In the garden of the Artois Palace where the ball was being held, several people had already come out to get some fresh air to avoid the stuffy air of the venue.
Matteo led Lilian to a bench near a small fountain. It was a high spot with a wide view of the garden.
It was a place where there was no possibility of dirty rumors being exposed to the eyes of others.
“Are you okay, aunt?”
As soon as they arrived at the resting place, Matteo checked Lilian’s condition first. Lilian looked at the boy blankly and then laughed.
“Yes, Your Highness, the Crown Prince. This ‘aunt’ is fine.”
“Kuh.”
At the unexpected words, the prince even started to cough. Lilian smiled with a happy face.
As soon as she heard Matteo call her ‘Aunt’, she remembered how she had told Cedric the day before that she wished she had a nephew.
Oh, I already have a nephew?
Come to think of it, Lilian had never thought of Matteo as her nephew.
It was also because she was older than Matteo and perceived him as a ‘prince’ rather than a nephew, Lily thought casually.
She also contributed to the dry and inconsistent relationship between Damian and Matteo.
In the original story, Lily’s son and Matteo would have formed a close friendship by imitating Damian.
Also, Matteo had rarely called Lilian Aunt.
…or not at all?
Lilian guessed cautiously.
She guessed it’s hard to call her aunt because she’s only four years older.
She wasn’t that old. It was the same on her side, since she didn’t think of him as a nephew. She could understand and her playfulness suddenly increased. So she poked him once and the reaction was great.
Lilian smiled and comforted Matteo, not knowing what a shock her prank had caused the boy, whose strength had been weakened by his unrequited love.
“Relax. I have no intention of asking you to call me aunt.”
It’s possible to communicate without using pronouns. It’s uncomfortable, but there’s no need to force it.
“…that’s right…thank you…”
Matteo barely replied with a face that withered for a moment.
Luckily, Lilian’s mischief, which was also insipid, stopped at that point.
Only then did Matteo find the energy to worry about Lilian’s condition again.
“Then, are you okay now?”
“Thanks to His Highness the Crown Prince for taking care of this aunt…”
“…stop, I get it now. I mean, I know what it means.”
Anyone but an idiot could tell that Lilian didn’t want to talk about her health.
“You seem to have a surprisingly mean side.”
Matteo grumbled. Only then did he look a little boyish.
“What if His Highness couldn’t enjoy the ball because of me?”
“Yes? Enjoy the ball.”
Matteo laughed cynically.
“That feeling turned to ashes the moment His Majesty Claude I embraced me and disappeared.”
“Your Highness the Crown Prince, you just spoke very much like His Highness the Grand Duke.”
Lilian admired, but Matteo’s expression turned grotesque.
“Excuse me, but I made a mistake today…ah!”
Lilian suddenly covered her mouth.
“Where do you feel uncomfortable?”
“It’s okay, I’m just dizzy for a second…”
“Let’s go to a break room.”
Lilian shook her head, could it have been an hour since she entered the room? If she’d gone to the break room without dancing even once, it was like openly advertising that there was a problem with her health.
Matteo asked, not wanting to see Lilian endure the nauseating sensation of dizziness.
“Can I go in and get you a cold drink? There’s lemonade.”
Sweet, sour and cold lemonade. It seemed to help a little. When Lilian nodded, Matteo stood up and looked around again.
This garden, not far from the venue, was like a second ballroom. There were enough people walking around, though not as many as inside.
If there were so many eyes, it would be okay to leave for a while.
“I’ll be back soon. Please bear with me for a while.”
***
Matteo left in a hurry.
Lilian tried to calm her dizziness by breathing slowly.
Fortunately, thanks to the cool night air, her head began to settle.
It was then.
“I see Her Highness.”
Lilian opened her eyes, which had been quietly closed.
“Young Duke Blanchett?”
“I am Ethan Schmidt, Marquis of Malachite.”
Ethan, who had changed his clothes, replied calmly. It was just a simple introduction, but it was enough for Lily to notice that he was avoiding the title ‘Young Duke Blanchett’.
If one had several titles, the highest would be reflected in his title. Ordinary nobles were reluctant to break the rules, even at Ethan’s direct request.
“I see, Marquis Malachite.”
No one corrected the title as meekly as Lily.
A faint smile appeared on Ehtan’s lips. The handsome young man bowed slightly, as if to express his gratitude.
“But as I recall, I believe I already received an apology from the Marquis earlier.”
Why come back to apologize for something he had already done? He might have changed his clothes, but his hair must still have been wet, because there were things that made her feel uncomfortable.
“That’s…”
It was a legitimate question. Ethan hesitated and did not answer. Lilian tilted her head, then spoke in a low voice.
“I want to ask you something, Marquis Malachite, are you…”
“Yes, please ask.”
“…have you been ordered to secede me?”
The person looked bland, so he let his guard down, but was poked relentlessly.
Ethan Schmidth froze. His expression didn’t change much, but his blue-green eyes were shaking mercilessly.
Lilian nodded her head. She thought about it, but it’s really like that.
“I see, that’s what happened.”
“That…”
“Or did I misunderstand?”
Maybe she really misunderstood.
She didn’t think so. She had no intention of pushing this man, so she just gave him a chance to escape.
But Ethan Schmidt seemed to think for a moment and then shook his head.
“No, Your Highness. You are wise. It’s true that I approached Your Highness after receiving just such a disgraceful order. I apologize.”
“Um, did you…”
He was like that before, but now that he apologized so cleanly, she didn’t know what to say.
“Anyway, it’s a shame…”
Lilian found his choice of words a bit fresh. Ethan even gritted his teeth a little at the end.
She’d only thought he’d be soft-spoken and friendly, but it seems he has a more bitter side than she thought.
“I…”
“Do you have anything else to say?”
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to hear how Her Highness noticed it.”
“There’s nothing to notice…”
Lilian pondered for a while and thought, “That should be fine,” then began to explain.
“First, the Marquis came to deliver the Emperor’s edict. Until then, I thought His Majesty was just trying to annoy us…”
The second meeting took place in front of the late Emperor’s tombstone. It wasn’t a place to meet for the purpose of seducing women, so it was private until then.
This was confirmed by the recent incident with Marianne.
“A while ago, Madam Rachel deliberately left Lady Marianne behind. It’s as if she was waiting for friction. And then you showed up, as if you’d been waiting for it.”
“That’s…actually, I-“
“Yeah, I know. You certainly didn’t help to seduce me.”
Ethan blinked. He mumbled in disbelief.
“You believe me?”
“Rather than believe…”
Lilian shrugged with a wry smile.
“With a little observation, anyone will know. The Marquis does not cooperate wholeheartedly with the Emperor.”
Yes. Ethan was a man who sincerely served the late Emperor and Crown Prince.
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