Chapter 25
“You Did Well, Good Girl”
Kardin’s gaze darkened, as if urging her to answer.
In the end, Anette forced herself to speak.
“Um… is it because I upset Your Grace…?”
“Ha.”
Because she wasn’t confident in her answer, her voice rose at the end like a question. In response, a disbelieving laugh came back at her.
Anette’s eyes drooped slightly.
Kardin closed his eyes for a moment, steadying his breathing, before speaking.
“The reason I was upset is because it seems like you don’t think about your own body at all.”
“……”
But Anette looked completely unable to understand.
Feeling as though there was a long road ahead, Kardin let out a sigh, then began to explain again with patient sincerity, as though teaching a child.
“You did well to ask for a means to protect yourself. But with that very tool, you cut your own palm without hesitation.”
“……”
“And on top of that, you grabbed a sword with that hand and rushed into an incredibly dangerous situation.”
“……”
“You didn’t even realize you were bleeding like this. That’s why I was so unbearably upset.”
At Kardin’s words, Anette stared blankly for a moment.
Thanks to his detailed explanation, she finally understood why he had been acting so displeased.
However, she still didn’t know what to say, or even what kind of expression to make.
“If you truly feel sorry toward me, then from now on, please treat yourself as someone precious. For now… I won’t ask you to say you’re in pain first.”
All she could do was nod almost unconsciously at Kardin’s earnest voice.
After pouring out everything he wanted to say, Kardin lowered his gaze again.
Then, as if handling something invaluable, he carefully began to unwrap the bloodstained bandage. Seeing his cautious touch, Anette flinched.
It clearly wasn’t a deep wound, and she hadn’t even noticed it bleeding, yet wherever Kardin’s hands touched, it felt as though she were being burned.
When she unconsciously tried to clench her fist again, Kardin asked,
“Does it hurt?”
“No… only a little.”
Anette, who had been about to deny it out of habit, remembered what Kardin had said earlier and admitted it in a small voice.
In that instant, Kardin was so moved he felt as if his breath might stop.
It was like witnessing a baby take its very first step.
“You did well. Good girl.”
Hearing such unexpected praise, Anette shrank back slightly.
‘This is strange.’
The injury was on her hand, yet now her ears felt hot. That wasn’t all. Her heart was beating wildly, as if completely out of her control.
‘Why on earth am I like this…?’
“Ahem, ahem!”
At that moment, a sound interrupted them, and Anette snapped back to her senses.
She hurriedly turned around to see Lucius half-turned away, clearing his throat awkwardly, while Charlotte stood with an uncomfortable smile, covering her son’s eyes.
Looking at Mikhail, who was waving his arms and repeatedly calling, “Mother! Father!” as if frustrated, Anette froze in shock.
For a brief moment, she had completely forgotten that the Emperor, Empress, and Crown Prince were all still there.
She couldn’t believe she had actually done that.
At the same time, realizing they must have heard her entire conversation with Kardin made her unbearably embarrassed.
Starting from her ears, Anette’s entire face turned bright red.
Lucius, who had been staring off into the distance, stopped clearing his throat and asked,
“Are you finished talking?”
“For now.”
Without even looking at Lucius, Kardin answered calmly while carefully rewrapping Anette’s bandage, then added in a gentle voice,
“It seems you’ll need to see a physician again.”
“…Yes.”
At the instant change in his tone, Lucius’s mouth fell open.
Despite such an obvious shift in attitude, the princess seemed too absorbed in her own embarrassment to notice at all.
Feeling a headache coming on, Lucius pressed a hand to his forehead and realized that the heat in his face wasn’t just his imagination. His cheeks were genuinely warm.
Strictly speaking, Kardin hadn’t whispered sweet nothings to Anette.
But his honey-dripping gaze, his voice as soft as melted chocolate, and the blatant affection in his words… combined with the unfamiliar atmosphere—it was all extremely… awkward.
Yes. It was probably because of that strange atmosphere that the imperial couple, who had initially been flustered when Kardin cut Anette off, had hurriedly looked away or covered their son’s eyes.
…Though, thinking back on it now, perhaps they should have covered his ears instead.
In any case, Lucius had thought watching Kardin with the princess would be amusing, but instead it was oddly uncomfortable.
