Capitulo 98

Episode 98

After a while, Karina looked at him with a slightly puzzled expression on her face.

Aster quickly decided to send her back in case she changed her mind.

Then you should go in now.

You came all this way, so you just want to go back?

I don’t think the duke would like it very much if I went.

It was amusing to see Karina’s puzzled face, but I didn’t want to show it to anyone.

After dismissing Karina, who was still looking back, Aster moved to the place he had seen earlier.

Were you waiting?

Your Majesty.

The man revealed in the darkness had eyes full of desire like hers.

I saw my dear brother from afar.

Aster deliberately referred to him as her younger brother.

I wanted to make it clear that this is a private place, not a public one.

I just came to see a friend in the Savon Islands.

A friend. I heard you were heading to the Larensi recently for some urgent work.

At Aster’s words, Andrew wiped away the slight smile that remained on his face.

He seemed to be alone, as if he no longer had anything to hide.

I rushed back because something bad happened to my friend.

He seems to be a very valuable friend. As long as you go back the way you came.

Yes, he is irreplaceable to me.

They clearly knew who they were talking about, and just laughed at each other.

It was Aster who broke the mood of the sudden situation.

I think I will be able to understand the feelings of having such a precious person.

Andrew clasped his hands together.

It was obvious that the person was Karina in the atmosphere.

Did you feel the same way when you got engaged?

A rustling sound was heard.

The Grand Duke’s power flowed out of his jealousy and affected the environment.

Aster smiled and looked at him.

Did you deliberately choose Karina to harass me? If so, please stop.

I don’t know what you’re talking about, Grand Duke. Don’t you already have a wife? It was the wedding of the century. I remember it too.

Andrew, who was believed to be dead or thought to be living elsewhere, took the hand of the Marquis’s lady, and returned to politics in splendid fashion.

Don’t you remember? What a surprise I was when you appeared again hand in hand with the Grand Duchess.

The Grand Duchess…

You really don’t know life, do you? You, who had a face that seemed to have everything in the world, would have changed overnight.

The day after the wedding, Aster, Aster’s expression distorted at the thought of seeing Andrew’s happy face, remembering clearly.

The face of a man who collapsed in despair.

Andrew lost his temper and grabbed Aster by the collar.

He had forgotten that his opponent was the emperor he feared so much.

Why are you doing this, is it just because you hate me, so you’re marrying a woman you don’t even love?

Aster moved and grabbed Andrew’s arm.

Then he slowly pulled his arm away.

Ahg!

He couldn’t beat Aster by force.

Andrew took a step back as if he was running away.

Aster looked at Andrew’s hand he was holding.

His clean, unblemished hands compared to his own.

In a moment ago, he felt inferior to this.

You know, at first, it was half curiosity and half revenge.

You…

But Karina only took my hand for revenge.

It was always a pleasure to see eyes the same color as hers tinged with despair.

You are an evil man.

Well… Aren’t you the evil one when you have your wife and care for another woman?

I never loved Tatiana for a moment.

It’s such a convenient love. It’s called love when you need her, and it’s not when you don’t need her anymore. The princess really wouldn’t like to hear it.

When Karina’s name came up, Andrew took a step back.

You really are a shameless coward.

Aster decided to stop teasing Andrew.

He felt this was enough.

She didn’t have to convince him that he loves her, but she didn’t like him seeing Karina with those greedy eyes.

And who said I don’t love her?

Andrew’s mouth dropped open at Aster’s sarcastic tone.

The brother he knew was a man who hated the feeling of love.

Because he was the one who saw how his father’s obsession had ruined his mother more closely than anyone else.

Really?

There’s no reason not to be sincere.

It’s absurd. If Karina knows about you, then surely…

Duke, we know more about each other than you think.

Aster wiped his wrinkled shirt and grabbed Andrew’s shoulder.

His face contracted as he squeezed his hand.

So this is the last time I’ll forgive something like today.

What are you talking about?

Andrew, who normally would have lowered his tail, didn’t back down easily today.

I’m telling you not to go round and round, didn’t I tell you then? It’s the last thing I’ll let go.

