Chapter 9: The Disgusting One

“Lloyd, explain why you barged into my office unannounced.”

Edmund sat cross-legged in the main seat.

He wasn’t pleased with the current situation.

It wasn’t just because someone he knew had shown up without notice.

Edmund’s mood had been fine until just moments ago.

Last night’s incident with Oberon could be dismissed as a mere happening.

In fact, he had been feeling satisfied knowing that Clea was still sleeping within his palace.

At least until Lloyd Persi appeared.

“Help me, Edmund.”

Seeing Lloyd who not only barged in but was now asking for help, Edmund clicked his tongue internally.

He thought to himself,

‘I wish you wouldn’t speak Clea’s name with that shameless face. At least if you had any conscience at all.’

Edmund reflected on Lloyd’s past behavior.

Despite being engaged to Clea, he would appear at banquets and parties with other women instead of her.

Between engaged couples, one typically doesn’t take another partner unless under special circumstances.

Because of this, Clea always had to attend alone.

Attending alone, she became prey for the hyenas.

He had occasionally witnessed her watching others with envious eyes from the corner of the room when it came time to dance.

Recalling such scenes made Edmund’s blood boil.

He hoped Lloyd wouldn’t bring up anything related to Clea.

“My fiancée has disappeared.”

But Edmund could only harden his expression.

He realized that the one he had called his friend didn’t have even a shred of conscience.

“Please help. You can surely help find someone within the empire.”

“Lloyd Persi.”

“Edmund?”

When Edmund called his full name, Lloyd finally noticed his expression with surprised eyes.

The cold fury in his expression clearly showed his anger to anyone who looked.

At first, Lloyd didn’t understand why he was angry, but after thinking briefly, he came to a conclusion.

“I’m sorry for bothering you with matters concerning my fiancée.”

Edmund laughed at the absurdity of those words.

Lloyd took Edmund’s laughter as confirmation that his assumption was correct.

Lloyd felt relieved thinking the rumors between Edmund and Clea must have been exaggerated.

In society, his fiancée, Clea, had become a subject of gossip wherever she went.

Even her status as a duke’s daughter couldn’t protect her.

Because Lloyd, who was of higher status than her, openly mocked her and always hovered around Aria while ignoring Clea.

Since even her family barely maintained relations rather than trying to fix things, there was no one in the social circles who would protect her.

Edmund bit his lip.

Lloyd was the cause of all her wounds.

He was the only one who could have been considerate enough to prevent her from getting hurt.

If Lloyd had shown even a little consideration and stayed by her side even briefly, Clea wouldn’t have ended up in such a situation with nowhere to go.

At that moment, Edmund deeply regretted ever considering this person his friend.

With eyes full of contempt and disgust, he spoke to Lloyd.

“Lloyd Persi, I think you’re misunderstanding something.”

“Edmund, this is urgent. If you help me first, I’ll also help with your request…”

“Then will you break off your engagement with her?”

Lloyd’s eyes widened at Edmund’s words.

“What’s with you? Are you also saying she doesn’t suit me?”

Edmund frowned at those words that seemed to belittle Clea once again.

She might be awake and wandering the palace.

Or someone might overhear this conversation and relay it to her.

Either way, Edmund didn’t want her to get hurt anymore.

He never wanted to see her contemplating on that bridge again because of this trash he thought was his friend.

So Edmund smiled, ready to cut ties with him, and said:

“Yes, she doesn’t suit you.”

“Edmund!”

Perhaps he thought Edmund had crossed a line.

But the one who had already crossed it wasn’t Edmund but Lloyd.

Just as Edmund was about to speak again, someone knocked on the door.

He casually thought it must be a servant bringing refreshments, but his body froze at the voice that followed.

Because the voice from outside was none other than Clea’s.

* * *

‘Did he run away because he was embarrassed?’

Clea pondered.

He was surprisingly shy.

Whenever she reached out to touch him even slightly, his bewildered gaze was clearly visible.

She liked seeing Edmund completely flustered because of her.

The man who seemed like he would never waver for anyone.

