Chapter 81 - Anxious Men (2) (1/2)

Chapter 81 – Anxious Men (2)

The next day, I asked a lady-in-waiting to pay a visit to Grand Duke Kapmen to see how he was doing.

“What happened yesterday?”

“Grand Duke Kapmen had some trouble with the Emperor. We hadn’t the chance to talk afterwards.”

The lady-in-waiting gave a sympathetic nod before leaving, and I sat at the table to wait for her to report back. Grand Duke Kapmen said yesterday he would return to his room and drink the antidote, so he should be fine by now. I was more worried if he came across Sovieshu again yesterday.

To my surprise, the lady-in-waiting did not return alone, but was accompanied by Grand Duke Kapmen. I went to the parlor room to greet him.

He looked somewhat different than yesterday. He normally wore comfortable, practical outfits, but today his attire was much finer, and his was hair also meticulously combed back, emphasizing his strong jawline. When I looked into his eyes, I noticed they were moist again.

“Are you all right…?”

Kapmen didn’t look well, but I asked him anyway out of politeness. He shook his head and asked for a private conversation. I nodded, and the ladies-in-waiting left as quick as they could. When we were alone, he spoke in a tight voice, as if exhausted from heavy restraint.

“I missed you. I was dying to see you…no, listen.”

Immediately following the humiliating words came an awkward smile. Still, he seemed more in control than yesterday, and I had him seated at a table.

“Is there no antidote?”

In all honesty, while his predicament was amusing, I was far more worried about him. It was my first time seeing that human eyes could be filled with such affection, but Grand Duke Kapmen’s current behavior would look strange to any outside observers. The problem was, he was obligated to keep meeting me for our diplomatic negotiations.

“There is. It didn’t work.”

“Oh…do you have another antidote? The other antidote could be the wrong one.”

I thought would be suspicious if he had the correct antidote in the first place. Instead of answering, however, Grand Duke Kapmen put his hands together and awkwardly stared out the window.

“Grand Duke?”

Was this the effect of medicine? He looked quite sheepish.

“Would you like me to cover my face?”

I looked at him anxiously, but he shook his head.

“No. Then I just won’t be able to see your face. It won’t work.”

“…”

Did the mean the potion worked even when I’m not in front of him? The potion was influencing his words, but he sounded clear here…what should I do?

In any case, it was hugely embarrassing. The speaker must be experiencing a more hellish feeling.

“It’s not the wrong antidote.”

“Why are you so sure? It wasn’t an antidote for a love potion, was it?”

“…”

Why didn’t he answer? Surely…

“It was?”

I looked at him in astonishment, and he pursed his lips.

“Yes.”

My eyes widened. Why did Grand Duke Kapmen already have an antidote for that specific drug? He nervously tapped the table with his fingertips before making a confession.

“It was a gift from me.”

“The love potion?”

“…Yes. I didn’t expect its effect to be this powerful.”

My mouth opened in surprise as I processed the information. Grand Duke Kapmen was the anonymous sender of the love potion. I knew the duke was behaving oddly now because of the potion, but he would have been sober when he first sent it to me.

My mind blanked on a suitable response, and when Grand Duke Kapmen spoke it was in a stiff voice.

“It was frustrating.”

“Frustrating… ?”