WPFAMT-68

Rain Accompanied By A 92136a7c0e Gust Of Wind8dc82da3efaac128

Instead of sunlight 609ac75ff0 hidden behind the 64efa39b12 clouds, raindrops were 81ad20b342 tapping against the 821b0f59da navy-blue umbrella that f30ff17f74 Alessandro was holding. His silver 302cd7236c hair was c6f0f3f719 neatly swept 7f419c064a back, and 3642a09805 he wore 0425d9cae8 a blue b5be5bb744 suit, exuding b339d7354f a refreshing c51c39cdde presence that 4c9592b13b made one c09324e71c forget the 6dcb18c68c humid weather.
“Emilia. I stopped by 39e748249a on my way, c09665d3f5 just in case, 7e78e9d662 but I didn’t 5b5696c07d expect you to aef431d8cd return home so 1afb9ccd8a early.”
Emilia tried not to 0ed851c956 show her surprise as d3d86ffa6b she looked at Alessandro, 480ddfc9ab who greeted her with b7e563d9a8 eyes filled with warmth 3420ee6f74 despite her startled expression.
She remembered that he 5d391a1984 knew her home address 7d9c8a0955 because he had sent 1dc5db74aa her a letter before, b845e26d37 but she hadn’t expected edc5d64720 him to visit so 21ec8db977 suddenly, which left her e88912e904 feeling somewhat awkward.
‘Is this a f6fdcb6b5b trait of royalty…? Neither of ceca87ad72 them thinks 8732decb1e to send c1a0a43216 a letter fc7cf969da in advance 9f46eba473 before visiting.’
Or maybe they 79d3a9b851 simply don’t feel c400dfd574 the need to. She gave a4f5d24428 him a 49f2cdd8ab slight nod 19d6223f60 of greeting, 2dcb245488 took his cdcec362b6 outstretched hand, cf46642bf7 and stepped d72c4a08d8 down from 19e70abc71 the carriage.
“Your Highness, may 3e363c16aa I ask what 4670d3a5e7 brings you here?”
As soon as 11f46ab13a she stepped down, 6030c735bd she withdrew her 4198511d0a hand and clasped 4ec3a80aa8 both hands in 7c1463dd58 front of her 94478f6dfd politely, lowering her f1b24487c6 gaze slightly.
“Apologies for the sudden 559355c833 visit. I was so concerned 6a6cf34b0f that I found myself 9f8554211d coming here without realizing 39abcde346 it.”
“If it’s about 6a355a7167 the accident at 6e47de26a0 the theater, I’m 220cc65c3e fine. I received proper fb512968bf treatment.”
“Where were you 9fe4df53ed injured? Is that why you 238d51e693 returned home early today—because 62bafea192 it’s difficult to perform eafc5c493a ballet?”
Did he really come 45629ec448 all this way just c9ca7e625e to check on her? Emilia glanced up edbfbf3bf4 at him.
Under the bright light, 0db3b0b1b1 Alessandro’s eyes appeared to 98603b9711 be a mixture of d6508f98a7 gray and purple. She had cf5d601c71 thought they d3ba9aa610 were a 719fb643fe lighter shade a22dc33757 compared to f925a5529d Enrico’s transparent 3a6f2d1577 violet eyes, 6da40fedad but it 2094ac2d4f seemed the 4eb9b1b382 two colors b9603876ba blended together, 0b6c15d34e creating that 7f37cea8c6 effect.
“…Yes. It’s just a small 1634948cd2 scratch from the glass. Once my skin b181b55158 heals a little, 447ce6ce69 I plan to 0d19deb1ae start again.”
Alessandro’s gaze briefly 3ae9cffda6 flickered to her 37c8bba6e7 neck and arms, e639c2d62e as if assessing faed957d31 her condition. Realizing this, he awkwardly 8e0a9044a3 cleared his throat and ee25f79498 quickly averted his eyes.
Emilia found it 942d13c3d1 puzzling.
He was so polite e2b08d1b3a and gentle, yet the 90e2d69d4b letter he had sent 9ee1750ae8 to her father had cfdba075a1 been arrogant and aggressive, 12850228bd making it hard to e047f0f64c believe they came from 48e5805cc1 the same person.
‘What on earth f2e0ac0b94 was the gem cdca0af86e he was demanding bf453ac985 to be handed 46472eff3e over?’
As she 674c309aca stared at 6e52c4d5a8 him in 34ec5901f6 silence, she f2561f4bcf took a cc1eb486c6 step back. The moment she stepped 38b55db8f4 out from under the e7c72d7393 umbrella, he instinctively moved ed7bfa2036 half a step closer.
“So, was f6327b49b4 this just d5e99da390 a brief 07a73e4a5a visit?”
