Chapter 87
“Mary.”
At Kalian’s call, Mary clutched the jewelry box she was holding even tighter.
It was because she had developed suspicions after the last time when Kalian had torn up the invitation that arrived from the imperial palace.
This time, fearing he might take this jewelry box containing the pretty earrings and do something with it, Mary stared at Kalian with sensitive eyes, like a cat with its tail bristled.
“Why did you call me, Your Grace?”
But Kalian showed no particular interest in the jewelry box or in Mary’s sensitive demeanor.
Kalian’s gaze was directed solely at Angela, who was checking her reflection in the mirror from various angles. He soon muttered with a sigh-like tone.
“Isn’t there a pitch-black, gloomy-colored dress?”
“Pitch-black and gloomy… like storm cloud color?”
“Yes, that color would be perfect.”
Having heard Kalian’s words, Mary recalled Angela’s dressing room in her mind once and then spoke. After all, it was a place where nothing was missing.
“There is one, but I think this deep red dress would suit the banquet atmosphere well today. It’s bright and pretty.”
Hmm, yes. Mary, that’s exactly the problem.
She was a woman who would stand out enough even if she wore a plain black dress—no, a shabby dress that had lost all its color or one stained with mottled dirt. Her eyes alone were sufficient as jewels. There was no need for more sparkle.
Yet, why had they dressed her so brightly and hung ornaments all over her? Dissatisfaction sprouted sharply in Kalian’s mind.
If he took Angela to the banquet hall looking like that, Ian’s heart wouldn’t fold away; instead, it seemed like it would burn even hotter. His eyes might flip in an instant, and he might propose to Angela right then and there.
The fact that this was quite a realistic imagination made Kalian anxious.
Kalian, who had been sitting and tapping the table with his fingertips, finally couldn’t endure it and stood up abruptly, approaching Angela’s side.
“Anything else is fine, but this won’t do.”
Kalian wrapped his arms around her slim waist and kissed Angela just like that. The tip of his tongue softly licked over her lips before swallowing them repeatedly.
After repeating this dozens of times, when their lips finally parted completely, Angela had been robbed of all the red rouge she had applied to her lips.
Kalian’s lips, moist with heated breath, pressed against Angela’s lips once more as if somewhat satisfied, then pulled away.
“Let’s keep it only this pretty today. It’s already overflowing as it is.”
Kalian said this while stroking Angela’s lips, which still held a reddish tint even after the makeup was wiped away, with the tip of his thumb. At his bold demand, Angela raised the corner of her mouth as if in disbelief.
Kalian, who had been softly tracing the shape of those lips, leaned in again to kiss Angela. Angela naturally lowered her eyelids gently at the approach with a clear purpose.
That’s when it happened.
Thud.
Mary, who had been preciously clutching the jewelry box to prevent it from being taken by Kalian, dropped it and watched the two with wide, sparkling eyes.
* * *
The banquet to celebrate Crown Prince Ian’s return to the palace held sufficient meaning just by the fact that Ian was present.
The noble ladies lavished over a hundred compliments just on Ian’s skin, slightly tanned from living outside the castle. They whispered that this must be what eye candy truly meant, their lips twitching under their fans. They admired his handsome face without pause.
Of course, even when Ian wasn’t around, Kalian provided visual pleasure. On days when his jet-black hair fluttered in the wind, the ladies’ hearts would sway weakly.
However, unlike Ian, who skillfully led conversations with the ladies while smiling warmly, Kalian was affectionate but somehow like a stone of a man. His boundaries were clear, one might say? There was no gap to poke into.
Moreover, since the name Angela was always attached to Kalian, to the noble ladies, Kalian was merely an existence to enjoy with the eyes, like the sun, stars, moon, or clouds in the sky.
But Ian was different. He was a man ready to spread rumors of romance with anyone. The woman who plucked him would be the owner. So it was only natural that ladies crowded around Ian.
“Your Highness, where did you go this time?”
“I visited so many places. Is there perhaps a place you’re curious about, Madam?”
“You were away for so long that everyone was terribly worried.”
“They say no news is good news. I fared perfectly well. It must be thanks to the young lady’s concern.”
“Please don’t leave so hastily and stay in Ron a bit longer. It’s always regrettable when you depart.”
“I should do that. With the ladies holding me back like this, my feet won’t budge… Wait a moment, excuse me.”
Ian, who had been matching the mood by responding to each of the ladies surrounding him like followers, spotted a woman who had just entered the banquet hall and hurriedly moved his steps.
For someone who was about to say his feet wouldn’t budge, his movement showed no hesitation. However, with people to greet blocking his path at every turn, his steps couldn’t advance forward at all.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
“His Highness Ian!”
“Your Highness.”
Each time his feet were tied by voices calling him, Ian’s heart grew anxious. She was not far away, yet he feared he might never reach her.
From the moment he heard the news of her death in a foreign land where he couldn’t just run to see her, he had been in this state of mind continuously.
He hadn’t told Cecil, but after receiving the obituary, Ian had been heading toward Phaelon all along. Even after hearing midway that her death had ended as a mere happening, he didn’t stop. His destination was Phaelon.
Because he had never once imagined losing her in this way, the shock was immense. So on his return from this journey, Ian had only one thought in his mind.
I must never leave again. I must not leave her side.
Soon, Ian’s steps reached her. With a bright smile equipped, Ian exclaimed cheerfully.
“Angela, how long has it been!”
“This is all because of you, so you take responsibility.”
“Angela?”
“You explain to Mary what that was.”
“Ange…”
“I plan to drink heavily at the banquet today and get drunk early to sleep.”
