***
Celine sent a message to Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Grenendall asking to meet with him. Jeffrey made her wait quite a while, but did not reject her.
Facing him in his mansion, Celine tried to speak calmly.
“She must have been Duke Rothsilde’s lover. That’s why she survived her abduction.”
Jeffrey remained seated at his desk in his study while Celine was still standing. Then he rested his chin on his hand and tapped the desk, looking down.
Celine couldn’t tell if it was papers or other thoughts that his eyes were looking down at. Celine sat down on the couch, seemingly completely unconcerned that he didn’t ask her to sit down or offer a cup of tea.
“That’s why she turned her back on her country and left behind the Lieutenant Colonel’s efforts. I don’t know why Belford would leave her alone.”
“So what do you want me to do?”
It was a rigid question from the Lieutenant Colonel. Celine raised her head slightly.
“No matter how young my sister is, she has committed a crime so she must be punished accordingly. Or ask Medea to extradite her…”
“Do you think it’s appropriate to ask for her punishment? You’re her family.”
“Yes….”
Jeffrey’s cold blue eyes narrowed sharply and bent round. The corners of his mouth were clearly in the form of ridicule.
“Even your father thinks so.”
A suspicion came into Celine’s eyes at the sudden reference to Admiral Claire. Diana had no family connections and had never once been put on a line of comparison, so it was surprising that it was so sudden.
“Everything my father does is for a reason. Morally, he should not kill people, but he is allowed to do so by order from the top….”
“Are you saying that there is no reason for Diana’s actions?
“There must be but I don’t think it can be a valid reason, because whatever it was, it was greed that tempted the devil.”
“Devilish greed.”
Nodding, Jeffrey mumbled as he reflected on the meaning. Greed, mere greed. So was him.
“Miss Celine. Do you think greed and lust are bad?”
“I don’t think all of it is bad. Perhaps it’s the driving force that allows people to act.”
“It’s a subjective disposition.”
It was a vulgar conversation that felt extremely dry, but it was enough to grasp her selfish thoughts.
“You too have greed and desire, don’t you, Lieutenant Colonel? For example, honor and power. That’s why you saved Diana.”
‘You didn’t have to go rescue her.’
Celine’s expression seemed to say so in a glimpse. Jeffrey partly agreed with her on that point.
As soon as he saw the fitted shoes and clothes that were cut to fit Diana’s body, he felt that Colonel Noah Rothsilde cared a lot about Diana.
Healthy fat cheeks, pink complexion, and bright eyes. Nonetheless, he (Jeffrey) brought her back out of his personal greed. He believed he could do so himself.
When he brought her home, he thought of her dry gray-green eyes. And the faint light flashed and disappeared, like a bird that had just learned how to fly and was locked in its cage again.
He thought that going to see her every week was nothing more than just going to feed the trapped bird. She looked helpless, and sometimes even bothered to live.
He thought about gaining her heart and keeping her close to him, but he realized that as long as Celine and the Admiral were present, it was an ordeal to make her completely his.
The same thing that drove Diana into destitution and every danger pulled him to the front lines of battle.
“I wish her a happy life. It does not matter what that may look like. I don’t necessarily have to keep her by my side to see it. That’s about it.”
Celine felt strangely uncomfortable. What is that level of feeling? Her pink lips twitched as she looked at Jeffrey.
Either too much or too little.
Looking at her stiff face, Jeffrey asked.
“Do you believe your father? You seem to understand why he discriminates against Diana and why he is so cruel.”
“Yes, I understand. He believes that my mother died because of Diana, and he resents her. My father thought Diana was the devil who trampled on our happiness. In fact, she behaved like the devil to me. She used you to make me feel terrible.”
“That’s amazing.”
Jeffrey laughed aloud. It was a spectator’s look at a funny skit.
“I understand too. It’s not totally different, but it’s totally wrong. I’ll tell you, since you seem to expect it.”
“What?”
Celine asks with a look of ignorance. Jeffrey’s eyebrows raised slightly as he swept his black hair.
“The direct cause is your father. He wanted to abandon you and your mother when a woman of high status came to have a child of his own. That was the desire and reason of the Admiral.”
Celine’s eyes narrowed as she remained motionless and rigid. Her green eyes glanced like the eyes of a snake.
“So, who do you think the devil is?”
Jeffrey asked.
Celine’s complexion suddenly became cooler. There was a watered-down silence between them. She spoke in an eerily somber voice.
“Why do you say that? Are you even afraid of military law?”
“Yes. But you won’t say it.”
The extremely calm tone that followed destroyed all of Celine’s plausible excuses.
“Because you are an accomplice too. Maybe it’s been like that for a long time.”
‘Accomplice? Me? I didn’t do anything.’ Celine anxiously clasped her hand on the sofa table.
A little moisture pooled and disappeared under her hands. She eventually pressed her forehead as if the aftermath of the shock still lingered.
‘…… he knows the whole silent truth.’
Celine had no use for using the military’s threat for what Jeffrey had said. His icy blue eyes looked directly at her.
“I know you’re smart. I also know that you just pretend to be very normal and sometimes pretend that you don’t know anything and live your life. I know that you are still calculating ways to get out of it.”
“I know my mother was different. I don’t know anything else. She died from a mental illness that made her weak after giving birth to Diana……”
“Yes, that’s how you always get away with it. The cycle of misery continues with the choice of greed. Now you can no longer stand by and watch or avoid it.”