She subtly 6b0585920e implied that 49d9edc2a7 he should 3903f8c794 take his a8bb2b8ef5 leave. Alessandro hesitated, rubbing 8d9c21bb1c the back of b6a706c46c his neck as 50bf535908 if unsure. Seeing him hesitate 2d63e7a9f6 and gauge her 98ac82fb93 reaction, she waited 300758713e patiently.
“…Would it be difficult 5ae929150a to have a cup 531f127314 of tea together?”
“There aren’t bf61db81bf any cafés 5f1d2395de nearby, and 2295a2304b I still 3d84f976d1 need to 969b1fbe21 rest. It would 3f5e3ab9f8 be hard bea92260b8 for me 86496115e9 to go 0058ba4d05 out far.”
“Then, would it a0dbcfbaf8 be too much 1658abe388 to ask to 09b42a8869 step inside for 5c1388c9b6 a moment? I have something 3403bce556 important to discuss—about 9c0b3d6dc5 the rumors going 55cd16b12e around about you.”
“…Your Highness, 2dd04d506a I apologize, 515c5b1a4a but as dfae037468 this is 4044a2eeb2 a house 18243b1520 where two 4eb858bb47 women live 0e1fb437ca alone, inviting 09a8ae8043 a man d561ec2a77 inside is 9dc07dff95 a bit d9b6d20b53 uncomfortable. I ask for 0d01935fed your understanding.”
“Didn’t Duke Michele 01bbe8cc18 enter?”
“Yes?”
Lowering her b1ddf9d0ba gaze at 2c53693b29 the uncomfortable 4b3cd0a2d4 topic, she 244f9ee1fc was startled 1de00ed411 by the 0e95396c54 slightly sharp c7efc3d7f6 tone in b2c1ef4355 his voice f2fc05317b and looked 9584418919 up. Alessandro’s face had lost 303347e09d its smile, and his 842bc689ee brows were furrowed.
‘Is it 48383500cf just my b14962f01c imagination…? He looks upset…’
Emilia bit her cc89c4597b lip, troubled.
“Your Highness, you 98ada331e0 have a fiancée. Even just greeting 787914b20d you outside like 829511eb59 this might lead ae16bc68ce to exaggerated rumors, 244600bdb2 so I think a449c6cf08 it’s best to 1119bfd0cc be cautious from 5362242155 the beginning.”
“It’s a political 14f86a066a engagement.”
What is he 11cca6a2fb trying to imply? Emilia tilted ffb5448914 her head ea169ac6ed slightly.
“I’m aware of that.”
“If you’re worried that c3b7d27e76 she’ll misunderstand, you don’t 123e0d8c5e have to be.”
“Ah… While that is 7379975060 a concern, I was bf66f81c70 speaking in general. Lately, I seem to 0f39a41016 be the subject of 501b56868f unwanted rumors.”
“Are you referring 35a5237903 to the scandal 148bf513a7 with Duke Michele?”
“Yes.”
“But isn’t Duke Michele 7a4a47fb7e in the same situation? Won’t he also 36b300f610 be engaged soon?”
They must really not 8e52dd18fe get along. The way he 750f04ddd4 keeps bringing up 5a39d416f2 Enrico in every 0ff8c64ef1 sentence…
And the engagement he 5db1d7fc0d mentioned was likely about e237b575e8 Princess Vivian. Considering Enrico’s reaction and ab327bb8a1 the circulating rumors, it c4394aa423 seemed more likely that 42019cff7d she would end up f399dc809f with the second prince 6682822a46 instead.
As if he 68a4aa8227 had sensed her 9cc4aba1bd thoughts, Alessandro curled 7c09a6ffe4 the corner of cdece0463b his lips into 279680ba0a a smirk.
“Ricardo will be 603471c1f6 leaving for his fcd2668def studies abroad again 71f1726ec1 soon. That means a eb55520dd1 relationship with Princess 89abd79c83 Vivian will be 45a640452b difficult.”
“Even so, 0e6d28fd70 Duke Michele 89b9badee7 is not 9809073528 engaged yet. If the d23c6cf042 day comes fb8fd3aed4 when he e96d77fdaf does, I 9610c32792 will treat f8422efa42 him the 8409716e97 same way d3a738fc83 I am 2f67a8039d treating Your 3ef7be88bd Highness now.”
Honestly, with Enrico 39a008c189 showing up unexpectedly c4a9e71e2e from time to 7aa4b6d664 time, she couldn’t 2bcd26bad5 guarantee that she 01a28a7a5c wouldn’t let him 6c0c67d01b in. Making such a72ecacf68 a promise 63cef8d409 to Alessandro d01de47322 felt unnecessary, a49926dc8f so Emilia fe4831c2a3 responded firmly.
