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“Your Highness.”
As she let go of his hand and tried to back away, Edin stopped her. The hand that held hers disturbingly rested on her arm.
Prince Edin took one step closer to her and spoke. “You must have mistaken me for Sir Elliot, or was all that a pretense to capture my attention and unsettle my heart?”
“Let me go. I dare not trouble the prince’s heart.”
As Deatrice disputed his words, the prince’s smile deepened.
“Is that how you usually speak to Sir Elliot? For a couple renowned for their profound affections, your words sure are sharp.” He smirked. “Lover’s quarrel, perhaps? But it hasn’t even been a year and you’ve already fought to this extent.”
Deatrice eyed her wrist. “Let go of me first.”
“There’s no need to be wary of me. I’m not one to force an unwilling woman. Why don’t you check your ankles first?”
Still, his presence felt intimidating enough. There was no one else along the corridors save for them, and since the prince had followed her for quite some distance from all the clamor before he revealed himself, she couldn’t exactly trust his supposed good intentions.
As far as she knew, Prince Edin frolicked with women and had been involved in several ‘accidents’ with them.
However, she chose not to provoke him. After putting her hand on his arm and pretending to assess her ankles, she made eye contact with the prince and said calmly.
“I’ve taken a look at it, Your Highness, you may let go of me now.” With a firm voice that sounded more of a command than a request, the prince eventually withdrew. It was unfortunate that he shrugged his shoulders and stepped back.
Deatrice walked ahead to lose him along the way, but Prince Edin kept catching up to her.
“Have I told you how beautiful you are today?”
“You haven’t, Your Highness. But given the fact that you so kindly remind me every time we meet, I have already understood even if you do not speak it.”
“Apologies for my limitations. But you see,” He chuckled with a teasing tone, “because of you, I had to tread on foreign soil for four months, and it did nothing to improve my vocabulary.”
Her steps stopped at the prince’s gentle words. “Because of me?”
Prince Edin laughed when she gave him an unpleasant look. “Come now, no need to pretend. I’ve already guessed that it was my father who sent me overseas in case I made a move on you and ruined his plans.”
He glanced up at the ceiling, pondering further. “Hm. There’s also the issue that a woman I’ve tangled with is pregnant, but I’m not certain if it is mine…” then he realized his words and laughed it off, “Right, after hearing the news of your marriage, I found it a bit odd. Did your father know and agree to it beforehand?”
“Marrying so quickly after losing an engagement is something even a stray dog considers to be an unusual, but acceptable affair.”
She boldly raised a brow.
Prince Edin burst into laughter at her logic, his voice echoing within the walls for a while. Even though he smiled like that, she still felt some hostility towards him.
“My father knew…” She answered in the end.
“Deatrice.” Prince Edin called her name and looked down at her with pleading eyes. Deatrice said she was wiping out his hand, which had already grasped her. “I don’t recall granting you permission to call me by my given name.”
“You may have fooled the idiots in this capital into thinking you’re madly in love, but not me. Just by looking at your face, I can already tell that you’re suffering. That this marriage isn’t what you wanted it to be.”
His faintly sarcastic voice turned somber, “Don’t act in front of me, Deatrice. Is Elliot bullying you?”
She straightened her expression and looked at him with eyes mixed with disgust. “You are sorely mistaken. Lucius and I are genuinely in love with each other. If you’re going to insult me like that—”
“You can merely have a marriage in name with him, but I can offer you my utmost devotion and give you the love that you rightfully deserve.”
“Your Highness! Don’t speak nonsense.”
“Feign ignorance all you want, but you know that I have been in love with you for a long time.” he stared at her earnestly, “I don’t care if you’re married. I’m ready to give all of myself to you.”
“Please go, you’re just being muddled by the wine—”
“Do you know how much my heart breaks every time you reject me like that? Oh, Deatrice, my love will never disappear no matter what!” He knelt in front of her then recklessly took her hand and kissed her palm.
When he buried his face in her hand and she could feel a stranger’s breath that warmed her skin, Deatrice was terrified. She tried to push him away, but a man in love and a man spurned was very stubborn.
She urgently looked around for help and saw someone watching them from ten steps away. It was her husband, Lucius Elliot, with his blonde hair like a beacon of light in the darkness. “Prince Edin.”
Lucius slowly approached, calling out the name of the man kneeling in front of her. His expressionless face seemed to imply that he was unaffected by this incident, but Deatrice knew better.
Anger.