Why Are You So Obsessed With Rejecting Affection? - Chapter 58

I wrapped my arms around Wyndert’s neck, refusing to look at Lucas’ face.

The more I looked at him, the more I could see Lucas’ imaginary cold eyes. Seeing him looking at me and stomping his feet, he felt so despicable and cruel.

‘Because of you, Shuelina died a tragic death.’

Both the Emperor and the Crown Prince contributed to Shuelina’s death.

For some reason, my heart felt sad and painful, as if this body wanted to get away from Lucas.

Strictly speaking, for someone like me who possessed this body, Lucas was completely unrelated to me anyways.

However, I had no desire to befriend the person who caused Shuelina’s death.

It somehow felt like I was betraying Shuelina and myself if I did.

“No way!”

Curious about Lucas’ unresponsiveness, I raised my head for a moment and saw that he was staring at me with such unfairness in his eyes.

“You were the last gift my Mother Empress had left for me, and I was waiting for you for a long time already.”

As if it was an attempt at appealing to me, Lucas’ droopy eyes were slightly wet.

“Mother Empress, do you mean our former late Empress?” Wyndert asked Lucas with an indifferent expression.

“That’s right.”

“How can you say that the deceased Empress gave birth to my little sister?”

“She is the baby thought to be dead….”

“Wasn’t the one that died a prince?”

Lucas trembled at Wyndert’s sharp words. It looked like he was hurt, and he seemed very pitiful.

“It wasn’t a prince, she is a princess. I felt the traces of spiritual power.”

The Crown Prince stood on his tiptoes and looked at me as if he murmured, ‘I can clearly feel it’.

“I am not a princess… but do you see any traces of spirit power here?”

I couldn’t help but be surprised by those words. He can check for traces of spiritual power?

Judging by the traces, it seems that I used my spirit power and left something behind.

This point seemed pretty important. As I pondered, I had no choice but to ask a question.

“That’s right, every member of the Imperial Family can do it. You’ve been using a lot of spiritual power lately, right? I can faintly feel it.”

Then… does Azuela also feel my spirit power? Does she know what I was doing and wherever I went? But such a thing didn’t appear in the original story.

I stopped my train of thoughts about the spirit power, and talked to the Crown Prince with a firm voice.

“Do you have any proof that I am an Imperial Princess, Your Highness?”

Lucas looked at my face and pursed his lips before answering.

Having the same hair color as the Emperor? Having the same eye color as the Emperor’s late wife? That wasn’t convincing evidence. He also couldn’t answer because he knew it himself.

‘Surprisingly, he really has nothing.’

How many times did I imagine it after reading it in the novel?

『‘Father, brother. I am, I am really the real one. The kid 18 years ago – “

‘The evidence.’

‘I’m so sick of your lies.’』

A moment to repay Shuelina’s misery.

Like a boomerang, I was able to return the words Shuelina had heard without missing a chance.

But I was a little surprised that I didn’t feel exhilarated. I thought it would be pretty cool to return those words they said to Shuelina. I knew it would feel cold and sad at the very least. But unexpectedly, I wasn’t impressed or relieved, it was as if my heart turned into a stone.

‘I thought I already connected with Shuelina’s feelings but after all, is it because I am a different person?’

I got a little queasy but I thought it wasn’t that bad. After all, it is difficult to be seriously hurt by someone you saw for the first time.

‘My family is really just my dad and my brothers.’

When I possessed this body, thoughts of my biological family who made me suffer and feel miserable often came to me.

Now, it was evidence that I’ve already kicked my father and brother from the past out of the fence.

“On your own….”

As if he had realized something, Lucas had his mouth wide open. It seemed like his eyes were murky from sorrow, from receiving the greatest shock.

‘Why are you looking at me like that?’

Eyes filled with heartache stared at me when his shock subsided. I kept reminding myself that he was just a brutal man who drove his little sister into a hole, but somehow I felt uncomfortable inside my chest.

‘Was it because he looks like a child?’

Tears welled up in his big eyes that seemed to be full of stories, and it was as if I had tormented him.

“Then, Your Highness, it seems that the one you are looking for is not in our mansion.” Wyndert said with a grin – not feeling guilty but slightly displeased.

Clearly, he wanted to prevent the Crown Prince from getting any closer.

“…… The Grand Duchy is trying to send its guests away without even inviting them to have a seat.”

Strictly speaking, the Crown Prince who suddenly came in was as rude as the Grand Duke who did not even give him a chance to breathe.

Wyndert opened his mouth to retort, then clenched his fist and closed it again.

‘What’s going on?’

Looking up at Wyndert, he was furrowing his brows, discontented.

I obviously thought that both of them had been rude to each other but there must’ve been some other type of etiquette I don’t know about. If it wasn’t for him (Wyndert), he (Lucas) also couldn’t help it because he’s a member of the Imperial Family.

“I didn’t think there would be guests… and I’m even at home today.”

Deleign whispered next to me, as if he noticed me flitting my eyes around with a lot of curiosity.

A work-from-home day was a day where one day of the week was set and guests could be received without prior notice.

Usually, it was a form of courtesy where you only received guests you are close with, but it was a bit ambiguous because we couldn’t ignore the Crown Prince.

“I apologize. Our mansion has a beautiful sunroom, can I show you around?”

