"it's okay. Remove the parasol."
"It's okay, what's okay? Don't be stubborn and let's go in."
"It's really okay. Be patient."
Caleb, who was about to take him in, stopped when he saw Evelynn's face, which was wet with emotion.
"... ... Are you really okay? does not it hurt?"
Evelynn nodded her head slightly.
"Then why are you crying?"
"glad. because I like it so much."
Tears continued to flow down her brightly smiling face.
It was tears that resembled fox rain on a clear day.
The power released from Caleb's hand, and the parasol that had been interfering with the sunlight and Evelynn tilted down.
Caleb's face, which had been standing stunned, was gradually dyed with joy.
"Evelynn!"
Then an urgent cry was heard along with the sound of horseshoes.
Evelynn and Caleb's heads naturally turned to the direction of the sound.
There was a carriage with the double swords crest engraved on it.
Through the wide open window, the hardened Duke Peyton's face could be seen.
He opened the door before the carriage had even stopped and ran to Evelynn.
Blood disappeared from the peacock's face as soon as he saw him wet with tears.
"Let's go inside."
He wrapped his arms around Evelynn's shoulders and looked around quickly.
Adviser Peron, who got down just in time, took out the parasol Caleb was holding and unfolded it.
The Duke did not ask Evelynn why she was crying or what glasses she was wearing.
Also, he did not reproach for coming to the fairgrounds.
He was only leading Evelynn with a heavy face.
"father."
It was Evelynn's small call that stopped the Duke's hasty steps.
Before asking why, Peyton took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped her tears away.
Evelynn gently grabbed her dry, aged hand.
"Father, I am fine. It doesn't hurt as much as it used to."
The Duke, who could not understand the meaning of the words, stared at Evelynn silently.
"It's not completely better, but I think I can do some outdoor activities now."
Then, the purple eyes fluttered wildly at the next words.
"... ... What does that mean?"
"look. Even when you are standing in the sun like this, you keep your eyes open."
A bright smile spread like fresh flower buds bursting on his face, which had only been dark since he got the disease.
Duke Peyton's heart drenched at Evelynn's laugh, which he had not seen in a long time.
"... ... Really?"
"Yes."
The duke's face collapsed at once in a tone filled with conviction.
"Thank you thank you."
The relief he spit out while holding Evelynn could tell how much he had been choking his heart.
"Sorry for worrying you."
"I'm sorry. I promised my father that he would heal me."
"no. I wouldn't have been able to hold out without my father."
Evelynn digs into the Duke's arms and conveys his heart.
The two shared joy and excitement for a while.
"Are you really okay?"
The Duke asked, stroking Evelynn's eyes.
"Yeah, there are still things to try, but I think it will be fine for now."
"Is it because of these glasses?"
The only thing that changed for Evelyn was the strange glasses that were draped over her tall nose.
"Yeah, with these glasses on, my eyes are fine even in sunlight."
"It's the glasses I haven't seen."
"It was a gift from Duke Crawford and his fiancée."
"Duke Crawford?"
Duke Peyton's well-groomed eyebrows rose with suspicion.
"I will go inside and tell you. Caleb, you too."
Evelynn entered the carriage with the Duke of Peyton, and Caleb followed.
Evelynn and Caleb explained in detail how they got the glasses.
As the story progressed, the duke's face gradually became more astonishing.
"Why Duke Crawford?"
He muttered softly as if he was thinking the same thing as Evelynn.
"Whatever the intentions, there is no denying that I have improved. So I think it's appropriate to say thank you."
"Yes. I should invite you to the duke's residence."
"Or maybe it would be ok for us to request a visit. Benjamin also said he was going to visit the Duke of Crawford soon."
"Is that really true?"
Duke Peyton asked Caleb.
"Yes. I'm going to say thank you for saving my brother. I already got permission."
"It was unexpected. Crawford is famous for being closed-minded."
"So, isn't it a chance? I think it would be meaningful for Peyton to have a first relationship with Crawford, who doesn't have any affiliation with any family."
Evelynn's light gray eyes twinkled with enthusiasm.
"Yes, it would be better for us to find the benefactor first."
Duke Peyton's lips loosened at the lively appearance he had not seen in a long time.
*
"Lily, what do you think it means that the Crown Prince escorted you today?"
In the carriage returning from the fair.
Duke Shabini asked with a happy face.
"You are implicitly revealing that you have chosen me as the Crown Prince, not Evelynn."
"Yes. Seeing you escorted you to the end, it is clear that you have made up your mind."
"I feel sorry for Evelynn. It must have been that I was overdue to the zodiac... ... ."
Her fine eyes drooped with sorrow.
"No worries. I wasn't even your competitor to begin with."
Duke Shabini struggled to lower the corners of his lips that were about to rise.
As planned, the girl Peyton didn't even step out of the house even though it was socializing season.
Thanks to this, Lillian was monopolized by the Crown Prince's attention.
'I didn't know it would come up to the zodiac.'
When I first heard the news, I was quite upset. I wonder if I used too little arc.
'The poison is just like my father.'
In any case, it is just the last effort of the loser.
"Still, my heart is used. No matter how sick you are, you can't go out even after you've come to the zodiac."
The sky blue eyes were clouded with worry, but the beautiful lips were slightly raised.
"It doesn't take much sympathy. You always turned down your favor and was arrogant."
"It's because I'm not good at expressing myself. Who else could understand Evelynn?"
"Because you're so good. Lily, if you want to become an Empress in the future, you need to be a little more sober."
"Do not worry. I am my father's daughter. I can do it better than anyone else."
"Then you are my daughter."
When the peacock patted Lillian on the head, saying it was peculiar, she smiled condescendingly.
