novelzi Chapter 82
Chapter 82
[Popopo: Haha!]
[Plong: Ah, this is hilariousᄏᄏᄏᄏ]
[PleaseShakeACarrot: Hans really has a cute side^^]
[Manager: I’ll ban everyone if you keep this up.]
At least the viewers were focused on teasing Hans without any serious intentions.
“I’ll head back to the palace.”
Since I missed Jamon and the situation seemed to have resolved itself, I decided to return to the palace.
My mind was uneasily unsettled.
* * *
Days passed in the palace. Since that day, I hadn’t seen Jamon.
Even when I searched deliberately, I couldn’t find him, which confirmed that Jamon was intentionally avoiding me.
‘It’s a complete mess.’
It was a disappointment. I should have seized the opportunity when I had it.
‘But it was Hans who stopped me, so there was nothing I could do.’
I tried to console my uneasy feelings.
While I was lost in thought, a maid who had been assisting me during my stay in the palace approached.
“Your ladyship, a guest has requested to see you.”
“A guest?”
Who would come to see me in the palace?@@@@
As I puzzled over this, the maid continued.
“It’s His Excellency the Grand Duke Heyward.”
Kabir at the palace? I blinked in confusion.
But since he came all this way, I had to meet him.
I followed the maid to the designated location.
As I entered, I saw Kabir already seated and sipping tea.
Seeing him after such a long time, a smile naturally spread across my face.
“It’s been a while?”
“Indeed.”
Kabir responded briefly to my greeting.
I remember going to the Heyward mansion to meet Kabir, but I couldn’t see him as he was out.
“You seemed busy. What’s going on?”
“Managing magical beasts.”
“Why do it so secretly without anyone knowing?”
“.......”
To my question, Kabir shifted his gaze slightly before answering.
“I went alone for some stress relief.”
So that’s how Kabir deals with his stress.
I asked him further.
“Something troubling you?”
“Are you really asking because you don’t know?”
Kabir tilted his head, looking bewildered.
Could it be that he was venting his frustration on magical beasts because of my involvement with Jamon?
As if confirming my suspicions, Kabir continued.
“As for the engagement with Jamon, it’s predictable. It must have been coercion from Jamon’s side.”
Just as Kabir had observed Irmin since childhood, he must have observed Jamon too. So, he probably knew quite a lot about Jamon.
I waved my hand to reassure him.
“Don’t worry. His Highness the Crown Prince has promised to intervene on my behalf.”
“Irmin?”
“Yes. But there were conditions.”
At the mention of conditions, Kabir looked at me intently.
“He wants you to protect His Highness the Prince.”
It was the first request Irmin had ever made to me.
Upon hearing this, Kabir let out a cynical laugh.
“He probably wants you to ensure Jamon doesn’t entertain thoughts of rebellion. He’s so stubborn, I’m not sure you’ll manage it properly.”
“.......”
Instead of responding, I just stared at Kabir.
“Sorry, but I don’t really get hurt by such words.”
Jamon seemed to be measuring me by his own standards. I wasn’t as sensitive as he thought. At least my mental resilience was stronger than Jamon’s.
Though I hadn’t known Jamon for long, I had a fair understanding of what kind of person he was.
“What do you want?”
Jamon seemed eager to get rid of me.
I took a step closer to Jamon.
“I want to get closer to His Highness the Prince.”
The first step was to get closer. Only then could I attempt to persuade Jamon or do anything else.
Jamon scowled as if he had heard something unbelievable and then, holding the cat, he walked past me.
“Wait, at least give me an answer.”
“There’s no value in answering you.”
He seemed to prefer avoiding uncomfortable situations.
This was another failed attempt. Just as I was about to give up, the cat in Jamon’s arms started to squirm.
Then it approached me.
“......?”
The cat meowed and rubbed against me. Both Jamon and I were baffled.
“Why is it doing this?”
“I’ve never seen it act like this before.”
It seemed that Nemoh had taken quite a liking to me.
Eventually, I crouched down. The cat snuggled up against my touch.
“Seems like it likes me.”
“.......”
Jamon clamped his mouth shut, obviously unwilling to admit it but finding it amusing nonetheless.
“I’ll stay a bit longer to play with Nemoh.”
Jamon was more reliant on his pet than I had anticipated. He had been that way since childhood, it seemed.
And because of that, his weakness was also his dearly beloved pet.
So my plan was to befriend the cat before getting closer to Jamon. I hadn’t expected things to progress this smoothly.
“Did you secretly feed it some treats?”
“I wish I could claim that.”
Why does this cat follow me so willingly? It felt like I was chosen.
“I usually don’t care much for animals, but Nemoh is quite cute.”
It wasn’t pretense. Nemoh was genuinely adorable, even to someone like me.
As I praised Nemoh, Jamon’s lips curved into a slight smile, almost involuntarily.
‘He’s simpler than Irmin.’
I thought they only shared their looks, but seeing this, they were quite similar in certain ways.
“How old is Nemoh?”
“Two years old.”
“Younger than I thought.”
“It’s the granddaughter of a cat I used to have.”
“Oh...”
Is he maintaining a lineage of cats? Jamon’s love for animals was palpable.
Talking about the cat, our conversation flowed smoothly, without any awkwardness.
After chatting for a while, I asked Jamon with a smile,
“Can I come again tomorrow?”
“No.”
Jamon was still as brusque as ever.
At his response, Nemoh made a small cry.
“.......”
Jamon glanced at Nemoh and then subtly averted his gaze.
“Short visits are fine.”
Perhaps it’s okay to see him for a short while, as Nemoh seems to like me. He had his endearing moments.
* * *
After our conversation, I walked back to my room with a lighter step than before.
Just as I arrived at my door, I spotted someone.
“Ah.”
It was a face I hadn’t seen in a very long time. A joyful expression naturally spread across my face at this unexpected reunion.