Most of the nobles who had enjoyed the banquet until late the previous night were still asleep.
Rian, who hardly slept, was sitting at an outdoor tea table by the garden annex right in front of his accommodation. He greeted the aristocrats who came and went by occasionally and drank early morning tea in a row.
Despite the fragrant tea, his mind was not refreshed.
Should have come with Hales.
Rian was assigned to the first floor alone. Only the royal family of another country or the highest aristocrats were assigned on the second floor. The stairs and corridors leading to the second floor were guarded by knights and soldiers.
Rian glanced at a terrace on the second floor. It was the place where Grand Duke Tertius and Dana were assigned accommodation.
Why do I feel hot in my stomach?
Dana was alive.
An old lover who he had strangled to death himself. The management rights at the Deniz merchants he inherited were in her hands. However, Rian was an agent to the end.
After a little more time, after announcing Danaâs disappearance and death, he had planned to buy off the management one by one and take full control. So it was difficult for him that she suddenly showed up.
However, this feeling was not so unpleasant. Originally, the first thing to think of would be a way to make her keep her mouth shut at all costs now.
However, Rianâs head was full of thoughts about what Leon and Dana would do in that room.
I was the only one who knew her.
Whenever Leon hugged Danaâs waist at the banquet hall, he had a slight headache, and the desire to lift the skirt under her tight waist immediately came.
Iâll somehow take over againâŠ
Realistically, she was scheduled to be the Grand Duchess of Tertius. It was more difficult than before, no matter what Rian had planned. However, Rian put aside such troublesome thoughts and first thought about what to do if he captured Dana again.
I shouldnât kill her right away like before. First of all, look for a house in a place where there are no people and lock her up there.
Rian smiled to himself, imagining obscene and sadistic things.
In the meantime, someone was approaching him in anger.
âWhat are you doing here?â
As her high and feisty voice penetrated his ears, Rian looked over with an annoyed face.
However, he quickly managed his facial expression when he saw Princess Christine approaching him.
âYou woke up early, Princess.â
âWhy did you leave first? I was going to argue as soon as I woke up.â
âWhat did you want to argue about?â
âItâs himâŠâ
Christine looked at Rian with a displeased face and sat opposite him without asking permission.
She even remembered that Rian took her into the room, but nothing came to mind after that.
âWas I that drunk? I donât remember it properly.â
âYes, Princess. You seemed very drunk, so I brought you to your room.â
Rianâs voice sounded kind, but he laughed at Princess Christine inside.
Princess Christine had drunk a lot the previous day, but she was not drunk enough to not remember what happened correctly.
Rian fiddled with a small bottle of medicine in his pants pocket. It was the hallucinogenic essence he traded through the Deniz merchants.
He wondered if it would be a problem later to have a relationship with Princess Christine, so he had made her drink it just before sex.
âWa⊠Be honest.â
Christine frowned and then hesitated to say something.
âAfter you took me to the room.â
âYes, Princess?â
Rian somehow knew what she was trying to ask, but naturally asked as if he didnât.
âDid I sleep with you?â
âHmm, what do you mean by that, Princess?â
âIâm sure.â
He couldnât understand why she was so sure, even though she couldnât even remember. Then Princess Christine put a folded handkerchief on the table.
Rian glanced at her and carefully opened the handkerchief.
âWhatâs this?â
âWhat does it look like?â
As soon as Rian saw it, he frowned and kept his hands away.
Inside the handkerchief, there was a murky liquid that hardened and dried up and several strands of dark brown hair.
âAs soon as I woke up in the morning, it flowed down between my legs. And the hair I picked up on the bed.â
Rian felt guilty. He had roughly cleaned up the outside, but he couldnât do much because he thought she would wake up.
âHow can you be sure that itâs me? Itâs not just one or two brown hairs⊠After that, someone else might have gone in.â
âAfter the maids entered with you, no other man entered.â
Rian poured tea water into the new teacup with a calm face. And as soon as Christine turned her head for a brief moment, he poured out the remaining medicine from the medicine bottle.
âIf it happened with me, whatâs the problem? Itâs not bad that a man and a woman enjoyed a day.â
Rian smiled nicely and brought a teacup to Christine. Even though he said so, Rian never affirmed that he was the one.
âThe problem is not that I slept, but that I donât remember at all. And I was going to refrain from it here. It seems like itâs all useless now. Because of her.â
While questioning Rian, Christine didnât seem to care much about their relationship. She took a sip of tea water and fixed her eyes on one place.