Ep.19: Please Do Not Joke About Such Matters

‘Did they find out that Cassadin was the culprit?’

But contrary to my concerns, Sasha seemed very excited.

“He personally visited our mansion because he wanted to see you, Miss! He’s in the parlor right now.”

“…Did he say anything else?”

“Hm? Anything else…”

Sasha cocked her head and blinked her large brown eyes. Thankfully, it seemed like Cassadin hadn’t been revealed as the culprit yet.

If that’s not the reason, then why did he come to see me? I was hoping never to meet him again after treating him. Why was there any reason for him to visit me? He must have had an awful amount of free time as a Crown Prince.

Sasha, who wouldn’t know I harbored ill feelings toward the Crown Prince, dragged me to the mirror at the dressing table.

Looking up at the mirror in front of me, Sasha was already busy getting me ready as she hummed. Her elated mood showed no sign of going down any time soon.

“Do you think His Highness fell in love with Miss at first sight? Seeing how he came to visit Miss even after the concerning events of yesterday, it’s not just me that would think so.”

“Sasha, do you really think that’s possible?”

He probably just came because my healing abilities piqued his curiosity. The Crown Prince was more than capable of doing so.

I suddenly felt quite impressed by the Cassadin who assisted that man in my past life. Just how patient did he have to be to put up with such a nutcase for all those years, even if it was for revenge.

“That reminds me, did you look into what I asked you to investigate yesterday?”

Sasha answered as she brushed my hair.

“About Grand Duke Damian? The entire empire is in chaos over that matter right now. Rumor has it that the one who tried to poison the Crown Prince was the Grand Duke. Why would a man like the Grand Duke want to do such a thing?”

“…”

“I heard he’s currently imprisoned in the imperial dungeon, but he might soon be released due to a lack of concrete evidence.”

“Lack of concrete evidence, you say…”

It was true that the plant used for the poison only grew in the north, and Damian being late to the birthday banquet wasn’t enough proof to accuse him of being the culprit.

But it was most likely because of his exceptional swordsmanship that he was imprisoned. How common was it that someone was skilled enough to infiltrate the palace and plan to poison the imperial family?

He was a monster that routinely won the annual swordsmanship tournament. And only a select few knew he was suffering from heart disease. He would have definitely fooled the Emperor as well.

Then how exactly did he hide a heart disease that not even doctors could cure so perfectly?

‘Could I find any hints if I go to the prison and visit Damian?’

If he’s the Damian I know, then he’ll be released from prison soon. I was the one who framed Damian for Cassadin’s deeds, but even if Damian were the actual culprit who poisoned the Crown Prince, then the man would have found a way to escape from prison.

To him, other people were just tools he could use and discard when they were no longer needed. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to produce a dramatic encounter while he was in prison.

Once he got out of prison, Damian was certainly going to investigate who caused this. And when he finds out that Cassadin was the culprit, he may try to use that to persuade Cassadin to side with him.

The Damian I knew was that kind of man. So before that happened, I needed to shake up that damned Damian first.

“What kind of outfit do you want, Miss?”

“Hm…”

Having made up my mind, I gave Sasha a bright smile. Maybe it was a good thing that the Crown Prince came here.

“As flamboyant as possible.”

As soon as I was finished dressing up, I stepped out of my room to head to the parlor, where the Crown Prince was waiting.

“Sister.”

As soon as I stepped out of the room, a familiar voice greeted me.

I slowly turned in the direction of the voice. Cassadin was standing there, leaning against the wall next to the door. The memories of him tempting me last night in my room were still vivid in my mind.

“Where are you going in such a hurry?”

“There’s a guest waiting in the parlor.”

I didn’t bother to mention that it was the Crown Prince. I didn’t want the Crown Prince to meet with the one who fed him the poison.

“Can I come with you?”

“That’s going to be a bit difficult.”

“And why is that?”

Cassadin’s gaze sank to my wine-colored dress.

“…It must be quite an important guest.”

There was sarcasm in his voice. After failing in his attempts to seduce me last night, the beast no longer hid his true colors from me. I was very pleased with that face.

“Yeah.”

My cheerful response caused Cassadin’s eyes to narrow. It seemed like that wasn’t the answer he wanted to hear.

“I’ll be going now, then.”

I turned away from Cassadin and tried to head to the parlor. But Cassadin walked ahead and blocked my path. When I looked up at Cassadin with a puzzled expression, he opened his mouth.

“I’ll behave, so I would like you to take me with you.”

“Why?”

Considering that he was the one who asked me to take him, Cassadin was unable to answer my question.

“I can’t. Not today, Cassadin.”

“…”

“I’m sorry.”

“Is it someone that’s troublesome for me to meet?”

Cassadin asked, trying to read my expression.

“It’s a very troublesome person indeed.”

“…”

“I really need to go now. I’ve already used too much time.”

I patted Cassadin’s shoulder. And surprisingly, Cassadin compliantly made way for me.

“See you later, then. I’ll be back soon.”

Cassadin nodded his head. When I glanced back at Cassadin as I headed to the parlor, I saw him have a meaningful smile.

The first thing that came into sight when I entered the parlor was a man with golden hair sitting on the red velvet couch, drinking tea. It was Crown Prince Leon.

“You’re here.”

As soon as he saw me, he put down the tea on the table and smiled brightly.

“I almost died of boredom while waiting for you.”

