The Person I Loved Hated Me - Chapter 36

After receiving the apology gift from the Crown Prince to Clara, Isaac obediently brought it home and handed it over as instructed.

“I got some treats. I won’t eat them, so here.”

“From a high-class shop!? Getting something like this as a gift – knights are amazing, aren’t they!”

Her happy expression was heartwarming, but his feelings were complicated.

After all, the other party was the Crown Prince, the person who would become the next king.

Even after learning they shared half their blood, he had never interacted with him, serving the country as a subordinate. Though a knight, Isaac was a commoner, so he thought he’d never exchange words with him in his lifetime.

When summoned, he was honestly nervous about what might be said. Since things couldn’t be made public, he even considered the possibility of covert retaliation. He had prepared himself for the possibility of being demoted to the frontier and separated from Clara.

But the Crown Prince he faced was the same person as Isaac.

Though his green eyes wavered with slight unease, when Isaac didn’t take a subordinate’s bow as ordered, his expression brightened. Isaac could tell at a glance that he was being treated favorably, but that actually made him more anxious.

He was terrified at the thought of his relationship with Isaac becoming any more known, but the Crown Prince seemed to sense Isaac’s feelings.

When the paper bag was offered as an apology to Clara, even though he was told he didn’t need to reveal who it was from since he understood Clara’s feelings, the Crown Prince had an atmosphere about him like invisible ears drooping sadly.

Though rude, Isaac felt sorry for him and accepted it, whereupon the Crown Prince immediately became cheerful and lifted his head.

So, he wanted to tell the truth about who the gift was from. But for Isaac, Clara came first. Yet throwing away a gift from the Crown Prince from Dian also pained his heart.

That’s why he decided to hand it over without lying about it being a treat.

After all, the Crown Prince himself had said he didn’t need to say it was from him.

And yet…

“Ah, there’s a card inside.”

“Huh!?”

“Why are panicking? Could this be from a woman? Does someone like you, Isaac?”

He tried to take it back, but it was too late. Clara happily turned her back and read the card aloud.

“Let’s see… ‘I’m sorry for frightening you the other day. Though I got carried away because you’re cute, none of it was serious. Please forgive my foolishness. …Dian'”

Dian had forgotten to remove the message card.

After finishing reading, Clara remained frozen with her back turned, holding the card in both hands, speechless.

“Clara, well I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

Of course, the lie would be discovered. He regretted not telling the truth from the beginning. No, he should have just eaten it himself without bringing it home. “What was he like?” Clara asked quietly.

“What do you mean, ‘what was he like’?”

“Was this person really remorseful?”

Anyone knew without even thinking that royalty stood higher than nobles. And among them, the Crown Prince was someone unreachable even if you stretched out your hand – a person from dreams. Having actually interacted with such a being in reality, it was natural to be scared. Even Isaac was scared, so it was only natural that Clara, who knew nothing, would be frightened.

If you offended a noble, you’d receive heavy punishment. So, she probably couldn’t believe that such a person would show remorse toward a commoner.

“Ah, yeah. That’s right. Like that man (Rhys) who visited the other day said, he didn’t seem to hold any grudge, and he went so far as to apologize personally like this. He might not be a bad person.”

He didn’t resent, despise, or mock the child of a mistress. The Crown Prince was so straightforward and good that it made Isaac worried, since his feelings showed clearly on his face.

“Couldn’t he just be pretending to be kind? He might not have really given up on me yet. Saying he ‘got carried away because I’m cute’ doesn’t sound like something a noble person would write.”

It was almost certainly tailored to Clara. He probably thought that using the tone for subordinates would frighten her. But this consideration seemed to have backfired.

It wouldn’t lead to anything Clara feared. But he couldn’t tell her that. Even if he anticipated that knowing would relieve Clara, it might lead to her interacting with the Crown Prince like he had with Isaac. Since Clara had special eyes, he absolutely wanted to prevent any contact with royalty.

“Clara. Even from your brother’s perspective, you’re a very attractive girl. I wouldn’t be surprised if that person walking among commoners was drawn to you and took a liking. But if that were really true, he has enough power to do as he pleases, regardless of anyone’s advice. The fact that he didn’t proves it was really just a minor mischief, doesn’t it?”

“Though he didn’t have eyes that looked like he’d tease people for fun. And what’s this about having a tendency for wild imagination?”

Perhaps because she didn’t know, she was overthinking it. How could he ease her anxiety? Isaac clenched his fist at his own inadequacy.

“Well, I didn’t get a mansion, but this is fine, I guess. It must be delicious.”

Clara turned around, said “I’ll make some tea,” put the message card in her pocket, and headed to the kitchen.

Isaac recalled being told by Duke Winslet to marry Clara off, and Aydric who boldly volunteered in front of Duke Winslet.

Though it was no longer necessary, he foolishly wondered if Clara’s anxiety would disappear if she married Aydric.

Aydric was trying to remove himself from the Trulin Marquis family registry. He claimed it wasn’t for Clara, but from Isaac’s perspective, that’s how it seemed. Furthermore, he’d just recently learned that Aydric apparently had a fiancée. Franz told him there was a big commotion at the knight barracks. And apparently Clara had been there too.

How hurt must Clara have been to learn that the man she liked had a fiancée? Though she was acting cheerful, it was clearly forced.

Since that day, she’d been throwing herself into her work and coming home late more often. Even when he told her “Come home early, it’s dangerous,” she’d reply “It’s fine.” She probably forgot her unpleasant thoughts when concentrating on metalworking. That’s why Isaac had been going to Clara’s workplace to pick her up every day recently.

Honestly, he wanted to approve. After getting to know Aydric’s character and appearance, he understood well that he wasn’t a bad man. But there were still too many obstacles.

Watching Clara happily eat the chocolate confection while saying “Delicious!”, Isaac narrowed his eyes, said “That’s good,” and took a sip of his hot tea.