Chapter 16

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‘How many times have you practiced in preparation for meeting him?’

Calmed my surprise, I looked straight into Damian’s eyes.

Those clear-green eyes were like the calm waves before the storm came. He looked at my complexion for a while and opened his lips.

“Your complexion doesn’t look good, maybe you are in pain.”

“No. Thank you for your concern.”

“It’s good then.”

His neat black shiny hair, fluttered in the wind.

Damian asked my name without avoiding my eyes.

“I think, you haven’t introduced yourself, but may I ask what’s your name?”

“I am Aren Sercia of the Sercia family.”

“Alright. I will remember it.”

“By the way, what conversation did you have with my younger brother?”

What was he talking about with Casadine while I was away? I knew he would come to the banquet hall at night, but I didn’t think he would’ve met Casadine.

“The person here is your younger brother…?”

“Yes.”

Damian looked at me and Casadine alternately. His face with slightly narrowed eyes seemed to be telling me.

‘They didn’t look like siblings at all.’

But Damian didn’t get his thoughts out of his mouth. He just blinked his eyes and said,

“I was late for His Highness’s birthday party because of my work, but I didn’t see anyone. The banquet seemed to have been canceled, so I was thinking about going back, but I met him and heard about it.”

“…..”

“I heard that someone poisoned the Crown Prince’s cup. I never thought that there would be something unpleasant on the Crown Prince’s birthday. It’s a shame.”

Damian said in a tone that he was sincerely sorry.

I know what he said wasn’t serious. He is probably enjoying this situation inside.

Damian I know is that kind of person. He was aiming for the throne that doesn’t fit him, because he was the one who wanted the fall of the Imperial family more than anyone else.

“I think so.”

I moderately confronted him and continued the conversation with Damian.

“Grand Duke Damian.”

“… How did you know that I was the Grand Duke?”

“There’s no one who doesn’t know the famous Deers family. Just by looking at the articles in the newspapers, the news of the Grand Duke became the talk of the aristocrats. You won first place in this year’s swordsmanship contest, right?”

Damian laughed at my words.

“I was just lucky.”

Contrary to what he said, he looked very elated. He swipped his hair with his hand, and a proud smile appeared on his face, the pride about his swordsmanship pouring out.

Damian, who was acting like that now, would be badly defeated by Casadine, who was competed in a swordsmanship contest for the first time.

It was clear as yesterday that he was proud of his accomplishments about it, not knowing that it was like a piece of tissue paper.

“Oh, you’re even humble.”

I purposely chatted with him to buy the time. Maybe right now the Imperial knights were running over to this place.

There was no way that Casadine who had invaded the Imperial Palace foolishly left any evidence, and I’m sure, because of what I said to the Emperor, Damian would be suspected of being the main culprit in this case.

“Thank you, My lady.”

Damian replied in a tone that said it wasn’t a big deal, and opened his mouth.

“I have a question for the lady.”

“Please speak.”

Damian fell silent, after saying he had a question. I nodded at him signaling for him to continue.

Those emerald eyes shined extraordinarily, perhaps because of the moonlight.

“Why does my lady still at the Imperial Palace until now?”

“….”

“Because it seems like everyone has returned.”

To interpret it, everyone have already left, but why am I still here until late at night?

He must be thinking strangely about me.

As I smiled, I could see someone running from afar. Seeing the silhouettes of people running towards here, it was clear that it was the Imperial knights.

When I looked behind Damian’s back without answering him, he followed my gaze and turned his head. The knights wearing golden badges, symbol of the Imperial knights, grabbed Damian’s arm at once.

“What are you doing now?! You dare….!”

“Grand Duke Damian.”

Despite hearing Damian’s raging voice, the knights gripped his arms tighter to prevent him from escaping, not letting him go.

“We have to go together.”

“…?”

“It’s the order of His Majesty the Emperor.”.

Damian looked at the knights with a stunned face. Regardless of his reaction, the Imperial knights shut their mouths firmly and took Damian somewhere.

I looked at Damian, who was being dragged away by the knights, with a shocked face, without knowing what really happened.

“Oh my God. What is all this about!?”

When I said that, I put my hand on my mouth. Even now, I’m holding back the laughter that almost escaped my mouth.

How funny was Damian’s face when being dragged away without knowing what happened?

“What happened to all this….”

Casadine also watched Damian being dragged away with a rare, surprised face.

I watched Damian until he was out of sight, then said, tapping the back of Casadine who was standing beside me.

“I know you have so many things to tell me, Casadine.”

“… Yes.”

“It’s too late, but let’s go back to the mansion.”

Now it was my turn to tame my younger brother who doesn’t listen well.

*****

Inside the carriage returning to the Count’s mansion, perhaps because it was so dark tonight, unlike daytime, people couldn’t even be seen outside the window.

The carriage was quiet as a dead rat. All I could hear was the sound of the carriage wheels rattling and a grass bugs. It was a complete silence.

While at the Crown Prince’s birthday banquet, Casadine, who didn’t fear, at this time, he didn’t open his mouth, as if he had a key in his mouth.

