/
Dorothea pointed to the letters in his hand.
Then Nereus grinned.
“Nevertheless, this is the virtue Episteme teaches: help the most needy.”
Nereus looked at her with blue eyes.
“Isn’t it a virtuous thing to lend a warm hand to someone who can’t find a partner?”
Nereus mocked her in a soft voice.
Dorothea’s fists curled tight.
At that time.
“Hey, I’m sure our Princess would love to help the most needy, but she’s already chosen a partner.”
A soft hand touched Dorothea’s shoulder.
And the subtle scent of lilies that Dorothea can feel on his fingertips.
“So why don’t you go begging for warmth elsewhere, Prince Nereus?”
Dorothea turned her head, startled by the voice, and his golden eyes stared at her.
For a moment, Dorothea’s heart sank.
Long, beautiful silver hair, finely drawn eyebrows, and a shapely nose. A long coat to match his height, sharp-toed shoes, a softly patterned vest, black leather gloves, and neatly pressed pants.
Something that will catch everyone’s attention.
“Ethan…?”
Dorothea froze on the spot.
There were noises from all directions looking at him, and people who wanted to see him surrounded him.
“It’s been a while, Princess.”
Ethan kissed her forehead and greeted her.
Dorothea looked at him with her eyes wide open at the soft and warm touch.
“Ethan, how did you get here..!”
Dorothea’s mind went blank.
‘This is the Lampas, and Ethan did not come up during this time. No, the Duke and Duchess had put him out to socialize early, so That’s why he could show up?’
In contrast to her surprise, Ethan’s lips curved into a smile.
“I missed you, Princess.”
Dorothea felt the heat in the cold wind as Ethan whispered softly, making eye contact with her eyes with a deep, penetrating gaze.
“How have you been?”
He asked again affectionately.
In the meantime, maybe the metamorphosis had passed, and the mellow voice was ripe and had sensual maturity.
Ethan stared at Dorothea as if he hadn’t heard them at all, even though the sound of their conversation was clearly in his ears.
Meanwhile, Nereus wrinkled his eyebrows as he watched the intruder intervene in their conversation.
“Who are you?”
It was a face he had never seen in Episteme.
If there was such a handsome student, there was no way Nereus, or anyone in Episteme, would not recognize him.
Nereus asked in a sharp voice, and Ethan put a light hand on Dorothea’s shoulder, pulling her closer to him.
“Princess Dorothea’s debut partner.”
Ethan declared as if to listen to the people present.
“Dorothea…Debut partner?”
Raymond’s brow furrowed as he heard the words.
Dorothea remembered the promise she had made to Ethan a long time ago.
[‘On the day the princess officially debuts in the social world, then, please allow me to escort the princess.’]
‘It had been a few years ago, so I completely forgot about it.’
Ethan tilted his head slightly toward Dorothea, who was confused and met her eyes.
“You haven’t forgotten me, right?”
He stared at Dorothea as if he could see her eyes.
“There’s no way I can forget you…”
Dorothea shook her head, and Ethan gave her a smile of relief.
“I didn’t receive your letter, so I was worried that you might have forgotten me.”
It was a sneaky remark that criticized Dorothea for not sending a letter.
Dorothea was stabbed in the chest for nothing.
Still, Ethan was the closest and most she met often while staying at the detached Palace.
“You didn’t even send a letter…”
“I think the princess doesn’t like letters very much.”
Ethan’s eyes turned to Raymond and then back to her. It was because he remembered how Dorothea ignored Raymond’s letter and threw it away.
“You didn’t forget your promise to me, right?”
“Oh, I didn’t forget.”
Ethan’s eyes narrowed as Dorothea shook her head in a hurry.
“I’m glad you remembered it now.”
“No… I remembered it.”
Ethan chuckled lightly at Dorothea’s clumsy excuse.
“You’re lying,” Ethan muttered softly.
Raymond separated the two of them. Ethan’s hand was pulled away by Ray’s force. It was so natural that Dorothea didn’t even realize that she was half-hugged by Ethan.
“Were you Bronte?”
Raymond pulled Dorothea toward him and asked Ethan.
Raymond remembered Ethan correctly. It was not easy for him to forget that damn beautiful face.
“I’m honored that you remember, His Highness Crown Prince Raymond Millanaire. Allow me to formally introduce myself, Ethan Bronte, second son of the Bronte family.”
Ethan bowed his head in a respectful greeting.
Ethan’s greeting was not only for Raymond but also for the nobles gathered around him. A greeting that made his presence clear in their minds.
The corners of his red lips curving up in a beautiful arc had the power to mesmerize people, young and old alike.
