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“I am sorry for this sudden visit.”
He was a beautiful young man with silver hair and tantalizing eyes comparable to a purple crystal.
“I am the crown prince of the kingdom of Estoria, Curtis Claude.”
Curtis showed them his silver watch where a double-headed dragon was carved. It was no doubt Estoria’s national emblem. Only the royal family of the kingdom of Estoria was allowed to have it.
“This is my personal knight, Garusia Jon Albano.”
A young man with black hair and eyes lowered his head slightly, and looked coldly at Mauro, who was sitting on the sofa. Andrea’s eyes widened in surprise. Betty’s cheeks flushed red.
“We—, welcome, Your Highness, Prince Curtis.”
Mauro still managed to utter a sentence as his face twitched.
“I am Mauro Stewart, the head of the House of Stewart. This is my wife, Andrea, and our daughter, Betty.”
“I believe you have another daughter,” Curtis answered with a smile as he looked around the people Mauro introduced.
“Dahlia, yes? She’s been sick since yesterday.”
“I see. Can I go check up on her?”
“I advise you not to do so, Your Highness.”
“She’s not the kind of girl who should be allowed to meet a member of a royal family.”
“…even though she’s a member of a ducal family?”
Curtis was still smiling, but his eyes no longer were.
“She has no manners.”
“Does that mean that you didn’t give her the education that she deserves despite being a daughter of a duke?”
Curtis’ remark, which seemed to have shown their neglect, instantly made Andrea angry. Nevertheless, she was able to immediately put on the mask of a bewitching woman. Of course, Curtis’ heart was getting colder. He wasn’t the kind of man who gets easily fooled by such a mask.
“What a rude thing to say. We’re giving her proper education.”
“That contradicts what you told me earlier about her having no manners. In other words, you lied to me, a member of a royal family.”
“That’s not the case, Curtis-sama.”
It was Betty who opened her mouth now instead of Andrea. Following her mother’s lead, she opened her mouth again, this time without a royal’s permission, and even called him familiarly by his first name.
Mauro glanced at Curtis looking very frightened. He was so ashamed that he lost the ability to speak.
“Onee-sama’s stupid. She’s selfish, arrogant and mean. She bullies me.”
“She tripped me once at a tea party on purpose to humiliate me. She’s terrible.”
“I see. Terrible indeed.”
Betty, whose eyes had begun to moist, smiled broadly at Curtis’ agreement.
“I see now that no matter how prestigious the teacher who teaches you, if the family doesn’t have common sense, you’ll never learn.”
Andrea and Betty froze at Curtis’ sharp words.
“To talk impolitely without permission from royalty, and to demean Dahlia, a member of the royal family…”
“Wha—, what are you talking about, Curtis-sama? Onee-sama, a member of a royal family?
“You’re kidding, right?” The wrinkles between Curtis’ eyebrows deepened as Betty laughed.
“Will you stop calling my name carelessly? If you’re unaware of this fact, then let me tell you. You better save it inside that small head of yours. Dahlia’s grandparents were formerly the king and queen of Woodria. Woodria’s current king is her cousin. Furthermore, her mother, Florence, was the first princess of Estoria. Estoria’s current king is her uncle. In other words, she’s my cousin.
“Do you understand now, you fools? She’s fourth in line to the throne in Woodria and the second in line to the throne in Estoria.”
Betty kept repeating, ‘Lies, Lies, Lies.’ Perhaps not believing his words. Andrea, like Mauro, who was surprised by Curtis’ rudeness, was unable to keep her mouth shut.
By the way, Mauro has already given up on thinking.
“If you understand now, then you’d better keep your mouth shut. The more you open your mouth, the more charges you will face. That’s all I have to say. Duke, I’ll go check up on my cousin now.”
Curtis stood up and strode into the back of the mansion without asking for permission. The servants were at a loss what to do. Curtis ignored them and proceeded into the mansion with the mansion’s floorplan and the location of Dahlia’s room in his mind. He had looked them up beforehand.
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