His words were outrageously cheeky, considering that he had been on death’s door just the day before. Then I slightly raised the hem of my dress and bowed.

“I apologize for being late, Your Imperial Highness.”

“There’s no need to be so formal. It isn’t our first time meeting.”

It wasn’t our first meeting, but wasn’t that almost the case? Why was he being so friendly to me?

Wait, no. It was I who decided to use the Crown Prince to meet Damian. I can’t lose my composure.

I sat down on the couch across from the Crown Prince. Why was it that dealing with the Crown Prince was more difficult than dealing with Cassadin? It was likely because the Crown Prince was so unpredictable.

“You must be curious why I’ve visited you this early in the day.”

“…”

“I’ll get straight to the point.”

The Crown Prince paused, then tapped the table with his hand.

“M’lady, what do you think about becoming the Crown Princess?”

What on earth was this man saying?

When my eyes widened, caught off guard by his unexpected proposal, the Crown Prince’s mouth twisted up in satisfaction.

“…Your Highness, please do not joke about such matters.”

“Joke? Do you think I walked all the way here just to make a joke?”

The Crown Prince cocked his head as he continued.

“Just to let you know, the Emperor has also agreed.”

“…His Majesty did?”

“Yes. There’s been a rumor going around that your family has amassed wealth through the mines, correct? Well, the Emperor was very pleased with you for saving my life.”

“…”

“Since the healer family that should have been receiving the protection of the imperial house was unable to receive anything due to the unwritten law with the imperial family, it seems like the Emperor had always been concerned about that matter.”

The Crown Prince was not joking. I wish he had been joking. But he was only telling the truth. That fact put me in an even more troubled situation.

This didn’t happen in my previous life. I had no interaction with the Crown Prince in the first place, let alone heal him. This had all happened because I healed the poisoned Crown Prince.

“What in the… Your Highness, this is all so sudden that I’m having trouble understanding it. I am quite satisfied with my current situation.”

That was what I barely managed to muster out. But the Crown Prince just tilted his head in response.

“Are you saying that you’re throwing away the chance to become one of the most prestigious people in the empire?”

“I am completely content with my current life. I’m greatly honored by the suggestion, but it’s not something that I can accept.”

The Crown Prince chuckled at my answer.

“This goes completely outside of my predictions. It has also been the case since I first met you, but you’re quite an interesting person, M’lady.”

Just when I was staring at the Crown Prince like he was some sort of madman, someone burst open the parlor door without permission.

When I turned to look at the door to see who was the rude person to open the door without knocking, I saw Cassadin standing there with a plate of cookies in his hand.

“I apologize for the interruption.”

Cassadin said that with a completely unapologetic expression. Just looking at his face, it looked like he was just about to throw the plate of cookies in his hand at the Crown Prince’s face.

“I brought some cookies, thinking you might be hungry.”

Clatter.

Cassadin carelessly placed the plate of freshly baked cookies on the table. His gesture was devoid of even a trace of sincerity.

‘These are cookies that Sasha baked. Why did Cassadin bring these instead of Sasha?’

When I glanced at Cassadin with a puzzled look, I found him staring at the Crown Prince with a calm expression.

“I see. You may leave now.”

“…”

Despite the Crown Prince’s dismissal, Cassadin did not leave. The Crown Prince, who had been looking at me all this time, looked at Cassadin as if he finally sensed that something was strange.

“I said leave.”

Cassadin did not leave. He just stood there like a statue. He sure was one troublesome brother, alright.

In the end, I opened my mouth.

“This is my younger brother, Cassadin. Please forgive his rudeness.”

“…!”

The Crown Prince’s eyebrows shot up at my words.

“The Emperor didn’t inform me about this.”

The Crown Prince alternated glances at me and Cassadin.

“You two don’t resemble each other at all. One has platinum hair, the other has silver. Even the colors of your eyes are completely different.”

“…”

“I presume you aren’t related by blood then.”

Why was he so interested in someone else’s personal life?

“Even if we are not blood-related, he is my one and only younger brother.”

“He’s a bit too handsome to be called your younger brother, don’t you think? From his features to his aura. It’s no wonder you have high standards with a younger brother like this.”

“My younger brother is indeed quite handsome.”

He must have found my answer funny because the Crown Prince began laughing, and his shoulders shook from the intensity. Does this man not have even a bit of restraint? After a while, the Crown Prince cleared his throat, seemingly embarrassed for laughing so heartily, then continued.

“We were in the middle of an important discussion, so I’d appreciate it if your handsome younger brother could leave us.”

“Is it a conversation I shouldn’t hear?”

The Crown Prince sipped his tea, then answered him.

“Well, if you insist, I’ll tell you.”

The Crown Prince picked up a cookie and casually bit into it. His attitude towards eating something was so nonchalant that it was almost unbelievable that he was a man who had been poisoned just the day before.

“Your sister is to become the Crown Princess in the near future.”

“…”

“That was the topic of our conversation.”

“Your Highness!”

I called out to the Crown Prince in shock. Why was he coming out like that even after I declined his offer?

“I have declined the offer, Your Highness.”

“If you are going to refuse, come to the Imperial Palace yourself, M’lady.”

The Crown Prince laughed mischievously like an immature child, as if he found this entire situation to be amusing.

“Tomorrow at noon. In front of the fountain at the Imperial Palace.”

“…”

“But you must come alone, M’lady.”

And without waiting for my response, the Crown Prince got up from his seat. He is such an irrational man.