Chapter 22
“Then…”
“Find all the materials today and then clock out.”
Work is work, regardless of it being my sibling.
Judging by the fact that he’s searching for materials on bio-implantation, it’s obvious. Even though April’s condition has improved significantly thanks to me, he still wants to prepare for everything he can.
Although one of my subordinates seemed thrilled when I told him to leave, his face quickly turned pale, and he kept glancing at me. But there was nothing I could do.
I intruded on their conversation, but since Barak had no intention of letting him leave, it would be absurd for me to force the issue.
“What are you doing? Get going.”
I briefly shook my head as I watched the two subordinates who were now on the verge of tears.
April had arrived, so they likely hadn’t expected him to be even more sensitive than usual.
“…Yes, sir.”
It was only after I heard the soft click of the door closing with a heavy heart that I finally spoke.
“This is why those rumors are spreading.”
“What?”
He seemed oblivious to the rumors circulating about him, so I merely shrugged my shoulders.
He didn’t seem to know, and I had no intention of kindly explaining it to him.
Barak had a personality that made him prone to making enemies. The only reason he was still alive was likely due to his abilities.
“And so.”
I rose from my seat and walked briskly toward his desk.
As soon as I attempted to glance at the paper he had pushed aside, Barak swiftly snatched it from me.
“Why did you come here?”
His gaze was turbulent.
I lightly laughed, observing the restraints still clasped around his wrist, and asked casually.
“I had something to ask.”
“If you have a question, ask it quickly and leave. I have no desire to converse with someone like you.”
“Didn’t April mention anything about His Highness Perfone?”
“You…!”
Barak instantly stood up, grabbing me by the collar.
As I was dragged forward by my collar, I found myself face to face with Barak’s eyes.
Initially, I thought his emotions were rooted in anger, but upon closer inspection, his gaze seemed closer to anxiety than fury.
“Don’t even think about doing anything foolish.”
His voice was low, almost a hiss, as if he was concerned someone might overhear.
I gripped his hand, which was tightly clutching my collar, and slowly caressed the wrist where the restraint was fastened, responding with an air of nonchalance.
He probably didn’t realize how pathetic and ridiculous he looked, acting so defiant in front of someone who could easily break his wrist with a mere thought.
“If you don’t want me to do anything foolish, you shouldn’t behave like this.”
“…What?”
Without any sign of surprise, I widened my eyes and moved closer, causing Barak to flinch.
In his memory, I was still a tearful, weak girl desperate for his approval.
“Do you really want to provoke me, making me want to do something reckless?”
“Do you have a death wish!?”
I let out a short laugh at his raised voice.
“If someone outside hears, what do you think will happen with that loud voice?”
“…”
“If you don’t want to see me doing something reckless, it would be wise to just answer my questions.”
“Damn it!”
As he shoved me away, releasing my collar, I casually adjusted the front of my clothes with both hands.
“She didn’t mention anything about His Highness? April is quite fond of Perfone, after all.”
“No, she didn’t say anything like that. There wasn’t anything particularly strange either.”
It seemed he truly hadn’t mentioned the annulment to anyone.
To be honest, when I first heard about the annulment, I thought he would immediately inform the Duke’s family to expedite the royal marriage.
April’s silence was completely out of character. The April I knew would have used any means necessary to secure what she wanted.
Was there some other reason she hadn’t spoken? When I tilted my head, Barak’s brow furrowed deeply.
“Did His Highness say something to you?”
I shrugged nonchalantly at Barak’s question.
“No, nothing in particular.”
If he didn’t want to talk about it with his second brother, Barak, then I certainly wasn’t going to volunteer the information.
Secrets like this were more entertaining when they were revealed at the right moment.
“How has she been getting along with others?”
I needed to know how she was doing to adjust my actions accordingly.
I lightly brushed my fingers over the titles of books neatly arranged and well-maintained on the shelf.
Among them, I noticed titles such as “The Making of the Large Kiera” and “The Binding of Souls Through Alchemy.”
“Not much, but if I had to say, she seemed to have had a fight with Demian.”
“Demian?”
Hearing that familiar name for the first time in a while, I blinked slowly.
Demian Dinia Balstein.
The sole heir to the Grand Duchy.
Hearing the name of a fellow academy peer, I momentarily held my breath.
The reason I was slightly tense at Demian’s name was because, aside from Alicia, he was the only one who knew my secret.
“Why did she fight with him?”
Before I was expelled from the Duke’s household, I had shared a similar situation with him, so there was a certain sense of camaraderie between us.
Because of that, we had maintained a fairly decent relationship.
“He came to visit once after you left the Duke’s estate.”
“…”
“After that, their relationship became distant.”
I lightly furrowed my brows.
I had come to Barak in search of answers, but instead of resolving my questions, I only found myself with more.
“Why?”
“How would I know?”
As I pulled a book from the shelf, Barak approached, snatched it from my hand, and quickly returned it to its place.
“If you’ve asked everything, get out.”
“Useless bastard.”
“What? What did you just say?”
Now, even his hearing had failed him.
“I said, you’re useless.”
Barak was someone who created question marks without providing even a period or an exclamation point.
I left the office, leaving the fuming Barak behind.
He had grown distant from Demian too.
Just what on earth was April…
“…how has she been living?”
Adonis, who had escorted April to Barak’s office, suddenly stopped walking down the long corridor.
He looked back, but the long, flowing beige hair was now completely out of sight.
It was only then that Adonis frowned slightly.
He carefully covered his mouth with the handkerchief April had given him.
The bitter taste in his mouth made him grimace.
Despite countless wounds from wielding a sword, the injury inside his cheek hurt more than any cut from a blade.
This was likely because his father, Count Betrice, had struck him, citing opposition to her.
Adolph’s inability to improve his swordsmanship, as his father believed, was inexplicable.
Was I chosen as a convenient scapegoat because they needed someone to blame?
The reason Adolph wasn’t progressing was due to his own negligence.
“It’s all because of that woman that Adolph can’t spread his wings.”
“They should have never let her hold a sword, even out of curiosity.”
The elders of the family, who used to gossip and point fingers at her, now echoed in her ears.
“Here you are. Your brother is looking for you, Sir Adonis.”
April might have said that, but it was probably just an excuse to pull her away from their father, not the truth.
“Sir Betrice? What happened to your cheek?”
Upon arriving at the building where the Crown Prince resided, Lerbian immediately noticed and asked about her cheek.
“Oh, well. I bumped into a wall.”
“How do you bump into a wall so hard that it causes your cheek to swell?”
It was a blatant lie.
Lerbian didn’t press her to tell the truth. They weren’t close enough for such inquiries, and there was only one person within the palace who could have caused that injury.
It was her father, Count Betrice.
Clicking his tongue inwardly, Lerbian looked at Adonis’s indifferent expression with concern.
Her father seemed to think that Adonis was the reason Adolph couldn’t shine, but even without Adonis, things would have been the same.
“But, Sir Lerbian.”
She stopped Lerbian, who was about to resume walking, to ask him something.
“Did you meet Lady April today?”
“Yes, I did. His Highness invited her today.”
“…”
“But why do you ask?”
The words hovered on her lips, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak.
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