I’m The Real Daughter, But I Don’t Want To Go Back To The Duke’s Estate - Chapter 90

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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“Over here!”

Rudrick hastily pulled my wrist.

When I came to my senses, I found myself hiding behind a cypress tree with Rudrick.

“Shh.”

Rudrick looked back at me, placing his index finger long against his lips.

I swallowed dry saliva and nodded my head.

We stealthily peered outside through the dense cypress tree branches.

In the distance, I could see the First Prince walking irritably.

“No, where the hell are they?!”

The First Prince raised his voice while fuming.

‘Oh no, we’ll get caught at this rate.’

I exhaled quietly and crouched down.

But somehow the First Prince’s muttering seemed ominous.

“That bastard, acting all high and mighty just because he caught one woman well, when he doesn’t even have a hill to lean on…”

At that moment.

I felt Rudrick’s body stiffen.

The ‘woman’ he mentioned was probably me, right?

I reflexively looked at Rudrick.

Rudrick was looking at me with a guilty expression.

He was probably feeling guilty because of what happened before.

But rather than those words, I was more concerned about…

‘Rudrick’s attitude.’

That calm face that didn’t care at all, even though he was being blatantly insulted.

Which meant.

‘It seems like Rudrick has been hearing those insults very routinely, doesn’t it?’

I felt something snap in my head.

Unable to bear it any longer, I abruptly stood up.

“Excuse me, but what did you just say?”

The startled First Prince stared at me blankly.

“Mi, Princess Milena?!”

“You said he caught a woman well. Are you talking about me?”

When I asked so directly, the First Prince reflexively shook his head.

“No. I was…”

“Then who?”

The First Prince stiffened.

I asked again with an expressionless face.

“I asked who you were referring to.”

“…”

The First Prince now looked completely speechless.

“The Second Prince is my teacher privately. Isn’t it perfectly natural for a teacher to care for and look after his student?”

“Wait, I…”

“Rather, I wonder how Your Highness the First Prince viewed me to make such rude remarks.”

After sharply retorting, I turned to Rudrick.

“Let’s go, Teacher.”

“Yes.”

Rudrick followed me obediently with a strangely satisfied expression.

The flustered First Prince tried to grab me hastily.

“Wa, wait a moment. Princess Milena…!”

Just then.

“Ugh!”

The First Prince spectacularly missed his step.

Thud!

His pitiful figure sprawled on the ground looked just like a frog hit by a stone.

“…”

“…”

Rudrick and I exchanged glances.

“Ugh.”

The First Prince, who had been frantically trying to get up, groaned and sat down on the spot.

‘Really, one thing after another…’

Sighing deeply inside, I approached the First Prince.

Well, I should help him anyway, right?

“Are you alright?”

“…”

After groaning and clutching his ankle for a moment.

The First Prince’s face turned bright red with shame.

The First Prince desperately avoided my gaze.

“I think you might have sprained your ankle. If you wait a moment, I’ll call someone…”

“No, Princess Milena.”

But then. Rudrick suddenly interjected into the conversation.

“How could I leave my injured brother and go alone?”

…Just now, Rudrick’s expression looked very mischievous.

This must be my imagination, right?

* * *

“Wait, what is that?”

The eyes of the young ladies waiting in front of the Maze Garden widened.

The latest arrivals, Rudrick and Milena, finally emerged.

But there was one more person.

The person floating in the air like luggage was none other than.

“The, the First Prince?”

One of the young ladies muttered blankly.

At the same time, the Empress rushed toward the group like a spring.

“First Prince!!”

“Mo, Mother.”

The First Prince’s face turned red as he flailed in the air.

Then, Rudrick snapped his fingers.

Snap!

The First Prince seemed to touch the ground with his feet, then lost his balance and fell face-first to the ground.

“Ugh!”

“Oh my, First Prince!”

The Empress, who had frantically crouched beside her son, glared at Rudrick with fierce eyes.

Rudrick said smoothly.

“Brother sprained his ankle, so I brought him here.”

“…”

The First Prince bit his lips until they bled.

He was dying of embarrassment.