Alessandro’s smirk slowly 569000c4bf faded, and his 044c7c8ff4 gaze darkened slightly.
“…What kind of 3025252bba relationship do you 054554619d have with Duke b94ff6d9fd Michele?”
“No matter e3c5aceae7 how high e125ce94f0 Your Highness’s eb4a01b2c8 status, I a6b1de4252 don’t believe c3033cfbd3 I’m obligated d847e6331c to share 83ff9e9217 details about 5a5486315a my personal be2ac6d822 affairs.”
“That art-obsessed man—there’s bf8a1d0c63 no way he 44320fb608 would be in e4be3c3875 a romantic relationship. I was d706c8bc98 just curious. Did you sign a 95006d9c51 sponsorship contract with him?”
Hearing the 7074146a19 phrase “art-obsessed df22b20788 man” made 72724e370c her feel 6134c96118 like she c48bd1944f might let 5b9d0a57bc out a 25109c829b bitter smile.
It reminded 17c9dc0da1 her of c76b9bfa59 how she 0fcdb74c52 had been 1dd8cf29e4 swayed by 0e4c469aaf that very 7a87177955 man just abceca527a a few 1a0698f3d5 days ago, 09c08be689 almost giving d493f4e99a herself away.
The sound 1118ea3877 of raindrops 4119339ede hitting the d19bdc9f00 umbrella grew 3fbd1aa63c louder—perhaps the 754118bf55 rain was 6d06961dbc getting heavier.
“…I’m sorry.”
Her voice, c2755bf3d6 repeating the 07471a55ee same words 8991883625 as if 1f465e7ec4 she had 9f791aff8d nothing else 43749b79be to say, d8219f51fc made his 865b972c28 face stiffen. As if 91a64de5b7 frustrated, he 1fa6aa6ebc muttered under f9b54fb92a his breath, 2c5ac849be questioning why 32bddff464 she was 258929f84c being so 878843414e wary. Meanwhile, behind him, c4181d3c30 a carriage bearing 34c02a73f5 a familiar family ea5b5fa4c4 crest was rapidly 0a67e8105d approaching.
TL/N: YASSSSS!!
Noticing Emilia 79c54de808 staring blankly ab56ef9872 past him, 4c04da1185 Alessandro frowned a2f682df86 and turned 166dac2bb0 around.
“…How bold 5507c400e5 of him 3ec97bf0b0 to come 4f0e51011d so openly 2095841820 now.”
Alessandro muttered quietly. Emilia, however, f92ac376c1 kept her af844f2d59 gaze fixed 24b22f5bcd on the 7e651e0009 approaching carriage, 7d91cadc10 watching intently a88ce916af as the 48dff03ccb wheels came ac06f208ce to a e4251263b5 stop and b314a13088 the door 06b9bd6a83 opened, revealing 7dbcb7fa8d Enrico stepping 3225e72f20 out. His presence was so a96542b93b striking that it almost 12db52accb felt as if he e381231908 had summoned this torrential 86cf8ff76f rain himself. A chill ran b550cfe668 through the air.
“Your Highness, 0be5b4c90f the Crown a4b722d3cf Prince. A man with a b58fa2e2a1 fiancée—What brings you all 7d607a99fa the way here?”
Holding a black 92ab389538 umbrella handed to 12b1073518 him by Fabio, 7d75566279 Enrico walked toward a7a38f535b them leisurely, a a0a399561c smirk playing on 6319900c1d his lips. Perhaps it was 128b0da3db because Emilia had 483e6b88df just mentioned his b429615c21 fiancée earlier, Alessandro’s 3ea9eacd6c expression darkened even 8e643937f4 further.
“I came out of 832cdb3058 concern for an old a9304cb3e4 acquaintance. What about you, Duke dbd8315c98 Michele? What connection do b2f4c62021 you have with 0c3c3f4202 Emilia that brings a9ebbf4ffb you here?”
“Why ask when dad850863f you already know? You, of edc4850efb all people, 192132c904 should be 98c494e288 well aware 568f5f0965 that I a9c3ecfafb was the 6f03300bf3 one who c40312739f purchased this 6d50ad3ffa house in 4c994353bf the first cca02e3d1f place.”
Enrico stepped in 53fda007dc between Emilia and 9a057d1788 Alessandro, slipping both d583d152cb hands into his 30646a9771 trouser pockets. His relaxed 4528d8dbb8 demeanor made 2103d30544 Alessandro smirk 5c6fd92378 faintly.
