After being rebuffed by Jamon and returning to my room, I found Hans engrossed in his work.

“Shouldn’t you be careful about the maids noticing you hanging around here all the time?”

“Don’t worry, there’s a way around that.”

Hans responded without even looking my way.

He flipped through some documents and then asked me,

“How’s your venture into affair going?”

“Not well.”

Far from going well, I had been outright rejected.

I wore a troubled expression.

“He told me he dislikes me and asked me not to speak to him.”

Hans set down the papers he was holding, his face creasing into a frown.

“That jerk said that to you?”

“Yes, openly.”

“Asshole.”

It was rare for Hans to curse so openly. He must be quite displeased.

Understandable, considering his partner was being insulted by others.

I flopped down on the bed.

“I just want to give it all up.”

“Well, I’d welcome that.”

“What about Selena?”

“She’ll manage.”

Such a cold statement considering the time spent in the duke’s mansion. That was so Hans.

As I lay there, the events with Jamon kept replaying in my mind, leaving an unpleasant aftertaste.

“Why does he dislike me? He’s the one who approached me.”

“Because you’re close to Irmin.”

“I’m not close to him.”

“From what I see, you are.”

Could Jamon think the same way? It made me wonder just how much Jamon detested Irmin.

I sat up abruptly.

“I need to go to Kabir.”

Hans asked without understanding,

“Why?”

“I want to hear from a real friend whether I seem close to Irmin or not.”

And I was curious about Kabir’s ‘low pressure’ state. To be honest, I was just going for a visit. The royal palace had become too dreary.

“Do you want to come?”

“No.”

* * *

Rejected firmly by Hans, I set off alone to the Heyward Grand Ducal Mansion.

Upon mentioning my destination, the angels immediately provided me with teleportation scrolls, even paying many times their worth in points. It seemed they had been saving up quite a bit while the broadcast was off.

Roaming around the Grand Ducal Mansion, I encountered a face I was very pleased to see.

I called out his name with a smile on my face.

“Eric!”

It had been a long time since I last saw Eric.

Eric’s face brightened upon seeing me too.

“It’s been a while, Lady.”

“Yes, it has. How have you been?”

“Same as always.”

Eric replied with a laugh.

After leaving the Heyward Grand Duke’s mansion, my chances to see Eric had diminished. In the past, whenever I tried to meet him seriously, I was summoned to the Celestial Realm by Ian.

“How have you been, my lady?”

“……”

There had been too many events recently, and I was overwhelmed about where to start.

After a moment of contemplation, I said,

“It seems I’m going to be engaged to His Highness the Prince.”

“What?!”

As expected, Eric was greatly surprised. It was shocking indeed, considering a person who already had a fiancé was suddenly getting engaged again.

“But, you already have a fiancé! You even had an engagement ceremony!”

“I broke it off.”

“What happened?!”

I scratched the back of my head awkwardly.

I couldn’t explain the detailed circumstances. I didn’t want to involve Eric in this matter.

“It’s not officially announced yet, so there’s a possibility it could be canceled. Just keep it in mind.”

“Miss…”

Eric looked at me with a dim gaze, a look I often received when I was with him.

Given the situation, I wondered if I should extract some information from Eric. After all, Jamon was a character who didn’t even appear in the original work.

“Do you know anything about His Highness the Prince?”

“I do, but it’s all very basic information…”

“I need that basic information.”

It’s a problem because he doesn’t talk to his fiance, so aside from his name, I don’t know anything.

Eric looked at me incredulously and then slowly began to explain.

“First of all, unlike His Highness the Crown Prince, he can’t use magic at all.”

That’s why he was sidelined for the position of successor. In this world, magic was a highly revered ability.

Jamon’s inferiority complex might have originated from this. Magical power was an innate talent that couldn’t be overcome by effort alone.

“And unlike the gentle Crown Prince, he is known to have a very cold personality.”

“Gentle?”

“…That’s what the rumors say.”

Eric, too, must have seen Irmin several times while living in the mansion. He would know Irmin’s true nature.

Rumors were unreliable after all. Although Jamon’s rumors seemed fairly straightforward.

Even if it wasn’t about abilities, I could see why people’s hearts were drawn to Irmin. The citizens of the empire would prefer a prince who was kind to them over one who was merely prickly. I could understand why Irmin cultivated such an image.

“That’s all I know. Ah, the Grand Duke might know more.”

“That’s helpful enough. Thanks.”

After a warm farewell with Eric, we parted ways.

‘Certainly, Kabir would know more.’

Being close to Irmin, he might also know about Jamon.

After all, Irmin and Jamon were twins, so there must have been quite a few interactions between Kabir and Jamon. I wondered why Kabir was only close to Irmin.

