TCP 12

Chapter 12

“Oops. Was I too close?”

It seemed she had gotten uncomfortably close while trying to convey her sincerity.

Realizing this, Chloe quickly withdrew her hand and forced a cheerful smile.

“Your Highness, what have you been doing all this time?”

“I was studying.”

Chloe tilted her head at his answer.

“Studying here in the reception room instead of the prince’s quarters?”

She had thought he still had business with the Queen Dowager, but apparently not.

Sensing Chloe’s curiosity, the prince averted his gaze and replied calmly.

“I need to help you until the end. You’re coming back to the reception room anyway, and it’s because of me that you were brought here in the first place.”

The resolute expression on Shuel’s face, showing concern in case something went wrong, seemed remarkably spirited.

Chloe smiled in response, ready to say something, when suddenly—

“Her Majesty the Queen Dowager!”

With the servant’s announcement, the Queen Dowager entered the audience hall.

Chloe quickly bowed.

“Your Majesty, it’s an honor to see you.”

Her greeting, simple yet flawless, seemed to irritate the Queen Dowager slightly.

“I heard Count Blair told an amusing story. Apparently, you received a remarkable gift from the head of the merchant guild in the Kingdom of Konfa?”

It seemed the count had downplayed their agreement, reporting to the Queen Dowager that the gift had come from the guild leader to Chloe.

After a brief pause, the Queen Dowager added,

“I knew you were impressive. As for the prince’s discernment… well, it’s not necessarily bad.”

Chloe’s face lit up at that, but before she could even respond, the Queen Dowager continued.

“I have separate business with the prince from now on. You may go to the garden.”

“Pardon?”

Chloe was taken aback by the sudden order, but the Queen Dowager’s command was firm.

“I’ll assign someone to guide you in the garden, so you won’t be lonely.”

Despite being startled by the unilateral order, Chloe bowed respectfully.

“I will follow your command, Your Majesty.”

Going to the garden at this hour instead of returning home was absurd, but unfortunately, she had no power to refuse.

Chloe made her way to the garden, still feeling bewildered.

“Why the garden all of a sudden?”

If the Queen Dowager had simply told her to return home, at least it would have made sense.

As she pondered the unpredictable actions of the Queen Dowager, she noticed someone standing at the entrance of the garden.

It was late evening, and the face was hard to see. Chloe tilted her head in curiosity as she walked closer.

It turned out to be a young boy.

Shiny black hair, pale skin, and a perfectly straight nose—his features were already fully formed despite appearing her age.

“Wow, the royal family really has a lot of handsome people, starting with Shuel.”

Chloe admired him absentmindedly, then froze.

“Wait… black hair?”

She realized that the boy in front of her perfectly matched the villainous supporting male character from the original story—Duke Cloud.

As Chloe tried to confirm his face, their eyes met.

“What’s with that rude look?”

Chloe, insulted on first meeting, couldn’t hide her shock and went blank.

But the boy didn’t wait for her to recover.

“What are you doing? You recognized me, right? Planning to stand there blankly without greeting me?”

He assumed she would obviously recognize him and scolded her.

Every word was sharp. Among the people appearing in the royal court, only Cloud behaved so arrogantly.

“Nice to meet you, Your Grace, Duke Cloud.”

Since Cloud, the Queen Dowager’s son, wasn’t officially recognized as a prince, he had been given a nominal title of duke early on.

Chloe greeted him without any extra words.

“Hmph.”

He shrugged and scanned her from head to toe.

“Her Majesty the Queen Dowager instructed me to assist you in the garden.”

Chloe almost dropped her jaw at such an absurd statement but managed to hold it back.

“The guide… is the supporting male?”

Seriously, what kind of idea is this, pairing the villainess with the villainous supporting male?

She squeezed her eyes shut.

“I’d rather befriend Shuel instead.”

Trying to maintain her composure despite her growing despair, Chloe was keenly observed by the boy, who suddenly stepped right in front of her, teasing her irritably.

“Daring to ignore me?”

Only then did Chloe realize she seemed to have ignored the Duke and quickly replied.

“I didn’t mean to. I was… just thinking about Her Majesty for a moment…”

“Ah. Since you were with the prince just now, does that mean you can ignore a duke?”

Chloe lifted her head to deny it, only to meet Cloud’s extremely cold gaze.

“That’s not it,”

Before she could explain, he cut her off coldly.

“Stop being so annoying.”

His irritating tone flustered Chloe.

Even though she wasn’t of royal blood, Chloe was the only daughter of a duke.

Yet Cloud completely disregarded such hierarchy and showed hostility toward her.

“What is this stupid behavior? In the original story, Cloud wasn’t this dumbly antagonistic.”

The original supporting male, closer to the final boss, had been cunning and cruel, though still cold-faced and socially competent. He had known how to interact with his rivals while effortlessly eliminating them.

Chloe suddenly remembered that this was eight years before the original story began.

“He was sensitive and irritable back then but became cunning and ruthless as he grew?”

After a brief pause, she said,

“I never ignored Your Grace, the Duke.”

“Oh, whatever. Let’s just say you did.”

Cloud shrugged carelessly, answering as he pleased.

“You just rub me the wrong way. Do you really need to argue over it?”

As expected, Cloud’s behavior was purely because he disliked her.

Chloe considered whether to let it slide or respond.

“You take after someone. A weak duchess,”

But she couldn’t let him insult family, so she widened her eyes and interrupted.

“You are a duke, and I am a princess invited by Her Majesty the Queen Dowager.”

“So? What’s a mere princess…?”

“What’s more important than being a princess is that I am Her Majesty’s guest.”

She retorted without hiding her irritation.

“Being rude to me like this—does that mean you’re disrespecting Her Majesty?”

Cloud blinked for a moment in disbelief at her boldness, then snorted.

“…Hah!”

And added,

“You. Do you not know who I am?”

He meant that, despite holding only a temporary title of duke, she surely knew he was the Queen Dowager’s son and the Emperor’s child.

Chloe replied sweetly,

“Of course I do. You are Duke Cloud, son of the Emperor and the Queen Dowager.”

Cloud’s expression brightened slightly at her polite response.

But when she continued, his expression froze again.

“Yet you should also know that the reason you even have a title is because of Her Majesty. A mere princess like you? I think Her Majesty is far more formidable.”

All the power he wielded came from being the child of the Emperor and Queen Dowager. For a guest of Her Majesty to act rudely like this? Chloe’s sharp remark clearly landed, leaving Cloud momentarily stunned.

Cloud looked at her with a cold glare, muttering incredulously,

“I wonder how long that audacious attitude will last.”