"Given today's atmosphere, it looks like the Crown Princess will be announced at the prom in a few days."
"So fast?"
The clear blue eyes widened roundly.
"Isn't there a command to all the heads of noble families to attend this ball?"
"Are you saying that was because of the announcement of the Crown Princess?"
"Yeah, there's no way you wouldn't give such an order unless it was such a serious thing."
"Father, I'm so excited I won't be able to sleep tonight."
Lilian put her hands together and couldn't contain her joy.
"From the beginning, it was yours. No matter how hard Evelynn tries, she can't change who God has chosen, cancer."
Duke Shabini chuckled and laughed. Lillian, who was smiling at him, remembered the oracle he received as a child.
<It will be the most colorful flower loved by butterflies.>
A flower means a woman, so the most splendid flower is the supreme woman of the empire, the Empress.
Neither the Duchess nor Lilian had ever doubted that she would become the Empress.
Lillian has been loved by everyone until now, as the oracle of receiving 'the love of butterflies'.
In particular, when men saw Lilian, they fell in love at first sight.
Just like the unchanging truth that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, it was also a natural and unchanging principle.
By the way.
For the first time, there was a person who deviated from that order.
The man.
A man who didn't even look at himself, and even raised his sword.
Lillian, thinking of Duke Crawford, frowned lightly.
"Why? Where are you sick?"
The Duke of Shabini looked at her anxiously.
"no. It reminds me of the Duke of Crawford I met during the day."
"Ttt, you vulgar and rude bastard. Had it not been for the Crown Prince, I would have passed away immediately."
"I never imagined that the rookie boat would be a duke."
"For generations, I knew Duke Crawford was a madman, but he would have grown up so innocent."
Duke Shabini clicked his tongue slightly.
"I was really scared."
Lilian moved to sit next to the peacock and trembled slightly.
"How dare you intimidate my daughter."
The duke scoured her and grinded her teeth.
"Can't you punish the peacock? He said he was the one who raised a sword because I didn't even have a sword in my hand."
Lillian crossed her arms at the Duke and cried.
"Honey, I want to make you kneel by breaking my leg, but it's like a chimney, but there's no way I can do anything about it, as the Highness has overturned it."
"Honestly, I was a little saddened. I thought you would punish me right on the spot, but you did the duke."
"You understand. No matter how much the Crown Prince, unless it is a crime of treason, he cannot recklessly punish the duke."
"But I was hurt. He said he aimed his sword at me, who would become the Crown Prince."
"Instead, didn't His Majesty ask for your pardon? You asked for your escort, too."
"If it wasn't for Duke Crawford, of course he would have escorted me."
"Yes, yes. Were you very upset? Your father has hardened your escorts, so there will be no such thing in the future."
Although he felt sorry for the duke who secretly turned his words, Lillian did not express it.
Rather, he flirted with the peacock and picked out what he liked to hear.
"I was relieved that my father came running right away today. If he had been alone, he would have been more frightened."
"Yes, there is only this father, right?"
"Yes. My father is the best."
The Duke was very satisfied with Lilian's praise.
"As you know, this is an important time. Before the official announcement of the Crown Princess, it's good to be careful about anything."
Lilian nodded her head meekly, even though she thought it was too much of a concern.
My father was bold and outspoken in business, but he was overly cautious about the imperial family.
But that will change soon.
If he becomes the Crown Prince, the Duke of Shabini will become the most powerful family that even the emperor can't take care of.
"So, don't run into Duke Crawford for the time being."
Lillian, who was satisfied with the picture of herself who would rule over everyone, stopped at the Duke's request.
"Why should I avoid peacocks? I did nothing wrong. He is the one who should apologize."
"It's not about avoiding it, it's about not dealing with it. Ignore all the vulgar ones."
"Even if she is a Duke, I am Princess Shabini. He's not the kind of person he can tamper with."
"Oh, it's not that you should avoid it because you're afraid, it's that you shouldn't deal with it because common sense doesn't work. Because our dignity only deteriorates."
The Duke of Shabini patted Lillian's hand and gently comforted him.
"Crawford is crazy. Isn't there a saying that he can't sell to a madman?"
They talked about common sense and dignity, but the conclusion was that no one could control Duke Crawford.
Lillian's self-esteem was bruised as if he was sacrificing himself for the Duke of Crawford.
In his lifetime, if he destroyed the opponent, he destroyed it, but there was no way to avoid it.
Looking back, the Crown Prince was no different.
Even though he had only three dukes, he showed a more cautious attitude than when dealing with other dukes.
It's like having a bomb in front of you just one minute before it explodes.
I quietly thought about the rumors about Duke Crawford.
The Light Dragon of the West, the Killer of the Desert, and the Psycho of Slaughter.
It was a nickname that made all those who heard it tremble.
'I thought he was a very nasty and ugly person.'
I never imagined that he would be such a beautiful man.
It was to the point of forgetting that I had to be angry the moment I met him, even though I was being displeased.
Even so, I thought that it did not reach the beauty of the Crown Prince, who is praised as a work of art from God.
That that judgment was wrong, I knew as soon as I saw the two of them standing next to each other today.
Both men are incredibly handsome, but the Duke of Crawford took the lead.
Realizing that, I felt a strange feeling as if I had lost to the fiancee of the Duke of Crawford.
It wasn't just beauty. he was strong
When I met him at Conde, he was so insulting and angry that I honestly didn't even care about his skills.
However, he was really afraid of the sword today.
It was the first time in my life that the smile on the face of the other person felt frightening.
Even without wielding a sword, he could not even stand properly in the overwhelming sense of intimidation.