Chapter 10

Martina suddenly lost consciousness and collapsed.

Since Nicholas was some distance away, he could not catch her.

He hurriedly summoned the court physician to check on her condition. Fortunately, it seemed she had not hit her head.

He then appointed the court physician as Martina's regular doctor, arranged for him to make house calls to her mansion, and had him report the diagnosis results daily.

For three days, Martina did not regain consciousness, and instead of visiting her, Nicholas was engrossed in reading medical books from the library and the book hall.

At the time, he thought it was the best course of action. Reflecting later, he realized he had been calm but lacked composure, and was unable to make rational judgments.

After receiving the news that she had regained consciousness and the diagnosis that there was no apparent abnormality, Nicholas felt relieved but also puzzled as to why she had not woken up for three days.

He needed to carefully monitor Martina's recovery.

Through Conrad, Nicholas sternly ordered Martina's maid, whom he had long used as a pawn, to submit a report detailing her daily activities.

When he read the report that she had finally returned to her daily routine after a few days of bed rest, Nicholas thought she would naturally come to him.

With various matters piling up, he had not even sent a get-well gift, so he expected her to be furious. Therefore, he hoped she would come to see him as soon as possible.

On the first day after her bed rest, waiting for her usual visiting time, Nicholas was casually finishing some paperwork in his office, but Martina did not storm in as expected.

On the second day, he continued with his official duties, checking the clock multiple times, but she did not come.

On the third day, the words on the documents slid past his eyes, and he could not focus on his work, waiting at his desk, but she did not come.

He had received reports from the maid, so he knew Martina's condition was stable.

Yet, she did not come to see him.

Since the first prince was appointed as the crown prince, Martina had been visiting Nicholas every three days.

Given the rumors of their engagement being broken off, Nicholas thought she might have given up and was using forceful methods without considering his schedule, but she suddenly stopped coming.

Moreover, according to the maid's report, she had become so friendly with the gardener and his apprentice that she was asking for flower seedlings and receiving roses directly from them.

An indescribable feeling welled up inside him.

Martina had almost never been close to any man other than Nicholas.

He had no idea what kind of change had occurred in her.

It seemed that the news of Martina not visiting the castle had quickly reached his brother Albert, who came to inquire about her condition. Nicholas explained that her body had fully recovered.

"Then why isn't she coming? Maybe she's still worried about the rumors of the engagement being broken off. Or perhaps she's finally had enough of you."

Albert's light-hearted remarks were ignored as Nicholas focused on the pressing work.

It was impossible for Martina to change her mind.

However, unable to tolerate the contents of the daily reports, Nicholas decided to summon the gardeners to the palace gardens for maintenance, using Albert's name as the requestor out of spite.

When the gardeners left the marquis's mansion, the apprentice had apparently given Martina flower seeds, which made Nicholas feel unpleasant.

The next report stated that Martina had tried to leave the mansion.

He instructed the maid to keep a close eye on her, but that alone was not enough, so he asked Albert's private soldiers to increase the number of guards on the pretext of a suitable reason.

Then he received a report that Martina had pretended to escape and started playing hide-and-seek with the servants.

"......"

Was she emotionally unstable?

Indeed, she was still recovering from her illness. Nicholas decided to give her some more time to recover.

Without rushing, the annual Founding Day ceremony, hosted by the kingdom, was scheduled for next month.

Martina had attended every year since becoming Nicholas's fiancée, and Nicholas planned to escort her from the marquis's mansion to the ceremony.

Until then, he spent his days feeling unusually long, staring at the reports that left him unsettled.

On the day of the Founding Day ceremony, Nicholas arrived at the marquis's mansion in a carriage and greeted the beautiful lady who walked out, led by her maid.

It had been over a month since they last met.

Her beauty remained unchanged, radiating a unique charm. However, she seemed somewhat melancholic and avoided looking at Nicholas, which he found strange, but he felt relieved to see that her lips were properly painted with deep purple lipstick.

As usual, he did not compliment her elaborate appearance, and surprisingly, Martina did not say anything in response, which had never happened since they met.

Her uncharacteristic behavior made him stare at her rudely in the carriage, but she remained silent.

Before he knew it, the carriage had arrived at the castle.

He escorted her to the ceremony venue and was dispatched to greet influential nobles until the ceremony began, with Martina by his side.

Although Martina no longer cursed at the second prince in public, her opportunistic attitude had earned her the disapproval of many, and she was often treated coldly.

