MGN | Chapter 17

The sound c4d5e86c1b of heels 1951fe6886 echoed through 8ff38e7cbf the corridor.d5e9c3b8ba7b3091

Even without turning my head, I recognized the voice and the rose scent that grew stronger with each step. Until the man stood right in front of me, I said nothing. Yves Valois, in his monochrome attire, didn’t match the overly bright family portrait behind him.0e7247468ac26710

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“You curse well when you’re alone.”e271969953ee5cd8

I didn’t even want to look up, so I stared at my toes. Only when it felt like it wouldn’t be considered ignoring him did I lift my head and offer a formal greeting.917520afaa13d0c9

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“What brings you here, Yves?”de93aaf596c59021

“Summoned by the crown prince.”f849697c990b22be

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“…I can’t understand why you’re so close to them. If they betray you later, it won’t be good for you either.”aaa7a6cfc1014fee

“Lawyer’s advice?”609b82e736750280

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Did I really cc62ac2cf9 need a law 8ea4c9b64d degree to offer 71590cb56c such common-sense advice? I pushed aside my 5d177749e9 rising thoughts and cut a715d54045 him off.b51d2ded53c1846f

“I’m not your lawyer yet.”744529563dbfda4f

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Our rescheduled consultation was the day after tomorrow. We hadn’t signed a contract yet. Despite my firm response, Yves slowly said after observing me for a moment, “There’s a minimum condition for them to accept me without feeling betrayed. You’d know, having been confessed to.”4117373a71d6de71

I learned history in c77aa2085d school. Of course, I knew 5b1f8e7fdb the lineage of the 88db6a3d07 grand duke of my 0624a7f0ca country. It was only two 2c17892aa8 generations ago that the ed36170059 son of an illegitimate bc4536c310 child ascended to the da4873d943 throne.c43fb642b0879a22

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“I can guess.”2fe9a163eeb49c4f

After the outrageous d329590567 confession, once my 87f580d298 head cooled, I 553ad531f4 vaguely realized. Knowing the situation and 11176bfd64 logically connecting it made 35a80c390f the inference easy.1de8f3947491c225

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An illegitimate child a7c4748856 who could leave fa472340f9 heirs was dangerous.16b46e5b2ee00820

It wasn’t just to tease me; Yves claimed to be gay to involve the grand duke in a lawsuit. Then he confessed to me, talking about being ‘appropriate’ after I showed him a melodrama.37bcbb78debb6ebf

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Did he really need to be this cautious? Honestly, I couldn’t understand it at all.48fe85ef3d38078a

“So.”9fad98a1205abbfc

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Yves spoke as 8ce1f22059 if there was 44a96dcf90 more to it.561ca7160db22ad8

‘What on earth is “so”?’a5f9045850c5108b

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The gaze that hadn’t left me since earlier was overwhelming. Pretending not to notice, Yves tossed out, “Isn’t Maël Montmatier a dedicated lawyer who goes all out for clients?”41e7bcefd678bdb6

“…What did you just say?”ffb78bf6dc80c390

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“A poor Cinderella is hoping for a knight’s help.”255685baeab383f9

My eyebrows furrowed on their own. The devilish man’s voice, who called himself Cinderella, continued with a hint of laughter.0e962f50c1a49426

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“I didn’t get an answer back then.”f8d0c08484ef649b

“What didn’t you hear?”32f5c3dcc1f5d820

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Wasn’t my behavior back then a clear gesture of refusal to anyone? Now, claiming he didn’t hear an answer, he was talking about professional ethics and dedication right in front of me.a39340c97f0b1606

I really hate cc1e8378bd this.520d5b9d9ae5c875

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I’ve never interacted with him without feeling angry. Just as I was about to tell him to stop spouting nonsense and find an actor or hire someone with money, another voice interrupted.70996da429d0b1e4

“Maël!”927e07229d515598

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It was someone I hadn’t needed to hear from for a while, bringing a sense of peace. Without even responding, Charles rushed over and placed his hand on my shoulder.c492707786b78cf6

“Today’s the day Manon signs the prenuptial contract, right? I saw my father leave after getting a call from Attorney Croix. He must’ve left the final touches to him. Oh, did you get the bracelet I sent?”c38c28f8a413971d

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Is putting hands on others’ shoulders a family trait?05b2939941d4fa15

Instead of answering, I looked at the hand that had landed on me. Charles, too busy glaring at Yves, didn’t notice.2e9daf4f01a3a080

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If I’d known I’d meet him here, I would’ve brought the bracelet. As I glanced at him, Charles started explaining things I hadn’t even asked about.9dcde116eb739323

