Demon Prince's Forsaken Bride-Chapter 35: Summoned again

’’I have looked into it. I did not think you would dare to bring it up again but since you did, tell me.... Is it false that you slapped Moira?"

Lareina frowned. All that trust he had shown in her the night before was nowhere to be seen in those eyes that inspected her. Regardless, since she had brought t up, she was not going to give up in the middle of it, "I...’’

’’Just a yes or no,’’ he cut her off.

"Yes,’’ she looked straight into his eyes. She could tell that he had ensured that nobody would be able to hear them.

’’Twice, you have reached my doorstep and both times, you have been there in dissatisfaction and reacted in anger. Is that a lie?"

’’Your Highness...’’

"Yes or no.’’

Disappointment weighed heavy on her chest. She did not dare to admit it but a part of her had felt hopeful and even relieved when he said that he trusted her yesterday. But maybe she should not have gotten ahead of herself.

When he was met with her silence, Azrael scoffed, ’’You step forward to frame others without reflecting on your own actions.’’

Her eyes narrowed.

But the moment she opened her mouth, a shrill scream came from the entrance.

"My Lord! It is bad!" The guard who had barged in knelt on the ground, his shoulders trembling, "The Crown Prince is severely injured."

The lingering music had completely stopped and the place descended in silence for quite a long while before chaos ensued.

...

’’My Lady, it seems exceptionally dark today so I have kept two lamps burning for your comfort,’’ Rosie spoke as she combed Lareina’s hair.

Lareina was lost in her thoughts. When she heard Rosie, she nodded.

’’You seem to be very exhausted after the banquet. Did you get in a lot of trouble?" Rosie asked in a concerned tone.

Certain royal banquets only allowed the high ranking maidservants inside. While the servants had a feast in other quarters, not all of them were allowed to be a part of every grand event.

’’I am fine,’’ Lareina was not lying about it. Even though she was met with Azrael’s rage and mistrust, it did not seem new to her. She had expected things to go worse but the birthday banquet was cut short due to the crown prince’s incident.

’’Then what bothers you constantly as such?"

Once Lareina settled on the bed, she leaned back on the headboard, ’’I had not seen the crown prince in the palace in the past few weeks. Why is that?"

Previously, she stayed in her room so she would not ever know who was there in the palace and who was not. But ever since the war was over, she had been constantly summoned to places.

The sneak attack of humans left a garish wound on demons. Despite winning the war, they drowned in vengeance and they thought of different ways to vent it. What other way could be better than humiliating the peace bride that had been offered by their enemies?

So, in this constant juggle, Lareina became more familiar with the faces she had seen when she had just arrived in the realm. She noticed things she had not noticed before, such as the crown prince’s and fourth prince’s seats that were the closest to the demon lord while Azrael and the third prince were seated at a little distance.

Naturally, she had also noticed that the first prince who was present to humiliate her on the day of Azrael’s return, on the following days when the prisoners of war were subjected to torture was absent during the later days.

’’My Lady, princes who have made great contributions get to establish their own private residence that is separate from the royal palace. Unlike the other princes, the crown prince has his private residence so he does not need to be present here all the time.’’

If that was the case, then why was Azrael not allowed to establish his private residence? It has been quite some time since his victorious return but other than the welcoming banquet, he had not been offered any honours for his victory.

’’But this time, the crown prince’s absence was not due to him being at his private residence.’’

That got Lareina’s attention.

Rosie looked around before leaning in towards her, ’’He was sent by the lord on a mission.’’

"How did you know about it?" Lareina straightened a little, ’’And what was the mission?"

’’I have encountered one of his maids a couple of times and she would never stop bragging about how much the crown prince is favored by the lord. But for the mission, I am truly incompetent, My Lady. I know of nothing else.’’

But if it was an authorized mission then the demon lord must have arranged for countless guards to accompany the crown prince. Then, how did he end up in such a critical state?

Lareina felt like something was amiss however after thinking for a while and failing to understand the situation, she dismissed her thoughts since these affairs were unrelated to her.

After Rosie left, Lareina laid down on the bed but sleep did not come. For a couple of times, she looked towards the door instinctively. However as minutes passed by, the door did not budge and nobody entered her room.

Realizing her actions, she turned to the side, letting her back face the door. When she closed her eyes, a certain face popped in her mind, deep violet eyes that looked at her with loathing.

Lareina sat up on the bed. Even before, he had been angry and hateful towards her but she did not know why today reminded her of the first day after his return. It was sheer hatred and indifference, as if he had nothing to do with her.

’’It is good for me...’’ Lareina leaned back on the headboard of the bed. That is what she had decided some time ago. To have nothing to do with him.

But with him constantly hovering around her, it was hard to avoid that huge man. It should be possible now, however.

With that thought crossing her mind, she convinced herself and picked up the glass of water from the bedside table.

At this moment, a knock sounded on the door.

Her grip on the glass tightened.

Contrary to her expectations, a guard’s voice declared from the other side of the door, ’’My Lady, you have been summoned by the Lord.’’