Chapter 3
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Lloyd, Cassian’s aide, was called to the office upon returning from the Duke of Lowell.
It has already been a week since he got tattered by the Master’s galloping energy.
“So today?”
“I’m sorry, Sir.”
“Hmm. Should I say that after all?”
Cassian rubbed his chin and fell into agony.
On one side of the office desk was a reply from Elysia.
He picked up the envelope and read the reply again.
The tip of his mouth went up in the handwriting that was so neat that it could be published into a textbook teaching imperial language. It wasn’t ghostwriting.
The lady didn’t seem to know that the concise content of wanting him to forget about the day would rather amplify his curiosity.
“Oh, Sir, the scandal with Lady Lowell. I posted a report, but you haven’t said anything yet...”
“Scandal with Lady Lowell?”
It was before Lloyd even finished talking.
What does that mean, the purple eyes looked at him.
“That’s... well Your Excellency and the Lady are in a scandal.”
Cassian beckoned to keep going, with an expression asking why he just reported it now.
Lloyd put the report back in front of Cassian just in case.
“At the last imperial banquet, there were several people who witnessed Your Excellency riding a carriage holding Lady Lowell. The rumors that I went in and out of the Duke of Lowell’s mansion were tied up and it became rumored that there is a triangular relationship with His Majesty the Crown Prince... and Your Excellency who is courting Lady Lowell every day and Lady Lowell is rejecting you...”
Cassian’s lips drew a line.
‘Oh my, he’s angry.’
Lloyd spoke in a hurry, staring into the air in cold sweat.
“The rumors also turned to say that Lady Lowell attacked and abandoned you and the knights witnessed the marks on your neck when you reported for duty.”
An unspoken warning came from Cassian, saying, “You are already dead.”
It was a little unfair, wasn’t it his master who didn’t read the report in time?
Of course, it was his job to ask again if there was no answer.
However, thanks to the young master who helped and just returned from the subjugation of the monsters, a time when even ten people were insufficient.
“But why is the Crown Prince mixed up here?”
“He has an arranged relationship with Lady Lowell...”
“Is Lady Lowell the woman the Crown Prince was dating?”
“If you look at the back page, it is summarized briefly.”
Cassian picked up the report.
He was such a prince who attracted women of all ages to his bedroom.
With Cassian’s personality, he didn’t want to know or care about it.
The Crown Prince has never caused any problems that would particularly ignite his temper.
‘So it’s Lady Lowell.’
He knew there was a woman whom the prince had been meeting for six years.
That woman is empowering the prince.
If he thought about it a little more, he didn’t know he would get the answer right away.
“So what did you do with the rumors?”
“Well... Your Excellency didn’t say anything, so I randomly handled it.”
In front of the eyes, Lloyd flickered.
In the last few days, his mind has been tormented by his master’s circumstances.
The owner of such a clean relationship with women was followed by the nickname of a homosexual.
Lloyd couldn’t miss the golden opportunity to remove the nickname.
Cassian reads the next chapter of the report.
“I think I’ll have to settle this and apologize.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Well done. Does it feel bad to be mentioned with the Crown Prince?”
It was another job to settle the matter.
In the report, things about the Crown Prince and Elysia’s meeting were well described. How the Crown Prince treated Elysia and how it was between the two were in great detail.
The silent teatime was a rumor that was so widespread that no nobles did not know it.
‘She wasn’t like a woman who would remain still after receiving such treatment.’
Cassian tilted his head in wonder.
“Tomorrow, tell the Lady this.”
Lloyd’s face could no longer be whiter at Cassian’s words.
Lloyd was confused as to whether the words he was hearing could really be spoken to the noble Lady.
It seemed certain that he would get hit in the cheek on the spot instead.
Cassian’s words were enough to forget Elysia’s remarks that she would accept it as ignoring the family if he visited him once more.
Wouldn’t you be losing Duke Lowell and the Lady?
“...Okay.”
“Probably, you’ll get a response right away, so make sure you schedule an appointment, Lloyd.”
Lloyd was in tears at the tone that made it so obvious that he would never get an answer this time as always.
“Five elite knights to Lady Lowell.”
“Is it surveillance or protection?”
“Both.”
Five elite Knights of the Esteban Knights, you mean like escorting the royal family.
He felt sorry for Lady Lowell to accidentally caught the eyes of someone like that iceberg.
Lloyd stumbled and bowed and left the office.
****
Elysia was listening to the report by the family’s informant.
The capital city was all over her stories recently, so there were more than one or two things to worry about.
