The Grand Duchess Is Defeated Again Today

114 – [Abduction] The prince is tired today too.(4)

“·······Ho-oh.”

“Why do you do that, Your Highness?”

“Have you read this newspaper?”

He lightly tossed the newspaper, and Albert, who caught it, gave him a slight nod.

“······It’s me and the princess’s knight.”

“Suddenly people seem to have noticed that your relationship has improved.”

This was somewhat expected.

Aristocrats are always thirsty for gossip.

With the exception of the imperial family, there was no way to ignore the story of the Valencian Duke’s family, the most influential family in the empire.

Albert scratched his head in disbelief.

“······But isn’t that a bit exaggerated?”

“Are you exaggerating?”

“It’s true that the princess and I meet more often than before… But as the article says, our relationship isn’t close.”

“Most of the original noble newspapers are false, so understand.”

With nobles who like provocative gossip.

An aristocratic newspaper that writes articles without checking the authenticity if it is provocative.

It was an unavoidable situation that occurred because everyone was wrong and twisted.

“Shouldn’t I at least ask for the article to be taken down?”

“Is there a need for that?”

“But…”

“If the article was harmful to you, Princess Rebecca would have taken care of it.”

It wasn’t a lie.

There was no way that Rebecca Valencia would let everyone read an article that was harmful to her.

Perhaps if it was an article that really caused damage to me, the place where this newspaper was published would have been erased from the Empire.

“So, put your trust in your fiancée and wait. Your fiancée may be a little weird in her personality, but she’s good at getting things done.”

“······I have nothing to do with Your Highness’ remarks.”

“Except what else. Originally, the one who always shares opinions is the existence of a friend.”

“····.”

At his irresponsible words, Albert gave a puzzled look.

“By the way, this is not a joke.”

He was kind of sincere.

Originally, it is a friend’s role to bear the burden of hard work together.

At least he thought so.

It was absolutely not because I was afraid of being scolded by Princess Rebecca alone.

“I’m more worried about that, but aren’t you saying that if the princess finds out, you’ll take me as an accomplice?”

“Gongja. I’ve said it before, but don’t worry, it’s a friend who bears the burden of hard work with you.”

“····.”

“By the way, it reminded me of hard work. Has the pain gotten better?”

“Yes?”

“I heard that you were seriously ill a while ago.”

“······Has it been passed on to Your Highness?”

Alber’s expression when he said that was oddly sad.

“You don’t have to worry. It always happens around this time of year.”

“It’s so believable that a person who vomited blood while playing chess yesterday said such a story.”

“······I understand you don’t believe it, but it’s true. I’ve always been stuck in bed around this time of year.”

“A princess?”

“Yes?”

“Has your fiancée said nothing about her fiancée’s illness?”

Apart from believing Albert’s words that he was fine, he was curious about Rebecca’s reaction.

Princess Rebecca, who has never been able to reach her fiancé because of her wrong first button.

I wondered how Princess Rebecca would have reacted to the news that her fiancé was ill.

At his question, Albert gave a slightly puzzled expression.

“······You sent us a letter.”

“The letter? That Rebecca Balenciaga?”

“Yes.”

“Can you show it? Oh, if there is a personal story written on it, you don’t have to show it, so don’t feel pressured.”

“If you talk like that, who the hell won’t be burdened… No. There’s nothing I can’t show you, so I’ll show you.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

It was a letter written by Princess Rebecca herself to her fiancé who was ill.

She is known to the world as a princess like an ice rose, and in reality it was a letter from Rebecca Valencia, who was cold to others.

I can’t wait to see what will be written on it…

To Prince Albert Xernias.

You can’t compete if you’re sick.

Should someone who has never defeated me be sick?

I won’t call you until I hear that you’ve gotten better, so take care of yourself.

– Rebecca Valencia

“····.”

“Are you disappointed?”

“······It’s more like wonder than disappointment.”

These words came from the fullest sincerity, without the slightest hint of lies.

That’s right, because the contents of the letter really exceeded his common sense.

“Does the princess consider you her fiancé?”

“Since you thought so, you must have sent the letter like this…”

“Does this look like a letter from her fiancee to her fiancé?”

“····.”

Alber’s mouth was firmly shut as if he knew it.

The letter sent by the princess was never a letter that could be exchanged in an engagement relationship.

“Well, this is not a challenge to you to fight.”

“······Not necessarily.”

“I don’t know what the hell it’s not like. No matter how I read it, I can only interpret it that way.”

I’d rather send a letter to someone I’ve never met before than this.

Because I’ll at least be polite to opponents I’ve never seen before.

Alber defended Rebecca as best he could.

“The princess must have sent me this letter out of concern for me.”

“······Sent such a letter out of concern?”

“Yes. I think so.”

“Haa. Are you covering it up as a fiancée, or are you just a nice person?”

“Isn’t it natural for a fiancé to take care of his fiancee?”

“That’s true, but shouldn’t you take care of your body first?”

“I always take care of my body.”

“······Stop arguing.”

It seemed there would be no point in arguing any more.

No matter what he said, the friend in front of him didn’t seem to change his mind at all.

If that was the relationship and feelings between the two, it was true that the third party had no place to intervene.

It would be much better to tell a different story.

“This is the end of the letter story, are you feeling okay?”

“As I said before, it always happens around this time of year…”

“Don’t get away with it, saying it always happens. Specifically, what is your current physical condition?”

“·······Not good.”

I asked again just in case.

As expected, Albert’s condition was never good.

“It’s true that I always get sick around this time of year, but this time I feel worse than ever.”

“Who knows about this?”

“My parents and a priest from the church who visits me regularly to treat me. And now, there are three of them, including His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“······Hmm.”

It was only natural that Count Xernias and his wife knew.

Of course, the person who will notice that their child is sick faster than anyone else is the child’s parents.

And the priest of the church.

I don’t know why, but the name of the church’s priest that came out of my friend’s mouth was strangely annoying.

“Didn’t the priest say that he always visits you to treat you?”

“… You did.”

“What did you say that made you stutter?”

“He said that since this time is the worst, he should be treated directly at the church instead of visiting treatment.”

Obviously, it wasn’t a strange statement.

It was a very normal thing for a patient to visit the church and receive treatment.

Rather, it was abnormal to receive visit treatment.

Unless you are closely related to the church or spend that much money, visiting treatment is usually out of the question.

I’m sure the priest’s words are reasonable, and there’s nothing wrong with them.

“······What do you plan to do?”

“I’m thinking of visiting him once. I think my condition is too bad.”

Why did Albert’s words of going to the church following the priest’s words bother him so much?

It was like a warning.

A warning sent to instinct by his intuition, who has lived as a crown prince until now.

“······Well, it wouldn’t be bad to visit once. There’s nothing to lose.”

However, the words that finally came out of his mouth were positive answers.

Alber’s condition didn’t look good enough to make a conclusion based on intuition.

The words written in Princess Rebecca’s letter that he would not see him until he was well were blocking his intuition.

“When I return to church and become well, the princess will call me back.”

“····.”

“If that’s the case, this time I’ll win the match against the princess.”

Unable to understand his confused thoughts, Albert expressed his confidence as if he was burning with a competitive spirit.

“······Yes, I really hope you win this time.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

He smiled a little, still unable to get rid of his uneasy feeling.

He smiled as if he was twisted and forced.

The next day.

The news reached his ears that Albert Zernias had gone to the church to receive treatment alone.

And there was no news after that.

There is also a story that the Young master of the Xernias family has returned to the mansion, and a story that his sickly body has become well.

Not a single word reached him.

Very uneasy.