Chapter 8
“Please let go of her arm before you continue speaking, Your Highness.”
The one who stepped in front of me, committing what was almost an act of disrespect toward the Crown Prince, was someone I had never expected.
Freed from his rough grip, I took two steps back while holding my aching arm.
“Marquis Wellington. Just what do you think you’re doing?”
Anton Wellington, the Marquis of Wellington—my uncle by marriage—had hurried over and practically slapped the Crown Prince’s hand away. At the Crown Prince’s sharp rebuke, he bowed respectfully.
“Please forgive my rudeness, Your Highness. However, my niece appeared to be in great pain, so I had no choice.”
“What? Are you saying that because your niece looked to be in pain, you have the right to treat a member of the Imperial Family with such disrespect?”
The Crown Prince’s tone grew increasingly harsh.
Although I was relieved that he had released me, I couldn’t help worrying that my uncle might be severely punished because of this.
Startled, I grabbed the sleeve of his coat, but he simply patted the back of my hand as if to reassure me.
“I sincerely apologize. However, I had no idea that Your Highness was holding such a delicate young lady with so much force. In my haste, I acted discourteously. If you wish to punish me, I shall accept it without complaint. But I ask that Your Highness consider that I acted not only for my niece’s sake, but also for yours.”
“For my sake? How could I possibly—!”
That was when it happened.
The Crown Prince suddenly stopped speaking.
As silence fell over him, faint whispers drifted over from behind us.
“Did His Highness just…?”
“What in the world is happening…?”
I turned toward the murmuring voices.
People had gathered before I realized it, standing in small groups near the entrance of the building as they whispered among themselves.
There was no one here just a moment ago…
The moment I saw the crowd that had quietly assembled, I understood why the Crown Prince had fallen silent.
He had no intention of letting rumors spread that he had threatened a defenseless noble lady in front of so many witnesses.
After staring at the crowd for a long moment, he finally spoke.
“It seems I allowed my impatience to get the better of me. I never intended to frighten you, Lady. Please forgive my discourtesy.”
“…It’s alright, Your Highness.”
Perhaps because he had become conscious of all the eyes watching him, he offered me a courteous apology before quietly leaving.
And just like that…
The incident appeared to be over.
“Are you alright, Eloise?”
“Yes… I’m alright, but…”
As soon as the Crown Prince left, Uncle turned toward me first to check on my condition.
I nodded to reassure him.
The throbbing pain in my wrist was already beginning to fade.
The shock in my heart settled just as quickly.
But more surprising than that was how neatly everything had resolved.
I never imagined Uncle would appear here of all places.
“Weren’t you with Aunt earlier?”
“I was. Then I saw you walk into the building. I thought you had gone to the ladies’ lounge, but when you didn’t come back…”
“So… you came looking for me because I wasn’t coming out? Women often stay in the lounge for quite a while. They rest there and fix their makeup.”
To think he found that unusual.
In truth, judging by how long noblewomen usually spent in the lounge before returning to a party, I hadn’t even been gone very long.
After all, I had been stopped before I could even hide.
If anything, it had been a rather short visit.
No matter how kind he is to his niece…
Was Uncle really this attentive?
Unable to hide my confusion, I looked at him.
He cleared his throat awkwardly and quietly averted his eyes.
His gaze drifted somewhere else.
Following it, I found…
Asierad.
…Could it be?
Had he been watching everything from the very beginning?
The moment our eyes met, he seemed to notice my gaze.
He stopped whatever signal he had been making, then naturally turned away.
At the same time, Uncle gently patted my shoulder as though nothing had happened.
“Come now, Eloise. Let’s go home. You’ve had quite a fright today. It would be best for you to rest.”
…The two of them just acted like they had planned something behind my back.
Or was I simply imagining things?
The whole situation felt strangely suspicious.
Still, I quietly followed Uncle as he led me away.
Behind us, only the lingering murmur of the crowd remained.
***
On the way back to the Wellington estate, Uncle insisted I ride with Aunt so I could calm myself.
Saying Father had already left, he climbed into the carriage Father and I had arrived in and departed first.
Our carriage, carrying Aunt—Idris Wellington—and me, slowly followed behind.
“You did something rather bold today.”
The very first thing Aunt said after the carriage started sounded half like a rebuke… and half like amusement.
I blinked at her.
“…Did I do something wrong?”
“Well… I’m not sure I’d call it wrong.”
She smiled mysteriously.
I couldn’t tell whether she was criticizing me or not.
She had always been like this.
Married into the Wellington family in the capital when I was still too young to remember, Aunt had reunited with me nearly fifteen years later.
