehead.
When Lesban's cold gaze fell on him, he flinched and lowered his gaze.
"It seems there was a mistake. I'm sorry."
The Count of Alhemitz feared the young and ruthless war hero Lesban, like other nobles.
He was not only bellicose but also very meticulous, and even more so towards nobles who tried to gain favor through the national treasury.
"Your household is quite interesting inside and out."
The Crown Prince looked at the flimsy bundle of papers and frowned.
It was no different from confessing one's own wrongdoing.
Alhemitz flinched again at the voice that sounded like a rebuke.
He couldn't know the Crown Prince's next action. If he could somehow appease his anger...
"My husband is considering where to get the rusty weapons of a hundred soldiers, and my wife is inviting guests to an informal tea party."
"...... I, Your Highness."
It was a bad time. If he had known the Crown Prince would come, he would have canceled the party.
Damn it, he blamed his wife for disturbing the Crown Prince's mood by inviting the ladies today.
Alhemitz lowered his body greatly and begged for mercy.
"I will strictly reprimand my wife. And, I will definitely restore the weapons by rummaging through my estate."
***
After suffering from diarrhea for two more days, Leona finally regained her senses.
She had only eaten as usual, but her stomach hurt so much that her mind became hazy.
Kalian, who was extremely devoted, came to check on Leona's condition three times a day.
After all, after five days of illness, she recovered somehow, but she still didn't have energy.
The doctor said that since she didn't exercise, her body became weak and digestion worsened, but it was something that hadn't happened until now.
"How was Marshal's tea party?"
Leona asked while sitting on the bed, receiving a foot massage, looking sickly.
Dark shadows were under her eyes.
Marshal's tea party, originally Leona was supposed to go, but she sent Esika.
It was obvious she would be embarrassed and flustered.
Anyway, it was time to divorce soon.
'I endured it for a long time.'
Marshal and Bolan are smart friends who keenly understand her intentions.
Many women would have seen how pathetic Esika was.
The queen of Klaus is Leona Klaus, there's only one.
It would be one of the reasons to drive Esika, who sullied the name of Klaus, out of the Klaus family.
For the wife responsible for the marriage breakdown, she doesn't have to return the dowry at the time of divorce.
This was what Leona was keenly aiming for.
"Tha... that..."
Her maid Emilia, standing beside her, awkwardly opened her mouth.
She started telling what she heard from the tea party with Marshal.
How Marshal and Bolan were humiliated, the situation where they both had no choice but to apologize to Esika.
It was said that the incident spread widely in the social circle through the ladies' mouths.
Some ladies who had planned to give expensive tutoring fees to Marshal and Bolan and entrust their daughters canceled their schedules.
Moreover, for some reason, the Count of Alhemitz, Marshal's husband whose title was revoked, got angry at her and couldn't invite guests for a while.
Leona's eyebrows twitched in the middle and moved greatly,
By the time the story ended, the ends of her eyebrows were soaring as if they didn't know how high the sky was.
Slap-
Finally, Leona reached out and slapped the maid's cheek.
"What a mess, huh?!"
The maid who was slapped cried and knelt.
It wasn't the first or second time, but Leona's hand was fierce enough to make her cry.
And as a maid, the only thing she could do to an angry master was to beg.
"...... I- I'm sorry, Your Grace."
"Esika... no."
Leona stopped talking, looking at her bloodless hand back.
The doctor had said.
Stress accelerates aging.
Looking at that ugly, stupid girl's face, her already recovering body would get worse.
So, she had to explain why her stomach suddenly hurt.
"Bring Yuri."
"What?"
"The lady-in-waiting! Yuri Anesis! Can't you hear me?"
Leona was very cruel and merciless to those who opposed her will.
"Sorry... sorry... Understood! Your Grace."
The maid jumped up.
For her, Yuri's appearance was a lifeline.
Whether Leona ordered Yuri to harass Esika or to take revenge on her, she could escape.
The maid immediately left Leona's room and went to find Yuri, thinking about what she had heard about the tea party.
'Did the Duchess fight back against them?'
Even thinking about it, it was an action that Esika couldn't do.
Esika Klaus, the pathetic and unfortunate Duchess. How could the woman who was worse off than the maids win against the two vicious countesses?
'But... that gaze at that time...'
When she went to pour water on Esika with Yuri, Esika's gaze was really eerie.
Just receiving her gaze felt like sharp ice needles approaching her heart.
'...... What was it really?'
The maid bit her lip and shook her head.
No way, even if it was like that, the Duchess was under the feet of the Dowager.
The pitiful woman who didn't even receive her husband's love... ignored by everyone.
"Where is Esika now?"
But the maid suddenly stopped walking at the quiet voice.
When she turned her gaze, she saw the Duke of Klaus standing and talking to the servants in the corner.
Even maids who had worked for years blushed at his face alone – the handsome, perfect, and excellent master, Duke Kalian Klaus.
After the previous conflict, he had stopped showing interest in the Duchess who was already cold, but what was the reason?
"The lady."
He was asking the servant where Esika was.
With a somewhat anxious expression.