About Your Pride and My Prejudice - Chapter 73:

Chapter 73:

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“Let’s talk now.”

Bentley grinned with a hungry beast’s expression.

Monica felt her eyes darken. 

Leaving me alone with this snake-like cunning and dangerous man.

She knew Alan was carrying out a murderous schedule, and he wasn’t happy with the prince. Nevertheless, the reason why she was in such desperate despair was that she did not feel any emotion from Allen even though she clearly showed him an intimate contact with the prince.

‘I didn’t even want him to be jealous, I just…….’

Monica regretted accepting the prince’s offer in a fit of anger. If she had ignored it, she wouldn’t have had to go through this misery.

However, just as spilled water cannot be picked up again, Monica could only chew the inside of her mouth with a miserable heart.

“You don’t have to look like that. It’s true that I rushed here with the thought of meeting you, but I’m not that thin*.”

(*Korean idiom meaning- a man without self respect)

“…….”

“At least I brought a story that will appeal to you.”

Monica’s thin eyebrows frowned at the prince’s words who talked with a beastly smile.

Obviously, it won’t be something that would make her happier since it must be the story of Alan’s new hobby. The prince’s words will once again cause a violent storm in her precarious heart, and it is only her who has to deal with it.

“Did you know that some of Leopold’s employees were from the royal palace?”

“I didn’t know, Your Highness.”

Monica answered without a change in her face colour, but she knew the truth. It was natural for her since she is Ian Leopold’s only biological child, and considered the Leopold mansion as her playground since her memory existed.

About ten years ago, it was thanks to Ian Leopold and his family that the Kingdom of Sourne was able to conclude a trade agreement on satisfactory terms at the first meeting with the great East Nation. One of the gifts the royal family sent to the Leopold family in honor of the service was the servants of the royal palace.

“Those who work in the royal palace are inherently strong. There is no need to move from one family to another in search of a better environment, so they do not scatter easily, but the pride of working for the royal palace is their strongest bond above all.”

“…Why are you telling me this?”

“The Head of Leopold attached his people to his only son who left for the Principality. Well, there may have been other intentions, but…….”

The prince added softly, spinning the half-remaining glass of champagne slowly in the air.

“What’s important is that some royal maids are mingled with them and they’re still in touch with the ladies of the palace.”

“…….”

“Don’t you wonder what the noble heir of Leopold hid in his beautiful old castle?”

For a moment, Monica felt the illusion that the sweet cello melody that filled the space had stopped.

“In Alan Leopold’s castle, there’s a woman.”

“What the…”

Her mind went blank as if her heart had been crushed. Before she knew it, appetizers began to be placed on the table, but Monica didn’t even realize that the server was approaching.

She managed to part her lips as she repeatedly took silent deep breaths with a nervous look.

“…I stayed there for a few days, but the only woman there was the maid. Are you telling me that he actually cares about a maid?”

“No, Monica. Why are you running away from it? You know who I’m talking about.”

The blonde man grinned as he lightly crushed a lemon slice in the air.  Transparent juice dripped onto the green salad plate in front of him.

Monica suddenly remembered that Alan had said he was going to the Principality with a young woman with the surname Collins. So was that true?

However, when Monica arrived at the mansion before anyone else, waited for Alan, and even greeted him in person when he entered the mansion. There was no woman who came with him.

She replied with a faint smile.

“No way, Your Highness.”

Her red lips slowly curled up. But Bentley didn’t notice that her lips were trembling slightly with anxiety.

“It’s not enough to say that the woman named Collins came all the way here to Lunoa. Now are you saying that she lives with Alan? It’s the most absurd story I’ve ever heard.”

“Absurd? You don’t want to believe it?”

“……maids are inherently fond of rumors. Alan Leopold is the most delicious ingredient to make a rumor.”

At that desperate voice, the prince suddenly felt his appetite change.

“Did I ever come to you without any certainty?”

At this moment, there was nothing more delicious than the woman in front of him.

“I summoned the maids who exchanged letters with the mansion of the Principality and visited them. Of course with a sword and a whip[1], so they won’t think of lying.”

“…….”

“Do you still of it as a rumor?”

Monica was at a loss for words. How could he brutally intimidate his subordinates over something like this? He is indeed a pestilence that eats away at the royal family. 

I wish I hadn’t been involved with him in the first place…….

But it’s too late.

“Prince, I have only recently left the mansion. The traces of a strange woman—”

“Do you know there’s a dungeon in the old castle?”

“Dungeon…?”

That’s not surprising given that it’s such an old castle with that size.

Then the prince’s long lips with a scar opened gently.

“I think he is hiding that woman there. They said she’s staying in a detached house now.”

Monica’s forehead was contorted into such a mess that she could no longer handle it.

“……I understand what you are saying. But how can you guarantee that she’s Collins?”