Unsurprisingly, I heard chatter from all directions.
“I knew it, that illegitimate child of the Bronte family! He’s so handsome, as I heard!”
“I wish someone like that would have come to Episteme.”
The nobles must have heard the rumors about Ethan and knew it well.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the story of his beauty had already spread throughout the empire.
“Are you Dorothea’s partner?”
“Yes, Your Highness. Even though the princess has forgotten me for a while.”
Ethan nodded his head warmly at Raymond’s question.
Raymond looked at Dorothea with eyes asking if it was true.
“Yes, That’s right…”
‘A promise is a promise, and it was better with Ethan than with Nereus.’
At that moment, Nereus, who had been ignored for a moment, interrupted.
“You know who I am and you’re ignoring me?”
Nereus raised his voice, and Ethan looked at him again.
Ethan opened his mouth with a gloomy face, looking quite annoyed.
“Yes, I know. Prince Nereus Hark.”
‘Is it just my imagination that I feel a thorn even though it’s obviously polite?’
Nereus felt that too, his brow wrinkled.
Dorothea was getting anxious.
‘Ethan and Nereus couldn’t meet because they were opposites!’
“But are you saying that I begged Princess Dorothea to be a partner? I am Nereus Hark?”
“Then did the princess beg the prince? I already to be her partner.”
Ethan replied with a sly smile, and Nereus looked at him with eyes full of anger.
Nereus gritted his teeth at the people’s eyes focused on Ethan.
“You are insolent…! How did you get into the graduation ceremony when you’re not even a student at Episteme?”
At Nereus’ question, Ethan shrugged as if it was nothing.
“My brother is graduating this year. Finally, after failing the graduation exam for a long time.”
Ethan pointed his eyes at Jonathan Bronte in the distance. Perhaps because of a bad relationship, Jonathan deliberately stayed away from Ethan so as not to get involved.
In Episteme, it is not easy to graduate as it is difficult to enter. Therefore, it was not shameful to fail the graduation exam for a year or two.
Jonathan was also one of the students who graduated late after failing.
“Your brother entered, but you weren’t able to enter Episteme?”
Nereus’ voice was sarcastic. Ethan looked at Nereus and answered with a soft tone.
“I don’t really have much to learn from Episteme. Here, just like the princess did.”
His golden eyes shone coldly inside his smirk.
Ethan remembered that Nereus, who was about to enter Episteme, had been defeated by Dorothea a few years ago.
At the graduation ceremony where Episteme students gathered, the atmosphere quickly froze when remarks that ignored Episteme came out.
As their gazes on Ethan, all changed from favor to anger, Nereus opened his mouth with the eyes of the Episteme students on his back.
“You look so proud. Well, that’s what old ladies like.”
At Nereus’ insulting words, the students of Episteme burst into laughter.
Then Ethan glanced at them coolly and opened his mouth.
“Ah, unfortunately, I didn’t learn this. disrespecting non-Epistemes, attacking people when they have nothing to say, humiliating others to raise your noses… Something like that.”
As Ethan chuckled, the laughter of those who had been sarcastic disappeared.
Dorothea stood there, confused. She knew that Ethan and Nereus had a bad relationship, but she didn’t expect Ethan to come out with an openly aggressive attitude.
Ethan, whom she knew, used a strategy of gently courting and treating people, no matter how hard they were, and then bullying His opponent behind their back without them knowing.
That’s how he got along with the nobles of Episteme, and even tied people tightly to his hands and wielded them.
‘But why are you so openly opposed to the nobles?’
“That’s funny!”
Nereus gritted his teeth, angry that he was being ignored by a bastard who didn’t even dare to enter the episteme.
“I take it as a compliment for being humorous. By the way, princess, May I personally escort you to your debutante?”
Nereus argued for a moment, but Ethan ignored him and turned his attention to Dorothea.
As if he didn’t care about anything but Dorothea.
Bug!
Nereus grabbed Ethan by the neck and slammed his fist into his face.
“Ethan!”
Dorothea screamed in surprise.
Ethan’s head snapped back from the punch and he bit his lip. His lips cracked and were bleeding.
“You’re from a bastard origin.”
Nereus looked down at Ethan and glared arrogantly.
“Nereus, stop it!”
Raymond finally spoke up and restrained Nereus.
Ethan rubbed his chin silently and stared coldly at Nereus, his eyes still beautiful, but cold. The eyes of a snake trying to choke its prey.
Dorothea instinctively sensed danger.
“Ethan, I need to talk to you for a second.”
She grabbed Ethan’s hand and hurried out of the place.