Yet she had never been especially affectionate.
Nor particularly warm.
In my previous life, she regularly sent letters to our northern territory asking about Father’s condition and the estate.
Though calling them letters was generous.
They were little more than official reports with perhaps a single line asking after Father’s health.
Perhaps because of those letters…
Or perhaps because of the way she treated me…
She had never been someone I felt comfortable around.
And she always spoke in riddles like this.
After staring at her for a moment, I sighed.
“If you’re talking about Uncle getting involved earlier… then I’m sorry. It wasn’t intentional, but I ended up causing trouble for him.”
“Do you really think that’s what I’m talking about?”
Aunt’s eyes widened before she let out a quiet laugh.
Looking again, it wasn’t mockery.
She genuinely seemed amused.
Without realizing it, I frowned.
“If it isn’t about Uncle… then what do you mean?”
“My goodness. So you think the only thing that happened to you today was what happened at the party?”
She smiled even wider.
“Is that why people say the one who gets hit never remembers?”
“Aunt.”
She looked more entertained with every passing moment.
What exactly was she talking about?
After thinking for a moment, I let out a dry laugh.
“Don’t tell me… you’re talking about Father?”
Two things had happened to me today.
One was what had just occurred at the party.
The other was the argument with Father in the carriage.
It surprised me that Father had spoken to Aunt about it.
But it surprised me even more that Aunt was bringing it up herself.
After all, in my previous life she had shown almost no interest in whatever happened between Father and me.
Even when I disobeyed Father and continued seeing Asierad, she neither supported nor opposed me.
She simply left me alone.
Even after I married, whenever we crossed paths at balls or parties, she would offer nothing more than a brief nod before walking away.
Just…
A distant relative who happened to live in the capital.
Nothing more.
When I asked hesitantly, Aunt snorted.
“You think that ridiculous commotion at the party is why I’m saying this? I already know none of that was your fault. Besides, do you really think your uncle knows how long ladies usually spend in the lounge?”
“What? Then… are you saying you were the one who sent Uncle after me?”
Her words left my thoughts in complete disarray.
Had Aunt really been paying that much attention to me?
Enough to notice where I had gone during the party?
Honestly…
It seemed far more believable that kind-hearted Uncle had simply been unusually observant.
Then the image of Uncle and Asierad exchanging glances flashed through my mind.
The direction Asierad had looked…
It really had seemed like he was signaling Uncle.
Had I simply imagined it?
“Don’t think too hard about it,” Aunt said calmly. “At least you’ve figured out that’s not what I wanted to talk about.”
“…I never knew Father spoke to you about things like that.”
“That stubborn fool? You think he’d tell me something like that?” she scoffed. “He was wagging his tail after the Imperial Family as usual, then suddenly announced he was leaving early. Naturally, I looked into it myself. Though honestly, you could have argued somewhere the coachman couldn’t overhear.”
“Ah.”
That explanation made much more sense.
Of course.
With Father’s personality, there was no chance he would discuss such trivial matters with Aunt.
Relaxing slightly, I leaned back against the carriage seat.
“Father keeps insisting I marry the Crown Prince. I didn’t really have a choice.”
“Why not? If you became the Crown Prince’s wife, you’d live comfortably for the rest of your life. Far more comfortably than in that cold, desolate North.”
“Is that really how someone should decide on marriage? Didn’t you marry Uncle because you loved him?”
I had heard the story before.
It was Uncle who had fallen in love at first sight with Aunt when she came from the North to make her debut in the capital with no parents or guardians by her side.
Kind and gentle, Uncle had been captivated by Aunt’s steadfast, unwavering nature.
Desperate not to let her go, he had supposedly clung to the hem of her dress and begged her to stay.
No matter how handsome he was…
No matter how gentle his manners…
No matter how highly sought-after he was as a husband in the capital…
Surely Aunt hadn’t come all the way here to marry without having feelings for him as well.
When I pointed that out, Aunt nodded without hesitation.
“I won’t deny that I was fortunate. But not everyone is. And we’re talking about the Crown Prince.”
“Aunt, you know better than anyone how cold and lonely the Imperial Palace is. No amount of wealth or status can make up for a heart that’s empty.”
I firmly shook my head.
For a long moment, Aunt simply stared at me.
I had never paid much attention to what she was thinking.
But I had always believed she was someone who never revealed her true feelings.
She always kept a certain distance from both Father and me.
Other than with Marquis Wellington, she rarely acted close to anyone.
Yet…
Contrary to everything I believed—
“Aha… Ahahahaha!”
Suddenly, Aunt burst into loud, carefree laughter.
“You’re quite bold, aren’t you?”