No matter how he thought about it, Kardin should have been embarrassed like Anette. So why did the onlookers feel more awkward instead?
Lucius realized anew that his younger brother was far more shameless than expected.
He had also mistakenly believed that Kardin would at least act shy in front of a woman he liked.
If he asked Kardin whether he wasn’t embarrassed acting like that in front of others, his brother would surely respond with something infuriating like, “What’s there to be embarrassed about?”
Lucius shook his head inwardly and let out a hollow laugh.
Just then—
“Now then, Mikhail. Shall we continue the conversation from earlier?”
Charlotte, removing her hands from Mikhail’s eyes, asked her son, who was staring blankly at Kardin and Anette.
Only then did Mikhail seem to remember his situation, and his face stiffened.
“M-Mother… I was wrong…”
“No. Repeat what you said earlier.”
“…What?”
“You said it to the Marquess’s daughter, didn’t you? That you’d abandon your family, give up the position of Crown Prince, and become a son-in-law of the Marquess household. Didn’t you?”
“……”
Mikhail couldn’t bring himself to answer and lowered his head.
Seeing his reaction—essentially an admission—the Emperor, who hadn’t known these details, gaped in shock.
Kardin, who had been trying to leave the garden quickly with Anette, suddenly froze with an uneasy feeling.
Charlotte’s gaze, which had seemed to be scolding Mikhail, was now aimed directly at Kardin.
“To give up everything for the sake of the person you love… Mikhail, I wonder who taught you such a thing?”
Kardin swallowed hard and parted his lips.
“Surely the Grand Duke of Hargent didn’t say something like that, did he? The Empire’s most loyal subject wouldn’t have said something so disloyal to the Crown Prince, would he?”
“……”
Understanding the situation, Lucius pressed his forehead again and groaned softly.
“Kardin…”
In truth, both Lucius and Charlotte knew Kardin’s character well and had never doubted his loyalty. They could even guess his intentions.
But the careless words he had spoken had influenced Mikhail, the future emperor, in the wrong direction—and that couldn’t be overlooked.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince, I spoke out of turn. Everything is my fault, so if you must blame someone, please punish this disloyal servant.”
Before things escalated further, Kardin stepped forward.
Charlotte’s gaze sharpened.
“Uncle…”
Realizing the seriousness of the situation and his own irresponsibility, Mikhail began to tear up.
Seeing his nephew on the verge of crying, Kardin softened and called him gently.
“Nephew.”
At that single word, Mikhail’s face crumpled. Before he could burst into tears, Kardin quickly continued.
“Do you remember what I said before that?”
“Before?”
Mikhail tilted his head, unable to recall.
Kardin patted the boy’s head.
“I told you that in order to protect the person you love and make them happy, you need power.”
Not just physical strength, but wealth, authority, and status.
“B-But the last part is what matters…”
“That’s true. People often become so obsessed with gaining power that they forget their original purpose.”
That was why he had said one must be prepared to give up anything for the sake of the person they love.
“But if you threw everything away and left like that, would you be able to protect the young lady? Would that truly make her happy?”
Remembering Audrey’s confused expression, Mikhail shook his head glumly.
“Then you were only doing what you wanted. Right?”
“…Yes.”
“And hurting your family in the process.”
Everything Kardin said was correct.
Mikhail lowered his head deeply.
Watching his son, Lucius let out a quiet sigh.
After all, it was he—not Kardin—who had raised and taught Mikhail.
Unable to hide his disappointment, Lucius spoke.
“Mikhail, I clearly taught you that the Alkan Empire and its people are also those you must cherish and love for your entire life.”
“……”
“Yet you were ready to abandon them so easily. Honestly, I’m disappointed. Did the position of Crown Prince mean so little to you?”
“N-No, that’s not…”
He had never taken the role lightly.
But in the end, his father wasn’t wrong. Whether he had thought long or not, he had still tried to abandon his position.
“I was wrong. But…”
Mikhail, pouting as if deeply hurt, squeezed his eyes shut and shouted,
“If being Crown Prince means I have to marry a woman I don’t even like, then I don’t want it! I don’t mind studying every day, reading books, debating, or training my body. I’d even fight and die for the Empire if I had to! But this—I absolutely hate this!”