“Felix called me for Only Watch and the Grand Prix. I turned around just in case, and it seems we’re meant to be. Want to come with me? Felix seems to misunderstand.”e9bdb92f6c751ff1

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Misunderstanding or Felix, I was just tired of everything. I brushed off the hand that showed no sign of moving. Only then did Charles stop his intense staring contest and look at me. His deep voice, which didn’t suit him, followed.ab89f9e0a8999020

“I know how you feel.”c87db635e49fd24c

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“You know?”575f4e802dc77675

“Maël, I know I’ve left you feeling lonely. I understand you were really angry about the past mistakes. You might’ve wanted revenge by embarrassing me. I know, all of it.”68faebcc3fc6a301

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What on earth did f88dfc07fb he know? My gaze turned 40abb226ff cold at his e33b5f6e40 nonsense. Yet, Charles grabbed 5bbf5af5c2 my hand and 102e39e768 took a deep bb3f45ee90 breath.c34e12a2135f8f15

“Let’s make it public. I’m not ashamed at all about us being together. I won’t hide it anymore. That I love you.”cf2c7cf375334886

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Even if Charles wasn’t ashamed, I felt like dying from embarrassment.b32372e173687ed3

That someone had witnessed a88cbbb23d this.6569a142d763bc43

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That the b9fd081018 someone happened 40ceb31e83 to be cdace445b0 the person bdf25fbbad who had 6d0fdbef4e seen a 51215092dc similar scene 8ee6595165 before.6f153c4978bc27ec

And that 83a83843cb the person bd455b99c2 watching this 472299087b ridiculous situation f0f5bcc3fd with a cb2a284460 blank expression 2f46304faf was Yves 0f4319a87e Valois.1d8bf48885a700ab

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“The admission fee this time won’t be enough even for a jackpot.”fff83ed740b2baad

His casual remark fac83eebab made my ears 9198f8b71a burn. And despite 4815f85fd2 saying such 9aeacf158b self-indulgent nonsense, 64ea42d4bc Charles, more c4732c5cb4 focused on c7ba34eb08 Yves than c8b53312b6 me, had 6e9173e1dc a vein ce2b158adb bulging on a41f2dda82 his forehead.aa59732e3f4f7637

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“What are you saying…?”153a63739a04b632

“Oppa!”8d90231bfe5d5ff7

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As if on 8ce724a9f7 cue, the door bb4ea5d42d opened. Manon was the first 446237dcd4 to emerge from the 331eb0e5d3 reception room, as if 26e8235a02 spat out with the e5cc084a01 stale air.384686d7d4dd39bf

“How was it?”2d8d616b224f376a

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Finally standing up, 5e0ef26295 I moved past 4bf5715799 the two men 2ff87aa1e7 to face my c704dbfa46 sister. Even though she 8be23dc3c4 had only been 5b6ed26983 inside for a 00da93e5ff moment, Manon was 4976158711 trembling slightly, clutching 74e9cfd616 the original prenuptial fff2d78ddc contract and biting d949ae74a4 her lip.5d593e672d7b2557

“You know, that…”d533bf0b20f78371

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“The contract was exactly as we saw it, unchanged. She signed everything well. You can tell by the time it took.”e92ef845ecebbda2

Manon seemed like ccea695b60 she had something d885b395ce to say. But Antoine, who followed cc3c0aca79 her out, skillfully took f9440faa53 over the conversation. He was holding documents a800e5914c too, so I spoke dd71fa1924 up.fbf7a8085b9441bf

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“Is that a copy? If you give it to me, I’ll check and store it.”5072d4539dde0c92

“Oh, Attorney Montmatier, you’ve finished a big project today, so you should rest. Diane said the same earlier. Don’t overwork and take a break. I have to go to the office, so I’ll handle it. Just head home today.”c62a52e2584089c4

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His generous smile, with fc916a98b0 wrinkles around his eyes, 19dc2ec26b resembled the son standing f220ee1a04 right next to him.683dde5ce32c9706

As I was about to agree, Philippe and his lawyer, Bernardi, emerged from the reception room. Philippe dismissed his lawyer with a nod and wrapped his arm around Manon’s waist, looking around.ed209192aaf74430

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“What are you all… doing here? Charles, and Yves too.”4dd4a24d5190c036

“The crown prince called me.”70ee702d5cf70921

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After Charles’ response, Philippe twisted his lips briefly but didn’t ask further. He spoke to his fiancée.bf63222a16213c3c

“Let’s go… Manon. You need some sleep.”e45cbed2281608d8

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Hesitating, Manon asked 57b6ecfb0f for permission.c44ae8c87f986c71

