Chapter 13

This is from the perspective of the royal prince this time.

The story is utterly simple and straightforward. I had somewhat hoped that this man, being Yuria's father, would be a bit unusual, but I couldn't help but feel disappointed.

As the face of the prince known as the royal prince, I was recognized as the head of a noble family, and while some tried to read between my words, I was proud that I wasn't so naive as to be read by a pitiful old man in love.

I told the story to the viscount's family, saying that I had deliberately distanced his wife and children to speak with the Grand Duchess. Because she was not of the Shagran royal bloodline, she had been a source of conflict among the nobles, so she was married off to a prince of a neighboring country to symbolize a superficial friendship.

Well, my elder brother was a gentle and good person, so if he had lived, he might have nurtured love, but unfortunately, such days never came.

When the capable first prince ascended the throne, the second prince, who had renounced his right to succession, would assist him.

Moreover, the second prince had a connection, albeit a thin one, to a princess of a neighboring country.

With this, everyone thought the Kurlaum royal family would be secure.

But after they left, I told them a slightly more political and sordid story.

If the second prince, who had become the Grand Duke, had died, the Grand Duchess could have returned to her home country.

But the Shagran royal family did not approve of this.

The truth is, they would have been troubled if she returned, but they had thought of a use for her.

At least her beauty was genuine. They believed she could gather and disseminate information from nobles who had been stripped of their power, acting as a spy.

Of course, those in positions of power wouldn't fall for such tricks, and this level of espionage was a daily occurrence, so neither side intended to make a fuss about it.

With the allowance from her home country and the living expenses provided by the Kurlaum royal family, she could have lived a life of luxury.

But as she aged and her charm as a woman began to fade, the aid gradually decreased.

At least the aid from the Shagran royal family decreased. Unfortunately, the only ones who were still infatuated with her were minor figures!

As her charm faded, so did the money she received, and naturally, she could no longer live a lavish life.

As a result, she could only satisfy her small sense of self-respect by having minor figures pay tribute to her.

It's a sad story. She was beautiful, after all.

Still, I think her life was probably better than that of a commoner. She had a large house with servants, and she wasn't assigned any work.

Well, there are many more sordid stories, but just a little bit of it was enough to cool even a hundred-year love in an instant—though I wonder what a married person is doing sneaking around. Anyway, the viscount promised to write a letter as I suggested.

After all, he has a wife and children, and two children at that.

I couldn't help but say, "It's a sin to start something now," and he bowed his head.

Really, Yuria is hard to talk to, but he was too much of a romantic.

This old man dreams too much about women.

That's why he was easily deceived by a cunning woman, disappointed by his wife, and even described his own daughter as "scary."

Women are living beings too. They get angry, they deceive, they cry, and they laugh. They are more intense and sometimes more troublesome than men.

Ah, it was a job completely out of character for me.

As I watched the man, who had promised to write the letter, wander off and lock himself in what seemed to be a study, a woman appeared and knocked on the door of the study.

Ah, don't push him any further.

I thought, but I had no right to stop her. We weren't family.

Then, without hesitation, she came to the balcony.

She was wearing a thin dress and a cardigan, with no glasses and her hair down, looking completely unguarded.

Hey, if someone sees this scene, it would generally be interpreted as a "nighttime rendezvous"!

She's completely unguarded!

But this maid, who has stated that she has no interest in such matters at her age, doesn't even look at me.

I almost laughed remembering her drunken words about wanting to be a capable maid, but I refrained from teasing her, thinking that it's better to look people in the eye when talking to them.

Who would believe that this girl has any sense of modesty about making eye contact with a man?

Aldar Saul might believe it.

He seems to have a taste for all kinds of things and appears to be developing a liking for Yuria.

So how would he react if he saw this scene?

Just imagining it made it interesting.

If I tell this story, Primera might be happy.

She worries about Yuria being a late bloomer but also worries about her getting married.

Then why not marry her to Dean Dain's brother and become family so they can stay close?

But this girl thinks she's uglier than I do.

Whether it's her single eyelids or her height, I think it doesn't matter once the lights are off and the clothes are off (of course, I know I'd get beaten up if I said that, so I won't. Absolutely not!!)

But women do care about these things.

Well, men care too, so maybe that's the standard for beauty? There must be some standard.

So, as a small act of kindness, I "treated her like a woman," and this innocent girl turned red in no time.

I thought about teasing her a bit more, but it would make Primera angry, and my abs couldn't take it anymore, so I fled to the guest room prepared for me.

And there, without anyone to interrupt, I laughed heartily.