#98. I Will Stay Here
Two days flew by in the blink of an eye, and before long, Olivia was sitting across from Greta.
Strictly speaking, due to their difference in status—the imperial princess and a foreign diplomat—Greta sat at a slight angle rather than directly facing Olivia.
Behind Olivia stood Cryer, silent as always, and behind Greta stood Keslan for the first time.
It made sense—until now, the only one who ever came to see Greta was Bonita, and even then, Keslan had to stand guard outside the door during their meetings.
Olivia openly let her gaze sweep up and down Keslan.
Tensing under that stare, Keslan straightened his back stiffly and nearly reached for his sword before stopping himself just in time.
Of course, it wasn’t Olivia’s gaze that made him react that way.
It was the killing intent radiating from Cryer, standing just behind her—cold enough to slice flesh—that set his instincts on edge.
Cryer, who had been watching Keslan with deep, sunken eyes, finally reined in his murderous aura.
He disliked the man, but pushing harder here and making him faint would only cause trouble.
If someone claimed Cryer could knock out an imperial knight with sheer bloodlust, most would laugh it off as nonsense—but had Olivia herself heard such a thing from Cryer’s lips, she would have instantly removed Keslan from her sight.
“How’s your health?”
The moment Keslan escaped the brink of collapsing from sheer pressure, Olivia asked her question.
“I’m fine.”
“I see. The imperial physicians are quite skilled, after all.”
Greta’s short, insincere reply didn’t bother Olivia in the slightest; she nodded calmly.
“They say they couldn’t identify the cause. Just in case it happens again, perhaps—”
“It won’t happen again.”
Greta, cutting off the princess mid-sentence, had eyes that gleamed like a snake’s.
Not knowing the cause? Naturally.
What imperial doctor could possibly recognize the side effects of magic overuse?
And when she said it wouldn’t happen again, it was the truth.
Because if she ever suffered those side effects again, she would never scream.
Even if no one understood what she was enduring, there was no reason to draw useless attention.
“So it won’t happen again. Which means you know the cause yourself.”
“Yes.”
“Hmm. Well, if you insist so firmly, pressing further would only make me look foolish.”
Olivia naturally wanted to press the issue further. What on earth had Greta done to scream so terribly in the night?
But she realized nothing more would come of this topic, so she smoothly shifted.
“Tell me—do you have any personal ties with Marquis Hynder?”
Skipping over pretense and circling words, Olivia went straight to the point, her face as serenely composed as when she had first entered.
Greta, equally expressionless, answered without hesitation.
“I’ve received a great deal of help.”
It was deliberately vague, but not something easy to challenge.
Bonita had visited Greta a few times, but beyond that, neither of them had made any noticeable moves.
For now, Olivia had confirmed that Greta and Bonita did in fact know each other. She smoothly moved on.
“Now that I think of it, we didn’t get to talk much in Norden. I’d like to ask you a few things while I have the chance—it may be personal.”
Though she framed it as if she were stepping back, Olivia didn’t wait for Greta’s permission before continuing.
“How did you meet Cryer?”
Each time Olivia said Cryer’s name, the veins on Greta’s forehead stood out in fury. Still, Olivia calmly spoke it again and again.
Agitating Greta’s emotions would only make extracting information easier.
“We’ve spent quite some time together, and yet Cryer rarely talks about himself.”
As she watched Greta’s growing anger, Olivia turned to Cryer with a dazzling smile.
“He’s never told me what kind of life he’s lived.”
Greta’s fingernails dug so hard into her palm that blood welled, hidden beneath her skirt.
But Cryer smelled the fresh blood immediately. Catching his signal, Olivia pressed harder, as if determined to rupture Greta’s composure completely.
“When you like someone, you naturally want to know more about them. I’d appreciate it if you understood. So, how did you meet Cryer?”
Olivia traced her finger along the rim of her teacup, casually tossing out the bait.
If she could pry into Cryer’s past here, there would be no reason to leave him alone with Greta.
Of course, the chance of Greta spilling anything so easily was slim—but worth trying.
Crack.
