Kneel Before The Villain - Chapter 116

“Yes? But…….”

 

Joan looked at me with a regretful face and then said in a resigned voice.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Don’t delay, go and send it back right away.”

 

“Yes. Okay.”

 

She picked up the box and rose from her seat.

 

The sound of trudging footsteps went away.

 

There had been several occasions when Payne had sent presents since my birthday banquet last time.

 

Except for the first time, I had never checked what was inside the box.

 

Looking at the size of the sent box, I only guessed that this time it must be jewelry or it must be a dress.

 

But even though I sent it back several times, he sent more gifts again.

 

Payne would have known that I would not accept the gift he had sent.

 

But I couldn’t figure out why he continued to do such troublesome work.

 

Of course he wouldn’t be pleased if I kept sending them back.

 

If it were the crown prince, he might have come to me because of his pride, getting angry and arguing with me.

 

Moreover, if this spread, it would not be good for his reputation.

 

“My lady, come to think of it, Her Majesty’s birthday banquet is just around the corner. Would it be okay if you choose a dress to wear then? Or how about buying a new pair while you’re out today?”

 

Just listening to it made me feel tired.

 

In the meantime, the duke was gone, so there were few people who brought unnecessary disputes.

 

But what about now…

 

“My lady, Merchant Hermes has sent you a present.”

 

Sometime after, Joan came into the room with a box the same size as before.

 

Even though Noah seemed to forget what I ordered, he didn’t seem to forget about sending a gift I didn’t order.

 

“Shall we open it?”

 

Seeing her look up at me with expectant eyes, I couldn’t bear to say no this time.

 

“Yes. Open it.”

 

With my permission, Joan unwrapped the box with her quick fingers and opened the lid.

 

Inside was a dress.

 

The red and black dress was a deep and dark color, but it was not drab and very glamorous because of the splendid embroidery with silver thread.

 

“Wow, lady, look at this. This time it is really pretty and gorgeous. I think the embroidery is more elaborate than the dress Her Majesty wore.”

 

Joan spoke in her brash voice.

 

This time I didn’t deny it either.

 

Certainly, all the presents that Elvin or his guild sent me were all of the highest quality items.

 

Living as an aristocrat, there were only things that I would admire.

 

“You can wear this dress at Her Majesty’s birthday banquet.”

 

“I know, right. The lady has white and light skin, so this dark color will suit her very well. It’s definitely a a treasure.”

 

Joan said, and Annie agreed, nodding her head in agreement.

 

“I’ll hang it up so they don’t get wrinkled or damaged.”

 

Tien carefully picked up the dress from the box and left the room.

 

I looked at it then looked out the window.

 

***

 

The second Prince’s Palace.

 

Ellen looked at his boss with a sullen face.

 

Payne sat at his desk, working through the papers, as calm as ever.

 

A large, rectangular box was placed in front of him.

 

What was inside was a dress.

 

The very dress Payne sent as a gift to Princess Lillian.

 

It was a gift personally sent by the Prince, but the princess returned it without any hesitation.

 

No matter how great the duke’s prestige was, how could the Princess disregard the prince’s sincerity like this?

 

Ellen cursed inwardly, narrowing his brows.

 

However, unlike him, Payne seemed unconcerned. There was no hint of displeasure, but rather a knowing attitude. His pride didn’t even hurt, and he even smiled lightly from time to time. At such times, Payne’s eyes were full of bitterness, and he was like a hero of a tragedy.

 

It was obvious without looking at who he was thinking of.

 

Ellen had been assisting him in the closest place for years, but it was the first time he couldn’t understand him like these days.

 

“Your Highness, what should I do with this dress?”

 

Ellen asked.

 

At that, Payne raised his head and pondered for a moment before speaking.

 

“Put it in storage.”

 

Ellen couldn’t help but ask in his insignificant voice.

 

“The attendant who delivered the gift said that the Princess hadn’t even opened it. Anyway, why would you send expensive gifts every time just to be sent back?”

 

“It’s a useless meddling. Seeing that you have plenty of room to interfere with things other than your duties, it must be that you haven’t been training enough lately.”

 

Ellen’s own advice to come back with this kind of blackmail.

 

Was this how the loyalists feel when they were worried about their master who was in love?

 

It was like talking to a wall.

 

Seeing Payne’s nonchalant face, Ellen sighed inwardly, seemingly unwilling to listen to his own words.

 

“It can’t be. I’ll just go.”

 

After Ellen had left, Payne rested hia chin on his hand.

 

He muttered, recalling the question he had heard earlier from Ellen.

 

“If I don’t do this, I think she will forget.”

 

Now that the duke had left, the princess was left alone in the mansion.

 

Since the emperor was still keeping an eye on the duchy, invisible danger always lurked.

 

Even if she didn’t accept his gifts, it would still be good for appearances.

 

Of course, the emperor wouldn’t use his hand right away, and sending gifts to the princess was not entirely the reason, but it was something else.

 

He also had the selfishness of wanting her to be reminded of himself a bit when he sent her gifts, even if she didn’t keep them.

 

Seeing the presents returned each time was bitter rather than unpleasant.

 

They were sent after knowing the results in the first place, but looking at the disappointment every time, it seemed that he had weak expectations without even realizing it.

 

‘It must be greed.’

