C28 Part1

Translated by XyeHeart Edited by XyeHeart

Klaus was already gone when Meriel awoke late. He still had a lot of work to do, so he appeared to have left early for his morning office work.

She felt strange when she awoke in his bed, surrounded by his scent. It was a completely different layout than her own bedroom.

Her sluggish body gave her an uneasy sense of alienation. She recalled falling asleep last night without having washed.

Meriel awoke from her bed after stretching all the way. She entered her room through the side door after re-putting on the gown she had taken off. She smiled as she approached Hills.

“Would you please prepare my bath?”

She refreshed her bath and changed into her comfortable clothes with Hills’ assistance.

Meriel went to the garden after she had a quick meal. She considered going out, but she didn’t want to leave the palace right now because of the fear she felt a few days ago.

The weather was nice. It was nearly noon, and the sun was warm. Flowers blooming profusely created a different atmosphere than the garden where snow had piled up during the winter.

‘It’s a well-kept garden.’

There was a fountain, as well as a flower path with arches in the shape of a maze. Once again, she felt that this place did not live up to its reputation as the monster grand duke’s.

Klaus, whom Meriel knew, was a person who genuinely cared about the people in his community. It was clear that all of the vassals working in the Grand Duke palace admired and adored him.

‘Isn’t it because the capital city envies him that they treat him like a monster?’

She assumed it was common jealousy.

“Were you out for a walk?”

Meriel, who was sitting on her bench and wasting her time, turned her head.

Kiyan approached her with an awkward expression on his face.

‘Is it Kiyan this time?’

Meriel recalled her awkward separation from Kiyan before she was kidnapped.

Meriel is tuned in to his erratic role-playing.

“I was meditating,” she stated.

“Princess, what happened before this……”

“I got along well with Klaus. It was also my misunderstanding.”

“Is that so?”

“Precisely as you said, Kiyan.”

He exhaled a sigh of relief and carefully draped his hips over the edge of the bench. He was so cautious that she couldn’t see the man she slept with the night before.

‘Is it because it was Klaus?’ She pondered.

He pretended to be someone else and had such a consistent attitude that she felt it was appropriate for him to act, but they never spent the night together in the form of Kiyan.

Of course, that was impossible.

“The grand duke adores the princess a lot.”

“Well, I guess I know a little bit about that now.”

“You need to know a lot, not just a little.”

“At times, you appear to be a spokesperson for Klaus.”

“I just respect him, and everyone in this palace respects him.”

Meriel quietly nodded her head. He looks so cute when he appears embarrassed to admit that he respects himself.

Even if she doesn’t feel his emotions, the expression on his face gave her a different kind of pleasure.

“Is your body okay?” he asked abruptly.

“My body? Why?”

“Oh, that…”

He slyly avoided her gaze as he coughed as if he had forgotten for a moment that his form was that of Kiyan. He made her work too hard last night. He seemed to want to know if she was okay.

Meriel raised the corners of her lips at him.

“Did he tell you about last night?”

“Are you insane?!”

“No, I… I was wondering if you knew what happened last night, so I asked.”

“Why are you talking to me like that?”

“Hey, we’re friends.”

Meriel giggled and chuckled.

Kiyan’s ears turned red. He seemed to like the phrase “her friend” a lot.

“Don’t say that to anyone but me.”

“I don’t even have a friend to do it.”

“Don’t you have any friends?”

“Is there anyone who is friends with a fool?”

“Aren’t you no longer a fool?”

“Well, yes.”

She had no intention of making friends.

For Meriel, her friend has always been the subject of emotional acting. She did exactly that when she recalled her life as Doyeon. She is now, Meriel, she didn’t have any friends, but she did have Doyeon.

She had no special ability to feel emotions or anything else when she lived as Doyeon, but she had a masterful brain that never forgets what she saw once. Everything her friend did and said to her was fresh in her mind. It would have been nice if she had only fun things to do, but Doyeon’s life was not so easy.

She now has the ability to feel other people’s emotions and a masterful mind. Meriel didn’t need to be friends with anyone.

“Do you want a friend?”

“No, not really.”

Kiyan’s expression was solemn as she gently shook her head. Meriel smiled awkwardly as she felt a deep sense of agony from him.

“I really don’t need any friends.”

Although It was the truth.

Kiyan’s hardened face couldn’t be soothed despite her sincere words. Rather, a sense of compassion began to emerge from him.

“It’s true. Why do you look at me so pitifully?”

“It’s lonely, but you don’t have to keep it to yourself just because you don’t want a friend.”

“No, really!”

He eventually sighed deeply. Frustrated, Meriel strode to the edge of the bench where he was sitting.

“It’s true!”

“All right.”

“I like it the way it is!”

“Alright, fine.”

“And I, I have a friend!”

“You don’t have to lie.”

“No, you are my friend! Aren’t we?”

Kiyan looked at her with even more pitiful eyes. Then he averted his gaze.

In his mind, she appeared to be labeled as a pitiful woman with no friends.

Meriel was irritated when she saw him not believe her words.

She remembered that, despite Klaus’s insistence that the hut was the home of free people, she insisted it was the home of the homeless.

‘This is how it feels.’

Meriel vowed never to make another argument like that again.

“I’m thinking about talking to Klaus next time and meeting Eirin.”

“Do you have a reason for meeting her?”

“I wanted to get to know her because she’s his childhood friend.”

“Are there still misunderstandings?”

“No, I really want to get to know her. As you mentioned, I am a pitiful woman with no friends, so it would be nice if I could be friends with Eirin, right?”

“I didn’t say you’re a pitiful woman.”

“Your eyes told me.”

Meriel smiled as she looked at Kiyan, shaking her head with a no-nonsense expression.

X♥X

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