Chapter 96

Dante and I looked at each other, so close our lips were almost touching.

A strange tension gripped my entire body.

Suddenly, I had a feeling.

If I closed my eyes right then, Dante would kiss me.

— Anonymous Constellation: Oh my god ㅜㅜ I can die happy now ㅜㅜ

— Anonymous Constellation: I thought I’d backed the wrong horse… but what is this?

— Anonymous Constellation: Astell, the polite thing to do here is close your eyes.

— Anonymous Constellation: She was such a hopeless loner in her past life… I’m so proud of my girl.

[System: An Anonymous Constellation has sponsored 10,000 points.]

“Oh my! Thank you for the 10,000 points. With a cutesy-wootsy, pitter-patter… no, that’s not it!”

I blurted out the automatic reaction before shouting.

“Who are you calling a hopeless loner! Shut up! You’re annoying me, so stop donating!”

“…”

My eyes met Dante’s. I explained calmly.

“You know how I am, right? It’s because I’m mad.”

“Mhm, it’s cute.”

“Don’t try to nuzzle me. And stop caressing my cheek.”

I pulled myself out of Dante’s embrace.

Dante raised an eyebrow and let out a deep sigh.

“We were having such a nice moment.”

“Nothing would have happened anyway. I’m not the type to get easily swept up in the mood.”

“That’s true.”

“You say that like you’ve known me for a long time.”

As I smoothed out my crumpled dress with a smirk, Dante pushed himself up and leaned casually against the bed.

“Then let me get to know you.”

“…Want a fist to the face?”

“Are you offering?”

“…”

His fever had gone down, but in its place, his usual perverted personality had returned.

But I knew now. This wasn’t Dante’s true self. He was hiding himself.

“Your Highness is much more charming when you’re sick.”

“Oh, I think my chest is starting to hurt. You’d better nurse me back to health.”

“Sigh, I meant I liked how honest you were when you were sick… Don’t try faking it, it won’t work. From now on, I won’t care if you’re sick or not.”

“That’s harsh. We’re lovers, after all.”

“Fake lovers, that is. And speaking of which, once you’re feeling better, you need to come to the guild. We have to put on a show of you joining in front of everyone.”

“All you think about is working me to the bone.”

“Oh, didn’t you know? I made this contract with the full intention of working you like a dog. You’ve gotten yourself into a real mess with me, Your Highness.”

When I lifted my chin and spoke arrogantly, Dante’s eyes curved into a gentle smile.

‘Th-this isn’t right. I expected him to have a slick comeback…’

I hid my embarrassment by opening the window.

A glance outside revealed no one passing by; it seemed I could slip out quietly.

Of course, now that I’d been discovered, it wouldn’t be a problem to leave through the main gate, but I didn’t want to attract any unnecessary attention.

“I should get going. Your fever isn’t completely gone, so get a good night’s sleep. And make sure to pull up the covers.”

“Astell.”

“Yes?”

Dante leaped off the bed and strode toward me. He then grabbed the wide-open window and hesitated for a moment.

“Is there something you want to say?”

“Don’t go.”

He was being sincere.

It came from a place of not wanting to be left alone in this place where no one ever came.

“I have to.”

“…”

Dante didn’t insist, nor did he try to tempt me.

Whether he was used to giving up or accustomed to rejection, he simply let go of the window and slowly backed away.

“Farewell, Princess.”

I left him behind and jumped out the window.

As I crossed the empty rear garden, I glanced back and saw the window was shut tight.

‘Has he always been alone like that?’

I stood there for a moment before leaving the Imperial Palace.

The road back to the mansion felt unusually long today.

* * *

When I entered the mansion, the servants’ mood was strange. The air was thicker than usual with tension and caution.

I handed my robe to Zenia and asked.

“Did something happen?”

“I just heard myself, but it seems nobles have been visiting all day.”

“To see the Duke?”

“Yes, but…”

“But what?”

Zenia hesitated, then lowered her voice.

“They said the atmosphere was tense. I heard shouting coming from the reception room.”

“…Is that so?”

