"Simon...?"
Edward looked at his stepbrother, who should have been standing behind him, in surprise.
Edward had never heard Simon, who had been with him since birth, yell so loudly.
"Do you like... Mariabelle?"
Edward asked Simon, who had never shown such behavior before, in disbelief.
Rather, it was Simon who recommended Mariabelle to be his concubine in order to help him with his duties.
If she became Simon's wife only on paper, she would be welcomed into the concubine position without any problems. He said he would be delighted because Mariabelle loves Edward.
If Simon married Mariabelle, he would never be able to marry another woman in his life, even if she was his wife only on paper.
No matter how strong Simon's loyalty was, Edward objected, saying, "but he has no intention of getting married."
Did he really want to make Mariabelle his wife?
No, that could not be true.
Simon, who had been with Edward since their birth, had always wished him well.
Edward was sure that there must be a reason for Simon's words.
"I love her...? This feeling of mine is not that ordinary. Lady Mariabelle is my life, my everything."
Simon looked at Mariabelle through his long bangs with feverish eyes.
And then he walked towards Mariabelle as if he was being lured in.
Renato saw this and quickly shielded Mariabelle behind his back.
Edward still could not believe Simon's words.
"When did you start... with Mariabelle?"
Edward was astonished, but Simon kept his eyes on Mariabelle and answered in amazement. "Since when do people begin to think of other people?"
"You never know when you're going to start thinking about a person. When I realized it, the image of Lady Mariabelle was burned into the depths of my soul. Her beauty, her kindness, everything about her captured my heart and wouldn't let go."
Without any pretense of caring about Edward, who was speechless and exclaiming, Simon approached Mariabelle with his bottom-lit eyes.
But before he could reach Mariabelle, he was captured by a knight at the behest of Frederick III.
"Let go of me! I don't want to be your lover. I just want to watch. I don't care if it's from a distance. If I could just gaze at her, even just for a glance, that's all I want..."
The knight grabbed his arm and Simon struggled, but still did not take his eyes off of Mariabelle.
"Just by gently kissing the flower you touched, my heart was filled with contentment. So why... Why do you try to fly away out of reach? Why!"
Simon exclaimed and looked at Renato as if he was begging.
Renato met Simon's eyes, filled with madness, without averting them.
Behind his back, Mariabelle, trembling at the sight of Simon's changed appearance, clung to him.
"Please, Crown Prince of the Empire. Take me... to the empire with you. I'll be useful to you, I promise... Please, I beg you!"
"I refuse."
Renato answered immediately without a moment's thought.
It's only natural. There was no way he was going to let a man who was in love with Mariabelle anywhere near her.
Simon, in despair, shouted.
"Why, why, why, why. Aaahhhh! Because I had an evil thought for a moment."
"What is an evil thought?"
Simon shook his head as he answered Renato's question.
"For me, just being able to see Mariabelle smiling brightly next to His Highness made me happy."
"But when His Highness was attracted to a girl from a tavern, I... got greedy."
Simon was shedding tears as he complained.
"The marriage contract with His Highness would be broken, even if it's because His Highness has a change of heart. If that happened, I could stand next to her if she is not a perfect lady but a wounded Mariabelle... So I encouraged his highness and the commoner's daughter to get together..."
Edward should no longer be called His Highness, but an agitated Simon addressed Edward by the title he was used to calling him.
"Wasn't it out of your concern for me that you and Annette got along with each other?"
"Your Highness is completely blind to the world around him. Did you really think that such a woman could take Mariabelle's place? I am not joking. She is not even close to Mariabelle in terms of education or beauty. A woman who can't even write properly can't possibly be the crown princess."
Simon looked at Edward and Annette as if mocking them.
Annette wanted to argue that she was doing her best, but before she could open her mouth, Simon began to speak again.
"I had to make her give up that love if I wanted His Highness's good. There was no woman more suitable for the queen than Mariabelle. But I thought that Lady Mariabelle, who had become a wounded woman, could be..."
Hearing these words, Renato countered with a grim look on his face.
"You are mistaken. Breaking off an engagement with a man you don't love can't hurt you."
Simon looked up lazily, his dark eyes peering through his bangs at Renato.
"Yes, I was wrong. Mariabelle is not the right person to be standing next to me. She must be revered and worshipped as the supreme being, beyond anyone's reach. But I would never let her become a queen of a distant empire. If that is the case, then she should remain in the shadows as His Highness's concubine for the rest of her life. As long as I, and I alone, understand the value of Lady Mariabelle, that is all that matters."
"So that's why you cooperated with Danzel?"
In response to Renato's question, Simon laughed in a high pitched voice as if he were out of his mind.
"Ha ha ha... cooperation! Don't talk nonsense. Who would cooperate with such a fool who believes he is the true heir to the ancient kingdom? He is nothing more than a puppet of the Republic. Both I and the Republic were just using Danzel."
Simon's voice echoed in the hall as he laughed.
