Chapter 73: Chapter 72

T/W: Assault attempt & mentions of violence

10. Leaked Secrets (10) – unedited

When Aris woke up late the next day, she was terribly lonely because no one was by her side. She knew very well that her brothers couldn’t leave work behind because of her. But when she had no one by my side, it felt like she was seeing the future when she became a member of the imperial family. The future where there would be no one on her side and she would be isolated.

When Aris got up and rang the bell, the maid came right in and delivered a letter along with washing water. It was Evan’s letter to her.

[“I have a government meeting today, so I have no choice but to go. Don’t think much about it and take a good rest. I will come as soon as possible.”]

When Aris saw the letter, her heart seemed to be relieved a little. It felt good to have someone who cared for her and thought about her even when she was not with him.

It was then that the butler, who suddenly came into the room, announced that an uninvited guest had arrived.

“Miss.”

“Yes.”

“The Crown Prince has visited.”

“…… Take him to the parlor.”

The butler bowed deeply following Aris’ words and went to guide the Crown Prince. Aris didn’t want to look good to the Crown Prince, so she didn’t want to dress up. But it’s not like she can just not dress up for nothing, so she carefully dressed up and went to the parlor.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“It’s okay.”

“If I had known that the Crown Prince was coming, I would have prepared in advance and perfectly prepared to welcome you.”

So she said to him in words that meant he came without notice and caused a nuisance, but the Crown Prince didn’t seem to care much about her attack.

It wasn’t her who held the major weakness anyway, but the Crown Prince, so he, in a superior sense, didn’t feel the need to react to her attacks.

“You look good now. Then let’s go together.”

“What?”

Aris’s eyes were puzzled at the Crown Prince’s sudden suggestion. However, the Crown Prince held out his hand to her as if it was a natural thing.

“You didn’t have a choice. from the beginning.”

“…….”

Aris got goosebumps as the Prince said while smiling brightly. How can he intimidate people while smiling so harmlessly?

But, apart from that, it was also true that she had no power, so Aris stepped out of the Duke’s residence, passing the prince who was holding his hand out to her. The prince’s expression crumpled for a moment as she refused his escort, but he soon followed her as if nothing had happened.

Aris, with the help of the coachman, climbed onto the carriage with the imperial coat of arms on it, which was waiting right in front of the mansion. She would rather have the help of the coachman, rather than the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince sat next to Aris, who had boarded the carriage first. As she rose from her seat to avoid him and wanted to sit in the opposite space, the Crown Prince immediately grabbed Aris’s wrist and pulled her towards him.

“If you act like this, I wouldn’t be the one who would be at a disadvantage, would I?”

“…… I don’t think there’s any reason for you to be by my side. Someone who has the Crown Princess.”

“She’s going to disappear soon, so you don’t have to worry about it.”

“Other people don’t think so.”

Others will accuse him of playing with Aris over the Crown Princess. Aris didn’t want to be in a scandal with him. It was unpleasant for her to be tied to the Crown Prince. She remembered the Crown Prince who had seen her with sticky eyes. No matter how much he is the Crown Prince, Aris also grew up without anything lacking, so she wouldn’t be disappointed just because she doesn’t have the imperial family.

Trigger Warning Starts Here

But that was when her weakness was not caught, and the situation was very different now. The Crown Prince pulled Aris’ wrist, which he was holding, even closer to him. Aris, who lost balance in the motion, staggered and was knocked down straight away. And he forced her to kiss him.

Aris resisted and slapped his chest as hard as she could, but the Crown Prince did not budge and continued to kiss her, rather trying to push his tongue to her. As Aris continued her resistance, far from accepting him, the angry Crown Prince pushed her to the floor of the carriage.

Ends Here

“Know that I’m standing still because I have to attend Her Majesty’s tea party. Next time you act like this, I won’t stand still.”

“So what if you don’t stay still?”

“If it had not been for you attending the tea party and showing your face to the ladies, I would have slapped your cheeks whether they would get puffy or not.”

“…… barbaric.”

With Aris’ cynical accusation, the Crown Prince sneered at her.

“Barbaric? You who sleep with your older brother and younger brother should not be the one to talk about that. That would be the reality of the noble Lady Aristasia Verdick. I did not believe it when I heard it.”

“…….”

“Even Sir Verdick is like that too. It’s not enough for Duke Verdick to bring his sister into his bedroom every night; the three siblings are sleeping together.

“…… Please stop it.”

“The president of the Lentil newspaper is very close to me. I’ve helped him a few times in the past.”

Judging by the atmosphere in which he spoke, it seemed that he was holding onto her weakness well. In addition, the Lentil newspaper was very famous for publishing interesting gossip. From things that don’t exist to things with a lot of fiction added to them. Although it was not a very reliable newspaper, a story about Verdick would be so shocking and the Crown Prince seems to have witnesses and even evidence, so it will remain in people’s mouths for a long time.