Why would nobles who had never bothered to show their faces before suddenly come to visit Duke Ruthius?

I quickly changed out of my dress and went downstairs.

Alex, who was standing in front of the dining room, shot me a glare and whispered.

“Where have you been!”

“Why ask when you already know?”

“Did you really climb the palace wall? To meet the Second Prince?”

“Yes.”

“You’re really out of your mind. Do you want to get thrown in prison again? What are you going to do if the Emperor finds out!”

“I handled myself just fine, so could you please stop nagging?”

“Handled it well? Yeah, right!”

Alex, who had flared up, glanced toward the dining room and clenched his jaw.

It seemed Duke Ruthius was waiting in the dining room. Sensing the situation, I lowered my voice.

“What’s wrong?”

“You don’t even check the bulletin board?”

“What was posted on the bulletin board?”

“You and the Second Prince are on there… Ugh, I seriously can’t believe it.”

“What are you talking about?”

I opened the public bulletin board, where a new post had appeared.

— <Clip> The Midan Couple’s Steamy Live Feed: Stay wif me (♥295)

— <Clip> The Midan Couple’s Steamy Live Feed: Now this is top-tier nursing (♥387)

Two short video clips among the new posts caught my eye.

‘The Constellations didn’t do some unholy edit, did they?’

I checked the videos, but the content was innocuous.

It was just a scene of Dante pulling me close and asking me to stay, and another of me wiping his face with a wet towel.

‘It came out well.’

I calculated the number of likes on both posts as points and asked.

“By the way, what’s ‘Midan’?”

“It’s a portmanteau of ‘Mad Princess’ and Dante.”

“Why am I ‘Mad Princess’ and not my name?”

“Is that what you’re worried about right now? How are you going to handle this!”

“The Second Prince and I are publicly a couple. Isn’t this sort of thing pretty tame for lovers? The *really* risqué parts were left out, so don’t overreact.”

“You, you… Wait! What do you mean, *really* risqué parts?”

Oops.

I dodged Alex’s interrogation by slipping into the dining room.

“Hey, hey! Get back here!”

“What are you two doing out there?”

Duke Ruthius stared coldly at Alex and me.

Alex, who had been hot on my heels, froze and quickly bowed his head.

“…S-Sorry.”

“Astell, have a seat. You too, Alex.”

“Yes, Father.”

As Alex and I took our seats, the servants began to serve the meal.

As I was smiling contentedly at the food, as always, Duke Ruthius unfolded his napkin and spoke casually.

“I heard you’ve gathered quite a few guild members.”

“Not bad for the first day.”

“I see.”

Alex, sitting between us, glanced back and forth between me and the Duke.

“…Is that it?”

“Is there anything else I should know?”

“Alex, did you have something to say?”

“You could boast a little more, in greater detail… Never mind.”

As he fell silent with a sulk, Duke Ruthius continued.

“I hear His Majesty plans to make the Second Prince the Crown Prince.”

“Is that so?”

“You’re not surprised. Did you already know?”

“Ah, did I not mention it?”

I told him about the deal I had made with the Emperor regarding the third gate raid.

Duke Ruthius, who had been listening quietly, let out a long sigh.

“Even if the Second Prince is chosen as Crown Prince, it won’t last long.”

“Why not?”

“Because the Emperor will pretend to yield to the nobles’ backlash and name the First Prince as Crown Prince instead. Once the nobles make their move, everything will revert to the way it was.”

“Why do the nobles hate the Second Prince so much?”

“The nobles have no personal feelings for the Second Prince. It’s just that there is much to be gained when the First Prince becomes Emperor.”

“Ah…”

“The mood among the nobles is not good. They even came to me, asking me to join in signing a petition against the Second Prince.”

So that’s why the nobles had visited.

For them to ask Duke Ruthius to sign a petition against the Second Prince, even though I was his lover…

“They must have been truly desperate. So, what did you say?”

“I told them to pay me back.”

“…Pay you back?”

Duke Ruthius took an elegant sip of wine, a faint smile on his lips.