Thinking of Lloyd, who kept returning in the morning, her head throbbed again.
He won’t come again in the future.
From the beginning, she should have told him to not come back. A belated regret overwhelmed her.
There was one more reason why she spoke strongly today, even mentioning her family name.
Her father and brother were not in the empire because they were going on business trips to other countries due to diplomatic issues.
Her father, Duke Lowell’s assistant, was also away, so the process of settling rumors was slow.
Cassian didn’t seem to have any plans to help settle the rumors.
Every day he sent his aide to the mansion, and the rumors grew bigger and bigger.
‘Damn scandal! Who the hell saw that?’
She was determined to burn it up.
Thanks to this, Elysia became determined. It’s like all the men will fall down at once.
There were even rumors that there was no man who couldn’t be tempted if she made up her mind. The situation was serious to just leave it alone.
“What does the Crown Prince say for this scandal?”
“There are no announcements yet.”
It meant that he had taken no action on the triangular relationship.
Elysia felt the need to quickly exclude Revos from the rumors.
She was sure he’ll see the female protagonist again soon, but it wasn’t something that would happen if Revos was to be constantly tied up to her.
It had to be confirmed that she broke up with Revos before meeting Cassian.
“What about the breakup?”
“There are many attendants who have witnessed the Lady’s request to break up with his Majesty in the Eir Palace, so that part of the story is true.”
It seemed that he had escaped the wrath of the imperial family.
She saw the informant snapping his lips to see if she had anything to say.
“What is it?”
“That’s... Yesterday, the Duke of Esteban wrote an announcement. On the day of the banquet, the young lady and the Duke of Esteban fell in love with each other at first sight, and they had nothing to do with the Crown Prince.”
“What?!”
Elysia’s gaze at the informant was cold.
How many times already? He missed the timing every time in this scandal.
But it seems to have prevented her from becoming an unfaithful woman.
“No, but what nonsense is that announcement without consulting us?”
He must have intended to block someone from getting married.
Of course, she wasn’t even thinking about getting married.
In the original story, there was a part that the Second Prince loved Elysia, so she was considering a contract marriage in mind just in case.
In this case, he had to meet the Duke of Esteban once.
Elysia frowned, recalling what had happened in the morning.
Why did such an article appear after she sent back the aide yesterday?
She guessed he didn’t write an article on purpose just because she didn’t meet him.
Elysia put down the glass with a bloody look. She should have known since he sent the aide everyday.
“Why are you so obsessed when I tell you to forget it?!”
“Yes?”
“...No. I’m going to the banquet on the last day, so please find me a suitable partner.”
“Okay.”
The imperial banquet lasted a whopping ten days, and attendance was required for more than two days.
Since she was present on the first day, there is one more time left, but due to the scandal, she has to look for a new partner.
After the Crown Prince, now the Duke of Esteban.
****
“My lady, a man came from the Duke of Esteban.”
“Is that so? He’s here again.”
She was going to meet him because of the article that they were in love with at first sight, but it’s all good.
One thing that was unpleasant was that even though she warned him that yesterday, the aide came back again.
The maid, trying to lift Elysia’s hair, shouted at her suddenly standing up.
“Lady! I haven’t done your hair yet.”
“It’s okay, just untie it. Is he in the parlor?”
The maid Gray nodded.
Elysia unwrapped her half braided hair and headed for the parlor.
As soon as she saw the aide, Elysia thought to say a word but stopped when she looked at Lloyd’s figure.
The aide, who looked even thinner than yesterday, looked like he was about to cry.
Someone might think that he hasn’t had a meal in a week.
“I’m here again...... Today is the last time, so I hope you don’t get too angry, Lady...”
“...That sounds great.”
He said it’s his last day, so she has to agree.
She felt like she had lost for some reason, but it was more important to deal with the scandal.
Elysia sighed and stared at the aide who would say the same thing.
The aide, Lloyd hesitated, unable to open his mouth easily.
“His... His Excellency...”
Even though Elysia had waited for the next word calmly, Lloyd couldn’t speak.
As she grew impatient Elysia spoke out, completely different words popped out of each other’s mouths.
“He asked me to meet once.”
“...His Excellency asked me to say, ‘I gave my neck and body, which you ate then threw away.’”
“Wait, what...”
Elysia’s mouth trembled.
Lloyd’s words made the faces of the employees waiting in the back, strange.
The rumors that the Lady ran away after attacking the Duke of Esteban leaned further to the truth.
‘Neck? He can’t say that.’
In her mind, Lloyd’s words repeated like an echo.