Chapter 37
Louisian turned his head away, his face blank as he looked at him. As the door closed with a soft sound, Raymond let out a sigh. There’s nothing one can do when a friend starts going astray in strange ways. Sipping his warm tea, Raymond opened his mouth to voice a thought that had just occurred to him. Come to think of it—
“He didn’t mention Lady Enderic.”
Well, since she’s His Highness’s aide and always stands beside him anyway, it shouldn’t matter. Raymond looked out the window. The palace always appeared peaceful on the outside. He thought he should finish his work quickly and go see Yuria.
—
Louisian walked down the hallway, lost in thought. He couldn’t understand why his friend was suddenly spouting incomprehensible nonsense, but more than that, his mind was occupied with wondering why the Crown Prince had summoned him. To be honest, Louisian was anxious. What task was he going to be saddled with this time? It hadn’t been long since he finished the job the Crown Prince had dumped on him. The memory of paperwork stacked taller than himself made him shiver.
“You’re here? Looks like the Duke of Brangio delivered the message properly.”
When he lifted his head from his bow, he saw Jordan sitting on the sofa. Beside him, beneath his relaxed smile, a head of red hair came into view. Louisian stared—he hadn’t seen her in a long while. Perhaps from overwork, her face looked pale. Feeling his gaze, Marillian met his eyes. Her tightly hardened amber eyes twisted slightly.
…Why? When he looked at her questioningly, Marillian lifted the corners of her lips into a smile. It was a strained expression, certainly not a pleasant sight, but Louisian returned a faint smile.
“You two seem to be enjoying yourselves.”
The Crown Prince, who had been watching their faces, murmured disinterestedly. The thick stack of papers on the table caught Louisian’s eye, irritating him. Following his gaze, Jordan let out a laugh as if he knew exactly what Louisian was thinking.
“Don’t worry, that’s not your work. Strictly speaking, it’s mine and Marillian’s. If you want to help, I won’t refuse.”
“I refuse.”
“That was fast.”
The papers fluttered threateningly at the movement of his hand. Jordan sighed regretfully at the firm refusal and set the papers down.
“So. Did you get what you wanted from Brangio?”
“……”
“You could’ve just asked me directly. Instead, you ignore the simple path and choose the difficult one.”
Useless things to agonize over. His gaze was filled with disappointment, as if wondering why anyone would trouble themselves over something so trivial. A dull ache stirred somewhere inside Louisian. It *was* easier and quicker to ask a friend than to ask him. And even if he had asked directly, Jordan wouldn’t have answered. Yet the Crown Prince spoke as if genuinely disappointed. So Louisian didn’t bother responding and instead raised the warm cup of tea. When he was with Raymond he didn’t drink tea, too focused on the conversation, and always ended up thirsty. The cloying sweetness lingering on his tongue made him frown. Should’ve drunk Raymond’s tea after all. The Crown Prince, holding the same tea, wore a satisfied smile.
“I expected this, but it pleases me to see exactly the reaction I predicted. Normally, you’d brush it off, yet now you’re curious. If you ask why I concluded you were an idiot, I’ll tell you.”
“Then—”
“But only if you give me an answer that satisfies me.”
Louisian sighed at the way Jordan cut him off and set conditions. The Crown Prince continued with a cheerful smile, clearly enjoying himself.
“I’ve always been curious. Preparing for this took some time—had to get everything ready first. You don’t need to pay much attention to what I’m saying. Even if you ask what it’s about, I won’t tell you.”
“…….”
“You just have to answer my question. But before that, there’s something you should know.”
“…What is it?”
The Crown Prince studied his face for a moment, then set down his cup. The perpetual grin vanished. The usually frivolous, careless man suddenly felt heavy and subdued—an odd sight. When their eyes met, his dark blue gaze curved faintly.
“I once told you I’d do as you wished. I’m sorry.”
“…….”
“I burned the marriage registration form you gave me.”
Louisian looked at him blankly as the Crown Prince smiled. Jordan’s lips twisted at the lack of reaction. He clicked his tongue, looking sulky. He clearly didn’t like Louisian’s response. A moment ago he had been laughing carelessly, but now his hardened expression was strange—almost unsettling.
“…You’re not surprised.”
“I can simply write it again, can’t I?”