However, Nicholas found such reactions amusing.

Since the crown prince's faction had begun supporting the second prince Nicholas, many nobles had shown more overt changes in their attitudes than Martina.

If asked, Nicholas could name every one of them without hesitation.

He had not voiced his concerns because it suited him for Martina to be isolated from the others.

After the solemn ceremony, a luncheon was held, followed by a ball in the evening, which was attended only by adults.

Nicholas did not dislike dancing.

It was an opportunity to hold Martina, whom he had restrained himself from touching due to his instincts, rationality, and penchant for poison, without any reservations.

The ball began with the crown prince Albert's dance, and couples filled the dance hall one after another.

Usually, Martina would forcefully invite him to dance, but this time, she said she had something to do with her maid and left his side.

When he followed her with his eyes, she did not go to the maid but disappeared into the crowd and went out to the balcony.

As he was approached by nobles and young ladies who took advantage of his solitude to invite him to dance, he was preoccupied with the time.

When he finally looked back at the balcony, he saw a man who seemed rather frivolous talking to Martina.

His heart was suddenly disturbed.

He could not hear what they were saying, and since Martina was not talking much, he had been watching her without much concern.

She smiled at the man.

The glass in his hand shattered, and the pieces fell to the floor.

The sudden violent emotion had made his fingers lose control, breaking the delicate and expensive glass.

Someone immediately noticed the blood and raised a cry. The surroundings became slightly chaotic, and a waiter offered a cloth to cover the wound and tried to guide him to the treatment room.

He saw someone standing at the balcony door, and when he caught sight of Martina with a man behind her, a burning sensation seared through him.

He turned away and followed the waiter's guidance to leave the venue.

The next day, Nicholas was resting in his private room, thinking.

He could not understand the reason for Martina's sudden change.

The most obvious cause was probably her fainting spell at the time.

There was also the matter of not sending her a get-well gift.

But would that be enough to make Martina Orbrant change her mind?

Her attitude was so different from the usual Martina that Nicholas could not find an answer.

He looked at the bandage on his right hand.

The frivolous man who had been talking to Martina. Was he the young son of Baron Balt? Nicholas decided to investigate him later. The incident with the gardener's apprentice and his own jealousy were new to him.

He had felt jealousy before, but it was rare for Martina to be close to other men, so the opportunities for such feelings were few.

In reality, even a brief conversation with another man made his heart uneasy, and a smile from her made him jealous. Because of his lack of experience, he had been unable to control himself.

Reflecting now, it might have been fortunate that Martina did not compare the first prince and the second prince like a proper empress.

If she had done so—

Albert, who was nearby, turned around.

"I just felt a killing intent."

"…Are you feeling unwell?"

"No, it's not a chill; it's a killing intent, and it came from you."

"You should rest."

"No, it's you. It's definitely you."

"Rather than that, what do you need? As you can see, I can't do paperwork with my injured dominant hand."

Albert, looking frustrated, handed him a document and a letter.

"It's about your guardian. It's been decided that it will be Duke Audel. He plans to hold an event to introduce you, which will also be a grand opening. It's supposed to be a huge maze. You are to attend as the guest of honor."

"That sounds troublesome."

"Even if you bring Martina along?"

"I'll go."

"Your quick acceptance is quite refreshing, but do you understand?"

Albert hinted meaningfully, but Nicholas did not respond.

"Duke Audel does not think highly of Martina."

As expected, Nicholas sighed.

Duke Audel was a retired duke of a landless duchy and the younger brother of the previous king.

He was an excellent choice as Nicholas's guardian, but many in the crown prince's faction, including Duke Audel, disapproved of Martina Orbrant and considered her unsuitable as the second prince's fiancée.

"About that… I want the Duchy of Reiselt. The climate is good, the territory is small, and there are no noisy people. I thought I might live there with Martina, away from the secular world."

"Hahaha. Don't be ridiculous. Who would let you retire at your age? Besides, Reiselt has deep roots. It's not a place the crown prince can easily interfere with."

Indeed, it would be difficult to dismantle the black market that had existed for half a century.

If he were to do it, he would need a lot of preparation and groundwork, and it would take at least a few years.

However, the place had a good climate and was also a strategic military location with an old fortress.

It was a place where no one could enter from the outside, and it was not easy to escape from the inside.

Now, Nicholas's mind was filled with the desire for that place.

The progress is slow. It won't exceed the main story, but it might be a bit longer.