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Chapter 5
‘This is the meeting place?’
Diana looked around the central garden, walking with a confused face.
The central garden of the imperial palace was a place where any aristocrat could enter.
The day was good, so she could see quite a few aristocrats coming out to enjoy the garden touched by a skillful gardener.
But usually, isn’t it common to meet in a more private space to talk about marriage?
But when she looked back at the maid to ask about it, the maid was already laying a mat that she had brought to a corner of the garden.
Only then did Diana notice that the maid’s surroundings were full of picnic supplies such as mats and baskets.
“What… is all this?”
Diana quickly corrected her words as she realized that she was no longer under Rebecca.
During this period, she was in a situation where she could not speak casually to even one servant.
Sure enough, the maid even arranged it with a face of annoyance, dragged Diana, and sat her in the middle of it.
The maid, holding Diana’s arm tightly, whispered quickly.
“Listen carefully. Today, the lady came out for a picnic because the weather was good. Then, she accidentally encountered His Highness the 3rd Prince passing by here, and fell in love with His Highness at first sight.”
“What are you talking about? Who?”
Diana immediately doubted her ears.
Surprised so much that she forgot her manners, Diana blankly asked back.
The maid repeated annoyingly.
“Don’t make me repeat the same thing. It’s the 3rd prince, Cayden Seyric Bluebell. Do you understand?”
“What kind of mistake is this?”
“You have to sit here quietly until his highness passes by. I will tell the coachman to come back later.”
The maid only said what she wanted to say. After spitting it out, she quickly moved away from Diana.
Diana was half out of her mind and sat down without even thinking of holding her back.
‘The opponent is Cayden?’
Aside from the fact that her marriage partner was Cayden, it didn’t make sense.
The Marquis of Susfield had engaged Milard in return for supporting Rebecca, the first princess.
In such a situation, it makes no sense that Cayden asked himself to marry. He was not an idiot who couldn’t tell the difference.
Then, she wondered who was the person that made Susfield suggest marriage. She felt suspicious.
If the Marquis did that, it’s clear that he would get Rebecca angry.
The Marquis was somewhat absent-minded, but not completely dumb.
‘Why did you do this?’
“Ah.”
While continuing her rambling thoughts, Diana inadvertently became enlightened and sighed lightly.
[Today, the lady came out for a picnic because the weather was good. Then, she accidentally encountered His Highness the 3rd Prince passing by here, and fell in love with His Highness at first sight.]
‘You’re trying to get me married regardless of political intentions. It’s burdensome for both sides to openly go against Rebecca.’
Things have changed since she knocked over Milard on the stairs and didn’t meet Rebecca.
Apparently, Rebecca and Milard’s engagement itself did not go wrong.
However, Rebecca’s attitude seemed to have sparked some anxiety for Marquis Susfield. He was a very quick-witted person in that way.
“Do you want to be the maternal grandfather of the future prince with me in front of you? Even with this funny play? More than that, Cayden…”
Cayden.
The name brought her back to her senses.
Diana jumped up and looked at the direction in which the maid disappeared.
The maid’s appearance has not yet been seen. Maybe she didn’t like to take care of Diana, so she returned quickly.
‘Let’s avoid it for now.’
She was confused.
Diana knew well that she would incur the anger of the Marquis if she were to leave.
However, from the moment she heard that her opponent was Cayden, what she would do was decided.
‘I have to step down from this marriage.’
What Susfield wants is to be the maternal grandfather of the future child that has yet to be born, to be recognized as a member of the noble society, and stand at its peak.
However, if he succeeded, Marquis Susfield would not be satisfied with it.
He was greedy enough to reach out to the third prince, not even the first princess.
It will be a great help just to support the third prince’s palace right away, but he would only interfere with Cayden’s power after he takes over.
Before the return, Cayden’s forces succeeded in standing alone without having to join hands with Susfield.
So for Cayden, she had to prevent Marquis Susfield from taking over the remote palace for now.