It wasn’t as though Louisian intentionally provoked him. Yet Jordan’s eyes showed clear displeasure. He said he burned the marriage registration form. Well, he could just obtain another sheet and fill it out. Louisian sighed. No matter how he thought about it, he could not understand why the Crown Prince was upset.
“That’s not the issue. Even a meaningless piece of paper carries different reactions depending on the significance behind it.”
It feels like I’m lecturing a child, Jordan muttered in a weary tone. Louisian looked at him. Jordan ignored the questioning gaze and sighed.
“Before you arrived, I told Marillian the same thing. She didn’t look surprised, but she didn’t look as indifferent as you. Objectively speaking, you’re perfect in every way. You passed my very picky standards, after all. You’re competent with your work, and nothing about you was displeasing.”
“…….”
“But after watching you for a long time, I realized—your thoughts and actions are not normal.”
Having been summoned countless times and put under stress by the Crown Prince, Louisian found that Jordan was being unusually gentle in his explanation. That alone was suspicious.
“You’re cold—harsh, even—to a certain person. If left alone, perhaps the two of you might’ve realized things on your own and gotten along. It looked interesting, so I meddled. Had I known you were this foolish, I wouldn’t have.”
“…I don’t understand what you’re trying to ask.”
“I’m not asking. This is just something you need to know. As I said, my curiosity comes after this.”
Even with all his explanations, Louisian still couldn’t understand. Perfect in ability, abnormal in thought. The image of the “certain person” Jordan hinted at flickered faintly, then slipped away. Louisian remained expressionless and simply absorbed the Crown Prince’s words.
“Tell me. Have you ever seen Lady Brangio angry?”
“She’s never sought an audience with Your Highness, has she?”
Louisian was calm enough to respond smoothly despite the sudden topic shift. His mouth felt dry as he glanced at his teacup. The tea was horrible, but his throat was parched. Marillian reached for the teapot, but Louisian shook his head.
“So you don’t know. I assume Brangio didn’t tell you.”
“…….”
“She came only to state her business, then left. Coldly.”
Jordan frowned as if recalling Yuria’s visit. Louisian watched him rub his temples in irritation. Yuria, with her silvery hair like tangled threads and violet eyes and an aloof expression, disliked entering the palace without reason. Judging from Jordan’s reaction, she must have brought troublesome news.
“Arrogant, really…”
“…….”
Louisian stopped listening to the muttered complaints. They made no sense. His thoughts drifted. He remembered Yuria’s face at the Endrianz estate not long ago—the way her violet eyes glared at him during the wedding with Marillian. He had forgotten she was angry with him, distracted as he was by the Crown Prince’s odd speech.
For reasons unclear, Yuria had always seemed to feel guilty toward Isilia. She often looked after his wife with a surprising gentleness—unimaginable from the woman known in society as the “Ice Flower.” Someone like that would easily become angry at him.
Brangio, who adored Yuria, treated Louisian normally, so he had forgotten the issue. And since it was something difficult to apologize for, he didn’t know how to bring it up.
“Have you ever considered why she bothers you so much?”
“…Pardon?”
Even after all this time, Louisian still couldn’t get used to the Crown Prince’s habit of switching topics out of nowhere—especially when each new subject was anything but ordinary. He couldn’t discern the hidden meaning. Jordan muttered something about the tea going cold and dismissed Marillian. Louisian bowed slightly and watched her retreating figure.
For some reason, she looked a little worn out. Lost in thought, he didn’t realize he was staring until Jordan scolded him. Louisian looked back at him. The Crown Prince furrowed his brows as if reconsidering his own words.
“I phrased that poorly. You probably didn’t want to think about it.”
“…….”
“I meant—why are you so harsh toward Isilia when you aren’t with Marillian, Duke?”
Why bring up her name all of a sudden? Louisian looked at him, trying to catch some hint of intention, but Jordan only wore a faint smile. For someone so flippant, he never spoke plainly when it mattered.
Louisian, who had been silently criticizing him in his mind, looked up at the sound of the Crown Prince’s laugh. His smiling face hadn’t changed, but his eyes were dry. A soft clink came from the table—Marillian had brought only one fresh cup of tea. …So he wanted him to leave.
“You said you could just write the registration again, didn’t you? You’re right. Even now, if you ask me properly, I could stamp my seal on it right in front of you.”