I looked at the scenery outside the window without a single person there and then looked at Casadine. He lowered his head without saying anything.

“Why did you do that?”

In the end, I opened my mouth first.

His gaze shifted to my face for a moment and then looked down again.

“….”

“You are not telling me anything.”

As he dropped his head, after hearing my words, he slowly raised his gaze.

His cold purple eyes turned to me.

If you could kill someone with just the gaze of your eyes, it would be that kind of eye.

But for some reason, I wasn’t afraid of Casadine. It felt like he was such a pathetic child.

“I’m not trying to blame you, Casadine.”

When I spoke in a soft tone, Casadine’s, who was staring at me, turned pale.

He blinked his eyes, as if judging whether the words he heard were true or not.

It was his emotional reaction that was visible.

His dark purple eyes shook dangerously, as if they wanted to frighten anyone who saw him.

The mask that Casadine had been wearing is now obsolete. It was all cracked, peeled off and faded.

“Casadine.”

I grabbed my poor younger brother’s shoulder with my hand. Tonight, what Casadine desired wasn’t achieved because of my interference.

“If you really want something because of the past, whether you are the Crown Prince of the Hailan Kingdom or a slave…”

“…”

“First of all, protect your life.”

This time I managed to cover up what Casadine had done, but I don’t know what will happen in the future.

If it turns out that what Casadine has done is revealed, not only Casadine’s life, but also our entire family will be destroyed.

If he put enough poison to kill the Crown Prince the moment he take it, if i don’t heal the Crown Prince…

Just imagining it is terrible.

I slowly took my hand away that was holding Casadine’s shoulder and touched his cheek. I gently wrapped Casadine’s cheeks with my hand.

Casadine’s eyes shook as if surprised by my actions. After a while, his closed lips slowly opened.

“You knew everything.”

“….”

“Since when did you know?”

Casadine asked me in the midst of this situation. His burning eyes calmly wandered, then he gripped my wrist with only one hand.

With a force, he held my wrist and knocked me on the chair. With a loud sound, my view was reversed.

A shadow enveloped me before I even understood the situation. I turned my gaze to the shadow that was staring at me from above.

Casadine’s purple eyes, beneath his furrowed brows, shone brightly. He looked at me with a face full of hatred, and he seemed to hate me more than he could tolerate. Holding my wrist, he whispered silently in my ear.

“If I kill you here, no one will know who I am.”

“…”

“Do you have any last words to say with those delicate lips?”

It was Cassadine who threatened me as if he would crush my wrist at any moment.

My face reflected in his dark purple eyes. There, I didn’t make any facial expressions. I just stared at him with a grim face.

“Tell me how did you find out.”

A voice that seemed to urge me to answer, sounded sad like a branch swaying in the winter breeze.

Casadine’s voice trembled whenever he pushed me as if he would kill me right now.

This sight was so sad that tears almost flowed down.

I was really sorry for Casadine.

Casadine, who had fallen from his status as a Crown Prince and became a slave. He couldn’t live without lying.

I don’t know, maybe it’s a cheap sympathy.

“Poor Casadine.”

Hearing my words, Casadine opened his eyes wide as if he couldn’t believe what he just heard. I laughed at him and said.

“I thought you were telling lies only to me, but that wasn’t it.”

“…”

“You are also lying to yourself.”

Casadine’s face distorted and became gloomy.

“You know what’s going on right now, and you talk nonsense like that.”

“You are stupid, Casadine.”

I grinned at him.

“Because you don’t know who I really am and you are trying to hurt the wrong person. “

“….”

“I felt suffocated when I saw it.”

The day that the Hailan Kingdom was destroyed was around eight years ago.

The man who led the war, was obviously Hale Keane Deers.

He was the Emperor’s younger brother and Damian’s father.

It’s said that the kingdom of Hailan was destroyed because of prophecy as the cause.

It was a new fact that I discovered when I saw the related information about Damian.

Damian in my previous life never told me this story. So that’s all I know.

“Are you trying to deceive me with those nonsense?”

“Everything you say is a lie and you know that.”

I feel ridiculous and laughed.

“I felt really happy every time I was with you, but you think even what I’m saying is a lie.”

“… Do you regret having me?”

When he asked that, Casadine seemed to want me to regret what I did.

But this time, I had no intention of giving him the answer he wanted.

“I never regretted having you for a single moment.”

“…”

“No matter what other people say, you are my precious family.”

Casadine held his breath. At the same time, the grip from his hand that was holding my wrist disappeared. I embraced him with my free hands.

“It’s okay.”

I whispered softly, patting his back like a warm spring embraced a fragile dandelion sprout.

Casadine’s heartbeat was heard. His heart was beating like crazy from feeling the anxiety.

“It’s okay, Casadine.”

I said it again to erase his anxiety.

Even when I heard it, my affectionate voice was unfamiliar.

The voice that seemed to embrace everything was just like the voice of a saint.

It was myself who really wanted to use Casadine, but this was really funny.

Casadine who just stayed still in my arms, with his face buried under my neck.

It was a lonely and sad night.

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