Chapter 213
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 213
“Are you finished crying, Lady Tulia?”
“...!”
At the sudden sound of that voice—one that carried a distinct, chilling edge—I scrubbed my eyes once more with my handkerchief.
My eyes were red and stinging, but frankly, I was in a state of mind where I didn't care what happened anymore.
Besides, the guest who had just graced me with his presence was far too important for me to be worrying about dabbing away tears delicately.
“...Your Imperial Highness.”
Ferdinand’s towering height still felt unfamiliar.
How had the cold, beautiful boy—the Eros of the North Sea—grown up so suddenly to look down at me like this?
“I was supposed to enter the palace this evening...”
I trailed off, unable to meet his gaze.
“I was surprised by your sudden visit...”
“I’m sure. Thanks to that, I got to see quite an interesting show.”
His tone was strangely—no, overtly—sarcastic.
To be honest, I didn't want to deal with Ferdinand right now.
Normally, since he was the most powerful male lead, I would have been preoccupied with staying on his good side.
But as luck would have it, I was someone who had been wailing my heart out until just a moment ago.
As I brought my damp handkerchief back to my eyes to wipe them, Ferdinand’s voice pierced my ears.
“Lady Tulia.”
“Yes, Your Highness...”
My voice came out slightly hoarse.
“Do you actually love Crown Prince Benjamin?”
It was an unexpected direct hit.
...Judging by the way he’s talking, he must have seen Benjamin leaving.
Startled, I lifted my head, only to be caught by Ferdinand’s crimson eyes.
Perhaps it was due to the nobility of his birth, or perhaps his unimaginably high status.
Ferdinand’s red eyes always held a cold, frosty light.
But today, his gaze was even colder than usual. As Han Ina, a woman with little courage, I couldn't look him in the eye for long.
Bowing my head deeply again, I racked my brain for an answer.
“Crown Prince Benjamin is... someone who proposed to me. So, I do think of him as special.”
I had no intention of hiding the fact that Benjamin had proposed.
Besides, the unique method of courtship passed down through generations in the Sorsen Kingdom was no secret; it was only a matter of time before the Crown Prince found out if he put his mind to it.
Above all, Ferdinand himself had proposed to me, so wouldn't it look more suspicious if I tried to hide it?
He looked down at me silently for a moment before speaking.
“It seems you consider everyone who proposes to you special.”
I reflexively snapped my head up at the clear mockery in his voice.
The Ferdinand I knew didn't mock others lightly. It wasn't because he had a great personality, but because his status was so great.
Power beyond power. A royal among royals. He was the type to kill you if he had to, not attack you with words like this.
Was he that offended that I cried because of Benjamin? Does he like me that much?
If even Ferdinand was sincere toward me, then who on earth wasn't?
Was Klaus’s pained smile a lie?
Or were Benjamin’s tears fake?
Or both?
I suddenly felt the need to pull myself together.
“Your Highness.”
I took a deep breath inwardly and answered calmly.
“Normally... wouldn't anyone find it special?”
Even if someone just confesses their feelings, you at least become aware of their existence.
And wasn't it an exceptionally handsome man who had proposed to me?
Then of course I’d find it special. Isn't that obvious?
Ferdinand didn't answer. I tried my best to keep my head held high, even though it kept wanting to droop out of sheer intimidation.
The silence grew long and awkward. I fidgeted with my fingers and realized I was still clutching the handkerchief.
Benjamin...
Touching the damp cloth, it hit me anew.
This quest had been utterly unfair from the start. I wasn't just hurting the male leads; I was exchanging wounds with them.
If that weren't the case, there was no reason for my heart to ache this much.
[System] You have completed the quest <Severely Hurt the Male Lead ‘Benjamin’>!
Benjamin had already left the White Tulip Salon.
After clinging to me like a helpless child, he had eventually hung his head and walked away slowly.
Staring at his faint silhouette that looked as if it might vanish like mist, I kept remembering the small boy from the past.
That bruised boy who had shed clear tears at the small ounce of warmth I offered.
Though I had sent Sir Trini to look after him, I had watched Benjamin grow through the letters Sir Trini sent every week.
In a way, I felt a sense of pride, as if I had played a part in raising him.
The pitiful boy who was withering away in a corner of the royal palace had grown into a man and become a Crown Prince—a powerful figure no one could ignore.
But as I dealt Benjamin that cruel blow today, I realized something.
He was still lingering within the shadows of that abused boy.
He had even thought of paying for my charity by offering me his body...
I had burst into the tears I’d been holding back the moment Benjamin left... I had even collapsed on the garden floor and sobbed.
Who would have thought Ferdinand would show up and pull me to my feet?
“Your Imperial Highness.”
My head throbbed when I thought of the salon managers who had been looking at me with soul-shaken expressions. I could tell just by looking at their eyes.
‘The Master must have been dumped by the Crown Prince!’
‘But didn't Crown Prince Benjamin leave with red eyes too? Wasn't it the Crown Prince who got dumped?’
‘Then what? Why are they both crying?’
‘As I thought... could it be they faced opposition from the family?’
‘Is that it! Of course! The threshold of the Frezier family is far too high!’
‘But to think the Master would wail like that over a man...’
‘It breaks my heart...’
‘That’s why we should avoid the Master as much as possible from now on!’
They were definitely exchanging those kinds of looks in an instant.
It was all because of the Crown Prince.
If he hadn't suddenly come to the salon, and if the panicked managers hadn't led him to the garden where I was...
I wouldn't have been caught by my subordinates crying so pathetically with my fist in my mouth...
“Why does someone of Your Highness’s noble status eavesdrop on other people’s conversations?”
“You eavesdropped on my conversation whenever you pleased when we were young. Let’s call it even.”
After thinking for a moment, I recalled the time I had overheard an argument between Ferdinand and Empress Carmi at the White Tower.
I pouted inwardly.
That was ages ago... Petty jerk.
“So, have you finished your thought?”
“Pardon?”
“I asked you earlier. Do you love the Crown Prince of Sorsen?”
I didn't answer for a moment.
Do I love Benjamin?
Well, obviously...
I don't know.
To me, Benjamin was like a constant ache in my heart.
No—unless one’s heart was made of iron, wouldn't any human feel pity for him?
But what if I accepted Benjamin’s proposal and became his Queen?
What if I had to watch him linger by my side forever?
Even then, would I fail to fall in love and continue to see Benjamin as just a pitiful man?
When all these quests are over, who will I end up loving?
Love...
I suddenly found myself staring at the beautiful Crown Prince before me.
The man who had suddenly broken his curse, grown up, and captured the hearts of every lady in an instant. His hair, a vivid cocoa brown that was almost sweet, caught the eye.
In The Milk Bread, Ferdinand only grows when he feels true love for Corico. That was why his illness was called Cupid’s Disease.
“Your Highness, do you love me?”
You don't actually think the feelings of all these male leads who love you are ‘real,’ do you?
I kept thinking.
Who on earth had proposed to me without being sincere?
Could it be that all the male leads were like that?
But after experiencing Klaus and Benjamin in turn, I could guess to some extent.
The fact was, there wasn't more than one male lead who wasn't sincere toward me.
Right. Then, the male lead who doesn't love me is...
“...”
His stunningly handsome face was as cold as a sword carved from ice. Ferdinand stared down at me and answered.
“No.”