“What is it, Tiana?”

“Uhh..” Tiana looked around and hesitated at Lucius’s question. She couldn’t ask at this moment. It wasn’t just about anyone; it was about the emperor, Rael. She had to be careful to not let the wrong thing slip out.

He tilted his head when he saw her not speaking easily, and when he saw her eyes on the servants, he told them all, “Everyone, get out.”

“Yes, sir.”

At that order, Warren and the other servants who had been waiting scurried to leave the dining room. Looking around at the tightly closed door and the empty dining room, Lucius stared at Tiana. “What is it that you want to tell me?”

“Uhh, about Rael.. Do you happen to know if he has his heart set on someone?” asked Tiana.

“Huh? A.. lady that my brother has his heart set on?”

“Yes.”

Lucius, surprised at her random question, continued as if embarrassed. “Well. From what I know, he does not.. Why do you ask?”

“Actually. I saw him meet a certain young lady today. The way he appeared was rather bizarre..”

“Who are you talking about?”

“Angelica del Verne. The daughter of Count Verne.”

Lucius, thinking calmly after hearing the name, wrinkled his forehead and shook his head. “No. I don’t know who that is. I have never seen him with anyone.”

“Has he ever been particularly interested in her?”

“No. In fact, he has never really been interested in females and stays away from them. Him liking someone.. That can’t be. It’d be shocking if he did,” said Lucius.

“I see,” Tiana nodded.

Lucius didn’t know. Tiana also knew that Rael didn’t have any interest in women. Because that’s how he was in the original story. The reason why he decided to bring in the empress was that he had no choice, and if he was not led to Angelica–and he was able to maintain the emperor’s authority properly–he might not have let the empress in until the end.

That’s how much he thought of women, and he was already interested in Angelica? It was surprising to learn that he knew Angelica despite it still being a long way until the story started.

Perhaps Lucius was also shocked at this unexpected information, he couldn’t keep a straight face. “Of course, Rael might be secretly meeting her, but I cannot imagine that.”

“Oh, today seemed like their first time meeting.”

“Oh?”

“What surprised me was it looked like it was their first time seeing each other, but somehow he already knew her name and the cat she used to have.”

“That is indeed surprising and odd. How could he know such personal things about her? Angelica del Verne..” Unconsciously crossing his arms, he narrowed his eyebrows and thought deeply. He closed his mouth and eyes for a moment, which made him look like he was really thinking about it. Then, he opened his eyes and shook his head after a little while. It seemed like he hadn’t come up with anything.

“No matter how much I think about it, I don’t know if there’s anything unusual about Angelica,” interrupted Tiana.

“Do you know about her?”

“Just basic stuff. I have had encounters with Count Verne. I know that the Vernes have a family business, but all I know about Angelica is her name and appearance.”

“Then you’ve never met her in person?”

“I have not.”

Tiana had wondered if maybe Rael had met her through Lucius, but that didn’t seem right. Since he said he has never met Angelica, there was no way they’d have a contact point. Then how in the world did Rael meet and become interested in her? Tiana was sure that there was something only he knew about her since he had used the word ‘still’.

“Tiana. When he was with Angelica, was there anything unusual?”

“First, I was shocked that he knew so much about her, and what was more surprising was how casually he approached.. should I say approached? He acted so naturally toward Angelica like she was someone he knew in the past. He even touched her hand..”

“He touched her hand..?”

“Yes. Though it was only casually. He apologized right away and let go. But he even laughed in front of her.”

“He even laughed..”

Now his expression was so blanked out by her continued testimony that he didn’t have the strength to be more surprised. Somehow, a slight smile came out of Tiana’s face that looked discouraged. She seemed to understand his mind. It looked like a situation where Rael’s lover, who he’d been hiding, suddenly appeared. Angelica was the one who respected and followed Rael, so Lucius must have been surprised to hear it for the first time.

A long silence followed. Lucius and Tiana had their respective thoughts, but they still didn’t have a clue. Some parts were strange to her, but it was a matter that indicated that the timing of the original story was a little earlier. But what about Lucius?

He had his own way of how he felt about his older brother, so wouldn’t this be a little disturbing? Since he didn’t know that Angelica was Rael’s fate, he might be thinking that the lady, who came out of nowhere, might be the empress.

As she was carefully examining his face, he let out a deep sigh.

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