C38
I tilted my head.
"Did I say something strange?"
"... You said you would leave suddenly."
"Was it too abrupt? I'm sorry. The right moment to talk never came."
Terence also asked this for the first time today, and I didn't feel the need to tell him.
Terence responded with a puzzled expression.
"It's not something you should feel sorry for."
And with his gaze lowered, he muttered as if he was thinking about it.
"Yes. That's right."
"Tay?"
"It's not something you should feel sorry for."
"I'm sorry, but what did you just say?"
He said it so softly that I couldn't hear it.
"No. It's nothing."
The man in front of me had his usual face. A fresh and charming smile. But for some reason, I felt a bit of distance.
"Did I say something strange?"
"It's not possible. I just realized something again."
"What thing?"
"It's a secret. I think it's a bit embarrassing."
Embarrassing? I'm not sure in what context that conclusion arose from the previous conversation.
"Simply... I think I thought my existence was bigger than it really was. Now we have to face reality."
I don't even know what that means. Terence handed me his drink before I could respond.
"Shall we make a toast, partner?"
Perhaps due to his mood, it sounded like a different word than before.
"I hope all your goals come true."
However, the face of the person who said that was clear and without a single shadow, so I immediately dismissed the feeling I had as an illusion.
"I hope Tay's goal comes true as well."
He asked me while raising my glass.
"I don't think we've ever had a conversation about my goals. Do you know what it is?"
Wouldn't it be natural to defeat the crown prince and become emperor? Terence's goal revealed in the novel was that.
"But that's not all."
The image of him shown in the novel might have been just one side of him. If so, what is the goal of the human Terence and not the villainous Terence?
"What else is there besides successfully becoming a prince? As a partner, I'm curious."
"Actually, I don't know. For a long time, my life was closer to giving up than having hope."
That was the environment given to the emperor's illegitimate son.
"So I'm going to start looking for it now."
"You'll find a very good goal."
"If only... that would be great."
Cheers, we clinked our glasses. A cheerful sound echoed on the quiet terrace.
The night between partners passed like this.
Another day had passed since then, but Terence's attitude toward me was as kind and polite as ever.
The strange feeling I had that night was not visible even after I washed my eyes and searched for it.
"As expected, it was a mistake."
"What?"
"Oh, it's nothing."
Sharon smiled and touched my shoulder.
"Aren't you tired of all these meetings? Please, go out and get some fresh air."
I felt embarrassed. At a time when the trial is so close, I can't believe I'm concerned with other thoughts even after arriving at Sharon's office.
Let's come to our senses. The most important thing for me right now was the divorce.
"Yes. I'll go out for a moment."
"Oh, wait a moment."
Sharon, who had received something from Robbie, handed it to me. It was a letter.
"Ethel, something has arrived for you."
"Oh, there's no sender on the list."
"The person who gave it to Robbie said someone requested it."
"I wonder who it could be."
Without thinking, I opened the envelope, read the letter, and then regained my senses.
"I need to go out quickly. It might take longer than just a walk."
"What happened?"
"I received a message from the person I was waiting for."
It was a letter from the butler.
The butler was in the park mentioned in the letter.
"That's a lot of confidence."
Not even Duke Cassius would have dreamed that the chief butler they were desperately looking for would casually walk in the center of the capital in broad daylight.
"Isn't that a bit dangerous?"
I went to the bench where he was sitting and sat down next to him. The butler, who was looking at the pigeons without looking at me, said.
"I resigned a while ago, but I was the first advisor to the Duke. I've taught everyone who serves him now."
In short, it meant that how Cassius would move was in the palm of his hand.
"If he's looking for a hiding place where his political enemies kidnapped and hid me, he won't search this place."
He also clearly knows the Duke's intentions. It was hard to imagine that a person who disappeared as if hiding from Cassius would be in the capital where the Cassius family was staying.
Furthermore, since it was a working day, the park was quiet. So much so that the light disguise he was wearing no longer made sense.
"How is your son?"
"Little lady... No, Ethel-nim, you are very kind."
"What?"