Completely crumbling at her single gesture or glance.

‘Or maybe he ran away afraid of being devoured.’

Last night was truly strange.

Though she wasn’t in that kind of mood, Clea felt as if she had become some kind of beast.

She had pushed Edmund quite aggressively.

Though it might have felt merely ticklish to him, Clea smiled knowing she had done her best.

‘How funny. To think I’d become so passionate about something.’

Clea couldn’t believe it had been so long since she’d poured her passion into anything.

Yet at the same time, she thought perhaps someone like Edmund was worth it.

She pictured Edmund in her mind.

Unlike the other members of the imperial family, he was a man with black hair and red eyes.

Some said it was the color of blood, claiming he would surely become a tyrant if he ascended to the throne.

But Clea hadn’t particularly cared.

It was a completely one-sided criticism of the person, but with her own problems to worry about, who had time to worry about others?

And there was an even bigger reason with Edmund.

He always remained quiet without any particular response when such things were said.

“Is Edmund in his office?”

“Yes, my lady.”

Hearing Anne’s answer, Clea nodded.

Though lunchtime was approaching, she thought he might be alone now and headed toward Edmund’s office.

Anne tried to stop Clea. Seeing Anne approach, Clea smiled sweetly and said,

“Sorry, but I’m not a duke’s daughter anymore.”

“My lady?”

“So you don’t need to call me that anymore.”

Anne froze at Clea’s response. She was shocked by the sudden declaration that she was no longer a duke’s daughter.

Anne stood still, completely forgetting what she was going to say, before coming to her senses.

She belatedly remembered what she meant to tell her.

“Ah, I should have mentioned that Young Master Lloyd is in the office right now.”

Anne meant to stop her, thinking it wouldn’t be good to meet Lloyd right now.

She hesitated briefly as she watched Clea already disappearing into the distance.

* * *

Edmund had no intention of letting Clea know that Lloyd was here.

He didn’t want her to hear that he had come.

When he thought about Clea possibly being shaken later by Lloyd’s visit, Edmund’s mood worsened drastically.

‘You know she wouldn’t be like that.’

Edmund recalled what he had seen so far. Now that he knew Clea’s true feelings, he shook his head, realizing it was a ridiculous thought.

To begin with, someone like her would at least be mindful of public opinion and wouldn’t come directly to his office.

Many people had already seen her heading to his bedroom.

If people saw Clea still staying in the palace now, who knows what kind of scandal it would cause.

However, shortly after, Edmund had to admit that he regrettably didn’t know Clea as well as he thought.

“Your Highness, I’ve come to see you.”

At the familiar voice from the doorway, both people in the office froze.

One doubted whether they had heard correctly, while the other hoped the person beyond the door wasn’t her.

But she continued knocking without hesitation, calling out to the person she hoped to meet.

Someone got up to open the door.

But the person who appeared wasn’t who she had hoped to see.

“Why are you here?”

“What business is it of yours that I’m here?”

“Of course it matters! Because!”

Until just now, Clea had been in a very good mood.

She was experiencing the same illusion she had before.

The feeling that the pain she always felt in her chest had somewhat disappeared.

The sense of slight relief from pain and comfort had refreshed her mood.

She wondered if perhaps this was all because she felt at ease being with Edmund.

But when Clea faced both men at once, a thought suddenly struck her.

‘Maybe it’s not an illusion.’

Lloyd was looking down at her with arrogant, angry eyes, and Edmund was sending worried glances.

Perhaps it was because of Edmund that she could find small happiness in this cursed world.

Thinking this, Clea looked up at the man right in front of her.

“Let’s go home, Clea.”

Lloyd grabbed Clea’s wrist without permission.

His momentary thought of wanting to take her home and lock her up so she couldn’t escape again was clearly visible.

Since he didn’t control his strength when grabbing her, Clea winced in pain.

She immediately knocked Lloyd’s hand away.

“Clea?”

“Go where?”

Lloyd looked at Clea with disbelieving eyes, unable to believe she had knocked his hand away.