I Became The Wife Of the Monstrous Crown Prince

CHAPTER 31 - 32

Richard opened his eyes and our eyes met.

Richard would normally smile arrogantly and make cheesy remarks as soon as he saw me, but now he turned his head the other way as if he hadn't seen me.

He looked rather lonely with such an appearance, so I couldn't just leave him.

"Melissa, I'll be back after I greet Sir Cassil."

"Let's go together."

"It's alright. I won't be long."

I walked alone towards Richard. He felt me approaching and turned around again.

"Long time no see, Sir Cassil."

"I didn't know I'd meet you here, but I guess I was lucky."

Richard flashed his signature smile and acted as if he had never avoided my gaze.

But in contrast to his relaxed smile, his eyes had hardened.

"The flowers are beautiful."

"It is a memorial. There's a woman of Roum blood buried here."

I was surprised. I didn't think Richard would say it himself.

It was a secret that Richard's mother was of the Roums. The Duke of Cassil hid it for his family's honor, and Richard even hid it from his beloved Diana.

He never confided it to anybody.

Of course, I knew it was a secret, but I was taken aback when he mentioned it so directly.

"So you'd better step back," added Richard.

Perhaps he had taken my silence as contempt. He didn't sound surprised in the least, as if he already knew that I'd react like this.

"Was it someone you knew?"

"No, I only happened to hear of it. The woman died of Tancinol."

I was surprised for a moment, but I didn't think he'd reveal his past fully.

I gave a silent salute and tied a handkerchief to the Camellia branch.

"What are you doing?"

"I've heard that this is the Roums' funeral etiquette."

The Roums had been despised for a thousand years already now. The language used by the Zelcan Empire disappeared and became an ancient language, and a new language took its place in the new Empire.

Nevertheless, the people's anger was not resolved and they did not allow their language to be used by the Roums. When a Roum died, they would not get a tombstone. Instead of offering flowers to tombstones, they tied handkerchiefs to trees or planted new flowers over the grave.

"....you're doing this for a Roum?"

"Is there any reason I can't?"

It wasn't because she was Richard's mother. She had been persecuted all her life for being a Roum and died miserably in the end, so I wanted to offer a little consolation to her soul.

"Don't you know what Tancinol is?"

He snapped cynically. The artificial gentleness that was always in Richard's voice had completely disappeared.

"I know."

"You lack awareness."

"How would we know if it was really Tancinol or not? I heard that there were many instances when the Roums were killed just out of suspicion that they had Tancinol. Even if it was really Tancinol, there aren't any remnants of it left here."