Chapter 76: This Isn’t a Dream Garden Gathering!

When Lucas appeared, Xavier’s expression hardened severely. He blocked me with his body and spoke in a sharp voice.

“Will you take those black eyes off?”

Having already met as beasts, titles were dropped between the Crown Prince and Duke.

“Asking me to remove perfectly good eyes… Duke, you’re being too harsh.”

Lucas lowered his dark-circled eyes with a pitiful expression. This made Xavier even more angry. The parasol in his hand trembled.

“You dare mock me by sending such vicious leaves?”

“Duke, didn’t you do the same to me?”

“You raccoon dog!”

“I’m a raccoon! You cat!”

I pressed both hands to my forehead.

‘Sigh, they had a good meeting but fight when they meet.’

“Crown Prince, if you finished the meeting well thanks to me, stay quiet.”

“Duke, this is neutral territory, you know?”

While I was sighing watching the two bicker, I felt someone approaching from behind. The sound of footsteps on grass stopped, and a familiar voice called me.

“Your Eminence?”

Crown Prince Arthur appeared alone on the walking path.

“Your Highness?”

Xavier and Lucas, who had been growling at each other, turned to look in surprise.

Why is he coming out here too? Is this some dream garden gathering?

I wanted to savor the afterglow of my great discovery while walking!

Crown Prince Arthur, wearing a cream-colored formal uniform with flowing silver hair, was briefly happy to see me before discovering the two dark men behind me and his face quickly darkened.

“The Saintess, Duke and Crown Prince. What an interesting combination.”

Lucas sneered at that.

“Indeed. It would be even more amusing with the Crown Prince here.”

Of course. He wouldn’t just let it go.

The Crown Prince’s expression immediately twisted. He, who usually maintained his cool and polite demeanor, easily crumbled before Lucas.

“Crown Prince!”

“What, Crown Prince?”

The more casually and intimately these representatives of each country called each other, the more my anxiety grew.

‘It feels like another war might break out.’

Xavier was also irritated, with a vein popping on his forehead. Harsh words burst from his mouth too.

“Could you both maintain some dignity? Am I invisible?”

An ominous aura began emanating from Xavier’s body. An invisible sharp confrontation formed between the three men.

Before I knew it, I was trapped between three pole-like tall men. Looking up at them from below, I could see each of their faces very clearly.

‘Wow, perfect from any angle. They all have great figures but…’

What is this nonsense!

One is an obsessive Swordmaster, one is a troublemaker raccoon, and another is the current male lead with a dark heart.

It’s a miracle I haven’t died because of them. Ah, whatever.

“All three of you are noisy. I’m going for a walk.”

I snatched the parasol from Xavier’s hand and strode ahead. The three men stared at each other stupidly before following behind me with quick steps, and within a few steps they were walking beside me.

Ah, sad beast with short legs.

After a brief power struggle, Xavier stood on my right and Lucas on my left.

Arthur, perhaps due to his dignity as Crown Prince, hesitated before attaching himself to Xavier’s side. He seemed to hate being next to Lucas.

“Where are you going?”

The curious Lucas asked first.

“Just walking wherever my feet take me?”

“I like that too, as expected the goddess and I are on the same wavelength.”

No, how did you come to that interpretation?

I glared at him once in disbelief and walked more vigorously.

“I happened to come out for a walk too, how fortunate.”

“Yes, Your Highness. Is that so?”

I responded with a gentle smile to the Crown Prince out of courtesy. When I called him ‘Your Highness’ again, Arthur’s face stiffened slightly and he was about to say something. I cut him off first.

“I want to just call you ‘Your Highness’ since I hold a position equivalent to an Imperial Princess.”

“Ah.”

“From now on too. Understood?”

“Your Eminence, that…”

“I am a member of the Imperial family after all.”

“I suppose so…”

Arthur bit his lip resentfully and glared at Xavier. Xavier smugly gave an eye-smile and triumphantly put his arm around my shoulders.

When we left the quaint landscaped area, we came upon a field-sized lawn. There were many visitors out for a picnic. People could be seen everywhere laying out checkered blankets and eating sandwiches and simple finger foods.

“My sister Amin has a kind heart, so she opened the palace’s central garden to the people.”

Lucas shrugged his shoulders proudly.

Sister Amin?

“Could it be Queen Amin of Berg?”

“That’s right, she’s my sister.”

Amazing. That proper and polite Queen Amin came from the same womb as this troublemaker.

Xavier and Arthur also seized on his words.

“Unlike someone, she’s truly wise and virtuous. But Crown Prince, how long will you continue speaking informally to my wife?”

“I agree with Duke Xavier’s opinion, Crown Prince. You’re being very rude to Her Eminence the Saintess.”

Lucas seemed cowed for exactly one second by the two angry men’s criticism, but that was all. He soon treated them as if they didn’t exist.