 

He knew the method was wrong.

 

However, he himself could not be as bold as the Crown Prince or Elvin.

 

As the Crown prince once said, he himself was a coward and a hypocrite.

 

Taking advantage of the situation, he proposed to the princess and even rejoiced a little inside.

 

He hoped that she would eventually warm up to him, but it was a disappointment.

 

Even though he knew that the princess did not want to marry him, he did not back down, but he did not have the courage to pursue her blatantly, afraid she would hate him even more.

 

He just did what he could right now.

 

He hoped that one day she would warm her heart.

 

***

 

Count Pline’s residence.

 

A man stopped in front of a shabby building along a trail.

 

This building was previously used as accommodation for servants.

 

However, with the construction of a new building, it was only used as a warehouse for storing items that were no longer used.

 

It was originally located in a corner and had been neglected for a long time, so the building was old and shabby and had a slight bleakness.

 

The man looked around and went inside the building without hesitation.

 

Every time he took a step, the floor creaked loudly.

 

He stopped in front of a door and knocked on it nervously.

 

“Young lady, I’m going to go in.”

 

“Come in.”

 

Inside came a soft voice, clearly that of a woman.

 

The man cautiously turned the doorknob.

 

Then the door opened and he saw a woman sitting by the window with her arms around her knees.

 

Light poured over her head through the window, she looked like an angel had descended.

 

He stared at her in awe.

 

“Young master Pline.”

 

Claire slowly turned her head.

 

“Is there anything uncomfortable?”

 

“No. Thanks for caring.”

 

The room hadn’t been used for a long time, but it was clean and had everything it needed, thanks to having people with tight lips tidy it up and put new furniture in it.

 

It was definitely the Count’s residence, or perhaps it was because Young master took care of it, and it was more spacious and luxurious than her own room at the baron’s.

 

Nevertheless, the young master’s face was full of regret.

 

“I’m sorry. It was prepared in a hurry, and I had no choice but to put the lady in such a shabby place to avoid people’s eyes.”

 

“No. It’s really okay. I am very grateful for providing a place to stay like this.”

 

Claire added with a blushing face.

 

“I haven’t been able to say thank you for a while because I’m not in a good mood. That day… you must have been surprised, but thank you for helping me.”

 

A smile bloomed on the young master’s face, who recalled the memory from a few days ago.

 

Certainly, when he heard a familiar voice on the street, he couldn’t believe it.

 

Even though she was dressed in a maid’s uniform, she looked familiar to him.

 

The moment he saw the maid’s face, he was beyond surprised.

 

“If you ever need anything, let me know.”

 

“Yes. Okay.”

 

“By the way, Young lady, it seems you have lost weight while I haven’t seen you. Is the food not to your liking?”

 

“No. It’s delicious. But, I have no appetite.”

 

Claire shook her head helplessly.

 

Beneath the eyelashes that were lowered sadly, there were the green pupils.

 

Her normally bright eyes were filled with melancholy.

 

The young master looked at her with pity.

 

The daughter of Baron Dana was as beautiful as if she was shining even with her plain clothes and shabby accessories.

 

She used to be bright and full of life like a flower in bloom, but now she was as sad and pitiful as a deer caught in a trap.

 

The sight of her made him suddenly feel as if his throat was clogged.

 

A feeling of pity came over him.

 

He hesitated for a moment before spitting out the question he had been holding back for the past few days.

 

“How have you been?”

 

“…”

 

Claire’s complexion darkened rapidly.

 

The already weak-looking face became even paler.

 

Instead of answering, she lowered her head slightly.

 

Seeing Claire’s eyes slightly reddened, the young master hurriedly said,

 

“Looks like I asked something wrong. If you don’t want to talk, you don’t have to.”

 

“Thank you. You have no idea how fortunate I am to meet the young master that day.”

 

She said, wiping the tears from her eyes.

 

Seeing this, he sighed inwardly.

 

A scandal broke out about the Crown Prince and lady Dana, and people criticized both of them.

 

At least, people were afraid of the imperial family and did not say things unnecessarily in front of the Crown Prince, but it was a different story for Claire, a Baron’s daughter.

 

The rumors were probably not true, but it seemed to bother Claire nonetheless.

 

‘It must have been like a fish out of water, cats excitedly trying to bite it.’

 

Unfortunately or fortunately, after that incident, for a while, she did not appear in social circles, and no one even saw her.

 

Then, bad rumors spread among people who liked to talk about others.

 

Speculations abounded about whether she had fled after being abandoned by the crown prince, that she had been married to an older nobleman as if she had been sold, or that she could not leave the house for fear of being retaliated against by the princess.

 

The young master was worried because they were all plausible, but he couldn’t help even if he wanted to help.

 

Lady Dana was the Crown Prince’s lover.

 

It was unclear whether the rumors of her being abandoned by him were true or not, but she didn’t do anything wrong to him (young master) so he wanted to help her.

 

The human connection was so strange that at an unexpected moment he ran into Lady Dana, who needed help.

 

If there was a destiny, maybe this was it.

 

What if he had met her earlier before all this happened?

 

If only he had met her before the crown prince…

 

“… Young master, I have a question.”

 

“Ask me anything.”

 

“Then I will ask without hesitation. How is Princess Lillian doing these days?”

 

***