The voice of the Lieutenant Colonel, piling low, bound her. ‘I didn’t know, I don’t know, there must be a reason.’ That was Celine’s refuge.
Jeffrey stood up and smiled at Celine as he approached her. He bent down and looked down at her with eerie eyes.
“You know everything now, don’t you?”
Lieutenant Colonel Grenendall, an excellent officer, even blocked her retreat route. His subsequent words sounded like a command with force.
“Human greed knows no bounds, but you, his beloved daughter, can stop him. Make the right choice, Celine.”
It was an indirect pressure.
She was not certain who Princess Medea is now, or if she has been replaced by someone else, but Diana was the Queen’s daughter.
So when her father discovered that he was found out by the Duke, he tried to kill Diana.
After escaping from prison, Diana left the country.
So, therefore!
After thinking, reaching and concluding, Celine’s lips quivered and then closed tightly.
That’s why Jeffrey saved Diana and took an interest. Because he was the second son of the Prime Minister, he must crave absolute power.
“You were greedy too, weren’t you?”
With her chin raised, Celine turned the subject around and asked why Jeffrey did not tell Medea the truth about Diana when he knew who she was. Jeffrey didn’t reply as if it was his habit.
When Jeffrey first learned of poor looking Diana’s existence, he could only speculate about her and could not be sure.
The subsequent actions of the Admiral and the Duke of Rothsilde were sufficient to corroborate the fact. He did not intervene directly by raising this fact with the Queen of Medea or informing the people around her.
There was a reason for that, but he did not say it because he knew that the heir to the throne of the United Kingdom of Medea could not marry a person of another race. Colonel Noah Rothsilde also hid this fact.
It was for the happiness of the two lovers.
The Lieutenant Colonel’s intervention stayed on the line of warning to Celine to stop her father’s outbursts. It was because, as was typical of his straightforward nature, he prioritized the happiness of Diana, who had lived a lifetime of unhappiness.
***
I was rushing back and forth in my room and packing my bags to stay at the Tempshire Palace when a thought occurred to me. It was because I didn’t ask how long I should stay at the Palace.
Three days, two days?
The maid, Lenny, was packing my spring clothes. It was still winter. I asked in astonishment.
“Um ……Lenny?’ Why are you packing spring clothes? It’s only February.”
“I thought you would stay there for a few months, but I guess not. The guests staying at the palace can stay up to a year at the most. Especially the master, who was knighted by Medea…”
“No.”
Lenny opened her eyes wide at my urgent restraining word.
“What?”
“Anyway, I’m going to keep it simple.”
“Oh, you can buy new clothes because there are many western clothing stores and grocery stores around that bring in the latest fashions.”
Lenny smiled, folded my underwear neatly, and finished it off properly. It was already midnight when I finished packing and arranging my room.
“You’re leaving early tomorrow morning, so sleep early. Good night, Miss.”
“I don’t plan on going to bed early.”
A familiar voice followed Lenny’s words as the door to my room opened. Noah, who had left in the morning to do his business, was standing at the door.
He was holding a paper bag full of something. Perhaps because of Noah’s remark, Lenny couldn’t help but smile. She greeted him and left the room.
“What is it?”
Noah chuckled at my question.
“I am the perfect man now.”
“Why?”
He sat on the edge of the bed, a paper bag in his lap, and beckoned me to come closer. I approached and sat down next to him and he pulled out one of the items in the bag.
It was a small glass jar filled with pink pudding. He looked expectant as he held the pudding and the dessert spoon he had brought along. He seemed to be waiting for a compliment.
‘’Thank you. It looks delicious.”
“I got them all because I don’t know what flavors you like.”
In the paper bag, there were about 10 puddings. Chuckling, I tried to open the lid of the glass jar containing the pudding, but he took it, opened the lid for me, and handed it to me again.
“Is it good?”
“I haven’t eaten it yet.” ?
I scooped the pudding and put it in my mouth to examine the taste.
“Mmm, it’s delicious. Would you like to try some?”
When I handed him a scoop, he opened his mouth and took it like a little bird. But as soon as he took it in his mouth, he hurriedly swallowed it and made a strange expression.
This man does not like sweets. He shrugged and looked irresolute.
“It’s delicious.”
“It’s okay if you don’t share my taste.”
“Too sweet. I can’t eat it.”
“Right? You don’t have a sweet tooth.”
“I want to like the things the Princess likes, so I’ll try.”
“How do you think you will change your taste? I’ll eat it all.”
I ate three puddings in one go. Noah watched happily, elbows on his knees, chin propped up.
“They are delicious just the way you eat them. I will buy them for you every day. I can do that much.”
“Not every day. It’ll make me fat.”
“It’s okay. I am strong. I can give you a piggyback ride or carry you even if you get fat.”
Our conversation was mostly boring, but informative and fun. We learned things we didn’t know about each other, and we laughed at the little things.
I used to like to be alone and isolated, but now I feel bored and empty without him. Noah, who had his elbows on his knees and his chin resting in his hands, chuckled.
His blue eyes looked down at the ring on my finger.
“Do you remember when we first met?”
“When you kidnapped me in Belford?”
“No, that wasn’t the first time we met.”
It meant that we had met before I became this Diana person. Of course, that was not in the original story nor in my memory. Noah looked at me confused and smiled like it was nothing.
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“Well, it’s only natural that you don’t remember.”
I was not the owner of this body, so I could not ask for details. He didn’t say anything else after that.