Being carried like luggage by Rudrick was embarrassing enough, but showing such a sight to the young ladies was driving him crazy.

Rudrick glanced at the First Prince sideways.

“If it’s alright with you, I’d like to escort you inside. How about it?”

“No!”

The First Prince, who had reflexively raised his voice, realized his mistake too late.

The young ladies were staring at him with their eyes wide open.

‘Damn it.’

The First Prince gritted his teeth.

“Is there no one here?”

The Empress quickly raised her voice.

“What are you all doing! Hurry and escort the Prince away!”

At that cry, the attendants came rushing over.

The Empress supported the First Prince with a pitying expression.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, so… let go of this.”

The First Prince answered while clenching his molars tightly.

“If Mother clings to me like this, what will others think of me?”

“Uh, huh?”

“Won’t I look like someone wrapped up in Mother’s skirts!”

He had completely forgotten his own behavior of trying to build friendship with Milena through his mother until now.

The Empress quickly let go of the First Prince’s arm with an embarrassed face.

“Y-yes. I’m sorry.”

The First Prince left without even leaving a greeting, supported by the attendants.

The Empress also hurriedly followed after her son.

The young ladies left behind couldn’t hide their bewildered expressions.

Rudrick, who had been watching that spectacle, let out a short sigh and greeted the young ladies.

“I apologize for startling our distinguished guests when we had invited you here.”

It was the First Prince who caused the incident, but the Second Prince was cleaning up the mess.

Still, it wasn’t as if they could complain to the Second Prince who had done nothing wrong.

The young ladies nodded with displeased expressions.

“It’s alright.”

“Since the First Prince was even injured… it couldn’t be helped.”

Rudrick, who had bowed slightly to the young ladies in gratitude, turned to look at Milena.

“I should probably withdraw now as well. I think I should go see my brother.”

“Ah, yes.”

“I’ll visit you during our next lesson.”

Rudrick left after politely saying goodbye.

Milena gazed quietly at Rudrick’s retreating figure.

The wonderful smile Rudrick had worn was clearly imprinted in her vision like a stamp.

‘…How disappointing.’

Milena was startled when she found herself thinking that without realizing it.

‘Wait, disappointing?’

Her face felt like it was heating up somehow, and just as Milena was touching her cheeks for no reason.

“Milena.”

Someone called her in a low voice.

Startled, Milena let out a small scream.

“Kyaah!”

“What, why are you so surprised?”

When she quickly turned around, Cecilia was staring at her with a puzzled expression.

Cecilia’s gaze turned toward Rudrick disappearing in the distance.

“What about His Highness the Second Prince?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Milena quickly shook her head.

The current situation felt somehow embarrassing.

This strangely anxious feeling, as if something she had kept secretly hidden might be discovered…

‘Fool. That’s not the expression of someone who says it’s nothing.’

Meanwhile, Cecilia tried hard to suppress the urge to let out a deep sigh.

That was because Milena’s cheeks had turned faintly red at some point.

‘Does Milena really like His Highness the Second Prince too?’

Still, she shouldn’t continue probing about this topic here.

In a situation where Milena herself wasn’t certain, she might actually become aware of her feelings because of her questioning.

Cecilia changed the subject while hiding her complicated feelings.

“More importantly, it seems various things happened in the maze garden?”

“That’s right. I’ll tell you about it when we return to the townhouse.”

Milena, who had brightened up, quickly nodded.

After all, she couldn’t gossip about the First Prince in the Imperial Palace.

Cecilia forced a smile and turned around.

“Then let’s head back slowly. I’m curious what story you’ll tell me.”

“Ah, yes.”

While following behind Cecilia like that.

Milena quietly looked down at the piece of paper in her hand.

Since she had participated in the game anyway, she had been determined to find the treasure.

‘The treasure I found was… that intimate story I heard directly from Rudrick, wasn’t it.’

She hadn’t expected to hear Rudrick’s past story directly from him.

It must have been difficult for him to talk about.

Milena took a shallow breath.

Although he was a man who would love Cecilia someday, the fact that he trusted her nonetheless…

Made her strangely happy.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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