(T/N: A sunroom, also frequently called a solarium, is a room that permits abundant daylight and views of the landscape while sheltering from adverse weather. [Source: Wikipedia])

“Alright, but my guide… I want it to be the princess that will show me around.”

Lucas stared intently at me and held out his hand. It seemed like he was planning on escorting me.

Should I be happy that he called me a princess, or should I be sad because I have no choice but to face him again?

‘No, it’s my job anyway.’

As I have learned, it is the hostess’ responsibility to welcome guests.

So, unless there was a Grand Duke, it was natural for me to take over.

“I’ve lived in the mansion longer than Shushu so of course, I know it very well. Let me show you around.”

Wyndert grabbed me tightly and glared at Lucas.

While he was forced to accept it, he had this rude attitude as if me showing Lucas around the mansion is unacceptable.

“Don’t worry, because I will never let you meet with him alone.”

Deleign said in a whisper trying to hide me behind his back. Both of them were trying to protect me, but I just couldn’t hide behind their backs just because they were afraid to let me meet with him (Lucas).

“Nina, tell Lucy about this situation. Dad should know about this and Franc, tell the kitchen to prepare a tea set.”

I ordered Nina and Franc quietly right away. The Crown Prince’s visit was something we couldn’t solve on our own.

“Your Highness, I will guide you together with my brothers.”

“Anything is fine, as long as… it is with you.”

I grabbed Wyndert’s arm, avoiding Lucas’s pleading eyes.

‘That look is the problem.’

It was hard to be decisive and adjust to Lucas’ eyes, and I felt uncomfortable because I felt softer towards him because of his sad expressions.

Wyndert held my hand tightly knowing that I was feeling awkward. At his familiar warmth, I gained a little confidence in myself.

“Let’s go.”

Lucas looked at our intertwined hands with distaste then he stood up from his seat. As we went to the sun room together, Wyndert and Deleign skillfully explained the layout of the mansion.

A faraway yet calm voice.

I somehow remembered Wyndert, who showed me around the mansion on my first day.

‘Even though it was our first meeting, you were very nice to me.’

Wyndert who responded like a still painting so he wouldn’t be blamed, rather looked like a cold person because of his thoroughness.

He has perfect manners but I felt it was too overwhelming because of his face that made it feel like a chill wind was blowing through the mansion, and he was also expressionless.

Besides, his defense was ironclad.

If he thinks that Lucas was trying to talk to me, he will cut him off, and when Lucas tries to compliment the mansion out of courtesy, he will coldly accept it, preventing him from responding and starting a conversation.

Even Lucas’ escorts who were walking with him, glanced at Wyndert. It was because Wyndert showed an attitude that says he clearly hates the presence of the Crown Prince, even though it was subtle enough to say that he was just being rude.

He was intimidating to me, but he was also relatively friendly.

So this is how you treat people you hate. I followed my brothers with a light realization.

“That, I think the Grand Duke treats his guests hardly like he treats the Prin…… Grand Princess. She’s so skinny that I’m afraid she’ll be blown away once a breeze blows past.”

Lucas frowned as he muttered seeing me often chasing them. I puffed out my cheeks as if he put horns on my brothers, realizing that I can’t call on my brothers when he referred to me because he will attempt to respond in their stead.

‘I thought I already put on a lot of weight….’

Is my body still skinny?

I got a little tired of the critiques and turned my arms around. No matter how I looked at them, they seemed normal….

“Of course, there’s a lot more delicious food in the Imperial Palace.” Lucas slightly muttered. Deleign burst into laughter.

“It was already hard for her to gain this much weight,” he ‘murmured’ in a loud voice.

He was obviously talking to himself but it was loud enough as if he (Lucas) needed to hear it.

“What? How could a person be thinner than this?”

Then, Lucas opened his mouth with a shocked expression on his face.

When I saw that face, my cheeks lit up somehow.

I deliberately kept my mouth shut and waved my arms as I walked to show that my body is perfectly normal.

“Why are you walking like that? What’s on the bottom of your shoe?”

However, Deleign quietly asked, ‘Would you like to take it off later?’ and his anger cooled down.

As soon as I entered the sunroom, the pleasant sunlight hit my body. Through the window, a beautiful rose garden could be seen.

I led Lucas to a tea table in front of a window overlooking the garden.

Lucas looked down at the garden, and muttered a little with a little resentment.

“It’s a nice sight.”

The whole time he looked as if everything in the Grand Duke’s was not that good, but it seemed that he could not help but admit (it was beautiful) to the sunroom.

‘I don’t think he likes the Grand Duke very much….’

Somehow, I felt a little better with Lucas’ trivial compliments but then I realized that I was being swayed by him.

I’m so lost; I know I can treat you indifferently but why isn’t it going my way?

“Right? I like to see the garden from the sunroom.”

“Do you like to look at flowers? The Imperial Palace has the best flower garden on the continent.”

Lucas responded by bringing up the Imperial Palace again.

Wyndert who had a businesslike smile, raised the corners of his mouth higher like he was annoyed.

“Shushu, oppa will collect all the flowers in the country and build you a greenhouse.”

“Yes, the Imperial Capital is too far away. You don’t have to go that far when you can just see it at home.”

Wyndert and Deleign whispered to me. However, their gazes were on Lucas, not me.

It wasn’t something he was really saying to me, but it was something he wanted Lucas to listen to.

I sighed, hoping someone would come quickly and diffuse the mood.