# 41
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'What is this response that came after all these days?'
Evelin hurriedly read the letter.
[I've been absent recently, so my reply is late. I tried to erase the credit I received from my mind because you were so rejected at the party, but receiving your letter first brought a genuine smile to my face after a long time. It's okay for me to meet you anytime and anywhere, so please specify the place and time, and I will come to you.]
The handwriting was neat and organized. Anyway, he always wore the mask of a very noble person.
While she was relieved to receive the reply, Evelin, with the letter folded, now had to consider a practical dilemma.
“Where should I suggest the meeting take place...”
The other party was a prince. And one from the faction opposing her husband. Visiting his office as a guest would be strange, and meeting in secret would be even stranger.
If it could be done discreetly, she would choose that option, but things always tend to go wrong unexpectedly. She couldn't ignore the potential dangers.
After thinking for a long time, Evelin soon came up with a good idea.
“Maybe inviting him to the palace would be for the best.”
The Duke's quarters was a closed place, and with the exception of Merlin, the maids wouldn't know that Fenris was a prince even if they saw his face. Commoners rarely have the opportunity to meet members of the royal family.
Although black hair is not common, it is not completely unheard of, so they would not dare to guess that he was a prince.
The problem was Devryn… how could she explain the situation of Fenris being invited to the palace to him?
After biting her lip slightly and making a plan, Evelin soon came to a simple conclusion.
* * *
“Prince Fenris sent you a letter saying he wanted to apologise?”
Defrin, who was taking off and unbuttoning his jacket, stopped talking. The awkward atmosphere from the morning was gone, and his face hardened.
“He seems to feel bad about me breaking down while you two were arguing at the royal ball.”
“That was a long time ago.”
Defrin threw his jacket violently onto the bed, as if tossing it aside.
"So, I'm thinking of inviting the prince to the palace. It's not something I can refuse."
Defrin said nothing. Instead, his face showed clear dissatisfaction with the situation.
"I'll be there with you that day. There's no way I'm letting you be alone with him."
Evelin hid her frustration. She could not discuss the poison issue with Differin, who was present.
“This won't work. If I were there, His Highness might feel insulted. After all, it's me who will apologize to me.”
“So, you're asking me to leave my wife alone with another man?”
Evelin couldn't understand Dyfrin's emotional reaction. She was deliberately inviting Fenris to the palace to avoid misunderstandings.
But when she saw his eyes as cold as the North Sea, she realized that some concessions might be necessary.
"Okay. Then I'll have Rikal stay with me instead of you. If Rikal says he came for you because you're busy, His Highness won't be upset. That would be better, wouldn't it?"
Defren still seemed hesitant. However, he quickly sighed and replied.
“When do you plan to invite His Highness?”
“The day after tomorrow morning. If you send a reply tomorrow, we can see it then.”
Devrin ran his hand through his hair and spoke in a resigned tone.
“I will send Rekal to be there at that time.”
* * *
Evelin anxiously awaited the arrival of today's guest.
The high status of the guest and the importance of what she had to convey to him caused her palms to sweat for the first time in a long time.
As she wiped her palms on her dress, Evelyn noticed that her nails had dark marks underneath. I thought it was some kind of stain, so I tried cleaning it with a tissue, but it wouldn't come off.
"What is this…?"
bruise? But it wasn't as painful as a bruise. She didn't hit her fingers anywhere.
The marks were not easily noticeable at first glance, but Evelyn decided to wear gloves to avoid showing such a sight to her guest.
She wondered if it was related to Kendaline's disease that the doctor had mentioned, but she had not received any letters indicating the whereabouts of the doctor who knew so well about the disease.
Evelyn concluded that she should make time to visit the medical center again, and ended her thoughts.
After getting dressed and going downstairs, she found that Rikal had already arrived. As promised, Dyffryn sent Rykal to be present when Fenris visited.
“I was quite surprised when I heard that His Highness Prince Fenris was coming to apologize.”
Rykal said as he looked out the window.
“Since I broke down during his argument with Dyfferin, he must feel it is his duty as a gentleman to apologise.”
“From what I saw of his usual behavior, I'm not sure if he knows what gentlemanly behavior is... but he might act differently towards a lady.”
