Why Are You So Obsessed With Rejecting Affection? - Chapter 73

Chapter 73

“Ah……!”

I tried to hold back the dizziness I was feeling and rubbed my temples, but my body quickly became heavy due to the swirling questions and worries. My legs were about to collapse when my arms were stretched from both sides.

“Shuelina!”

“Shushu, are you okay?”

Holding one arm was my (biological) brother, and the other was my older brother. Holding me from both sides, I blinked as I slowly raised my head at Wyndert and Lucas, who were staring at each other.

“I don’t think Shushu and the Imperial Palace go well together. She is suddenly sick now.”

“I think it’s better to tell Father Emperor to let Shuelina stay at the Imperial Palace until she gets well.”

“Then what will you do if something really bad happens? It would be better for Shushu to go back to our mansion as soon as possible.”

I could feel the pulsing energy between the two of them.

“H-hey, my arms…”

Oh, what to do? I was in the middle of them as they were both grabbing my arms, but neither of them was looking at me. I was crying with my arms grabbed when I heard the door click open in front of me.

“I came out to see why it was noisy outside, and this was the reason.”

It was the Grand Duke. He frowned when he saw that I was being held on both of my arms like meat on a skewer. He snapped his fingers to get our attention and the two boys who had been holding me taught, released their grips on me. I rubbed my tingling arms as I approached the Grand Duke, and he lifted me up as he clicked his tongue.

“Your Highness, I think you should re-study the manners you should have towards the Grand Princess and a lady.”

The Grand Duke said to Lucas, looking at me with a dissatisfied look on his face.

“Wyndert, children grow up fighting and you can fight as much as you like, but let’s fight without Shushu involved.”

Wyndert’s ear tinged red as he was called a child. The Grand Duke placed his hand on my forehead and lightly touched my reddish wrist, then lightly clicked his tongue.

It was obvious that there was going to be a bruise on my wrist pretty soon. Both Wyndert and Lucas were frozen like ice as they stared intently at my wrist.

“I-I’m sorry… Shuelina.”

“Your oppa was just, at the moment…”

The two of them sneaked up to me and whispered that they were sorry. I shook my head and leaned lazily into the Grand Duke’s arms.

“It would be better if you just go in and rest, Shushu. I’ll put you on the bed.”

I looked up at the Grand Duke and wanted to invite Lucas, but when I saw the Grand Duke’s expression, I shut my mouth.

In an instant, the bell of enlightenment rang in my mind. If I invite Lucas now, the Grand Duke will be very upset!! At this point, I decided that I should hand over the handkerchief to Lucas, but it would be a pity.

‘Let’s not forget it next time.’

Lucas looked at me in the Grand Duke’s arms with a slightly sad look. I wanted to tell him something… unfortunately, I couldn’t say it since I felt so relaxed after being held by the Grand Duke.

“Unfortunately, the invitation to His Majesty’s dinner has to be reserved for the next time because my daughter is sick. I would take responsibility for this, so please tell him that.”

The Grand Duke raised the corner of his mouth slightly and said to Lucas. The Emperor invited us to dinner? I wanted to ask him, ‘Aren’t we supposed to go?’ but I only stared at him as I pursed my lips.

‘I do not know. Daddy will take care of it!’

Believing that the Grand Duke would solve the problem. I finally fell asleep without being able to defeat my heavy eyelids that had started to close as soon as he lifted me up.

* * * 

The Grand Duke Vaillot’s carriage was seen leaving the Central Gate of the Imperial Palace. Azuela clenched her fists, remembering the person inside that carriage.

“Princess, your skin might burn in the sun if you are so close to the window. You, go and draw the curtains.”

Azuela’s nanny gave instructions to the maid in a worried voice. Azuela glanced at the nanny, then stared intently at the faraway carriage. She then twisted her lips thinking about what happened yesterday.

“Yesterday, how did that child look?”

“Yes? Are you referring to the Grand Princess? She couldn’t even stand beside you, Imperial Princess.”

Azuela wiped the smile that hung from her lips at the words of the indifferent maid, then shook her head.

“Um… are you comparing me to her? I guess I should learn more about being a lady.”

Azuela smiled a little sadly. The maid probably just wanted to flatter Azuela. However, it was unacceptable to dare think that Shuelina can be compared especially if the object of comparison was her, Azuela.

Azuela’s eyes shone secretly, but she had a pitiful expression on her face as if she was about to cry, though she knew everything.

“I-Imperial Princess! I didn’t mean that…!”

“You go back to your room. I’ll call you back when I need you.”

The nanny couldn’t dare to keep a maid who went against the Imperial Princess’ will. The nanny quickly sent out the maid who made a slip of tongue, as if it was to protect Azuela.

Azuela sighed lightly when the maid, who was about to bow down on the floor while crying, went out of the room.

“I think she hates me,” Azuela uttered sadly as she looked at the door where she left.

Then the nanny comforted Azuela with a worried expression on her face.

“Is that possible? It’s all because of that stupid kid.”

“But… she’s a noble?”

The commoners are inferior and foolish, the nobles are superior, and the imperial family is divine. Recalling the famous saying, Azuela tilted her head.

Although she (shuelina) was respected by the knights and nobles in order to maintain a good and lovely image, she couldn’t change her inherent status after all. The nanny shook her head, clearing Azuela’s doubts.

“She can do nothing about it since she’s a low ranking noble. She must’ve complained to a maid.”

It was only said by her nanny so that Azuela would be in a better mood and she could stay by her side, but after all a low-ranking noble has a defect that can’t be hidden or changed.

