Published at 26th of July 2019 01:45:06 PM
Chapter 29: 29
Chapter 29 – Heinley’s Rage (2)
Despite the anger on Sovieshu’s face, Prince Heinley looked unimpressed .
“I’m sure Rashta wrote those letters . She was confused for a moment . The contents can be confusing, can’t they?”
“Does it make sense to confuse half the contents of the letters?”
Sovieshu turned even redder the face . Princess Soju was riveted on them as if she were entertained, and she set down her fork and started eating cookies as she were watching a play .
“Goodness…So Lady Rashta has a poor brain? Ten things, half forgotten? If her wit is the issue, then I’ll admit my wrong . ”
In an instant, the atmosphere turned ugly . I could only hear the sound of Princess Soju eating the cookies . With her lively and dependable personality, she showed her curiosity to the fullest extent .
“Am I the strange one here, everyone? The lady sitting here, Rashta, called herself my friend yesterday . I believed it because I thought that a famous lady like Rashta wouldn’t lie, and I spent all day honoring her . And as Princess Soju put it, I was as soft as a human custard . ”
Princess Soju flinched .
‘Prince Heinley has good ears . ’
“That’s right . ”
The Princess automatically sided with Prince Heinley in return for him calling her out . Prince Heinley looked around and spoke again .
“But there was something strange during our conversation . Lady Rashta didn’t know more than half of what she has exchanged with me . She knew nothing about our recent exchanges . Isn’t it strange that she doesn’t know half the contents, as well as the contents from only one or two letters ago? Lady Rashta’s maid didn’t know that as well . ”
Everyone nodded, and Rashta’s ears turned red . Sovieshu glared at Prince Heinley as if he could shoot lightning from his eyes .
“Enough of this, Prince Heinley . ”
“It was supposed to be a quiet matter, but it was the Emperor of the Eastern Empire that brought it out to the open . ”
“Shouldn’t a knight protect his lady if she’s in trouble? If the Western Kingdom condemns a poor woman over a trivial matter and calls that chivalry, then there’s nothing left for me to explain . ”
“No, no . My lady was falsely impersonated, and I must protect her too . ”
“What?”
A playful smile lifted on the Prince’s mouth .
“Of course, my letter acquaintance may be a man, not a lady . ”
His gaze fell on me for a moment, and my heart ran cold . It occurred to me that I wrote ‘I am a man’ as a hint .
‘He’s mistaken…right?’
Even if Prince Heinley discovered that Rashta was the false friend, there was still no way he could tell I was the real one .
It was then .
Rashta, who had not said a word so far, whimpered, “It’s too much . ” Everyone’s eyes shifted from Sovieshu and Prince Heinley towards Rashta, who sniffled as if she were the main character in a play . One of Prince Heinley’s eyebrows lifted .
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“Why did you try to deceive me again, Lady Rashta? Why did you play a trick with the maid?”
Rashta let out a sob .
“I said the contents of the letter exactly . But Prince Heinley keeps insisting it’s a lie . ”
What on earth…
My lips parted at that moment . What did she just say? Tears started to stream down her eyes .
“I think I know why you’re doing this . Is it because Rashta is not the kind of person you wanted? Were all the gestures of friendship you sent to Rashta false?”
She was the image of a tragic heroine who had been wrongly abandoned . Sovieshu clenched his jaw as he glared at the Prince .
“Is that true?”
Prince Heinley’s shoulders jerked as he laughed, then he sighed and shook his head .
“You must be crazy . ”
“Are you accusing of Rashta being a liar because you saw her with His Majesty?”
I once believed Rashta’s naivety came from innocence and ignorance . Now I knew that she was deviously cunning woman . Prince Heinley clicked his tongue .
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“Lady Rashta . You are the most brazen person I have ever met . ”
“For the sake of our friendship, please don’t keep saying things that will hurt Rashta . ”
Rashta dissolved into tears, and some of the surrounding nobles began to look uncomfortable . For those who didn’t know the truth, Rashta appeared so confident in the truth that they were confused to what was real . Princess Soju was busy watching with wide eyes with her cookies in her mouth, while Duchess Tuania calmly watched the situation with her arms folded .
In the meanwhile, only Grand Duke Kapmen was delicately working on his meal . With his long, sharp eyes and healthy caramel-colored skin, he moved his utensils with a dull expression, as if he found the whole affair tiresome .
‘I should come forward and say that I’m Prince Heinley’s letter acquaintance…’
I stared blankly at Kapmen as I agonized over the decision . If I sided with the Prince, the others would mock not only Rashta, but also Sovieshu who had stood up for her . However, I didn’t want to see Prince Heinley be blamed because of Rashta . The friendship that Rashta repeatedly claimed was hers was between me and Prince Heinley .
At that moment, Grand Duke Kapmen, who was eating like a machine, looked paused and looked up at me in surprise . I nodded slightly as our eyes met . Kapmen stared at me without responding, then he looked at Rashta and Prince Heinley then smiled quietly .
‘What’s the matter with him?’
However, it wasn’t the abnormal behavior of Grand Duke Kapmen that was the problem at this moment .
‘I wanted to stay quiet, but there is a misunderstanding . I should fix it . ’
I finished debating internally with myself and readied myself to speak . Everyone turned to me . They seemed to be enjoying the whirlwind of events . Only Rashta was staring at me with her eyes wide open . Suddenly, it occurred to me that Viscountess Verdi must have told her I was the letter acquaintance, and I felt a sense of irony in the situation . I couldn’t understand why Rashta thought she could pretend to be me and think I would stay quiet .
I spoke to Sovieshu, keeping my face as still as possible .
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“Your Majesty, I know who it was that exchanged letters with Prince Heinley…and it was not Rashta . ”
Prince Heinley’s face lit up . Rashta, on the other hand, stared at me with a look of betrayal, while Sovieshu’s face turned white .
“Empress . ”
He addressed me in a low voice .
“This is not a matter for you to decide . Just because you dislike Rashta doesn’t mean you should take Prince Heinley’s side . ”
“I am only on the side of truth . ”
As soon as I was finished, Prince Heinley spoke up acidly .
“Your Majesty the Empress . It must be frustrating that the Emperor treats all the words from Lady Rashta’s lips as truth . ”
The remark bled the last of Sovieshu’s patience .
“I cannot tolerate this anymore . ”
Sovieshu stood up and drew out his sword . It was a decorative piece not made for combat, but it was enough to injure a defenseless person . The mood in the room quickly became tense .
“Prince Heinley, how dare you defile my honor . I challenge you to a duel . ”
“If I kill you now, may I leave here safely? Then, I will accept the duel . ”