However, as if the approaching Ian right beside her was invisible, Angela was in the middle of nagging at Kalian. Her upturned eyes were straight and unwavering, leaving no gap to intrude, fixed solely on one place.
“Angela.”
Only after calling once more without giving up did Angela’s gaze finally turn toward Ian.
“Ah. Oh, Ian.”
But that was all. On her lovely face, there wasn’t even a trace of formal delight at meeting an old friend.
Angela, who had given Ian a brief glance, shifted her gaze back to Kalian. It was a movement faster than lightning.
“Aren’t you going to answer quickly?”
Of course, Angela had her reasons. She was too preoccupied with the embarrassing spectacle she had shown Mary to spare any attention for Ian, whom she hadn’t seen in so long.
In the carriage, she had swatted Kalian’s arm, demanding what he planned to do about it, but Kalian had only spouted nonsense about how Mary was learning things one by one.
It was neither helpful nor comforting. What was a young child supposed to learn from something like that?
The image of Mary staring at them with wide, sparkling eyes wouldn’t leave her mind. Angela lifted her champagne glass again. It was already her third.
“Angela…”
At that moment, a low, shadowed voice reached her ears. Angela turned her gaze and found Ian standing right in front of her.
“Oh.”
Only then did she recall that Ian had called out to her earlier. She looked at him with an apologetic expression.
“I was distracted. It’s been a while, Ian.”
“Yeah, you do seem distracted. Forgetting even a reunion hug.”
Ian spread his arms toward Angela. She opened hers in return, welcoming him. They patted each other’s backs. For Ian, it was a tantalizingly brief touch that set his heart ablaze. If there hadn’t been so many eyes around, he might have held her a little longer. But he couldn’t, and they parted.
Then, out of nowhere, someone barreled into Ian’s embrace. A solid frame, tall stature, handsome face—it was Kalian. With arms wide open, Kalian hugged Ian with crushing force.
What the— Ian’s brow furrowed at the unpleasant grip, his body twisting slightly side to side.
“I’m just so thrilled to see you, Your Highness.”
But Kalian hugged him even tighter than he had hugged Angela, shifting left and right, holding on stubbornly before finally letting go after what felt like an eternity.
It was only after Kalian fully released him that Ian realized Kalian had mirrored exactly what he himself used to do.
He had stolen the hug with Angela, just as Ian had once stolen a kiss from her.
Ha. Ian let out a hollow laugh.
It was always this guy, Kalian Florence, standing by Angela’s side, who noticed the tender feelings she herself didn’t even perceive.
* * *
“Something put you in a good mood?”
Angela asked, noticing the corners of Kalian’s mouth twitching upward.
Just a few days ago, he had torn Ian’s banquet invitation to shreds, yet here he was at the event, chuckling to himself.
His reactions were impossible to predict.
“Yes, a little.”
Angela raised an eyebrow as if to ask what it was, but Kalian only gave a sly smile. When had his mood gotten so bright? Angela’s heart was still pounding from the fact that Mary had witnessed their kiss.
Then a scene suddenly came to mind.
“Was hugging Ian that enjoyable?”
Of course, many people considered it an honor just to exchange greetings with someone from the royal family. That was probably why Ian, after briefly greeting Angela, was now surrounded by people, his head barely visible among the crowd.
But even so, Angela hadn’t pegged Kalian as the type to care about such things, so it was unexpected.
“Oh, it was immensely enjoyable.”
Kalian looked straight at Angela as he spoke, his eyes crinkling softly. Whether he was serious or joking, or somewhere in between, she couldn’t tell.
Still, it was better than the days when he despised Ian enough to rip up his invitation, so Angela turned her focus back to her champagne.
As she had told Kalian earlier, she was in the process of getting thoroughly drunk to pass out early and avoid facing Mary.
Just then, Kalian’s voice came from beside her.
“At this point, I almost feel sorry for him.”
“Who?”
Angela looked up at the voice that seemed to pierce her ear.
“No one.”
Kalian shook his head, looking at Angela’s puzzled face. Then he plucked the champagne glass from her hand.
There was no need to worry about Ian anymore, so he let that slide. Now it was time to argue that since they had kissed together, how could it be just one person’s responsibility? After all, Angela had closed her eyes too.
* * *
“Really? Really?”
“Yes, yes! He was so cool. He just shot up from his seat!”
“Wow, His Grace is so bold!”
In the maids’ break room, Mary, Jo, and Hilda were gathered, chattering excitedly about Angela and Kalian.
Mary recounted every detail of the scene she had witnessed, not leaving out a single word. Bringing the memory to life with dramatic flair was her specialty.
It was a scene that made her heart tingle and tremble. Just watching it had made her hands go limp. When she described exactly how she felt, Jo and Hilda called her a baby.
“She is a baby.”
“Could that be why they told us never to look for them if they disappeared together?”
Mary asked innocently, her eyes wide and round. Uh… Jo and Hilda trailed off.
It was sort of true, but also not quite. They didn’t know how to explain it, and since Angela had sternly warned them not to talk about it with Mary, all they could manage was:
“Something like that.”
At that, an uncontainable exclamation burst from Mary’s lips.
“Wowwww!”
And then, words that shouldn’t have come out slipped out too.
“Then I’m going to look for them if they disappear! They were just so pretty!”
“No way!”
“No way!”
Jo and Hilda shouted in unison, startling Mary, who looked at them in surprise.
The two were practically pale, insisting that it was absolutely not allowed.
Poor Mary, not understanding why such a picturesque scene shouldn’t be shared, pursed her lips.
But since they were so adamant, shaking their hands like that, she nodded for now.
She decided she’d ask Angela directly when she returned.
