Thinking of Diego made her sigh. What could have turned her bright child into a reckless fool?
Diego was living a life completely devoted to his desires.
Rumours about the lawless acts that happened at the Second Prince’s Palace every day spread like wildfire.
Even though he was lustful, fulfilling his princely duties would have silenced any objections.
However, Diego lived a one-dimensional life, so much so that even his mother couldn’t easily defend him.
But if she could just bring down Caius…
“Oh my, Your Majesty! Please bring me something to wipe this!”
Margarette put down her teacup, and the countess jumped in surprise. Only then did Margarette realise that she had placed the teacup incorrectly.
She bit her tongue inwardly as she looked at the spilt tea on the table.
‘How pathetic.’
Magarette quickly composed herself.
“I hope you’re not worried that we said something unnecessary. You’ve been going through a lot because of the princess…”
Fortunately, the mistake she made as she contemplated the course of the conversation was overlooked, and the noble ladies expressed their gratitude with relieved faces.
“I’m fine, so please don’t worry.”
Margarette smiled softly as usual.
Thanks to the virtuous image she had built, it couldn’t be helped but to think of her favourably, no matter what she did.
‘How foolish.’
Margarette wiped off the water on her hand, smiling as she looked at the noble ladies.
* * *
As summer faded away, Caius became busier day by day.
According to what Sophia heard, he had been staying at the Central Palace, attending several state meetings.
Leah turned away after looking at the clear summer sky.
She stepped onto the plush carpet and walked out of the bedroom into the usually quiet Western Palace corridors.
The attendants in the Western Palace were the ones Caius had sent long ago. They were obedient but always kept a certain distance.
In the past, that was a good trait. It made sure that they wouldn’t talk behind their backs.
But these days, there were times when the silence made her feel lonely. It was different from the loneliness she felt when Caius was not around.
Unlike when she could easily endure the days until he returned by longing for him, now she had no way to relieve her loneliness.
Leah took a deep breath as she corrected her slowed footsteps. After taking a turn in the corner, she headed towards the stairs with railings.
Hearing a loud noise from below, she came to a halt.
“Your Highness, the Prince, I greet you.”
Leah’s eyes widened in surprise, thinking it was Cauis. Even though she knew that he wouldn’t show up when he was busy, her footsteps got faster.
While rushing down the stairs, Leah stopped at the landing. Her slightly pale face suddenly went stiff.
The man standing before her was not Caius.
‘Why is this person here…?’
As Leah stood in the same spot, Diego, who was walking through the hallway, saw her and waved lightly.
“Oh, Princess. Excuse me for a moment.”
His bright smile looked neat. At the very least, he didn’t look like someone that has been drinking or doing drugs.
But she couldn’t let her guard down. While Leah hesitated, Diego stepped on the stairs she stood on without hesitation.
“…Your Highness, what brings you here?”
Leah, who tried to put on a calm expression, greeted him casually.
Perhaps feeling her hidden reluctance, Diego laughed.
“I’m on a break from my walk, so I stopped by to rest for a moment.”
He shrugged with a relaxed expression. Leah swallowed the urge to say something and then spoke.
“Is that so? Then, I hope you rest well.”
The Western Palace was not Leah’s property. Whether it was a knight or a palace servant, she had no right to expel anyone who entered the palace.
Moreover, Diego was of royal blood. If he was staying here, all she could do was accept it.
“Oh, are you leaving like this? Why don’t we have a cup of tea together?”
Diego shook his head in disappointment at her dry greeting.
Leah hesitated as she was about to turn away. Seeing the man’s face, who had an exaggeratedly sad expression, her heart grew cold involuntarily.
It was better to stand under the scorching sun all day than to sit face-to-face with this man and have tea.
“I will ask a servant to bring tea for you.”
“No, I want to have tea with you.”
Diego leaned closer. As Leah stepped back, he bowed as if wanting to show off.
“There’s no need to be afraid. I just want to have a cup of tea with you.”
The voice that echoed from the close distance carried weight. Leah couldn’t help but back away from him.
“I’m not feeling well today.”
“Then, I will bring you tea to make you feel better.”
“No, maybe next time…”
“Princess.”
Diego called her with a deep voice, meeting her gaze with eyes similar to Cauis’.
“Don’t you think it would look strange if you reject me so strongly?”
Diego winked towards the hall. When Leah turned her head, she saw palace servants watching their every move.
It would be an awkward situation if they were caught fighting.
Leah bit her lip with an embarrassed look on her face. No matter how much she disliked him, Diego was of royal blood and Caius’s brother. It wouldn’t be good to disrespect him openly.
“We used to be quite close, didn’t we? Now that my brother has returned, let’s have a proper conversation without disrespecting each other.”