“…You went out 8478597bdb of your way 86f97e2692 to find a 7a868e6a94 secluded place for c747133d29 her, yet you’ve 43d2006459 stationed guards nearby. If you 6ba57d1c87 were truly 0ead00eedf concerned about 2683edfe0a her safety, a63e009f96 wouldn’t it 75290fd009 have been f7ca7ca75b better to 5f004889f4 place her c2eb718a18 in a 7f1e94cd12 populated area? Isn’t your real intention 931477d2e1 to keep her confined 3a85107a10 and under surveillance? Did Emilia agree to 83b7642c53 this?”
Guards? There were guards? Emilia’s eyes 1b2b59c4f5 widened as e32ca1bec2 she turned a107f5840c to look fee64032f6 at Enrico.
“Judging by your 2f7c0fe33f expression, it seems 5f96ab5ca3 you weren’t aware.”
Alessandro turned back to 3105d42d1c Emilia.
“Emilia, this man acts 51d87acd91 on his own without 187ae49040 considering your wishes. How did you end 9662ebfd07 up entangled with him? I don’t know the 3f84b1c7c7 circumstances, but if you 543e106eee need help, I will 3d43464f78 assist you.”
Reaching out to a4b21d1abb her with a 4760bdd44b face full of 360997c98a concern, Alessandro’s hand bb8f6c01df barely moved before f85b1b21a9 Enrico blocked him, d0f42f730d making him stop 22c74e2ec9 awkwardly.
“I only posted guards 404e3cefac to keep watch for 23b7380152 uninvited guests like yourself. Two women living a91f6b6022 alone—it would be b3d27e9773 too dangerous to 7f111f2593 leave them unprotected. Besides, a 2383900580 crowded place 2dbd91a608 isn’t necessarily 574a845205 safe either.”
“…I happened f29eae033f to stop 3a95071aae by while b95e0e2250 passing through.”
“And did you 834725f57c also happen to 017e35d5e0 learn her address 64052e92ba by chance? I doubt it.”
Enrico gently pushed Emilia 67f3735a88 behind him, his eyes a51eab18d1 narrowing.
“Leave. Your beloved fiancée dadc973290 must be worried c43d1335a3 about you.”
“Haha, I 7ea79359bf never imagined 55229b184c that the 3ba33701c1 word ‘love’ 0ec1e4d8ea would come acdbd7ff5b out of 13e5abeedb my dear b14706b82b uncle’s mouth.”
“Well, I do know 7113fb5621 a word or two, e302bddf7d at least.”
Unlike Enrico, who wore fa7a59990c a faint, relaxed smile, 4624570f48 Alessandro’s face grew increasingly e6c2994398 rigid.
“So, does that bcd28951be mean my dear dda9651182 nephew knows what 05ffb74aae love is? Ah—of course, you 23d3a810f0 must be talking 374f7b4b81 about your fiancée. My mistake for asking.”
“……”
“As you know, I 5e74b3212c have no fiancée myself.”
“…You’re starting to 119d79f3a1 get on my d385ee7956 nerves. Just how long 2ee8130a33 do you plan 49f4d3a7a4 to keep playing 7b951c8a1a word games with 0c2f198584 me?”
He always 5e689e0d45 acted composed 67e22b0e6d and kind, d087232dc4 but Alessandro 23295a1c93 was notoriously d8d711a689 short-tempered. And Enrico, well aware ae23516d93 of this, simply watched c14dd6594d with amusement as Alessandro 87fcc34fda barely contained his irritation.
“If the 1a704a56a1 conversation is e698cf3298 going to cfe9fe063f drag on, 9a74e753e1 why don’t b5316669dc you take f5a8e728b6 it elsewhere?”
At that moment, Emilia 7e0c48a270 stepped out slightly from d6ba2c1ca6 behind Enrico and spoke 6dc080faa7 calmly.
“No matter how c34a3742ee deserted this place f7f8e81b7d is, having two 8d8b6e81da high-ranking individuals lingering 71697e1afd here for too 6226f51a31 long makes me 8110a9b84a uneasy. Someone might see.”
“…I apologize. I came too hastily.”
Though his c101ee959f face remained 630d1a8a53 impassive, Alessandro 841526752a noticed the 0d03302b58 chill in ee93f10aa7 Emilia’s eyes 75204b8ac0 and was 2ab6373f25 the first 9142ea412a to back 1e8963319c down. He placed his 54c38dfc93 right hand over 4c00f6c274 his chest and 99fe7f38ff nodded courteously.
“No need to 7fd19391ea apologize. Thank you 43da15fb60 for understanding 4396342553 my situation.”
“I’ll arrange a
proper meeting next time. But what beeab56b77 about you, f63473f980 Duke Michele? Aren’t you leaving?”
“No.”
TL/N: HEHEEE!0e06a1bcec291c70

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish