Jayna raised her fan over Christine's excuse, covering her mocking smile. "I see. If you're not feeling well, you should go home. I don't know why you're going to the lounge. Is there anything you shouldn't have done?"

"There can't be such a thing. I'm just going out for a long time, so if I don't feel any better, I'm going to go back."

Jayna nodded as she watched Christine glance at Francis's attendant with a nervous face. "I see. His Highness Francis must have been worried about you. I can't believe he sent you with his servant. I envy you your strong friends.h.i.+p with him. I guess I've been holding on to someone who's not been feeling well for a long time. I'm out to get some air, too, and I'll have to go in."

Christine saw Jayna heading toward the banquet hall and told the servant to finish up. "Hurry up and call out Mrs. Raban. Make sure the Marquise returns to the mansion of the Duke and return to me. Be careful not to attract people's attention."

Christine finished speaking and turned to go to the Anais family lounge.

-------

"Well, Your Highness!" As he touched her, Julietta looked blankly at Killian, thinking her ident.i.ty had been exposed. Then, she was sobered by the delicate stroke on her side, and pushed Killian away to protest. "What are you doing?"

Killian then slowly pulled his hand off.

As soon as his hand was removed, Julietta quickly put her lowered dress back up to cover her chest.

Killian, looking at the scene with regret, pulled back the waist of Julietta who stared at him boldly after arranging her clothes. "My question is still valid. Why are you pretending to be Princess Kielini this way?"

Julietta stared at Killian, only breathing without reply, and glanced away at his question.

"Huh? Julietta?" Killian grabbed Julietta's chin and raised her head. "Do you know how great of a sin a n.o.ble impersonation is?"

The green eyes which had been avoiding eye contact finally returned to Killian. He smiled satisfactorily at the gaze focused on him.

Encouraged by the smile, Julietta managed to open her mouth. "I've been offered a big paycheck for playing the role of the ailing Princess Kiellini. I just needed a place to hide…" She went so far as to say, but her mouth closed again.

"Why did you have to hide?"

Killian's impudent question made Julietta look at him again without realizing it. "Your Highness, I know I'm guilty of death now, but I have to say what I want to say and then die."

There was nothing to be afraid of even she was sitting on the lap of a man questioning her guilt. In fact, she believed that the Prince would not do anything about her right away. Before she knew it, Killian was the one who she had faith in.

Julieta spoke bluntly to the Prince, who nodded for her to keep speaking. "Your Highness, have you forgotten that I worked as your bedroom maid? I've seen you do that before my eyes. But you were going to take me as a concubine. There was no way I could do that with you."

Killian was silent for a while at Julietta's words.

"I see." Killian answered after a long time, He grabbed Julietta by the waist, lifted her off his lap, and put her down right next to him.

She thought he would be angry about being arrogant or what mattered, but he didn't respond much, and she felt embarra.s.sed. Moreover, he turned her away calmly, and then began to pick out the string of the broken corset.

"Why aren't you angry?" Julietta asked Killian as she tried to look back.

Killian turned her back, making her look ahead, and released the cravat tied on her neck. "How angry would I get if you ran away because you didn't like it?" Killian pulled out the corset and removed the top of the dress which Julietta held as a lifeline.

"Your Highness!" Julietta screamed with fright.

However, Killian merely bound the open cravat around her chest without any reaction. He wrapped her whole chest in the cravat and turned it around, then brought both ends back and tied them together strongly. "I can't explain how you are dressed to fetch your maid. As a temporary measure, try to wear the dress like this and go to your lounge."

Killian pressed her chest as hard as he could and secured it flat with the cravat, then helped her put on the dress again. The cravat's knot popped out of the dress, but it was completely covered when Killian brought Julieta's hair which had been hanging over one shoulder, behind her back.

"Now, it's completely covered. Go back to the Kiellini family lounge." Killian went to the door and unlocked the door he had locked.

Julieta hesitated for a moment seeing him act that way. "Your Highness, uh…"

"I forgot what I heard here today. Do you remember anything?"

"Your Highness?"

"The princess, I hope you will return safely to Tilia Territory. I trust that our partners.h.i.+p will continue to thrive. You can leave here."

At the end of his words, Killian opened the door himself and waited for Julietta to leave. As Julietta hesitated again at his strangely distant manner, Killian shook his head as if asking her to leave again. Julietta hesitated, not knowing what to do, but ended up leaving the room after giving her courtesy. The closing of the door made her heart feel like it was skipping.