Diego recognised Leah’s predicament and exacerbated her discomfort by smoothing the situation. Without giving her a chance to reply, he gestured towards a maid, ordering her to bring refreshments to the reception room.
After the maid went into the kitchen, Diego straightened his furrowed eyebrows.
“Shall we go?”
Leah forced herself to answer as she turned to the reception room. Diego followed closely behind with a satisfied smile.
* * *
“The Western Palace still looks the same.”
Sitting with his legs crossed, Diego looked around the reception room with interest. Finally, his eyes landed on Leah.
“It’s still small and shabby, but strangely it appeals to me.”
Leah looked away with an awkward smile.
Seeing his lustful smile, an unpleasant memory that had been forgotten for a long time resurfaced in Leah’s mind, making her feel incredibly uncomfortable.
Leah knew why he suddenly mentioned his impression of the Western Palace.
Long ago, Diego visited the Western Palace. He was heavily intoxicated with alcohol and drugs and was with a woman who didn’t look like a palace maid or a noblewoman.
According to the maids’ whispers, she was an outsider.
That day, Diego had an affair with the woman in the room opposite Leah’s bedroom.
The couple could be seen through the crack of the door that was left open. She could hear the woman’s soft moans and the man’s passionate voice.
Every scene that Leah had seen and heard that day lingered in her mind like a nightmare. Even now, just recalling it made her feel nauseous.
Leah frowned and gripped the teacup in her hands. All she could think of was that she needed to escape this distressing situation when the time was right.
Diego laughed and changed the subject as if sensing Leah’s inner thoughts.
“By the way, don’t you feel lonely with everything going downhill? Don’t you crave some time alone?”
Leah responded with an unchanged expression.
“No, please don’t worry about me.”
“Are you sure? You seem to be struggling with loneliness.
Diego raised an eyebrow and whispered to her as if he knew everything.
“I can comfort you if you’d like.”
Seeing Leah’s stiff expression, Diego burst into laughter and leaned back on the sofa.
Leah suppressed her negative thoughts and replied calmly.
“It would be nice if you stopped insulting me like this.”
“Insulting?”
Diego lifted his chin and intensely stared at her with a questioning look.
His eyes that scanned her from head to toe were blatantly provocative.
“If that’s how you see it, I must disappoint you. I’ve never laid a hand on you. If I intended to taunt you, wouldn’t I have entered your bedroom long ago?”
Thinking of Diego made her sigh. What could have turned her bright child into a reckless fool?
Diego was living a life completely devoted to his desires.
Rumours about the lawless acts that happened at the Second Prince’s Palace every day spread like wildfire.
Even though he was lustful, fulfilling his princely duties would have silenced any objections.
However, Diego lived a one-dimensional life, so much so that even his mother couldn’t easily defend him.
But if she could just bring down Caius…
“Oh my, Your Majesty! Please bring me something to wipe this!”
Margarette put down her teacup, and the countess jumped in surprise. Only then did Margarette realise that she had placed the teacup incorrectly.
She bit her tongue inwardly as she looked at the spilt tea on the table.
‘How pathetic.’
Magarette quickly composed herself.
“I hope you’re not worried that we said something unnecessary. You’ve been going through a lot because of the princess…”
Fortunately, the mistake she made as she contemplated the course of the conversation was overlooked, and the noble ladies expressed their gratitude with relieved faces.
“I’m fine, so please don’t worry.”
Margarette smiled softly as usual.
Thanks to the virtuous image she had built, it couldn’t be helped but to think of her favourably, no matter what she did.
‘How foolish.’
Margarette wiped off the water on her hand, smiling as she looked at the noble ladies.
* * *
As summer faded away, Caius became busier day by day.
According to what Sophia heard, he had been staying at the Central Palace, attending several state meetings.
Leah turned away after looking at the clear summer sky.
She stepped onto the plush carpet and walked out of the bedroom into the usually quiet Western Palace corridors.
The attendants in the Western Palace were the ones Caius had sent long ago. They were obedient but always kept a certain distance.
In the past, that was a good trait. It made sure that they wouldn’t talk behind their backs.
But these days, there were times when the silence made her feel lonely. It was different from the loneliness she felt when Caius was not around.
Unlike when she could easily endure the days until he returned by longing for him, now she had no way to relieve her loneliness.
Leah took a deep breath as she corrected her slowed footsteps. After taking a turn in the corner, she headed towards the stairs with railings.
Hearing a loud noise from below, she came to a halt.
“Your Highness, the Prince, I greet you.”
Leah’s eyes widened in surprise, thinking it was Cauis. Even though she knew that he wouldn’t show up when he was busy, her footsteps got faster.
While rushing down the stairs, Leah stopped at the landing. Her slightly pale face suddenly went stiff.
