You Can Keep The Male Lead

The silence lasted for a while. 

I didn’t expect him to immediately say, ‘I think of you as the Crown Princess.’ Rather, it would be disappointing, but it was quite embarrassing that he was so quiet.

Just as I was thinking of changing the subject, Enoch spoke.

“I’ve never said that to any woman.
But more than that–”

I raised my palm to stop him.
I didn’t really want to hear that, nor did I want to trouble him.
The fact that he was someone I could depend on and that he liked me was enough for now.

It’s also something I shouldn’t be swayed by.

“It’s okay.
I told you something difficult.
You don’t have to say anymore, Your Highness.”

“Count.”

I smiled in understanding, but he called me more urgently.
The relaxed attitude from before had disappeared entirely. 

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“That’s not it.
I just didn’t want to make my own decisions about the future when I didn’t know what you’re thinking.”

Enoch’s emerald eyes shook, a deep embarrassment in his eyes.
Then at one moment, a flash of resentment and bitterness came out.
Of course, it soon disappeared without a trace.

Anyway, now I desperately needed his help, and I had to hold onto his heart to some extent.
Let me give you a little bit of leeway.
But I couldn’t lie.

I couldn’t tell him the future, but I could tell him the present.

“Your Highness is… You’re the person I trust the most.”

It was only this much, but his stiff expression immediately softened.
He’s easy to please, but I was still glad to see him relieved.

He bowed his head deeply, covering his mouth with a large hand.
He seemed to want to hide his smile.

“Pfft.”

It was so funny that it made me laugh without realizing it.

“You are truly a master of torturing a man with hope.”

“So, do you hate it?”

“No.”

His straightforward answer followed silence again, but, fortunately, the atmosphere wasn’t as bad as before.

“What are you planning to do tomorrow?” Enoch asked, breaking the silence.

I replied, “I plan to see Father tomorrow.
It’s not far from here.”

“Then I’ll follow you.
Do you have any other companions?”

“No,why would Your Highness…” I trailed off and stopped when I saw him staring at me and thought that he wouldn’t tolerate my original train of thought. 

Standing up, I answered int he lightest tone I could, “Ah, alright.
Then, I’ll send you a message tomorrow.”

Enoch got up without a word and opened the door, so I bowed to him and quickly walked out. 

My heart ached yet pounded with excitement with each step I took.
I was definitely using his heart.

“…Even if I’m a wicked woman, I have nothing to say.”

Of course, that’s only for Enoch, though.

I could see the door to the annex through the window in the hallway.
It looked like her tryst with Melaton was over because Chloe cautiously made her way back.
But before she closed the door, she suddenly looked back.

Startled, I hid behind the pillars.
I didn’t know why, but I instinctively felt like I had to.
Our eyes probably didn’t meet, right?

When I peeked outside the window once more, I could see where Chloe was looking.
She wasn’t looking at me but at Enoch’s room, the room down the hallway where I currently stood.

After staring in that direction for a while, she entered the annex.
An unpleasant sensation overwhelmed me, but I tried to ignore it and returned to my room.

The following day, I felt nauseous, perhaps because I slept late.
My head was heavy, and I felt dizzy. 

When I sat up, I realized that the air in the room was strangely cloudy.

I held onto the bedpost, got up, and opened the window.

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“Haa.”

I felt much better when the fresh air rushed in.
It must have been because I had trouble sleeping, I thought.

I went near the bed and pulled the string.
Looking at the sunlight by the window, it was probably the middle of the morning, but Jenny was still nowhere to be seen.

Ring, ring, ring–.

I tried several more times, but no one came.
I knocked on the door beside mine and opened it.
Jenny was still lying in bed, asleep.

“Jenny, Jenny.”

She usually woke up earlier than me, so I shook her shoulder to check if she was sick.
She didn’t seem to have a fever.

I opened the window first because the air in this room seemed cloudy, too.

Only then did Jenny open her eyes and get up.

“…Madam?”

“Yes.
Are you tired? No matter how much I called you, you didn’t come.”

Still in a daze, Jenny blinked, looked out her window then jumped out of the bed in shock.

“Oh my, what time is it now! I must be out of my mind! Madam, didn’t you say you had somewhere to go this morning?”

“Right.
That’s right.
Go ahead and get yourself together.”

“Yes, Madam.
Please wait a moment!”

Jenny slapped herself on the cheek and ran out to wash her face.

My room and Jenny’s room had a slight burning smell, but it was so faint that I wondered if I just imagined it. 

A little later, I closed the windows in Jenny’s room, moved back to mine, and closed the windows as well.
And Jenny, who returned soon, helped me get ready.

I chose a dark dress and a black hat since I was going to a shrine.
The Duke of Clifford said that the former Count of Spilet was buried here in the cemetery of the vassals and not in his territory. 

I wonder if Erin brought him here intending to sell the estate when the Count died? 

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Has Enoch not risen yet?

I looked toward Enoch’s room for a moment and turned to say hello to the Duke.

Knock, knock–.

When I knocked on the Duke’s door, Eliana opened the door.
The Duke looked much better than yesterday, already up and sitting down, looking as if he had just finished eating.
There was an empty bowl on the table.

“…Father[1].
Did you have a good night’s sleep?” I curtsied as I greeted him, not used to addressing him that way.

The Duke looked at me and answered in a friendly voice, “Yes.
It’s been a while since I slept well.
Looking at your outfit, you must be on your way to visit your father.”

“Yes.”

A lot of thoughts came to mind when I saw the Duke.
Although he didn’t have a huge presence in the novel, he was a person who held many keys in the intricate story.

Questions came to mind, including one about Rupert’s illegitimacy.
I didn’t know how I could bring that up, so I asked a question about where I was supposed to go today.

“My father… Why did he make that choice?”

I wondered whether this question made sense.
Maybe the Duke knew more about the situation where the former Count Spilet committed suicide because of his large debt.

“I tried to help him somehow because I didn’t want him to go that far either.
But I couldn’t reach him at all,” The Duke recited as if making excuses to me.
“When he first talked about investment to me, I stopped him.
But he looked like someone out of his mind.
He was no longer my family’s duchy, so there was a limit to what I could say…”

Then, did Count Spilet eventually fail after making excessive investments, ignoring other people’s advice?

It wasn’t much different from what I expected.
I sighed and said softly, “It’s okay, Your Grace.
You don’t have to feel responsible.
But thank you for your concern.”

The Duke looked at me for a moment without saying a word and nodded.

“Then, be careful on your way.
Take Richard with you.”

“Yes, then rest comfortably.”

I greeted him once more then left the Duke’s room.
He was definitely getting better each day since the first time I saw him.
It’s a relief. 

Before leaving, I made a special request to Eliana, who followed me.
“Please pay special attention to His Grace’s food.
Like water and drinks…”

I couldn’t tell her to be careful because it might be poisoned.
I didn’t know if Eliana understood, but she answered me obediently, “Yes, Madam.
I always take great care when going into His Grace’s room.”

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She still wasn’t out of the list of suspects yet, but I had no one else to ask. 

The Duke is Rupert’s father, but I hope he doesn’t die. 

As I thought so, I went back down to the first floor.
The hallway near the Crown Prince’s room remained silent. 

In particular, the entire castle seemed to be quiet today, and the burnt smell appeared to be a little thicker than before.

“Has the Crown Prince not risen yet?” I asked a servant passing by.

He said politely, “Yes, I haven’t seen His Highness come out yet.”

Were you really still asleep? I hesitated and finally walked to Enoch’s room.

[1] She addressed him as 아버님, a term used to address the father of one’s husband.
아버님 can also be used to address a father who’s not your own.