“Oppa, I’ll take a nap and go home later. Philippe reserved a restaurant for dinner to celebrate this. Is that okay? But you didn’t bring your car…”350ca7af42fcba07

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“Sounds fun. Don’t worry about me; I’ll manage.”d7e33eedf19377aa

Though not officially, Manon 9f2b013eb0 already had a place 2ad7447d68 she shared with Philippe a463e43d09 inside this centuries-old palace, 1f0f910ffc a place she could 32487c455f call her own.4218546e0b22970e

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Of course, it was the same outside the Monaco palace. It was a semi-cohabitation that started as soon as marriage was discussed, and she wasn’t at an age to ask for permission. Her question was just a courtesy.d8bbe6a07a5f604c

“Make sure you keep the original contract safe. Losing it would be a big deal.”e3278650b91f94cf

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Adding a word, 45985d053d Manon, who seemed f227669353 like she had cecf584947 something to say, be78653078 smiled and waved.dca93106529e9d39

Depending on the country, 977b9e2ffa prenuptial contracts were often 2bf2980fe3 the raw face of 1da47b4668 marriage and an obstacle 35c920958a to its progress. Usually, the wealthy dc7981fb97 party proposed it 566aa90bad first, and the 73173151a2 essence of most ea7075a97b prenuptial contracts was f6c104ef23 to ensure their ad7b5c55d2 share of the e10a283d0d assets was protected f2359cfdb4 in case of 099f63ae5f divorce. No one would be b11b4d0f02 happy receiving a contract 70d933d1d3 that anticipated divorce.ffbd456776d3aff3

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Even though I hoped they’d break up, they managed to get past that part. I was the one who helped them. As I tried to soothe my aching heart, a deep voice asked.a051729eca58c53f

“Attorney Montmatier, are you planning to go home to rest?”17cdd49bc3f2a06e

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“Ah, yes, I think I should.”0f778c76af2a9313

“I’ll give you a ride.”984bd288aa8a2905

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Charles, who 9af59b2ba3 seemed disappointed a06b358538 that the d2b38e3677 dreadful confession 93f9608370 was interrupted, b51db51ccd interjected into 21cfede1fc my conversation 11e99a261d with Antoine. Then, with 4eb1837fe7 a serious 9d53fd39ac tone, he 015c537de0 declared to 029981a631 Antoine, who f6e2c242ee was stroking 4befdacdcd his beard 25db2c5054 and looking a6c10262a5 between me 72556156b1 and his b375651fcc son.f43e3a725a37c118

“Father, I think you might have guessed from the rumors about my relationship with Maël. It’s not just a rumor; it’s true. I’m seriously seeing Maël. Even if you don’t understand, I don’t care.”3b120ec8605746aa

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“Well… that’s a bit different from what I heard from Attorney Montmatier. Whatever it is, this isn’t the place to discuss it. We’ll talk later.”c170aa203699d1b9

Once again, the confession 5601fd27e5 left no significant impression 1bf06fcc9a on anyone and dissipated.4ffebf1f39c244e1

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“I’ll be off first. Good work today.”cad3bbca6b58aeb0

At Antoine’s farewell, I bowed my head. Watching his back, Charles grabbed my hand.f0f58a8989b9f066

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“You’re not bothered by Father’s reaction, right? I’ll give you a ride home.”e1b0f49b51efb898

“Weren’t you here to see the crown prince?”e70a64a9b5b02ba5

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I said, letting go of his hand. His hand lingered in the air, and his face showed awkwardness. Charles couldn’t defy Felix, whom he had to please closely.d44f1462b0ee9d59

“Well, that’s true. Then… shall we go together?”3112cee4a5d520bd

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“Go with Mr. Valois. He said the crown prince called him too.”6cb4bfe254e5e91e

If I could, I’d like them both to disappear. It was clear from my words, and Yves chuckled. At that laugh, a spark ignited in Charles’ blue eyes. His lips twisted, and his voice rose.209f64448741fcbf

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“Maël, think about it. Even if we were both called, how can I go with someone like that parvenu who crawled out of nowhere? We’re on different levels.”6a4332ec3ab824ab

Parvenu. A derogatory term for 327cc0eb0f a nouveau riche, a 4ca3939c8d social climber, spoken right 6ba9869fd6 in front of someone.a81d2c0cb0979fba

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Even though it wasn’t directed at me, I gritted my teeth at the shame that surged near my ears.8ca43b8f61169a70

“Please, just stop!”3517b6d63850a009

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“Huh, what?”ae3bed115df5d0e7

“I’m already dying of embarrassment for having dated you.”0aeed38c507c5faa

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Even though Yves didn’t stop laughing, it was I who spat out the words.00404c40f1d9b5c7