“Anyway. Yuria, I’m going to visit the Empire. Can I stay at your place?”

I stopped walking in surprise.

“You’re coming to visit where?”

My resolve to ignore whatever he said flew away. Xavier, who had been matching my pace, also stopped abruptly.

“This… raccoon.”

Did I just hear teeth grinding?

The Crown Prince also frowned in disbelief and scolded him.

“Crown Prince Lucas! Is an imperial tour just a casual visit to you?”

“Imperial tour?”

Xavier looked down at me with a troubled expression at my question.

“This is a state matter so I couldn’t tell you yet. But…”

Xavier’s gaze fell on the man blinking his black eyes cutely. I understood without him saying more.

I stared straight at Lucas and said,

“Your Highness, the Duke’s residence is not an inn. Please stay at the accommodation provided by the Empire.”

“Hmm, that’s problematic…”

Lucas trailed off.

“We’re the ones with the problem. We’re newlyweds.”

Xavier glared at Lucas while giving this childish reason. Thankfully, Crown Prince Arthur stepped in to help.

“Though I’m not keen on it either, since you’re coming for the tour anyway, the Crown Prince can stay at the imperial residence. It’s near my palace anyway so it doesn’t matter.”

“I’m not at all grateful for Your Highness’s kindness, so I’ll decline.”

When Lucas refused in a clean but sarcastic tone, Arthur’s brow that had slightly relaxed furrowed again.

“Y-y-you!”

Ignoring the Crown Prince pointing fingers at him, Lucas looked at me again. His black eyes sparkled brightly as he smiled.

First it was kidnapping, and now he’s changed tactics to invading the Duke’s residence?

While I was standing there dumbfounded, Lucas looked at Arthur and said sarcastically,

“Your Highness wouldn’t want a giant elephant rampaging in the imperial residence, right? If push comes to shove, one of my attendants might transform into an elephant and storm the imperial palace.”

“El… elephant.”

Arthur’s face turned pale at his words and his lips tightened. As if he didn’t even want to imagine it, he covered his mouth with his hand. Seeing his blanched face, he was clearly imagining the imperial palace in chaos from an elephant’s rampage. Even so, he turned to me and said with pale lips.

“Perhaps this is for the best, Your Eminence. Let’s leave Crown Prince Lucas to Duke Auguste and you should come stay at my Crown Prince’s palace.”

“What?”

Seeing his serious expression, it was clearly not a joke.

“Your Highness!”

Xavier, with a vein popping in his neck, couldn’t quite shout at the Crown Prince but made a strained sound.

Ugh, blood might spray from his neck.

“No!”

Argh, my ears!

Lucas screamed next to my ear, making me cover both ears with my hands. He glared at Arthur with rolling eyes.

Arthur’s face plainly showed his displeasure and indignation at being attacked by both men.

“Why are you all shouting like that?”

In the end, Arthur wasn’t helpful at all. I glared intensely at Lucas, the source of all this trouble.

“No, I’ll say it again, absolutely not!”

“Whyyy?”

Lucas made his eyebrows droop with moistened eyes.

Hmph, I won’t fall for it.

“Just don’t come!”

“Hmph, so mean… I understand, for now.”

Looking dejected while watching my reaction, Lucas gave cursory bows to Xavier and Arthur before turning around.

‘Oh? He’s giving up surprisingly quickly?’

His retreating figure, walking away with long arms drooping, looked truly pitiful. Not that I felt that way – it was literally a miserable sight.

“Tsk tsk, seems the rumors about the Crown Prince of Moirai being crazy weren’t just rumors.”

Arthur clicked his tongue at the retreating figure while crossing his arms.

“The rumors are correct. Though they seem too watered down.”

“What?”

As Arthur turned to look in confusion with his golden eyes, Xavier coldly raised the corner of his mouth.

“That guy has been crazy from when I first saw him until now. Quite consistent, really.”

‘Yes, my dear husband is very angry.’

“I agree.”

For this moment at least, even the Crown Prince seemed to readily sympathize with Xavier’s words about their common enemy.

“Though he seems to have given up for now, just in case, how about sending Her Eminence to my palace? The Crown Prince won’t be able to enter the imperial palace.”

“I will protect my wife.”

“Heh, right. Of course. Because you’re the great Swordmaster.”

He’s quite good at stabbing with words while smiling. When I read about him in the original novel, I thought he was a cool and straightforward character, but experiencing him directly was completely different.

‘Ugh, how unpleasant.’

I felt upset and said to Arthur,

“Your Highness, don’t worry. I’m more comfortable and happy staying by my husband’s side.”

“!”

Xavier looked at me with round eyes. Disappointment quickly bloomed on the Crown Prince’s face.

I quickly grabbed Xavier’s hand and strode toward the garden exit.

Not knowing that the golden eyes behind us were darkening.