PRKE 31

CHAPTER 31…………………………………………

Suddenly, Aris leaned her body close to me. Then she lowered her voice slightly.

“Unni.”

“What is it, miss?”

“Be honest with me. Were you really only at the library that day?”

Her blue eyes glittered with suspicion.

‘Did she figure something out?’

Then Aris spoke with certainty.

“Actually, something happened with the prince that night…”

“Miss!”

I quickly turned my head.

It was Jenny.

Aris, caught mid-sentence, glared at Jenny with an annoyed expression.

Jenny flinched and slowly came over to my side.

Relieved, I offered a genuinely warm smile.

“Mrs. Emmerin is looking for you. Will you go now?”

Jenny blinked rapidly. Ah, that was a lie.

‘So cheeky.’

I smiled and glanced at Aris.

“You must have been curious about today. Then we should go right away.”

Aris’s eyes twitched in annoyance at being interrupted. She looked like she might grab Jenny for her insolence, so I quickly sent Jenny behind me.

Then Aris’s gaze shifted from Jenny to me. Her slender eyes were those of a classic beauty, but their sharpness was more fierce than cute.

‘Oh, you wicked thing.’

I smiled faintly on the outside.

“Miss, shall we arrange a meeting with the prince?”

“…What do you mean all of a sudden?”

Aris flinched, her eyes wary.

I inwardly snickered.

‘Pretending not to care.’

Jealous and yet trying to hide it.

I was just about to tease her by saying I could even bring it up if she wanted.

Snap!

I pricked up my ears.

It was the sound of a cane hitting the floor. Only Hubert uses a cane in this house.

‘And there’s Cain, who always takes it when going to formal events.’

My mind raced.

My intention to deal with Aris casually changed.

“You’re interested in the prince, aren’t you?”

I blurted it out, as if it were nothing. I wanted Aris to feel that way.

I could feel the silence inside the room. I savored the tension in the air.

Unfortunately, Aris didn’t fall for it easily.

“Ha, don’t say such strange things. When have I ever been interested in him?”

“Really? You’ve been interested in the prince for some time… You’ve even read a lot of gossip about him, haven’t you?”

“Th-That’s just because my friends have been talking only about that imperial guy lately!”

“Ah?”

“If you don’t know the latest news, don’t you know you’re behind the trend? You might not know because you just stay at home working, but gossip magazines are essential!”

‘Good grief, trends you can only follow by reading gossip magazines.’

If it’s like that, I could live my whole life without caring about trends.

“Don’t misunderstand me, miss. I don’t think it’s strange.”

“Then what are you saying? You’re making me look like a foolish person who’s interested in a barbarian, aren’t you?”

“That’s absolutely not it. Though he’s from the desert, I’ve talked to him, and he knows more than I do. He’s well-informed about the affairs of various countries. Now that he’s in the kingdom, he wants to converse with outstanding talents here, and you came to mind.”

“…The prince wants to talk to me?”

Her nervous face noticeably softened. I nodded firmly.

Meanwhile, the thought that Giovanni mustn’t find out flickered through my mind.

I turned away from my prickling conscience and smiled as widely as I could.

Then Aris spoke haughtily.

“Then I won’t stop you.”

This time I gave her a subtle look.

“You were interested in the prince after all, weren’t you?”

Hmph, Aris snorted and brushed her hair behind her shoulder.

“Not really. But as you said, he is a prince of the empire. There’s no harm in getting closer to him.”

I clapped my hands cheerfully.

“Exactly. You have many boyfriends, so you’ll get along with the prince in no time!”

Thinking it was praise, Aris immediately swelled with pride.

I glanced at the still-quiet room and sighed, as if feeling pity.

“But from what I’ve observed, he seems to like calm and wise women. So if you want things to go well, you should refine yourself a bit more.”

“What do you mean…”

Aris’s dazed expression turned red immediately.

“Unni, what do you mean by that? Are you saying I’m not wise?”

‘She gets it.’

I pretended to be surprised and waved my hand as if it were ridiculous.

“Whaaat? Absolutely not! I just thought this might be the way to get closer to him. I’ve thought about it a lot myself.”

I covered my mouth with my hand and spoke as if lamenting.

“Since it’s come to this, it would be good for the family to build a rapport with him. Even though he’s a barbarian, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. Don’t you think so, miss?”

I subtly probed her.

“Not wrong, but…”

The expected answer came.

Seeing her tempted expression, I felt like clicking my tongue.

Worse than being unintelligent is not even realizing you’re not smart.

‘Pitiful.’

But I shouldn’t underestimate her. Aris may not be smart, but she has endless selfishness and the abilities of a priestess.

