Chapter 75

“We’re not family right now!”

Terni whined.

“What does that matter? We’re going to be family anyway.”

“No! Artie’s family is me!”

“But I’m the one who feeds and houses Artie, aren’t I?”

“That can’t be!”

Terni trembled as if he had received a shock.

I couldn’t understand at all what he had found so shocking, but since it was Terni, I simply let it go.

“Your Highness, um…….”

Feeling burdened by being held in Adrian’s arms, I carefully slipped out.

Adrian’s expression hardened at once. As expected, he must have been displeased by being in contact with me.

Watching for his reaction, I subtly withdrew my hand from Adrian’s grip as well. Adrian’s expression hardened even further.

Just as Adrian was about to open his mouth to say something—

“What’s this? I wondered what the commotion was—when did oppa get here?”

Marie and Diano approached where we were.

“Artie~!”

“Marie.”

When Marie came over and hugged me, I let her hold me and patted her back.

I inadvertently glanced behind me and was a little startled to see Adrian’s cold face watching us.

What was it this time?

* * *

Adrian was thoroughly displeased.

Artie had slipped out of his arms, and then subtly pulled her hand away—those uncharacteristic behaviors grated on his nerves maddeningly.

‘Did something happen?’

Artie and Marie were talking, but their words did not reach his ears.

Only the unfamiliar behavior Artie had shown him kept surfacing in his mind.

“Your Highness, were you looking for me?”

Diano came over and spoke to him, but Adrian merely glanced at him and gave no particular answer.

Terni grabbed Diano and lowered his voice.

“Adrian is furious because you ran off this morning.”

“Gasp.”

“Don’t worry. You have me.”

“As expected, I only have you, Terni.”

Leaving the two fools spouting nonsense alone, Adrian’s gaze continued to follow Artie.

Then Terni grabbed Adrian.

“Adrian, I have something to report. Let’s go back to the office!”

Adrian did not want to go back right now.

But at Terni’s next words, he had no choice but to turn away.

“I think I found the source of the Chancellor’s slush fund!”

His gaze was still fixed on Artie, who was talking with Marie, but Adrian moved his feet, which refused to leave easily.

* * *

“Adrian came by?”

Because Essen had lamented that he had inadvertently neglected his duties by wandering off, Artie had no choice but to tell him what had just happened.

“I’m glad Marie didn’t kill Lord Diano.”

Artie’s attention was elsewhere, but Essen’s was more focused on the fact that Adrian had come by.

In all his life, Essen had never seen Adrian care for someone to this extent.

That fellow was a strange one who hated all humans, men and women alike.

“Marie suggested we hold an Asa-mo meeting next week—what do you think?!”

“Sure, sounds good.”

Accepting the offer without objection, Essen fell into thought for a moment.

Artie also seemed to like Adrian, but…….

‘Should I just ask?’

For Essen, who had no talent for probing or beating around the bush, this was truly an awkward situation.

“Lord Essen?”

“Huh? Ah. Did you say something?”

Artie’s face drew close. Essen’s face flushed.

“You look like you’re not feeling well. Are you all right?”

“……I’m fine.”

Essen, having barely answered, let out a sigh.

“You, be a little self-aware.”

“What?”

“No, forget it.”

Looking at Artie’s innocent face as if she knew nothing, it seemed he was the only one rotting inside.

“Um, Artie.”

“Yes?”

“May I ask you one thing?”

As expected, Essen had no talent for roundabout speech.

At the sudden question, Artie tilted her head, then smiled.

“Yes. Go ahead.”

Essen’s voice stiffened with tension.

“Do you like Adrian?”

Artie blinked.

Seeing her cheeks flush rapidly, Essen suddenly did not want to know why his own mood was plummeting.

“What? Ah, no. Ah, no, that is—when you say like……. That’s, well……. Like…….”

Unable to even speak properly, Artie’s face burned red.

It was the first time Essen had seen a person’s face turn that red.

“I—I mean, it’s not a deep feeling or anything, just a favorable impression. A human sort of favorable impression! It’s a feeling that arose because he’s been treating me well lately! You must never misunderstand. Understood?!”

He couldn’t tell why Artie was denying it so desperately, but because of it, Essen’s mood improved slightly.

Was she acting this way because she cared about him? In any case, he was relieved that he still seemed to have a chance.

“Yes, thank you for being honest.”

“So, I mean…….”

Artie clutched her cheeks.

“P-please don’t ask me things like that so suddenly.”

