# 28
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The Empress lowered her eyebrows as if she was very regretful. Since this man came and knew everything, she could no longer feign ignorance.
“...Actually, I heard, Duke. It is said that my followers have taken the joke too far.”
“It's really shameful.”
Theodora Byrne had told her where, expecting some man to see Ariana in a compromising position.
But even if the plan failed, it didn't matter. She was ready to hand over the servants who had taken the girl if the Duke questioned her.
Would he dare to question the Lady of the Imperial Palace if she did that?
Kenneth smiled weakly and nodded.
“Like you said, it's really unfortunate. Sometimes excessive loyalties become poison.”
“Ha, it seems like it is. I'm attached to them, so I'll miss them if they're gone...”
“The remaining servants will miss them too. But they should get used to the lack of manpower from now on.”
"What …?"
The Empress paused, confused by the vague and disturbing words.
Why does the Duke speak as if the workforce will remain in short supply?
Kenneth smiled softly as he saw the Empress's confusion.
“Before this ceremony, there were discussions in Parliament about the budget of the Imperial Palace.”
“Just a moment...”
“If the Empress herf took the initiative to reduce labor costs, wouldn’t the deputies warmly welcome it?”
“Duke!”
The Empress put down the teacup angrily.
Is he hinting at reducing the budget further?
'Ah, if things were like before, this wouldn't be possible!'
But the trend changed a long time ago. Most of Parliament supports Kenneth Clifford, and how many of them are involved in his projects...
Moreover, if her second son, Cedric, is installed as an imperial prince this year, the costs will double for the prince's wife or potential future child.
Just thinking for a second about how annoying that would be if it reached the ear of her Emperor husband made her feel sick.
“Duke Clifford, I mean, Kenneth.”
The Empress tried to calm him down with a smirk.
“Andy loved that girl very much, and I was sorry that I could not make her my daughter-in-law.”
“It was just an attempt to tease her a little, but it turned into an unexpected accident. I will send a gift as an apology.”
“It was just passing talk, so don't pay attention to it.”
Kenneth replied as if it were a passing joke. He was only pressuring her a little because her attempt to evade ling her followers seemed ridiculous.
The Empress tightened her thin lips after the crisis had passed.
“You seem to care about her more than I expected. Does she like you?”
"Yes."
His calm, non-fake answer confused the questioner.
In return, Kenneth raised the corner of his mouth slightly.
“Isn’t she the lady introduced by the Imperial Palace?”
“How could I not care about her, Your Majesty?”
The Empress bit her lips after almost mocking him. It was the Imperial Palace that gave Ariana to Kenneth to humiliate him.
So, whatever she said now, it would only show Kenneth's tolerance.
“And yet, you seem to be very protective of her. Have you become attached to her?”
“As long as it bears Clifford’s name, I must defend it. This is the duty of our ‘family’.”
In families with prominent names, even if they hate one of their members, they defend him for the sake of facade.
But this was also an elegant criticism directed at the empress's son who had run away, leaving his wife.
“Ha…”
The Empress shook her head with a tired look.
Although Ariana was still an obnoxious girl, this guy was just as disgusting.
* * *
After his meeting with the Empress ended, Kenneth lit a cigar at the stern deck.
When he woke up, he went first to deal with the matters that needed to be resolved.
After things calmed down a bit, the Empress ended up suppressing the leniency of the Imperial Palace, as well as the Byrne family.
‘They are the ones who inspired the Empress.’
Swimming pool? This excellent positioning ability can only be possessed by someone who knows the ship well.
With this, the distress he felt when he saw Ariana wet and trembling subsided. He looked at the dark blue sea and remembered Ariana he had left in the room.
'Maybe you can sleep peacefully now.'
At dawn that morning, as the sky was gradually clearing, he kept looking at the woman sleeping next to him without stopping.
Her pure white face was so close, as if he was seeing it for the first time.
It was so small that his hand almost covered it, and everything about it was amazingly symmetrical.
He discovered for the first time that Ariana's eyelashes shine like gold under the sunlight.
But the exciting memories were erased by Ariana's latest appearance.
Eventually, her limbs became limp in his embrace, and she passed out as if she were falling asleep. The corners of her eyes, wet with tears, were red.
'This is why long relationships are uess.'
If it had been as short and direct as usual, he wouldn't have needed to think about these things. But he could not erase the expressions he saw from his memory.
He put out the cigar, which was only half smoked. Some of his remaining followers in the ward approached him.
“Is Ariana still asleep in the room?”
“No, she is in the café now, and we came to tell you.”
He thought she would be more comfortable in bed, but this surprised him. You couldn't attend the party yesterday, so why do you need more social activity?
“I'll go straight there.”
"Good."
“Tell the kitchen here to bring a trifle too.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
It sometimes helped that they had known each other since childhood.
Whenever he visited the Aberdeen family and they ate these ordinary sweets, Ariana would eat them with her eyes sparkling with excitement.
He didn't know if she still loved it, but seeing her eat it in front of him might be a good idea.
'At least, it will be livelier than it was when I left it this morning.'
Maybe he could figure out why she seemed to be thinking about something else while calling him “Mr. Duke” in that ridiculous way...
The cafe was still quiet at this time.
Ariana was sitting alone in a place where the sunlight gently filtered through.
Her ash-blonde hair was neatly tied up, and her blue going-out outfit made her look like a painting worth keeping.
But when she noticed him coming and turned her head, her little face stiffened.
“Sir Duke, you have come?”
Her voice was laced with exhaustion.
The feeling of distress that had subsided after his rebuke to the Empress returned, but this time with greater force.
If she needed tea or food, she could order it to the ward.
If she's feeling tired from last night, why doesn't she rest in bed?
“To the room...”
Kenneth tried to grab her hand to stop her.
But before he extended his hand, he saw the tablecloth wet with water drops and raised his eyebrows quietly.
“Looks like you were on a date.”
“Yes, Mrs. Byrne has just arrived.”
“I didn't think you two were that close.”
But he guessed why Theodora visited her. Since he gave a signal to the Count, perhaps Theodora came to address the problem in her own way.
Maybe she came to offer an empty apology, or to put pressure on Ariana, as she did at the rally.
Kenneth sat directly across from her.
“But you talked enough to have tea together.”
“It wasn't necessarily a conversation...but a kind of negotiation.”
"negotiate?"
“About that joke. Mrs. Byrne knew about it, of course.”
“Ah...”
Kenneth found this internally interesting. He didn't expect Ariana to notice that.
“So, how did you two get along?”
“I told her there was no need to be wary of someone like me, it was a waste of time. As politely as possible.”
“Theodora will not be convinced by such talk.”
“Ariana.”
When he pressed down on her, Ariana finally sighed.
“It was just saying that I don’t love you, so there is no need for such actions.”