‘It’s earlier than expected, but let’s sell the dresses and get a status to hide and leave right away. That’s better.’
Sorry, Madam de Sue.
~pls read only at pinkmuffintl~
‘Your masterpiece was destined to be my independent fund. It was a short-lived fate like mine in my previous life.’
Diana, who conveyed her boring apology inside, quickly took advantage of the absence of the eyes of other nobles.
Diana stayed in the imperial palace as the maid of the first princess before returning, so thanks to that, she was aware of most of the side paths.
She walked toward the back door of the imperial palace through a place out of reach of people’s eyes.
Funny enough, as she moved away from the center of the imperial palace, she became closer to the third imperial palace.
‘Careful…’
Diana held her breath in case the knights of the third imperial palace caught her.
It wasn’t long before she stopped moving in the bushes near the 3rd Imperial Palace.
“His Majesty the Prince!”
“Your Majesty! Where are you?”
“Your Majesty Cayden!”
Breathless shouts were heard one after another.
Diana, who raised her head reflexively at the familiar name, narrowed her eyes involuntarily.
A white palace that is elegant overall, but shows traces of unmanagement here and there.
In front of it, the few servants and knights were running around, raising their voices in haste.
‘What?’
Diana blinked her eyes in wonder and stopped.
At that moment, a man with curly red hair and a maid ran near Diana’s hiding spot.
The man opened his mouth first with a gloomy face.
“Did you find him?”
“No. He’s nowhere.”
“Ah! I’m really going crazy. He disappeared suddenly. I’m used to it, but why did it have to be now…”
“If he doesn’t show, news will go into other palaces.”
“I can’t help it, but I can only run faster to look for him. If you find his majesty, please let me know as soon as possible. He wouldn’t have gone far.”
“Okay, Sir Remit.”
After a brief conversation, the two immediately dispersed again.
Diana stared at the back of the red curly-haired man through the bushes and then squatted down in her place.
In her mind, the sights she had seen a while ago were floating around.
‘Cayden is gone?’
It was like a sentence that didn’t make sense.
Cayden, whom Diana knew, was basically not the kind of person who would break a promise out of nowhere.  Even for his reasons, he should have mentioned it to his knights.
But the man who promised to come out to the central garden and meet her suddenly disappeared.
‘…Did something happen?’
When she recalled the rather rag-like figure of Cayden she had seen just before his death, her worries prevailed.
Diana took turns looking around the third imperial palace and finally sighed.
After much consideration, she began to sneak around the 3rd Prince’s Palace.
However, she walked a large circle around, but Cayden was still nowhere to be found. Her feet slowly throbbed.
‘I can’t help it…’
Diana sighed softly.
She was worried what might have happened to Cayden, but he was the one who survived until five years later, so he probably won’t die right away.
Once decided that she had to get out of the imperial palace, she realized she had to start working on herself.
Only then will she be able to build up her powers under the guise of either empowering Cayden or stopping Rebecca.
Diana turned her body towards the back door of the palace as she struggled to hide .
But at that moment, a small moan, as if it would break at any moment, penetrated into her sensitive ear.
“Ugh…”
Diana realized the owner of the moan like it was an instinct, and she stood still.
‘…Cayden?’
Her body moved first before she could even perceive it in her head.
Diana turned her body around and ran quickly in the direction she heard the sound.
All around her was overgrown with bushes.  Diana glanced around in a frantic way with her somewhat nervous mood.
She hastened her steps in the direction where she felt the faint pulsation of his mana.
Soon after, she stopped in the depths of the garden, a little far from the third prince’s palace.
Her fingertips that touched the bush were trembling slightly.
“…Third Prince?”
Crunch-
Diana called in a small voice and lowered the bush.
And immediately after that, without realizing it, she almost screamed.
“Your Majesty?!”
Behind the lush bushes. Cayden, drenched in cold sweat, lay pale and curled up in his body.