Chapter 148
Walnut pie, Kylus’s favorite.
It’s always good to bring a small gift when trying to get something from someone.
To naturally improve the atmosphere.
Alice turned to Aileen with a brightened face.
“Aileen, didn’t the Duke say he’d return before dinner today?”
“Yes. I heard he told the butler so.”
He was coming early today due to her request that he leave the Imperial Palace earlier than usual.
With about five hours until Kylus would arrive… plenty of time to visit Hakun.
Alice smiled and said to Aileen:
“I need to go out. Please prepare for me, Aileen.”
Kylus returned from the palace before dinner as she had requested.
Alice greeted him with a brighter smile than usual.
Kylus hesitated momentarily, but soon responded with a gentle smile, took her hand, and headed to the dining room.
Thus, Alice enjoyed dinner with Sienna, Kylus, and all members of the Dearrut household after a long time.
But Alice didn’t bring up the First Prince during the meal.
It wasn’t because Sienna was present.
There were many servants attending in the dining room, so she hadn’t planned to talk about it there from the beginning.
So when would she discuss it?
Right now, as night had fallen and everything had quieted down.
Alice was heading toward Kylus’s bedroom carrying a silver tray.
On the tray were walnut pie, Kylus’s favorite, and wine.
‘This should be the perfect dessert to accompany an important conversation.’
When Alice finally reached Kylus’s bedroom, she smiled and was about to knock when she paused.
She realized she had no hand free to knock with.
Ah… darn it.
‘I should have let Aileen bring it when she was insisting.’
“…Can I manage with one hand?”
Alice murmured softly as she tried to balance the tray with just one hand. But as if to say it was impossible, the wine and wineglass tilted to one side.
At an angle that suggested they would fall any moment,
“Eek!”
Alice made a strange sound as she hurriedly steadied the tray.
And at that moment, the door swung open and Kylus appeared.
“Who’s there?”
With a sword in hand.
He had mistaken Alice’s strange noise for that of an intruder.
Kylus immediately pulled back his sword when he saw Alice standing awkwardly in front of the door.
“Alice…”
“Haha. Your Grace.”
Alice gave an awkward laugh.
This wasn’t how she had planned their encounter.
Kylus’s gaze dropped slightly. He saw the silver tray in her hands.
“What is that? No, why are you carrying such a thing yourself? Where is Aileen?”
“Ah, Aileen wanted to bring it, but I stubbornly insisted on carrying it myself.”
Alice hastily replied, afraid that Aileen might get in trouble under Kylus’s sharp gaze.
“Even so…”
“I wanted to talk with Your Grace alone. You heard from the butler that I wanted to see you, right?”
Instead of answering, Kylus sheathed his sword and extended a hand toward Alice.
Then he took the silver tray from her, which had bothered him from the start.
Holding the silver tray steadily with one hand, Kylus said:
“I heard. That you had something important to discuss. Please come in.”
As Kylus stepped aside, Alice entered.
Kylus’s bedroom.
It was a place as familiar to her as her own bedroom, since she had been here more than once or twice.
“Please make yourself—”
“Comfortable?”
Alice sat down on the sofa first, giving Kylus a playful smile.
She was trying to change the awkward atmosphere from their encounter at the door.
But for some reason, Kylus’s response was utterly flat. No, it was a stiff response that made Alice feel somewhat embarrassed.
“Yes.”
After his brief answer, he placed the silver tray on the table and sat across from Alice.
His face showed not even the faintest smile.
The atmosphere had definitely been good until they were in the dining room.
‘Why does he suddenly seem angry…?’
‘Could it be because I carried the silver tray myself?’
Just as Alice was bewildered by the suddenly heavy atmosphere, his red lips parted.
“This is… Hakun’s walnut pie.”
At that moment, Alice saw it.
A slight wavering in Kylus’s previously rigid expression as he looked at the walnut pie.
‘I was right to prepare something he likes.’
Alice quickly spoke, not missing his momentary change:
“Yes, that’s right.”
Kylus raised his gaze to look at her.
Alice deliberately added in a bright voice, trying to lighten his somber mood:
“You love this walnut pie, don’t you? So I went and bought it myself. My little bribe for you, you might say?”
She mixed in a bit of humor and even gave him a wink.
She had swallowed her embarrassment and tried to be cute.
But Kylus’s reaction was completely different from what she had expected.
Far from smiling, he stiffened his expression even more.
‘What’s going on…?’ She had expected him to laugh lightly at her playfulness, as he always did.
Kylus had always been that way. He always pretended not to notice even when he knew, and even accepted her shameless brazenness as if it were cute.