While I was lost in thought, I arrived in front of the office, Kabir’s usual spot.

Just as I was about to enter, a knight guarding the door said,

“The Grand Duke has stepped out for a moment.”

“What?”

“He went out?” It was very surprising news.

Even when I met Eric earlier, he seemed unaware. It looked like Kabir had gone out in that time.

“Where to?”

“I’m not sure because he used a scroll. I’m sorry.”

“When did he leave?”

“About 10 minutes ago.”

That would explain why Eric didn’t know.

What could have made Kabir, usually a homebody, go out? Even without knowing the specifics, it was clear it must have been something important.

‘Ha, I just wasted the scroll for nothing.’

As I slumped in disappointment, a donation notification popped up as if it had been waiting.

[PleaseShakeACarrot has donated 10,000 points!]

– Use this, noona!!!

[Isaac has donated 5,000 points!]

[LLoading has donated 7,000 points!]

– What’s the problem when we’re here〉〈

These angels, they must have been really busy while I was not broadcasting. They didn’t hesitate to send points.

Thanks to them, I was able to return to the royal palace using the teleport scroll.

‘I should go see Hans.’

Just thinking about Hans improved my mood.

I would have continued to feel good if it weren’t for someone who called out to me.

“What are you doing here?”

Ah, damn. Just my luck to set the coordinates here.

As I stiffly turned my head, there was Jamon. He had a very displeased expression.

Setting the teleport scroll coordinates was the manager’s job. I quietly glared at the chat window.

[Manager: You’re complaining even when I’m helping?]

[Isaac: Boyfriend encouraging his partner’s infidelity]

[Isaac has been banned from chatting for 5 minutes.]

[Poppopo: He’s sulking right now, that’s all]

[Manager: What?]

It seemed someone intentionally set the coordinates to make me meet Jamon.

Jamon strode over and stood in front of me. His expression was nothing but grim.

“Can you also use magic? Being able to use teleportation magic indicates considerable skill, but I’ve never heard of it. Did you hide it on purpose?”

A barrage of accusatory questions poured out. If it weren’t for Jamon, I would have covered my ears.

Ah, that damn inferiority complex. It seems not limited to Irmin; anyone who can use magic gets the same treatment.

[Gold2: Kind of an annoying type]

[Stress: 222233333]

[OnlyFinley: Why??? He’s cute???]

[Gold2: You]

[Gold2: Never mind]

[OnlyFinley: Speak up]

[Something: Even if you don’t say it, everyone knows what you were about to say]

OnlyFinley seemed to like all male characters at first sight. Her tastes were certainly broad.

I spoke calmly, meaning to pacify the situation.

“I used a scroll. I don’t know any magic at all.”

“Oh.”

At that, Jamon’s expression softened, seemingly realizing he had overreacted.

I tilted my head and asked.

“Do you hate those who use magic that much?”

“Yes.”

Jamon answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“I detest it.”

He emphasized it twice, unnecessarily.

Yeah, I got it without him having to say it. The reason was obvious. It must be because of Irmin.

‘Should I prod a little?’

Since Jamon already disliked me, there was no risk of making things worse. So, I decided to freely ruffle his feathers.

“Is it because of His Highness the Crown Prince?”

“……”

As expected, Jamon shot me a murderous look.

Regardless, I continued speaking.

“His Highness the Crown Prince is indeed exceptional in magic, while you, Your Highness, are said to possess none.”

It was actually just venting. After all I had endured from him, I wanted to see him get upset.

[Manager: Keep that up and you’ll end up dead without anyone knowing.]

[PleaseShakeACarrot: Nuna, it’s fine! We’ve gathered enough points, about 320,000 in total!]

[MadelineTastesGood: I don’t have that much……]

[AsparagusCharm: Starting overtime from today.]

Resurrection tickets weren’t a problem. These angels had been quite generous lately, amassing points steadily.

‘He’s definitely going to be mad.’

I looked at Jamon, anticipating the usual reaction.

“……?”

However, instead of getting angry or stern, Jamon bit his lip and looked down.

His expression was almost on the verge of tears.

Taken aback, I called out to him.

“Y-Your Highness?”

“I…”

Jamon, with tearful eyes, glared at me and shouted.

“I really despise you!”

With that, he ran off in the opposite direction.

I watched Jamon’s retreating figure in a daze.

Did I hurt him…?

Seemingly tough on the outside but perhaps more delicate at heart than I thought. For someone his age to be nearly in tears over this.

[Something: Cute]

[Poppopo: Isn’t he cute?]

[Stress: Kind of alright when you see him like this]

The viewers’ reactions changed instantly. Such simple angels.