Chapter 53 Wounded Ego
The report was short. Just a crumpled scrap of paper in Claus's hand, but it was enough to make his jaw tighten.
Ilse. Gisella. Tomorrow afternoon. The harbor.
Claus crushed the paper into a ball. Dammit. What the hell is Ilse thinking? She's really out of her mind.
Without wasting a second, he strode out of the room. His boots slammed against the palace's marble corridor with a harsh clack-clack-clack.
He didn't care about the servants cowering in fear every time he passed. He had one focus: Didier's room.
The massive oak door swung open without a knock.
Didier was chilling. He was sitting on a velvet sofa, legs crossed, a book open on his lap. His face was way too calm, like there wasn't a single problem in the world. The sight just made Claus even more irritated.
"You've still got time to read?" Claus asked, his voice heavy and cold.
Didier didn't flinch. He just closed his book slowly, then looked at his brother with a bored expression. "What now, Brother? You only come here to ruin the mood?"
Claus didn't care for small talk. He snatched the book out of Didier's hands and tossed it onto the table. "You know what your fiancée's up to tomorrow?"
Didier frowned, starting to feel like something was off. "Gisella? She's usually busy picking out dresses or whining about palace gossip. Why?"
Claus laughed. A laugh that had zero humor in it. "She's going to the harbor tomorrow afternoon. To meet Julian Vance."
Didier paused. Julian Vance. The name sounded foreign yet annoying in his ears. "Meet? Why the hell would she meet that Holy Order commander? Isn't he your subordinate?"
Claus leaned his body against the table, staring at his brother sharply. "You don't keep tabs on your fiancée? Ilse and Gisella are head-over-heels for him.
Yesterday, I saw Ilse reading a Vance family genealogy book. Your fiancée and her friend are going to the harbor tomorrow just to chase after that guy."
Didier went silent. He didn't love Gisella. That was a fact. But as a Prince? His ego was shattered.
"Head-over-heels?" Didier asked, his voice dropping an octave. There was a growl in his tone. "For Julian?"
"Yeah. Ilse and Gisella. They're crushing hard. You're being made a fool of by your own fiancée. I'll admit, Julian's got a foul mouth, but sparring with him is pretty fun!"
Didier stood up. His face, which was relaxed a moment ago, turned pale, then slowly flushed with anger. He didn't care about Gisella. He didn't care if she cried or laughed. But... his fiancée, his property, openly chasing another man in public? At the harbor?
"Damn it," Didier cursed. He clenched his hands until his knuckles turned white.
He didn't love Gisella. But Gisella was his property. And things belonging to a Prince weren't to be touched, let alone chased after by Julian Vance.
"Tomorrow," Didier said, his tone dripping with venom. "I'm going there. I'll show Gisella who she's supposed to be chasing."
Claus just offered a thin smile. The plan was working.
He didn't need Didier to fall in love with Gisella.
He just needed Didier to ruin that "getting to know you" moment.
Because Ilse would definitely get dragged into the mess, and it would teach her to stop idolizing Julian.
A strange thought flickered through Claus's mind: Why the hell can't I stand seeing Ilse admire someone else?
"Don't embarrass the palace," Claus said, then walked off, leaving Didier breathing heavily from rage.
Didier just stood there, eyes staring at the door with hatred. Tomorrow was going to be one hell of a messy day, and he wasn't about to let Julian Vance win.