Rykal seemed to find his attitude unexpected, he knew the kind of person Fenris was.
At that moment, they saw the edge of a carriage entering from behind the palace walls. Fenris got off the carriage.
Fenris brought no servants. Because he was aware, he must have understood from the moment he was invited to the Duke's residence that they wanted to meet away from prying eyes.
Fenris soon entered the palace.
After sending all the maids away except Merlin, Evelyn was able to welcome him comfortably.
“Thank you for coming, Your Highness.”
“It's a pleasure to see you again, ma'am.”
Fenris kissed the back of Evelyn's hand gently. Then he turned his gaze to Rikaal, who was standing next to her.
Rykal bowed respectfully.
“It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness.”
“I'm curious why someone who should be in the royal palace now is here.”
“Lord Dyffryn is absent, so I have come in his place.”
Fenris raised an eyebrow slightly but quickly adjusted his expression as if it didn't matter.
"Shall we go to the drawing room first? I'll make some tea."
Evelyn led Fenris into the perfectly clean reception room. Rykal will wait outside the reception room until their conversation is over.
When Merlin brought the tea, Evelin herf added the tea leaves and made it. As he watched her quietly, Fenris was the first to speak.
“I was surprised to receive your letter.”
Evelin poured the properly steeped tea into a cup and handed it to him.
“I thought of something your Highness could return the favor with.”
Fenris smiled.
“I was curious about what it could be and was eagerly awaiting the day.”
Evelyn paused. She didn't intend to make him worry, but she needed time to prepare herf mentally.
After sending the reply to Fenris, she was thinking about how best to bring up the topic of poison and how to dissuade him from his actions.
Hah. Evelin took a deep breath and then spoke slowly.
“I have a favor to ask of you, Your Highness.”
“Please come in. I'll give you anything.”
Evelyn looked directly into Fenris' eyes and said,
“Before I continue, I hope you understand that what I am going to say is just my personal opinion.”
Fenris tilted his head slightly curiously at Evelyn's serious look but then nodded.
“I will keep that in mind.”
Evelyn placed her hands delicately on her lap.
“The truth is that I saw some documents related to you, Your Highness, in my husband’s study.”
“…What kind of document?”
“It was about you, Your Highness, frequenting back alleys and meeting with illegal pharmacists.”
Evelyn used Dyffryn as leverage to insinuate that she knew about Fenris' preparations involving poison.
As expected, Fenris' eyes widened in surprise. He muttered in a cold voice,
“…So now even Duke Dyffryn is investigating me.”
“The important thing is that since you have already been tracked down, it is best not to cause any trouble. If there is any threat to Prince Noston, Dyffryn will immediately suspect you, Your Highness. He has evidence as well.”
Fenris' face became expressionless.
Evelin felt a little frightened by his rapidly changing expression, but she straightened her posture further.
“Why are you telling me this? If you didn’t tell me, Duke Dyffryn could have used the evidence to bring me down.”
"Because I know you won't sit still. I don't want my husband to get hurt."
Evelin took a sip of tea to moisten her dry throat and continued.
“I'm asking you for this favor for the same reason. So please stop these kind of attacks.”
“In the end, it is a meaningless battle that will leave nothing but bloodshed. I do not want to see my husband involved in such a battle.”
Fenris stared blankly at Evelyn.
“Did Duke Dyffryn ask you to make this request?”
"I told you, didn't I? What I'm saying now is purely my personal opinion. My husband knows nothing about this matter."
After Fenris saw the uneasiness in Evelin's eyes, he accepted that her words were sincere.
“You're asking for a big favor in exchange for saving my life.”
“It is the price of a prince’s life. I think it is fair.”
Evelin tried to speak calmly, pretending to be nothing.
Fenris was silent for a moment. He lowered his gaze and let time pass. Evelin anxiously waited for his answer.
Finally, I heard his voice.
“…Okay. Since I was captured, I can no longer use poison, and the same trick won’t work again. I told you I would do anything, and the man can’t go back on his word now.”
Evelyn, trying hard to suppress the smile that wanted to form on her lips, spoke in a calm voice.
“You made a wise decision.”