Chapter 11

I had made all the plans before I came here today.

What kind of expression and conversation will I make when I meet Prince Luciano.

I even imagined his reaction and thought of everything in my head.

But when I met Prince Luciano’s eyes, my mind went blank.

‘This wasn’t part of my plan….’

I acted like nothing had happened, but the moment I saw his face, the terrible mistakes of that day filled my mind.

My heart was pounding with shame, and I wanted to run away at once.

“Oh, hello. How have you been?”

I managed to bring up a greeting.

I tried to keep my old bright face as casual as possible.

But I didn’t know what I used to look like.

I couldn’t even tell if I was smiling properly because my whole body felt stiff.

Prince Luciano looked at me with cold eyes.

Wouldn’t it be better if he looked at me with contempt?

His expressionless face was more painful.

I felt like I was going to faint.

“Prince Luciano, you should be more gentle to your close friends.”

At the sound of Empress Isabelle’s voice, I turned my head towards it.

Then, I later realized a shocking fact.

Everyone was standing in the imperial family’s presence, but I sat and giggled by myself.

I pulled myself up and bowed my head.

“It’s an honor to be here with you. I’m sorry for the late greeting.”

“No, you can do that. Everyone, sit comfortably.”

Empress Isabelle showed a generous attitude with a soft smile.

‘I thought you’d say something I didn’t want to hear.’

She sat at the central table with Prince Steven.

Prince Luciano sat at the same table as me.

I shivered reflexively, but he remained calm.

She deliberately placed Prince Luciano and me at the same table.

“Is everyone doing well? We didn’t invite adults this year so that you can spend time more freely. Do you feel burdened?”

Empress Isabelle announced the start of the tea party.

“No. We’re all grown up, so we can get along well together.”

Betty was the first to answer Empress Isabelle gracefully.

‘That’s why you were so blatant about ignoring me earlier.’

Betty seemed to be very determined to stand out in Empress Isabelle’s eyes.

“Thank you for giving me such a good occasion.”

“Thanks to the Empress, I’m glad I was able to have a good time.”

Then others came forward to please Empress.

“Hoo-hoo, the Empire’s future is really bright.”

‘Isn’t the empire doomed?’

Empress Isabelle sat arrogantly, and the children flattered her like a fussy man.

“How does the Empress become more and more beautiful?”

“Thank you for thinking that way.”

“I envy you so much. Please tell us the secret.”

There was a stream of useless conversations.

Perhaps because they were children, they didn’t know how to hide their emotions like adults.

I hated seeing them blatantly trying to look good.

I sighed unconsciously and turned my eyes away.

Prince Luciano stared blankly at the flowers on the table.

He persisted in keeping his eyes on the flowers.

It seemed like an act of ignoring the surroundings.

‘I feel strange.’

Prince Luciano ignored me.

I felt strangely bitter.

Of course, I was grateful for the indifference.

I was also grateful that he didn’t laugh at me or make fun of me.

But on the other hand, I thought I was nothing to him.

‘I’ve tried for almost a year.’

Still, I thought he’d glance at me once.

Prince Luciano didn’t turn his head toward me except when he arrived before.

It felt like it was a dream that I had spoken to him earlier.

‘I knew you were a cold-hearted person, but I’m disappointed.’

Still, I expected that he would care a little about me after declaring our friendship’s ending.

I realized that my strategy didn’t work at all.

Let’s try to stay positive.

‘I’m grateful for you forgetting about me like this.’

In my heart, it seemed that I would be less ashamed in the future.

Of course, that wasn’t going to happen.

When I was listening to the conversation around me with one ear and letting it out through the other, I heard Empress Isabelle mention Prince Luciano.

“Why is Prince Luciano so quiet?”

The attention of those who were busy creating their own conversation was attracted.

Were you going to start playing around again?

Prince Luciano blinked once and turned his head with a calm face as if he had sensed the intention.

“I’ve always been quiet.”

I was impressed.

It was a grace attitude, not arrogance.

I didn’t know it because I saw him often, but his calm appearance was definitely different from last year.

Within a year, Prince Luciano seemed to have grown up.

And, of course, Empress Isabelle did not like this aspect of Prince Luciano.

“It’s not good to be too quiet.”

“Is that so? I think it’s better than acting like a wild fellow.”

Having said that, Prince Luciano’s eyes flashed and moved toward Prince Stephen.

