Married To The Enemy Kingdom's Illegitimate Prince-Chapter 24— I Loved It

"Where is my personal servant?" Cynthia demanded, hearing no response from the butler.

"You," she pointed towards the young girl trembling like a leaf on a windy branch.

"S-she said that... I-I mean... t-the head maid a-appointed her as t-the grand duke’s maid," the brown-haired maid barely managed to say despite her constant stammering.

Cynthia nodded.

"I have no say in this matter, is that what it means, Philip?" the silver-haired young woman turned to face the middle-aged man who flinched at her words.

"I-it certainly isn’t like that, Your Highness. It’s... just Elise is still young... She has been raised as the grand duke’s friend from a young age. She always considered him as the person she should serve. It wouldn’t be fair to force her to change her master overnight..." Philip fidgetted his hand nervously as he spoke.

Once he finished, he inhaled deeply to then sighed in relief when he didn’t hear Cynthia yelling as he expected her to do.

Although she remained unexpectedly calm, Philip heard the rumours surrounding her and was anticipating a harsh remark from her.

A villainess.

Rude.

Spoiled Princess.

Harsh.

Abuses her servants.

Inhuman.

There were countless words used to describe her however as he hadn’t witnessed such behaviour in her, he couldn’t judge her just yet. As someone who had served Prince Lucian for years, he wasn’t one who could solely base his opinion on someone from rumours.

Rather, the day when the grand duchess asked him politely about the library’s whereabouts, he was taken aback by her flawless posture, her speech and voice tone.

"She had everything in her to be a duchess!" That was his thought that day.

Although, the grand duke wouldn’t let anyone address her as such in the mansion.

To Philip, who watched Lucian grow in front of him, neglected and kept away from any source of love and affection, the grand duke was no less than someone to pity rather than fear.

The servants whom he watched neglect the young prince were now trying to cling to him for favors. Their eyes, once filled with disgust due to his origins, would now twinkle with envy and greed at the sight of the grand duke.

Clearing her throat, Cynthia took a seat on the chair and flipped her hair on her back.

"It has been a while since my hair was done. Why don’t you start with this?" She grinned, turning towards the group of maids who promptly nodded and rushed to assist the grand duchess.

"It seems like there won’t be any issue. The grand duchess seems to be a mature young lady," Philip sighed in relief, watching the maids assist the silver-haired young lady.

***

"Your Highness!" With a grin on her face, Cynthia stood before Lucian.

She was unable to find him for the past week. Whenever she would inquire about his whereabouts, the only reply she would receive was, "He went to fight the demons."

The response would vary depending on days. Sometimes it was monsters that appeared in the forest, sometimes at some lake which’s name mattered less to Cynthia to remember, or anywhere else.

"You..." The dark-haired young man averted his gaze as soon as Cynthia’s silhouette appeared out of the shadows, letting out a deep breath.

He was on his way to meet a witness of the poisoning that took place a week earlier. It took him a while to find any clues which could lead to the person behind it, but now Princess Cynthia was blocking his way!

"Yes, me?"

"You seem to be doing well now. I thought you said you might get paralyzed," Lucian paused before continuing. "Was that... a lie?"

"Not that I expect you to be an honest person," he mumbled but his voice was audible enough for Cynthia to hear him.

"I did precisely, I might not be able to move my arms forever. Not that I will not be able to," the silver-haired young woman’s lips nearly touched each corner of her mouth yet her violet eyes remained empty.

Although he hated the sight of her, Lucian gently lifted his gaze to glance at her face for a moment before averting his eyes once again.

Does she take me for a fool who can’t distinguish between real smiles and fake ones?

With a clicking sound of his tongue, Lucian stepped to his left to continue his way.

Upon feeling a tight grip around his wrist, he glared at the person behind him— Princess Cynthia.

With a firm expression, the young lady locked eyes with Lucian.

"Your Highness. Aren’t you being a little too rude? No matter what, I am your wife!"

The dark-haired man’s expression shifted from a surprised one to an angered one. He didn’t like anyone touching him— much less a woman he wanted to kill, had he not been bound to her by a political marriage.

Clenching his jaw, Lucian turned to face Cynthia and parted his lips, breaking the silence which lasted briefly.

"My wife, you say? Well I have never asked for you to be my wife. You knew very well that had it not been for the peace of my country, I would never have agreed to this relationship where there is nothing but anguish and loathing. Don’t you hate me too? I have surely killed people you cherished while I was on the battlefield."

Hearing this, Cynthia’s grip around Lucian’s wrist slowly loosened and soon her hand slipped away from his warm skin.

"But... you... did it because we were in a war. And... in a war, you need to kill your enemies in order to survive. I can understand!" Cynthia’s lips curled into a smile although her voice trembled as she spoke.

The dark-haired man shook his head in disbelief.

Was she truly trying to justify his actions?

But he couldn’t possibly let her assume his hatred was due to the war— and not that he truly despised Eldorians.

"No, Your Highness. I loved it. I loved killing them. It was my greatest joy," Lucian forced those words although he didn’t mean them.

Seeing people die didn’t bring him joy. Rather, every time he would see blood, he was reminded of a silhouette lying lifelessly in a red bloody pond.

Having no reaction from the young woman standing before him, he stepped away slowly.

"Your Highness!" Cynthia shouted.

"Lucian!"

"I mean, Prince Lucian!?"

Despite the voice calling out his name, Lucian didn’t halt. As he stepped further, the voice began to fade in the long corridors of the vaste mansion.

Why do I need to run into her? I’m sure I heard this mansion is big enough to not meet the same servant more than five to six times...

He sighed, fading into the distance.

Cynthia, who watched his figure fade in the hallway, sighed.

Control. Control. Control.

She repeated to herself. She couldn’t show her true self to him yet.

"Although... I also want to kill you, Lucian," she whispered, a tear running down her cheek as the scene of a lifeless figure laying on the deserted battlefield flashed through her mind.

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