Chapter 257


    The day after that, I started to return to work .


    Tanya expressed a great deal of concern for me with tears in her eyes, and Merida was much the same .


    Although other people close to me didn’t know the details, they assumed I had fallen ill from overwork, so they were also caring and warm .


    The officials were overjoyed by my return .


    Even though I felt incredibly indebted to them, I still tried to do my best work every day .


    My heart still ached . I couldn’t forget him .


    No matter how much I immersed myself in work...no, that’s precisely why I threw myself into work .


    How much time had I spent with him in this house?


    There was always so much work, but we still spoke of the future .


    When we came up with a new strategy, we celebrated together .


    When we encountered an obstacle, we confronted it together .


    Even if I wanted to treat him as part of the past and abandon him, there were too many parts of this mansion that retained his memory .


    So, it couldn’t be helped .


    And so, I couldn’t fix things .


    After all, even now...I was certain that I loved him .


    These thoughts shed through the corner of my mind while I dealt with the piles of work .


    And then time passed while I tried to refind the feeling of working from beforehand .


    The big project was finally here . The day of negotiation with the Acacia Kingdom had arrived .


    Tanya stood behind me, while my mother sat beside me .


    While both of them lookedpletely normal in what they wore, they were armed to the teeth .


    Whatever the other side did, they said, they’d be able to react immediately .


    Ryle and Dida hadn’t assigned any other guards indoors because of them, handing the protection of the mansion over to them .


    Since it was a negotiation for peace, if we marched out the troops for this discussion it would give others a reason to gossip .


    When I felt just about ready, Tanya approached me quietly .


    “Mdy, I think they’re here . ”


    I forced myself into a state of heightened awareness .


    “Wee, Prince Majid . ”


    I smiled to wee the man who walked in .


    Prince Majid, who was dressed in full royal garb, responded with a smile too .


    He looked quite suspicious to me, but I’m sure he regarded me the same too .


    “I am genuinely happy to be able to see you again . ”


    Saying this, he kissed the back of my hand .


    I couldn’t help but grimace a smile at his antics .


    “Pleasure to meet you, Prince Majid . ”


    He made the same grimacing expression as I did .


    The first time he was here, it was his ideas leading the way . So this time it was our turn...he seemed to understand what I was saying .


    I’m sure he wanted to pretend as if the previous visitation hadn’t happened .


    Considering this, I emphasized it as if we were meeting for the first time .


    “Please, Prince Majid . Be seated . ”


    Waiting for him to sit, I sat across from him and stared at him .


    What a fearless smile . The noble, serious aura was quite a fit for his handsome, rugged face .


    Everything about him gave off the impression of a king .


    “What a good territory . The people live with wealth, and the rulers and politics are stable . ”


    “Ah...thank you . ”


    How false . I felt a shred of anger burn through my heart . Not that I’d let it show on my face .


    “But recently we’ve encountered our share of fearful matters . ”


    I purposefully said this with a sad tone .


    “Oh...”


    A concerning light shone in his eyes .


    “Other countries have attacked us . ”


    “How incredibly...unfortunate . ”


    “Indeed . I didn’t expect the nation who asked for my hand to attack us . ”


    In that moment the room turned dead silent .


    I was already testing his attitude in my own way . He must be considering his next words now too .


    “What I wanted to exin was...this was the intent of the Towair Kingdom and our previous king . I had nothing to do with the schemes . It was not my intention . ”


    His straightforward admission made me breathe out .


    “Not your intention...even so, the fact that the Acacia Kingdom invaded my nation’s territory is an indisputable fact . How does your country n on taking responsibility for this?”


    He smiled . While I was questioning him .


    It was enough to rouse goosebumps on my skin .


    “Excuse me . Trying to exin myself to you is due to my personal feelings...after all, I do not want you to dislike me . Although I have my own thoughts, I have to exin on behalf of my country first . This whole incident was due to the previous king and a portion of his followers . Our nation had no intent of attacking your territory . ”


    “You’re saying it in a different way, but the contents of your statement remain the same . ”


    “What a pointedment . ” Prince Majid said with an exasperated smile .


    “I’m getting emotional because my citizens were attacked . ”


    “How frightening . ”


    “Hm, was my expression really so scary?”


    “No, not the case . It’s precisely because your expression didn’t change, that’s why you are frightening . You wouldn’t act on your emotions . When people like that are disappointed, they tend to be easily led by their noses . ”


    I didn’t react visibly to what he said, but internally I didn’t know what to feel .


    How difficult it was to deal with him .


    “So, we’ve prepared reparations for the victims of this riot . The contents are in this document...all you have to do is sign . ”


    The middle-aged man waiting behind the prince retrieved the document respectfully .


    epting it, I began to read .


    “This is not enough . ”


    I said in a soft voice, skimming through it .


    “Oh?”


    Prince Majid’s gaze turned sharp .


    The whole atmosphere of the room tensed .


    “Prince Majid...as a matter of fact, the first prince of your nation has sought our protection and is currently staying here . ”


    His countenance seemed more stressed after this statement .