“Ahahaha. I can do that for you!”

“Is that really true, Prince Steven?”

“You have to trust me!”

Just in time, Prince Steven showed a rash appearance of bragging to someone.

Prince Luciano raised one corner of his mouth and lowered his head.

It was such a blatant sneer that I could notice his intention at once.

Seeing the look on his face, Empress Isabelle’s cheeks trembled softly.

She couldn’t bear to scold her son and only stared at Prince Luciano in the midst of this.

“Still, not saying a word is too much. At most, a friend has come. Aren’t you going to talk to your friends?”

When Prince Luciano didn’t answer, Empress Isabelle’s eyes moved toward me.

“Doesn’t Aesvin also think the same?”

Suddenly, I got the attention.

‘You invited me with this intention from the beginning.’

I thought she was obsessed with the invitation because she was dissatisfied with me.

I thought the purpose was clear because she made the children do blatant bullying.

But seeing Empress Isabelle’s cunning smile, she had another different intention.

She was obsessed with me to use me as a weakness for Prince Luciano.

“Aesvin is especially quiet today. Both of you don’t seem to be talking. You said you were a friend.”

We weren’t friends, and that wouldn’t blow Prince Luciano.

Of course, I wasn’t so thoughtless as to say it aloud.

Instead, I smiled weakly.

“I’m still in bad shape. Today is not the only day, so we will talk later.”

This much acting wasn’t difficult, but it would seem quite lifeless to others.

Prince Luciano’s gaze, who had not turned his head toward me before, was directed at me.

Empress Isabelle looked worried.

“Oh my, is it still bad?”

“I’ve been sick for a long time. I feel much better now.”

“Oh my gosh, Aesvin. Did you have a serious illness? How did it happen?”

Oh, no. That was a mistake.

When I saw Queen Isabel asking with delight, I noticed it was the word she had been waiting for.

I had to pull myself together.

“I just ate a little too much.”

“I hear there was a disturbance in Prince Luciano’s palace the other day. Did something happen between you two?”

She was clever in raising her voice so everyone could hear.

The children, who had never made eye contact before, looked at me with curious eyes.

“Yes? What’s going on?”

I deliberately pretended not to know.

Then Empress Isabelle smiled loosely.

Her gentle smile was ominous.

“For example, someone harassing Aesvin or doing something like that.”

Empress Isabelle’s gaze slowly turned to Prince Luciano and returned to me.

‘So this is the real intention.’

Her subtle tone was offering me a deal.

Now take the hand that I reached out to you. Then there won’t be any bullying you experience in the future.

I knew this was my last chance.

I didn’t know how to make this kind of suggestion before the party, so I looked at Prince Luciano reflexively.

Our eyes met for a moment.

Prince Luciano’s eyes shone coldly.

Still, I could tell that we had been together for over a year to notice there was a warning for me to be careful of what I would say in his eyes.

The problem was our bond wasn’t deep enough to figure out which words to watch out for.

This was serious.

‘I don’t know what Prince Luciano is trying to say!’

Suddenly I got nervous.

I thought I’d pretend to faint from the pressure.

But I thought my parents would faint if I did that, so I erased that plan.

“Aesvin? Why can’t you speak? Were you really bullied?”

Empress Isabelle’s voice rose by a tone as I murmured over thoughts.

She pretended to be concerned on the surface, but she couldn’t hide the excitement inside.

She seemed to believe that I would tell her what she wanted.

I felt Prince Luciano’s piercing gaze, and then I opened my mouth.

“Yes, I’m being bullied.”

“!”

A fishy smile appeared on Empress Isabelle’s face at my answer.

In comparison, Prince Luciano remained unchanged.

He just didn’t take his eyes off me.

“You mean you were harassed in the Imperial Palace? How dare he! Who did such a wicked thing? As an Empress, I can’t ignore this!”

Empress Isabelle exclaimed exaggeratedly.

The corners of her lips soared high in the sky without realizing it.

She burned with the will to catch and punish those who tormented me right away.

“Aesvin, tell me who it is. I won’t let it go.”

Hearing Empress Isabelle’s firm words, I stretched out my hand.

“It’s her.”

“!”

My fingertips, which everyone looked at with nervousness, pointed precisely to Betty.

Everyone looked at me with their mouths open.

What, why?

‘She indeed bullies me. Am I wrong?’

I proudly tell on Betty.