“That, It’s, it’s not like that, Brother Durante!”
Dionna, who had gone pale, shouted.
But Durante did not respond, instead, he sharply saluted Aristine.
“Your Highness, there doesn’t seem to be any delay in the preparations so I shall take my leave now.”
“Go ahead.”
Durante bowed his head and turned around then he suddenly came to stop.
“Ah, congratulations on your marriage.”
When he turned around again to congratulate her, Aristine pulled her lips into a smile.
“Thank you. You are my second congratulations.”
“No, I would be the first.”
At those words, Aristine paused.
Durante’s steps were firm as he left the waiting room in silence after bowing again.
‘Oh, he looks pretty upset.’
To be fair, Dionna’s words were perfect for a misunderstanding. Some people would not tolerate it even if they knew the entire situation.
‘Because it’s me, I didn’t misconstrue what she said and just heard it as her showing off her lover. Had it been someone else, she might have seen stars.’ [1]
Aristine was proud of herself; although she grew up in confinement, she had an excellent character.
Clack, the door shut, and Durante’s figure completely disappeared from sight.
Dionna, who was standing in a daze, was startled awake by that sound. She hurriedly tried to follow after Durante without looking anywhere else.
“Where are you going?”
Aristine asked when she saw Dionna suddenly start to leave without saying anything.
‘Where else would I be going in this situation!’
Dionna wanted to scream that out loud if she could but that was impossible. Her annoyance rose and she quickly gave a careless reply.
“Rest, to the restroom…!” [2]
Aristine’s eyes widened as Dionna rushed out, leaving only those words behind.
‘She needs to go that urgently?’
Ah, maybe it’s constipation.
She was enlightened immediately after asking that question.
‘May your bowels move.’ [3]
Aristine wished Dionna good luck.
* * *
“Brother Durante!”
Even though Dionna was calling him, Durante kept on walking.
He was neither speeding up nor slowing down. As if he couldn’t hear anything, he just took regular strides forwards.
Dionna bit her lips and ran.
It was only after she grabbed his firm arm that Durante stopped walking.
“Brother…”
Durante’s dark-blue eyes looked down at her.
Dionna opened her mouth to explain but couldn’t say anything. Right now, they were in the wedding lobby.
This was not just any royal wedding but a national wedding that brought the war with the Empire to an end.
Most nobles, including high-ranking nobles, were gathered here, as well as reporters and prominent figures from all walks of life. Even the Crown Prince’s wedding wouldn’t get this much attention.
Everyone’s eyes were gathered on them because Dionna had been chasing after Durante while calling him loudly.
“It’s not that, It’s not that.”
She could only whisper that in a barely audible voice.
“What is?”
At that subdued question, Dionna gripped Durante’s arm tighter.
You can’t do this.
‘All of you are alive because of my brother.’
Dionna’s eyes sank darkly.
‘My brother died saving you all and yet…!’
How could he treat her like this?
‘Naturally, you should take my side, you should treasure me and take care of me!’
Aren’t I right?, she wanted to ask.
“Let’s go outside, let’s go outside and talk.”
But Dionna could only say that while lowering her head.
However, Durante did not respond.
“Brother Durante, please…”
Dionna’s voice was trembling as if it was about to disappear.
Durante silently looked down at Dionna. Her long dark-blue hair was scattered over her lowered head, making her face impossible to see.
The knuckles of her arms bulged as she held his arm tightly.
Durante let out a small sigh and began to move.
Dionna’s heart jumped, thinking he was going to just leave, and she lifted her head. But once she realized he was heading towards an empty room, her face brightened.
Dionna quickly followed after Durante.
* * *
“What the hell is going on?”
Mukali frowned when he saw Dionna and Durante enter the empty room together.
He was very startled when Durante came of the bride’s waiting room and Dionna came running after Durante immediately after. He didn’t know that Dionna was with the Princess.
And Durante even ignored Dionna calling him…
‘I don’t know what happened, but he shouldn’t treat Dionna like that!’
His heart ached to see Dionna unable to even raise her head.
Seriously, Durante’s temper.
Mukali shook his head and walked towards the room they went into.
He didn’t plan to eavesdrop. That was something only shameless people did.
As he stood before the door, Mukali snorted and rubbed his nose. He just wanted to check if Durante was bullying Dionna or not.
Because he had to protect that pitiful child from the bad-tempered Durante.
Yes, that was all it was.
‘But I have to know what they’re talking about to do that…’
Acting like a different person, he leaned closer to the door and pricked up his ear to listen to the sound in the room.
“Brother Durante, you’re being too much…”
Although it was faint, Dionna’s voice was laced with tears.
“How, how can you do this?”
Even after losing her family, Dionna remained a confident and easygoing child. She was a child who never held any grudges towards them who had come back alive without her brother.
Now, that child was crying like this.
He wanted to kick up the door right now and give Dionna a hug.
However.
‘…No matter how bad Durante’s temper is, he’s not the type to get angry for no reason.’
At that thought, his hand which was about to grab the doorknob hesitated.
“After losing my elder brother so suddenly…I’ve lived thinking of you guys as my older brothers but how can you…!”
But the moment he heard those words, Mukali forgot the reason for his hesitation and slammed the door open.
Translator’s Corner:
[1] Might have seen stars: The phrase here is ‘might have lost her chin’ but it sounds more vicious in English somehow.
[2] What did they call toilets back in the day? Restroom or washroom? I’m not sure which one to use.
[3] In reality, this is more like ‘I’m praying for your digestion’ or ‘I hope you have good bowel movement’. It’s just one word in Korean so I tried to keep it as short as possible.