Andrew knew that Aster was in a difficult position to move easily. So he always appeared in front of Karina first.

Aster, who at first thought it might be a feeling of guilt, completely changed his mind after the hunting contest.

You’d better pay more attention to your wife. There are so many incidents these days that she talks a lot, so my head hurts because of her.

When Andrew didn’t respond, Aster patted him on the shoulder a couple of times and turned away.

Andrew said nothing to her and shook his head.

With a mixture of self-loathing, defeat and jealousy, he did nothing.

* * *

Upon returning to the room, I informed my father that I had received a proposal from Aster.

A proposal of marriage?

Yes, an engagement, to be exact.

My father looked at me with a slightly confused face.

Do you really plan to marry his majesty?

You know that well father. Now there are not many people in this empire who can marry me.

Unfortunately, all her former fiancées were strong men.

If I couldn’t find him at home, I had to look abroad, but I didn’t like that idea.

You don’t necessarily have to be married.

My father mumbled a little.

Not long ago, you said I should get married.

What … However, if the Grand Duchess attacks Her Majesty again….

The fact that Tatiana took my fiancé away must also have caused deep distrust in my father.

After all, it was natural for him to even break off the marriage due to Wilhelm’s misconduct after neglecting the engagement.

Your Majesty seems a bit different.

Still, is there no such thing as that?

My engagement in the past has scarred my entire family.

It won’t happen in the future. Don’t worry too much.

I couldn’t explain everything right away, so it was hard for my father to understand.

Seeing his still suspicious face, I sighed.

* * *

The next day.

After checking on my mother’s condition, I headed to the island.

Thanks to Aster who supported me the day I nearly collapsed yesterday, I felt much lighter.

The thought that if my whole family left, she would no longer be on my side was the biggest cause of my anxiety.

The fear that my whole side that made it possible for me to endure so many betrayals would disappear.

It was Aster who erased it.

I had no idea that the existence of someone other than my family believing in me and supporting me would be such a strength.

«Aster is different from other people.»

My mom will definitely get better and the amount of people who believe in me keeps increasing.

So I’ll be fine.

If I remembered the emotions I had when I saw Aster yesterday, I thought I would be able to overcome that anxiety.

[What’s going on?]

Huh? Nothing.

I palmed the cotton ball of worry and looked away.

I was already on the island.

The purification work had already come to an end.

It would probably all be finished by the end of next week.

Lord Matthew should have seen this.

As Chris tearfully reported, my eyes also grew cold.

Hello, Chris! I think you should come and see.

The wizard, who had rushed into the tent, found me and bowed.

What’s going on?

At Chris’s words, the wizard began to speak.

There are traces of ancient civilizations inside the mines.

What? How is that true!

Chris shouted in shock.

Ancient civilization?

When I first heard the story, I asked Chris for an explanation.

It’s a city that has only been passed down as a legend among wizards. It is said that the demigods were destroyed by war, but there was no proof. No related relics have ever been found, and it’s only written in historical records….

He looked at me to see if I wanted to go look right away.

Are you talking about some kind of Atlantis or something?

I’ll go too. I wonder what it is.

Of course, come on. Come this way.

I headed into the cave with them.

The cave was full of all kinds of equipment.

Until yesterday there was no shortage of wizards who could not take their eyes off this seasonal stone.

Perhaps they all went to see the traces of ancient civilization.

After passing through a narrow space through which only one person could pass, a large space appeared.

A large space with a hole in the high ceiling that let in a lot of light.

There were several buildings of the first style I had ever seen in my life.

D, my God!

Chris forgot I was next to him and came in with a fuss.

Fio, who was with me, bowed slightly and I asked.

Do you know anything about this?

[It’s just a civilization that flourished in the past. I heard that all traces of them had disappeared, but I wasn’t sure if they were still there].

Fio didn’t seem to like it at all.

I walked with him to the huge cave paintings the wizards were looking at.

It was full of strange images that could not be accurately described.

«Oh that…»

There was a painting of a human wearing the same bracelet that Tatiana and I had.