91 Valentin Side 1
Valentin was exhausted from being dragged
around by Candice, who was sleeping soundly with her eyes swollen and
bright red. After all, he had never dreamed in his wildest dreams that giving
her a birthday present would result in her wailing loudly.
Every
year, Valentin gave birthday presents to his children. Of course, not
directly, but rather he had them prepared. For Maxence and Luca,
it was in the form of granting requests for what they wanted. For Arthur,
he prepared necessities by listening to Jeanne's opinions. For Candice,
he had prepared jewels and accessories, but she had never once worn them. He
had simply assumed Candice didn't like them. According to a report from Hugo,
the maids who quit would silently steal the jewels and presents meant for Candice
before leaving. Among them, the birthday presents from Valentin were
also included.
However,
neither Candice nor Duke Radziwill ever said anything. It might
just be that they didn't realize things were being stolen, but since there were
no issues and they seemed uninterested, he had left it alone. Candice
could obtain anything. It probably didn't matter to her whether she had a
present from him or not.
But
this year was different. Feeling inclined to do so, he had called for a tailor,
asked about the current trends, and ordered a dress, shoes, and even
accessories for Candice. Recently, she preferred simple attire,
refrained from shopping for herself, and often bought things for Arthur.
He thought it could serve as a reward for that. There would be a large party in
a few months. He thought it would be useful then, but it unexpectedly ended in
failure.
（Was my…… taste in dresses that bad?
Would a slightly simpler design have been better?）
He
intended to have it tailored to suit Candice, but he didn't understand
much about dresses. For a moment, the thought of consulting the inner palace
crossed his mind, but the face of Samantha, Maxence's mother,
came to mind, and he stopped in his tracks. She loathes Valentin.
Maria is currently forbidden from
entering and leaving the palace, but what was unexpected was Luca's
obvious change. Luca was becoming increasingly active and started
showing a childlike smile. Recently, when he invited the three brothers for
tea, he would chatter fluently and talk the most. The exact opposite of the
timid Luca who wouldn't even make eye contact. Watching him look right
into his eyes and answer clearly, he seemed like a completely different person.
However,
Maria is somehow trying to make contact with Luca through the
Pope. The Emperor and the Pope have been fiercely at odds since long ago. He
had accepted Maria hoping they could build a good relationship, but the
moment her mask peeled off, he couldn't bear to look at the hysterically
screaming Maria. But he couldn't keep ignoring Maria forever
either.
When
Luca came to the Violet Palace, Valentin once asked him, 『Do you want to meet your mother?』
Thereupon, Luca looked straight at him and answered clearly, 『I do not want to meet her right now.』
When he conveyed that intention, Maria apparently went on a rampage and
became unmanageable, shouting 『That can't be true!』. Maria seemed to be quite dependent on Luca.
He
heard that Duke Radziwill had also hurriedly moved to a newly purchased
estate with Lina, but he didn't know when the Duke would show his face
at the White Palace. Right now, it seemed Lina was more important
to him than pushing Candice onto the throne. That was exactly why he
couldn't tell Candice any details. Duke Radziwill is stubborn in
his efforts to protect Lina. To leave the Imperial Capital and transport
Lina to a place where the shadows' reach couldn't directly extend was
unexpected. Hugo was considerably irritated. However, right now, the
damage from having the birthday present he chose for Candice rejected
was so great that he felt like he couldn't care less about anything else.
「Carry this to the White Palace.
Tell her she can throw it away if she doesn't like it.」
「Understood.」
The
shirt covered in Candice's snot had dried into a terrible state. Even
though it had a higher viscosity than drool and was unpleasant, strangely, he
didn't feel like getting angry. Because Candice was clinging tightly to
his upper half, the maids were also perplexed, unable to get him to change his
clothes. Valentin fluttered his hand lightly, signaling that it was fine
as is.
The
servant carefully repacked the dress and left. He had heard through the shadows
that Candice had wanted to tag along when Eva and Rose
returned to their hometown.
With Duke Radziwill, whose mind is currently entirely on Lina, not by Candice's side, it was probably his own duty to protect her. Even normally, there are many unsavory individuals targeting Candice, an Imperial Princess. Even more so now that it is known that Valentin particularly favors her. Maxence is not someone to be dealt with by ordinary means, and the defense of the Red Palace is handled by the military, making it solid. Arthur lacks backing in the first place, so the possibility of him being targeted is low. Comparing Luca and Candice, considering how easy it would be to kidnap them, they would clearly choose Candice. Eva and Rose's family home is gone, and they now live as commoners. If Candice were to go to such a place, no matter how many guards there were, wouldn't it still not be enough? If Hugo was there, it would suffice, but half a day might be manageable; a week was impossible. His words might have been insufficient, but it was just unreasonable.