The more I thought about it, the more I felt her priestess abilities were far too much for her. Like giving a sharp knife to a child.

“So, are you really going to arrange the meeting?”

“Whenever you want, miss.”

I grinned inwardly.

I could bring it up casually.

“But if I get close to the barbarian prince, people will gossip…”

“They may say so outwardly, but inwardly, they’ll envy you.”

“That’s true.”

Her seriously worried face almost made me laugh.

But I really couldn’t underestimate Aris.

“But what if he proposes to me? That would be troublesome.”

“…What?”

I asked again, not quite understanding, and Aris sighed.

“He’ll return to the desert anyway. If that barbarian proposes to me, wouldn’t I have to go to the desert too?”

“….”

“I hear it’s all sand there. I absolutely hate sand.”

‘Is she teasing me too?’

I suspected that for a moment, but then I realized from her expression.

‘She’s serious.’

For the first time, I was at a loss for words.

Good grief. She even shivered as if it were horrible.

“We’ll think about that when the time comes.”

Am I smiling wickedly right now?

I wasn’t confident it was a proper smile.

“Still…”

“Miss, haven’t you seen people’s reactions?”

“Reactions?”

“People seemed to dislike the prince but couldn’t take their eyes off him. If he proposes to you, wow, no one in the social circle will not know your name! Maybe even more attention than a princess?”

“…Is that so? Well, it wasn’t that bad, actually. I think he kept looking at me too.”

Aris’s weak points—trends, popularity—were fully exposed, and she was completely hooked.

“Then, unni, let’s try arranging the meeting…”

“Aris.”

Her voice cut off abruptly. She turned around in a panic.

“Hu-Hubert…”

‘Right on cue.’

I slowly turned to look at him. Hubert, wearing his usual neat, impeccable appearance, smiled faintly.

“What kind of conversation were you enjoying so much?”

‘He heard everything.’

Yet his expression and tone made it seem like he just arrived. Aris, deceived by his calm face, stammered heavily.

“Uh, w-we were talking about how Egrain unni went on a date with the prince.”

‘Passing the blame to me.’

Hubert glanced at me.

“Is that so? Still, it’s better to talk inside. It’s not good for everyone to know a grown maiden’s dating stories with an unrelated man.”

“….”

“Isn’t that right, Egrain?”

‘What? Why is he saying that to me?’

I had hinted at Aris’s romantic experiences.

“I’ll be careful.”

I answered obediently, and he moved his lips as if he wanted to say something more.

“Do you have more to say?”

Impatient, I asked first. He closed his mouth for a moment, then looked me straight in the eye.

“…Was it fun?”

“…?”

‘What is he saying?’

“Yes, it was enjoyable.”

After a pause, I gave a safe answer. Hubert stared at me silently for a moment.

“Then I’m glad.”

“…?”

That was it.

He passed between Aris and me.

Tap, tap.

Only the sound of Cain’s cane hitting the floor echoed.

“Hubert!”

Aris finally regained her senses and chased after him.

Watching their backs, I felt an inexplicable unease.

‘What’s wrong with her?’

Though slightly dampened, the conversation had achieved its intended purpose: planting suspicion in Hubert’s mind about Aris.

Suspicion that she could turn her eyes to someone else anytime, not him.

‘Though his lukewarm reaction is unsettling.’

I tried to figure out why Hubert reacted that way, but couldn’t, so I shrugged it off.

That night, I received a summons from Hubert.

The door closed behind me.

Hubert, seated, indicated the sofa opposite him. I went and sat quietly, and he slid a teacup in front of me. The strong aroma of black tea filled the air.

I warmed my lips over the steam while Hubert watched quietly, taking a sip of his tea.

Though I kept my eyes on the cup, I was acutely aware of every glance from him.

‘Why did he suddenly call me?’

As I tried to guess his intentions, his gaze remained fixed on me.

Plop.

Hubert put down his cup.

‘Alright. Speak your business quickly.’

“Did your talk with Jason go well?”

“Huh?”

Blinking, I felt his questioning gaze.

“You mentioned earlier that he hadn’t been reporting on time.”

“Ah, that. Yes. I met him and gave a warning, but, well… as you know, he’s a commoner, so he doesn’t really listen to me.”

I shrugged and continued.

“He said he understood, but I can’t really trust him. I’ve heard recently that his son failed in a ship investment. The rumors aren’t good.”

“Really?”

“Yes. How about changing the investment manager this time?”

‘He probably keeps his own little schemes.’

Since it’s what I did, I could guess roughly. No matter how many times I told him, Hubert wouldn’t believe it.

As expected, he furrowed his brows.