“I will be able to look after everyone if I become a better Imperial Princess. Leave her alone, nanny. It was probably hard for her to live with her just being stupid.”

Azuela said in a whisper with a bitter face. Then she put her hand on her chest and thought.

‘That’s right, that’s her only way to survive. She had to embrace it.’

Azuela tried to calm the stinging that she had forgotten about for a while because of the maid.

That kid Shuelina – a child who shamelessly extorts her abilities from others and doesn’t return them.

She hated Lucas for giving Shuelina a tour in the palace. It was unfair of Lucas to ask her to go away as if she was nothing – as if the two boys were protecting Shuelina and blocking her way.

There was no way that Lucas who is always cold and aloof, can only be kind to Shuelina.

It’s all because of that Shuelina. It was obvious that she had gone to bother Lucas because she only knew how to depend on others.

‘I don’t know what kind of girl she is and it’s clear that both my brother and the other boy were deceived to take pity on her.’

There was no way for her to survive other than to rob other people, depend on them, and pretend to be pitiful while she was growing up as a commoner. Azuela sighed lightly, venting her sympathy, then turned away.

“I was talking about the son of the Grand Duke Vaillot who was standing next to her. Nanny, how does he look?”

There were many beautiful men and women in the Imperial Palace, and it was worthy to say that he was thrifty and handsome just by looking at the wealthy without going too far. Her older brother, Lucas, was also a very handsome boy, and in the next few years, he would become a handsome man sweeping the popularity of the Empire’s social circles. Nevertheless, the Wyndert she met yesterday immediately caught her eyes.

He was cool and clean as ice. Above all, his attitude of pretending that he wasn’t interested in her was interesting.

‘Is it because he’s shy?’

She felt ashamed yesterday when he didn’t kiss the back of her hand, but she thought that he might just be too embarrassed to do it. Because there was no one in this world who would hate the loveliest and the most perfect Imperial Princess.

There has never been anything that didn’t work out as Azuela wanted – because the world was on her side.

“He is very handsome and has a great family. Moreover, he is the future Grand Duke.”

“Right?”

“But the family’s notoriety is too…”

If it’s the Grand Duke, then Azuela will try to get along a little bit, but it wouldn’t be a bad condition. Unless there was someone who was comparable to the Emperor of another continent, he was a suitable partner for her future engagement.

Above all, it was expected that she would receive the envy of quite a few people if she was placed next to him and received a sincere escort. The family’s notoriety was something negative but even that was somehow attractive.

‘I think it would have been perfect if the Grand Duke Vaillot hadn’t adopted Shuelina.’

Azuela licked her lips in regret, then shook her head. Whatever has already happened. It was inevitable if Shuelina did not die or disappear.

‘Well, I can’t help it. Wouldn’t it be better for him to escort me at the next ball?’

She was planning to hold a children’s party on New Year’s Eve, so she was also planning to give him that invitation. He sure pretended to be cold outside, but she was sure that he would be happy upon receiving it and that he wouldn’t know what to do.

Azuela smiled happily as she imagined the sensible eyes of the boy looking out around the party.

* * * 

The Grand Duke’s mansion in the Imperial Capital was called the Blue Glass Mansion, and as the name suggests, it was made of blue glass.

It was very fascinating how the mansion was embedded with magic where you can see the outside from the inside, but you can’t see the inside from the outside. Thanks to the blue glass, the exterior of the mansion was like a house made of ice. And the garden that stretched out in front of it was like a treasury.

Who ruined such a beautiful garden? Was it because our family was infamous for the notoriety that many people wanted to eliminate us? My heart ached for some reason as I looked up at the Grand Duke.

‘Do not worry. I will make sure that people will say you’re an angel in the future!’

As I looked up to him with bright eyes while making a promise for our future, the Grand Duke patted my head rather than being bewildered by my expression. Hehe, I smiled lightly and took the Grand Duke’s hand as we walked into the lobby.

“Welcome back, Master!”

People lined up in the lobby shouted loudly at us. It reminded me of my first day at the White Rose Mansion. I walked relaxed between the Grand Duke and Wyndert. I followed them closely but at the end of the procession, I saw two people, one was wearing a butler’s clothes while the other was wearing the clothes of a head maid.

“Long time no see, Rodrigo.”

“It’s been so many years, my lord.”

The Grand Duke greeted the butler first. I couldn’t help but be surprised when I saw the butler’s face. Butler? Why do I feel like he became younger all of a sudden? You aren’t even wearing your glasses!

“Why is your name different?”

As I blinked my eyes and mumbled blankly, the butler burst out laughing and kneeled down on one knee in front of me.

“So you are the Grand Princess. The butler of the Grand Duke’s main mansion estate, Edgar, is my older brother. Do we look similar?”

“Wow……!”

They really resemble each other. Then the maid standing next to him grinned at me as my mouth gaped to admire him.

“The Grand Princess is really pretty. I am the head maid Eldeira. My name is difficult, right? You can just call me Elde.”

“Nice to meet you, Elde.”

“You are really cute! It’s really good that you came!”

Eldeira greeted me with a gentle voice. If Lucy had a quick-tempered look, Eldeira had a strict look, but her attitude was very kind.

“Elde is Rodrigo’s wife.”

Wyndert whispered to me. Unlike the unmarried Lucy and Edgar, these two were married! Somehow, it was fun how this was different from the Grand Duchy that I covered my hands and laughed.

“Master, I will guide you. Elde, please take care of the young lady.”

Eldeira blinked her eyes at Rodrigo’s words as if she already knew it, and gently led me in the other direction. Eldeira said that she would introduce the mansion to me first, and she gave me a tour around.