A grinding sound came from Greta’s clenched teeth, loud enough for Keslan to forget his knightly composure and widen his eyes. Olivia, however, pretended not to notice, sipping her tea instead.
Hidden from Olivia’s view, Greta’s lips twisted in rage as she glared at her with eyes that could burn her alive.
“Why is Her Highness asking about my first meeting with him?”
It was a perfectly reasonable question compared to Olivia’s boldness—but Olivia caught the meaning beneath it.
So you want me to admit out loud that we’re close enough for you to care about our first meeting.
Olivia opened her mouth but then shut it again.
To get information, she would have to answer according to Greta’s intention.
That she had seen something personal between them in Norden.
But the words stuck in her throat.
First meeting or not, she couldn’t bring herself to acknowledge aloud that Cryer had a personal connection with the woman before her.
No—that’s not it. I can’t let my own feelings ruin this.
And Cryer himself had said there was nothing personal between them.
…Had he? He said there was no contact, but did he ever explicitly say no personal connection?
No—he was the one who got jealous whenever it came to my personal ties!
The tense, suffocating silence dragged on unbearably, but Olivia was too lost in her inner conflict to even notice.
“Th—”
“Your Highness.”
Just as Olivia, after a hard-won struggle against the jealousy she refused to admit, opened her mouth, Cryer spoke first.
“Hm?”
Startled by his sudden address, Olivia flinched—and so did Greta.
Keslan narrowed his eyes at Greta’s reaction but quickly smoothed his expression back into knightly calm.
Normally, Greta would have caught such a look from him, but her full attention was consumed by Cryer’s unexpected words.
“I will stay here.”
As he said it, Cryer gazed steadily at Olivia, as if engraving her wide, startled eyes onto his very soul.
He knew. He knew Olivia had asked those questions to pull information out of Greta.
He also knew that when Greta’s transparent probing required an answer, Olivia had fallen silent.
Cryer could usually glean Olivia’s thoughts or moods by her expressions, tone, or gestures.
But he could never read her completely.
So he assumed she’d stayed silent because she, too, didn’t want to utter—even falsely—that he had any personal ties to another woman.
Had he realized his assumption was spot on, he might have scooped her into his arms and carried her away to be alone together immediately.
But he didn’t.
“What?”
Olivia’s eyes widened as if hearing something utterly foreign, and she even half-rose from her seat.
Looking down at her calmly, Cryer repeated,
“I will stay here.”
His words, abrupt and without context, would have sounded strange to anyone—even a passing monkey.
But no one present tried to analyze his reasons.
Olivia looked as if she’d been struck by lightning. Greta’s eyes glowed with sticky yearning. And Keslan was in no position to voice his questions.
“You’ll… stay?”
Olivia’s shocked face didn’t shake Cryer’s cold, set expression.
“Yes.”
“Why? No, even if I ask, you won’t tell me anything.”
Olivia shook her head, as though this wasn’t the first time.
“Whenever I ask you something, you never give me an answer…”
She couldn’t even finish the sentence. Rising unsteadily, pressing her forehead with her hand, she looked unmistakably heartbroken.
Like someone crushed by the pain of realizing the person she cared for refused to open his heart.
At least, that’s how it looked to Greta and Keslan.
“My apologies, Your Highness.”
“There you go again! I told you not to say that.”
“My apologies.”
And so, Cryer appeared to place a towering wall between them.
Of course, all of this was scripted.
They had planned in advance to make it seem natural that Cryer would remain by Greta’s side.
The only thing unnatural was how Cryer’s “naturalness” came out as blunt, reasonless insistence—because he was the one staying behind.
Olivia wondered why he had spoken his line earlier than planned, but she let the act flow smoothly.
“I… I’ll be going now.”
“Your Highness!”
Keslan, alarmed, caught Olivia as she staggered in apparent shock.
Behind them, Cryer’s dark red gaze burned into her back like a brand.
He knew they were following the plan as agreed. And yet his chest felt tight, aching.
He had to leave Olivia’s side. He had to make it look like it was by his own choice.
Even knowing it was all just a play, he was still restless, still uneasy.