“My friend, Alan, threatened me not to follow her, so I stopped chasing her, but I continued to investigate her.”

“…….”

“These days are full of boring things, so I’m worried if I won’t have this kind of fun.”

The prince, who burst out laughing, poked the red tomato on the plate with a fork.  Monica frowned slightly at the unfamiliar displeasure.

“A woman who writes is quite interesting. She might not be that great, but since the royal family is helping with her education abroad, she must be talented.”

She may not be that great, but since the royal family is applying for her to study abroad, she must be talented

“…Writing?”

“I don’t know since when my elegant friend has been so fond of literature…….”

Bentley smirked.

But the face of the woman sitting opposite him was becoming pale. One day, the memory of seeing a poem written in the handwriting of a young woman on his desk in his room crossed her mind.

No way. Since then.

Bentley, who was looking at the beautiful trembling shoulder, opened his mouth again.

“The funny thing is, none of the servants know her name. How secretive.”

“……then it might not be the Collins.”

“I don’t know”

Bentley turned to Monica and supported his elbow on the table and rested his chin on his hand as if he was no longer interested in the food.

“I found her boarding records. Last month, she was cutely on the same ship as Alan.”

“Huh, she was in the moonlight? Her?”

“But I heard that she hasn’t even appeared at the academy she is supposed to enroll in………. The dormitory room assigned to her is still vacant.”

“…….”

Monica felt an uncontrollable anger. There was only one thought in her head.

‘I’m going to the detached house.’

The obvious fact is that Alan rarely stays in a mansion. Monica’s eyes were gleaming as if she was going to visit his mansion at any moment.

No matter how much he tells her not to come, Leopold’s servants can never leave Monica outside the door. To them, she is, after all, a woman who is no one but the hostess of the castle.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness, but I have to go to his mansion right now. Your Highness said you wanted to help me, didn’t you?  I think you know how I feel right now. So….”

The prince still looked relaxed.

“What about the meal? The food will be served soon.”

“……There’s no way I will be held back by this.”

Bentley, who saw Monica’s body tremble, arranged his clothes as if he was about to get up together. The prince also agreed that the food cannot hold them back in a situation like this.

“I understand how you feel, Monica but in such a state, things will go wrong.”

“…….”

“It’s not too late to visit after you’ve been in good control of your body and mind.”

The prince, who rose up, looked down at her with a languishing face and reached out his hand.

“Let’s go to your house first.”

* * *

“Is it Mr. Leopold?”

As he walked down the magnificent stairs at a fast pace, Alan stopped at the voice of the old man calling him.

“That’s true! What a coincidence.”

“……Brigadier General[2] Riemann.”

The sight of the old man running towards me at an erratic pace forced Alan to hide the cold expression on his face.

Unsurprisingly, the brigadier with an excited face bombarded a load of questions.

“Are you here alone? It’s too early to leave after dinner. Did you leave a woman standing outside? Huh? Is it?”

“…….”

Riemann was a tycoon in the Lunoa socialite and a well-known public figure.  To the extent that it is said that to start a business here, you have to go through Riemann, it was a rite of passage for any young businessman to greet him.

Of course, Leopold’s successor, Alan, had already met with Brigadier General before coming to the Principality, and had attended the parties he hosted with his father a few times.

However, this was the story of his childhood, and it was a completely different story for Alan, who had to break out of his father’s fence and stand alone,  to meet Riemann as a business partner.

Alan visited Riemann the day after he came to the Principality, and talked about business and international affairs in a manner that was neither excessive nor insufficient. He led a friendly atmosphere with skillful manners, so it was definitely a successful declaration ceremony.

But there was one problem between them: Riemann was very much fond of this wonderfully grown young and beautiful businessman.

“It’s a nice day, why don’t we go boating soon? Oh! My nephew is going to open an exhibition in four days. I really want you to come.”

Riemann’s wrinkled lips were restless all the way down the stairs together.

Despite having wealth and honor, the old and debilitating body missed the glory of the past endlessly. His morbid obsession with youth used to get worse when he saw a beautiful young man, and Alan was at the pinnacle of his obsession.

“She says that she wants to see you again.”

Is he going to follow me to the carriage? 

Alan answered neatly, barely holding back his soaring irritation.

“Is that so?”

“I think she has started studying Sournaire recently, so can’t you help her?”

The Brigadier’s daughter. Alan’s eyebrows twitched slightly at the thought of the low, obnoxious woman, but the Brigadier General, who didn’t notice it, added in a cheerful tone.

“Of course that’s just an excuse. But please be fooled.”

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[1] to threaten or scare

[2] a rank of officer in the US army, air force, and marine corps, above colonel and below major general.

T/N: The title of the chapter is the lyrics from the song “Blank Space” from the album “1989” written and performed by Taylor Swift.