Essen was momentarily overcome by the urge to pull the flustered Artie into his arms.

But soon he could not understand himself at all.

Why am I like this?

* * *

Having heard Terni’s report, he was handling important business, but the image of Artie from earlier would not leave Adrian’s mind.

‘Was it my imagination that she seemed to want to keep her distance?’

She had been strangely cold compared to other times.

Thinking back, he recalled that Artie had not met his eyes even once.

“Damn it.”

In the end, Adrian rose before finishing his work.

“Adrian!”

“Your Highness!”

Terni and Diano called out, but he paid them no mind and walked straight toward Lily Palace.

He felt that if he saw Artie again, this strange discomfort would disappear.

“Where is she?”

Even Madam Lucy, who was usually easy to find, was nowhere to be seen. He searched the interior of the palace, but saw nothing resembling Artie.

There were two places left: the garden and the rear garden. Surely she hadn’t gone to the rear garden again?

She might have gone to the garden, but recalling the place where he had found Artie in the morning, he walked on without a destination.

“Lord Essen, really!”

At Artie’s voice from not far away, Adrian’s steps halted.

A clear laugh rang out. Artie was laughing.

The moment he saw Artie smiling toward Essen, Adrian’s blood ran cold.

Barely suppressing the urge to run over and snap at her not to smile at anyone but him, Adrian swept his hair back and let out a deep sigh.

He felt like he was slowly going mad.

“Calm down.”

At this rate, he would only be treated like a madman.

As he took a deep breath and tried to calm his anger, Adrian suddenly noticed that Artie’s gaze toward Essen was different from usual.

The two looked unusually close.

On top of that, Essen was even smiling, which was rare. Adrian’s eyes narrowed.

‘Surely that bastard……?’

* * *

I suddenly raised my head and looked at the calendar.

“Come to think of it…….”

Since going out with Terni last time, it had been quite a while since I had seen Uncle Helmer.

Since I had no family, Uncle Helmer was no different from a father to me.

I would have to live like this for the next three years, which meant I wouldn’t be able to see Uncle Helmer often either, would I?

“Lord Essen.”

The moment I called Essen and turned my head, our eyes met. He seemed to have been looking at me just then.

But strangely, Essen’s face was bright red.

“Are you hot?”

“No, that’s not it……. Why, why?”

Why was he suddenly so flustered?

There must be some reason. I was curious, but decided not to ask.

“I’d like to stop by the Rantree district for a moment—would that be difficult?”

“A moment should be fine. But why there? If there’s something you need to get, tell me. I’ll get it for you.”

I hurriedly shook my head.

“There’s someone I need to see. He’s probably been waiting for me all this time.”

Thinking of Uncle Helmer, who was surely drinking away and ruining his health, my chest tightened.

As expected, would it be impossible without Adrian’s permission? He didn’t seem likely to grant an outing readily.

Half resigned, I looked up at Essen.

“Lord Essen. Would going out be difficult?”

“Let’s go out.”

“What?”

I had not even begun to properly persuade him, and he immediately said let’s go out, which was quite baffling.

I had assumed he would naturally say it was difficult, but his answer was too fast.

Following Essen, who had risen and headed for the door, I cautiously asked.

“Do we not need to tell His Highness the Crown Prince?”

“Ah, that? It’s fine.”

“Is it?”

I suppose that much was fine? Just as I was about to feel relieved—

“Because we can sneak out of the imperial city.”

“…….”

So it was sneaking out…….

Since I was only going to see Uncle Helmer briefly anyway, I supposed there wouldn’t be a big problem, but sneaking out without permission still bothered me.

Especially after what happened with Marie the other day.

As my expression darkened, Essen gently patted my shoulder.

“Don’t worry, Artie. Adrian can’t get angry with you anyway.”

“No. Lord Essen, you don’t know anything!”

When Adrian got angry, how frightening was it! It had been rare lately, but still, the Crown Prince was the Crown Prince.

Hadn’t Terni been thoroughly beaten just the other day?

“That Terni brat is always doing things that get him hit. You’ll be fine, I tell you. That Adrian fellow would probably smile even if you slapped him.”

What kind of person was the Crown Prince in Essen’s mind?

I quietly looked up at Essen. Today, too, Essen’s beauty was shining.

Ah! I came to a fresh realization.

Apparently, Crown Prince Adrian would smile even if his beloved Essen slapped him.

……I had learned a fact I didn’t want to know.