MWAMHR |CHAPTER 63

Chapter 63

***

Smack.

A sharp sound echoed through the room as the slap landed cleanly across his cheek. The blow was so strong that a metallic taste filled his mouth. His cheek stung—she must have scratched him with her ring.

“This is all your fault! Do you even know what humiliation I suffered because of you?!”

Camilla pointed a trembling finger at Derek, her voice shaking with rage. The diamond ring on her hand caught the light and flashed dangerously.

From the moment the princess’s maid had rushed to find him that morning, Derek had felt a sense of foreboding. Two days ago, he’d heard that Ethan and Elisa had returned to the capital and met Count Leslie—and his unease had only grown since.

Sure enough, the instant Camilla saw him, she exploded in fury. There was not a trace of royal grace or dignity left in her.

“If you hadn’t given me false information, my father never would have met Ethan, and my mistake never would’ve been exposed…!”

Her mistake?

Taking her outburst in silence, Derek narrowed one eye, trying to piece together what had gone wrong.

The information he had given her was simple—Ethan Estevan was alive, completely uninjured, and even spending time alone with Elisa in Kando.

So why was she blaming him?

“What do you mean, Your Highness’s mistake was exposed?”

He had a hunch something had happened that he wasn’t aware of.

At his question, Camilla flinched and averted her gaze. A moment ago she had been spitting fury, but now she looked small, staring at the floor as if she wanted to crawl into a mouse hole.

“Your Highness.”

Derek knelt on one knee before her and gently took her trembling hands on his own. His gaze was soft and warm, like a spring breeze.

“I need to know exactly what happened in order to help you.”

“……”

“I’m always on your side. Please trust me and tell me.”

His voice was low and soothing, like one would use to calm a frightened child. The anger in her eyes melted away, replaced by tears.

“…Ethan told everything to my father and mother.”

Camilla sank to the floor, sobbing thickly.

“It wasn’t enough that he rejected me—how could he trample on my pride like that? It’s too cruel. I like him so much… how could he…?”

Her words were jumbled between sobs, but Derek calmly pieced the puzzle together.

In short, Camilla had thrown away her royal pride and begged for Ethan Estevan’s affection—only to be rejected. Worse, the King and Queen had found out, scolded her harshly, and now she was blaming Derek for it all.

Unbelievable.

She had brought this on herself, yet she had the gall to blame others. Derek almost laughed aloud.

Not only had she failed to use the information he’d given her to manipulate Ethan—she’d gone running to her father to confess everything.

Did she really believe her dear father would make it all better? What a ridiculous notion.

The sheer absurdity of it drew a faint, incredulous smile to his lips. Apparently, this spoiled princess needed to be spoon-fed every last thing.

Well, she was royalty—born too high to ever have solved her own problems.

Maybe that’s why she clung to love so desperately, why she could even toss aside her title for it.

She’d never truly lost anything in her life, so she had no idea how terrifying or painful loss could be.

Derek despised that kind of person—but he didn’t hate them. People like her were easy to handle. Simple, emotional, predictable.

“You’ve suffered greatly, Your Highness.”

“Hhhk…”

At his gentle words, Camilla flung herself into his arms as though waiting for permission to cry harder.

“Please don’t cry, Your Highness.”

Derek sighed softly, patting her back as if to comfort her. But behind his kind eyes, he was already thinking how best to use this foolish, love-struck princess.

She was too dim to act on hints alone—she’d have to be controlled like a marionette.

Even after he’d laid out his plans in his mind, she wouldn’t stop crying. Her tears soaked his shirt; her sniffles grated on his nerves.

Enough already.

Finally, before his patience ran out, Camilla lifted her head.

“…What should I do now?”

“My father said I must never see Baron Estevan again. If I do, he’ll cancel the engagement talks and send me to a convent. He said if I want to live without my title so badly, he’ll make it happen.”

She sniffled again, indignant. Even after crying for so long, tears still streamed down her cheeks.

“Do you really think Ethan doesn’t like me? That can’t be true! His eyes, his actions—how could those not mean something? Why else would he have risked his life jumping off a cliff to save me?”

Even now she refuses to give up.

Derek clicked his tongue inwardly. Her obsession was impressive, he’d give her that—though utterly useless.

“Of course.”

Useless to her, but not to me.

A faint smirk tugged at his lips as he lifted her hand—the same one that had struck him—and brushed it lightly with his fingertips.

“Baron Estevan does have feelings for you, Your Highness. But the vast difference in status—and Elisa Leslie standing in his way—prevents him from expressing them.”

Camilla’s eyes narrowed sharply.

“Elisa Leslie is your fiancée, isn’t she? You speak as if she’s a stranger.”

“Being my fiancée doesn’t excuse her wrongdoing. I simply call things as they are.”

At that, Camilla hesitated, then whispered,

“…Then why are you helping me?”

“Because, Your Highness, you did nothing wrong.”

Her eyes widened, startled. Derek met her gaze steadily, his voice low and deliberate.

“You were deceived by Elisa Leslie. You bear no fault in this.”

“…You’re right.”

Her once-hazy eyes cleared with sudden conviction.

“I did nothing wrong. It’s all her fault. Elisa Leslie—that woman seduced innocent Ethan!”

See? Too easy.

Derek smiled faintly and wiped away the tear clinging to her chin.

“If you do exactly as I say, Baron Estevan will return to you soon enough.”

***

The day after returning from the palace, Ethan began to shiver. By the next morning, his body burned with fever.

The first to notice was Noah, who had been sleeping between Ethan and Elisa. When he touched his father’s face to wake him, he realized with alarm that it was burning hot.

He shook his mother awake, and chaos erupted in the Estevan household.

Though Ethan himself remained calm, Elisa, Noah, and even the butler were beside themselves until the doctor arrived.

When the physician hurried in, summoned by the butler’s frantic call, he examined Ethan carefully.

“The problem lies with your injured leg. Have you perhaps overexerted yourself recently?”

Ethan wanted to deny it, but Elisa’s sharp eyes pinned him in place, forcing him to tell the truth.

When the doctor heard that Ethan had ridden hard to avoid being late for Prince Howard’s appointment, he sighed deeply.

“Until your leg has fully healed, do not ride again. In fact, I’d recommend you avoid walking as much as possible for the time being.”

No walking? Ethan frowned at the extreme order. But Elisa nodded at once.

“You heard the doctor.”

After the physician left, Elisa crossed her arms and glared at him where he sat on the bed.

“You’re not to leave this bed unless absolutely necessary. If you need something, call a servant—or me.”

“I don’t think that’s necessary.”

“It is.”

She cut him off firmly, her tone brooking no argument.

“Until your leg heals completely, you’ll do exactly as I say. And if you don’t…”

Leaning in close, she whispered against his ear,

“…we’ll be sleeping in separate rooms for the rest of our lives.”