Published at 4th of November 2019 01:50:07 PM
Chapter 81: 81
Chapter 81 – Anxious Men (2)
The next day, I asked a lady-in-waiting to pay a visit to Grand Duke Kapmen to see how he was doing .
“What happened yesterday?”
“Grand Duke Kapmen had some trouble with the Emperor . We hadn’t the chance to talk afterwards . ”
The lady-in-waiting gave a sympathetic nod before leaving, and I sat at the table to wait for her to report back . Grand Duke Kapmen said yesterday he would return to his room and drink the antidote, so he should be fine by now . I was more worried if he came across Sovieshu again yesterday .
To my surprise, the lady-in-waiting did not return alone, but was accompanied by Grand Duke Kapmen . I went to the parlor room to greet him .
He looked somewhat different than yesterday . He normally wore comfortable, practical outfits, but today his attire was much finer, and his was hair also meticulously combed back, emphasizing his strong jawline . When I looked into his eyes, I noticed they were moist again .
“Are you all right…?”
Kapmen didn’t look well, but I asked him anyway out of politeness . He shook his head and asked for a private conversation . I nodded, and the ladies-in-waiting left as quick as they could . When we were alone, he spoke in a tight voice, as if exhausted from heavy restraint .
“I missed you . I was dying to see you…no, listen . ”
Immediately following the humiliating words came an awkward smile . Still, he seemed more in control than yesterday, and I had him seated at a table .
“Is there no antidote?”
In all honesty, while his predicament was amusing, I was far more worried about him . It was my first time seeing that human eyes could be filled with such affection, but Grand Duke Kapmen’s current behavior would look strange to any outside observers . The problem was, he was obligated to keep meeting me for our diplomatic negotiations .
“There is . It didn’t work . ”
“Oh…do you have another antidote? The other antidote could be the wrong one . ”
I thought would be suspicious if he had the correct antidote in the first place . Instead of answering, however, Grand Duke Kapmen put his hands together and awkwardly stared out the window .
“Grand Duke?”
Was this the effect of medicine? He looked quite sheepish .
“Would you like me to cover my face?”
I looked at him anxiously, but he shook his head .
“No . Then I just won’t be able to see your face . It won’t work . ”
Did the mean the potion worked even when I’m not in front of him? The potion was influencing his words, but he sounded clear here…what should I do?
In any case, it was hugely embarrassing . The speaker must be experiencing a more hellish feeling .
“It’s not the wrong antidote . ”
“Why are you so sure? It wasn’t an antidote for a love potion, was it?”
Why didn’t he answer? Surely…
“It was?”
I looked at him in astonishment, and he pursed his lips .
“Yes . ”
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My eyes widened . Why did Grand Duke Kapmen already have an antidote for that specific drug? He nervously tapped the table with his fingertips before making a confession .
“It was a gift from me . ”
“The love potion?”
“…Yes . I didn’t expect its effect to be this powerful . ”
My mouth opened in surprise as I processed the information . Grand Duke Kapmen was the anonymous sender of the love potion . I knew the duke was behaving oddly now because of the potion, but he would have been sober when he first sent it to me .
My mind blanked on a suitable response, and when Grand Duke Kapmen spoke it was in a stiff voice .
“It was frustrating . ”
“Frustrating… ?”
Ah .
“Is this about me, Sovieshu and Rashta?”
I remembered the time when Grand Duke Kapmen had ignored both me and Rashta, then left as if I wasn’t good enough . Grand Duke Kapmen’s shoulders dropped .
“I know it was foolish, but I didn’t like to see you struggling . ”
So the love potion was some kind of consolation? It was hard to tell if he was serious . I stared at him, but he looked away with a frown on his face .
An embarrassed silence cloaked the room, punctuated only by the unusually loud ticking of the clock . Finally, Grand Duke Kapmen heaved a sigh .
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“I shouldn’t keep further company with you . I keep becoming interested in you, and I shouldn’t say anything . ”
“Are you going to leave now?”
“Can I hold you?”
“I’m going . ”
He stood up from his seat and walked to the door, and I followed him from behind . He half-opened the door, then suddenly turned back .
The wildness in his dark gaze left me stunned .
An oppressive silence reigned, and when I swallowed it was like dry needles in my throat . The look in his eyes were not the same as those of his usual indifference and pity, nor the ones of yesterday’s anxiety .
Laura’s words drifted to the front of my mind: love someone who can love you back with the intensity of a man starved for a hundred years . That was exactly how Grand Duke Kapmen was looking at me .
He raised his hand to cover his eyelids .
“We shouldn’t run into each other until the effects disappear by themselves . ”
“Yes…”
It seemed that way to me .
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The man on his knees had been speaking for quite a while now, but his story didn’t quite enter my ears . He finally said, “My God…” then dissolved into tears . At the sight, I immediately felt pity for him . His situation must have been serious if he came all this way to the audience chamber, out of tens of thousands of people who clamored to step foot in here . This was a once in a lifetime opportunity . My heart broke in sympathy, so I gathered the fractured bits of his story in my head and pieced it together . I gave my words of sincere consolation and the man sobbed again .
After the final visitor left, the officials closed the heavy door of the audience chamber .
I sighed and touched my forehead . Few people came to the audience room to give good news . Why not bless a baby? They all came to give unjust, outrageous and sad stories . As a result, it was not easy to concentrate fully on them as I worried about a dozen other problems . Just like today .
I slowly rose from the throne .
“Is your joke over?”
Before I could fully stand up, however, Sovieshu spoke and I lowered myself back into my seat . I gave him a questioning look, and he leaned back on his throne and looked at me with cold eyes .
“On hindsight, I was completely deceived . ”
“Deceived?”
“Grand Duke Kapmen . His face was red—but was it from looking at the Empress?”
“To my eyes, he looked like that when he saw you . No?”
Sovieshu recoiled in disgust, I quickly left my seat this time . Before I exited the audience chamber, I looked back and saw Sovieshu watching me . I kept my expression as smooth as possible when I closed the door .
I turned around, and this time I saw Prince Heinley leaning against a pillar, as if waiting for me . When our eyes met, he smiled quietly and lifted the documents he was holding .
“I came here to talk to you about something . Will that be alright?”