But why was he now setting his face as if he had seen something unpleasant?
‘Was I trying too hard to be cute?’
Right now, Kylus was so unresponsive that Alice felt embarrassed.
Moreover, his gaze had sunk even deeper than before.
By this point, it didn’t seem like he was simply upset about Alice carrying the heavy silver tray herself.
‘Did something happen?’
She wondered if he had received some bad news after dinner.
How unfortunate that his mood was so poor just when she needed to discuss the First Prince.
‘The timing is terrible,’ she thought to herself, but she had no intention of turning back.
‘If a woman draws a sword, she must cut something.’
If the atmosphere wasn’t right for a light conversation, she could simply change her approach and speak seriously.
Alice put away her light smile and cleared her throat with a “hmm.”
First, trying to freshen the awkward air, she spoke to Kylus in a casual manner:
“You seem to be in quite a bad mood. Would you like a glass of your favorite wine first? The butler said this is the wine you enjoy most.”
Alice reached for the wine bottle. At that moment, Kylus, who had been silent, stopped her hand.
“What if you hurt yourself? Let me do it.”
Despite his rigid face, he gently pushed her hand away and picked up the wine opener.
And he easily removed the cork from the wine bottle. He poured the first glass and handed it to her.
“Thank you.”
“It’s made from grapes produced in the south, so it’s less bitter than other wines. It should suit your taste.”
‘His expression is still stiff, yet his words are so kind.’
‘Has his mood improved a bit?’
Alice watched Kylus pouring wine into his own glass and lifted hers for a small sip.
Since she didn’t particularly like alcohol, she intended only to taste it out of courtesy.
“Mmm… this is delicious?”
Just as Kylus had said, it tasted better than expected, making Alice’s golden eyes sparkle.
As Alice was sipping the wine like a rabbit wetting its throat, she widened her eyes seeing Kylus down his wine in one shot.
She had thought his mood had improved a bit, but perhaps not.
The sight of him gulping down the wine, his Adam’s apple bobbing, was quite powerful and sexy, but it was a rough demeanor unlike him.
It was as if he couldn’t control his emotions.
Even when slicing through assassins, he hadn’t shown this much emotion.
Seeing Kylus’s unsettling mood, something she had never witnessed before, Alice thought:
‘It seems I should put away the sword I’ve drawn.’
‘I can cut something next time.’
Just as she decided she should get up, Kylus placed his empty wine glass on the table.
And he stared at Alice with intense eyes.
Alice involuntarily flinched, then Kylus let out a low sigh and spoke:
“I dislike both seeing you read my mood and causing you to make unnecessary efforts, so I’ll speak first.”
“What?”
Alice didn’t immediately understand Kylus’s words and asked back.
Kylus immediately clarified her confusion:
“I know that your important matter is related to the First Prince.”
Alice’s eyes widened. She hadn’t yet mentioned even the first syllable of “Latrang,” let alone the First Prince.
“How did you…?”
“Ruyd informed me. That Alice had a private audience with Count Latrang yesterday.”
“…”
“And after hearing today that Count Latrang suddenly presented his family heirloom to the Third Prince and swore loyalty, I was certain. That you had made a deal with the Count regarding the First Prince’s life.”
“Ah…”
Only then did Alice let out a sigh of realization.
Kylus apologized solemnly:
“…I’m sorry for having Ruyd report your activities to me without your permission.”
The sincerity was evident in Kylus’s gesture as he slightly lowered his gaze, as if bowing his head.
Alice shook her head lightly, as if it weren’t a big deal, and said:
“It’s all right. I know that Your Grace didn’t give such an order to Sir Ostein to monitor my every move. You were worried about me, weren’t you?”
Honestly, considering the events she had been involved in until now, she could fully understand why Kylus had given such an order to Ruyd.
After all, the reason Ruyd had been assigned as her escort in the first place was because the Empress had sent assassins.
He must have told Ruyd to keep an eye on her, fearing something else might happen to her.
Moreover, since Count Latrang had ignored procedure and courtesy by requesting a private audience yesterday, Ruyd would naturally have taken it seriously.
That’s why he would have reported to Kylus.
Anyway, if Kylus already knew what she was going to say… there was no need to postpone it.
“Thank you for understanding.”
Kylus, who had raised his gaze, met Alice’s eyes.
But despite his sincere apology, Alice’s fingertips flinched at Kylus’s eyes, which still seemed deeply troubled.
‘Is it my imagination that his mood seems to be getting worse?’
‘What’s the problem?’
As Alice curled her fingertips amidst the tense atmosphere, she suddenly realized.
Why Kylus’s mood was so poor.
