"What about Francis?"

"He is in the quarters of the first Queen. Lady Anais said she heard it," Valerian reported on the situation he had learned.

"There's going to be information about Princess Kiellini. Judging from the fact that Lady Anais visited Princess Kiellini a while ago, there's a chance she'll be able to bridge the relations.h.i.+p between the princess and Francis."

Killian thought for a moment and said to Valerian, "a.s.sign a man to Lady Anais, too. For the time being, it wouldn't be a bad idea to let them do as they please."

"Wouldn't it be better to press the Duke of Kiellini into engagement with the princess?"

"Not now. If she thinks she's being forced, she'll run away. It's okay that the Duke's attention is on Francis for the time being. Keep a thorough track of his location while the Duke is wary of Francis. How's the movement of knights going?"

"It's going smoothly."

"Good. Let's go down to Tilia in the last week of the season. If the Duke is attacked by Francis in unexpected places while he is wary of Francis showing interest in fake princess, we will be able to get the Duke's surrender more easily. Let's also investigate the Duke's business."

"Yes, Your Highness."

When Valerian stepped back, Killian thought he should visit His Majesty. As he might have already heard from the Duke of Martin, it was time to say that he had made up his mind with his own mouth. He had rejected the throne because he didn't want to lose the people around him, but now it was the opposite. He had no choice but to be more powerful to protect the people around him.

The time had finally come to draw out the blade of revenge after fifteen years!

----------------------

11. Preparation is completed.

The next day, Killian visited the Chartreu Dressing Shop in a carriage without an emblem, Ian holding the cus.h.i.+on in which Manny lay. He worked with papers spread out in the annex with confidence. After a while, as expected, Julietta came in as soon as she arrived at work.

"Your Highness, if you come here this often... Puppy?" As she began to speak, she found a white puppy lying on the seat next to Killian.

Julietta forgot what she was going to say to the Prince and immediately fell in love with it. She looked at Killian, as if asking, as she approached the dog who had his light pink belly exposed and was sound asleep.

"I picked it up while coming here. Albert will love it," Killian replied with a sour look on purpose, ignoring Julietta's antic.i.p.atory eyes. Ian's face was strangely distorted by Killian's comments; he didn't care about the tastes of Albert, who hated furry animals.

"It is so pretty. Where did you get it?"

"It was abandoned on the ground on the way from Harrods Street."

"Oh, poor thing."

Julietta remembered a long time ago when she had been Jenna. She met a dog that seemed to have been abandoned on the street, but she couldn't take care of it. The dog left her as if it knew her situation, but it was still on her mind. When she remembered what she had forgotten before, Julietta wanted to take care of the puppy.

"Your Highness, can you let me raise this puppy?" Julietta who was squatting near the lap of Killian, throwing away the prestige of the princess, turning to Killian as she looked at the puppy.

Killian was speechless when he saw her eyes glistening in the sunlight coming through the window. As if time had stopped for a while, he looked into Julietta's eyes and took a moment to come to his senses. Quickly shaking his head to clear his insidious thoughts, Killian looked at Julietta curtly.

"The n.o.ble princess fell to the floor… When the talkative people see it, they'll be noisy for a while."

Normally, she would have jumped to her feet in surprise if she had heard such words, but Julietta whose nerves were all set on the puppy pretended not to hear that. Julietta was tickling the puppy's belly and once again pestered Killian. "Your Highness, let me raise it. I'll give Sir Albert another puppy as a present."

"You can get another puppy." Killian deliberately turned to the papers and replied sourly.

"Your Highness, please. It reminds me of the puppy I used to know. I owe the puppy."

Julietta shook Killian's knees and begged again, but he shuffled his legs away.

"No, I like the puppy, too."

At Killian's callous refusal, Julietta showed her last card. "Then, Your Highness. I'll bring the dog to the dressing shop whenever I come to work. How about that?"

"Now I'm here to advise you to reduce your visits to the dressing shop, so you can't take the dog with you every day."

"What? Why do I have to reduce my visits to the dressing shop?"

"Because Francis is back in Dublin."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"You didn't forget what I promised you, did you? I said that there would never be any connection to Francis."

"Yes, Your Highness, but I don't understand what you're worried about."

"Francis is not one who will accept the princess's refusal. So don't think about walking around in a dangerous way, but you'd better confine yourself to the mansion with the excuse of sickness."

"That doesn't make sense. The opening party is less than two weeks away. It's a busy time."