The man standing before her was not Caius.
‘Why is this person here…?’
As Leah stood in the same spot, Diego, who was walking through the hallway, saw her and waved lightly.
“Oh, Princess. Excuse me for a moment.”
His bright smile looked neat. At the very least, he didn’t look like someone that has been drinking or doing drugs.
But she couldn’t let her guard down. While Leah hesitated, Diego stepped on the stairs she stood on without hesitation.
“…Your Highness, what brings you here?”
Leah, who tried to put on a calm expression, greeted him casually.
Perhaps feeling her hidden reluctance, Diego laughed.
“I’m on a break from my walk, so I stopped by to rest for a moment.”
He shrugged with a relaxed expression. Leah swallowed the urge to say something and then spoke.
“Is that so? Then, I hope you rest well.”
The Western Palace was not Leah’s property. Whether it was a knight or a palace servant, she had no right to expel anyone who entered the palace.
Moreover, Diego was of royal blood. If he was staying here, all she could do was accept it.
“Oh, are you leaving like this? Why don’t we have a cup of tea together?”
Diego shook his head in disappointment at her dry greeting.
Leah hesitated as she was about to turn away. Seeing the man’s face, who had an exaggeratedly sad expression, her heart grew cold involuntarily.
It was better to stand under the scorching sun all day than to sit face-to-face with this man and have tea.
“I will ask a servant to bring tea for you.”
“No, I want to have tea with you.”
Diego leaned closer. As Leah stepped back, he bowed as if wanting to show off.
“There’s no need to be afraid. I just want to have a cup of tea with you.”
The voice that echoed from the close distance carried weight. Leah couldn’t help but back away from him.
“I’m not feeling well today.”
“Then, I will bring you tea to make you feel better.”
“No, maybe next time…”
“Princess.”
Diego called her with a deep voice, meeting her gaze with eyes similar to Cauis’.
“Don’t you think it would look strange if you reject me so strongly?”
Diego winked towards the hall. When Leah turned her head, she saw palace servants watching their every move.
It would be an awkward situation if they were caught fighting.
Leah bit her lip with an embarrassed look on her face. No matter how much she disliked him, Diego was of royal blood and Caius’s brother. It wouldn’t be good to disrespect him openly.
“We used to be quite close, didn’t we? Now that my brother has returned, let’s have a proper conversation without disrespecting each other.”
Diego recognised Leah’s predicament and exacerbated her discomfort by smoothing the situation. Without giving her a chance to reply, he gestured towards a maid, ordering her to bring refreshments to the reception room.
After the maid went into the kitchen, Diego straightened his furrowed eyebrows.
“Shall we go?”
Leah forced herself to answer as she turned to the reception room. Diego followed closely behind with a satisfied smile.
* * *
“The Western Palace still looks the same.”
Sitting with his legs crossed, Diego looked around the reception room with interest. Finally, his eyes landed on Leah.
“It’s still small and shabby, but strangely it appeals to me.”
Leah looked away with an awkward smile.
Seeing his lustful smile, an unpleasant memory that had been forgotten for a long time resurfaced in Leah’s mind, making her feel incredibly uncomfortable.
Leah knew why he suddenly mentioned his impression of the Western Palace.
Long ago, Diego visited the Western Palace. He was heavily intoxicated with alcohol and drugs and was with a woman who didn’t look like a palace maid or a noblewoman.
According to the maids’ whispers, she was an outsider.
That day, Diego had an affair with the woman in the room opposite Leah’s bedroom.
The couple could be seen through the crack of the door that was left open. She could hear the woman’s soft moans and the man’s passionate voice.
Every scene that Leah had seen and heard that day lingered in her mind like a nightmare. Even now, just recalling it made her feel nauseous.
Leah frowned and gripped the teacup in her hands. All she could think of was that she needed to escape this distressing situation when the time was right.
Diego laughed and changed the subject as if sensing Leah’s inner thoughts.
“By the way, don’t you feel lonely with everything going downhill? Don’t you crave some time alone?”
Leah responded with an unchanged expression.
“No, please don’t worry about me.”
“Are you sure? You seem to be struggling with loneliness.
Diego raised an eyebrow and whispered to her as if he knew everything.
“I can comfort you if you’d like.”
Seeing Leah’s stiff expression, Diego burst into laughter and leaned back on the sofa.
Leah suppressed her negative thoughts and replied calmly.
“It would be nice if you stopped insulting me like this.”
“Insulting?”
Diego lifted his chin and intensely stared at her with a questioning look.
His eyes that scanned her from head to toe were blatantly provocative.
“If that’s how you see it, I must disappoint you. I’ve never laid a hand on you. If I intended to taunt you, wouldn’t I have entered your bedroom long ago?”
