CHAPTER 098
Bella called places without Lewis clean zones. She was just like Bella.
He stared down at the back of my hand and then asked me,
"Can I do that greeting too?"
That greeting?
I tilted my head in confusion, and he added,
"The one the Crown Prince did."
"Oh."
Suddenly wanting to do the greeting...
"Um... Yes, go ahead."
I nodded, still bewildered, and he immediately pressed his lips to the back of my hand.
Phillip kissed my hand, and I reacted like this.
Normally, people wouldn't even wash their hands after Phillip touched them because they’d be so happy.
Of course, saying that to Lewis would only make him unhappy, so I kept quiet.
He lifted his lips and looked at me, then kissed the back of my hand again.
Why was he doing it twice?
After two times, it seemed he should stop, but Lewis didn't pull away quickly.
He moved his lips to the side where they hadn’t touched and continued kissing.
What, what’s going on?
I was so shocked by Lewis's actions that my eyes widened.
This already seemed to lose the meaning of a greeting!
Lewis kept kissing lightly all over the back of my hand as if he intended to leave lip marks all over it.
Peck. Peck. His lips touched and left lightly, repeatedly.
There was no way Lewis didn't notice my surprise.
He continued his action while gazing up at me with eyes that seemed to be having fun.
His golden eyes curved in delight as he continued what he was doing.
As if he intended to cover my entire small hand with his lips.
Meanwhile, my gaze was fixed on him.
At first, I was looking at my hand, but from the moment our eyes met, I only looked into his eyes.
"Uh..."
It was as if I were mesmerized by his eyes; it was hard to look away.
How strange...
I snapped out of it, finally regaining my senses.
What kind of greeting is this?!
"Stop!"
I quickly withdrew my hand.
"I think that's enough now!"
So please stop!
My heart pounded strongly again like I had just been running.
When did it start racing? I hadn't even realized it.
With my hand now empty, Lewis looked at me with regretful eyes.
If you look at me like that, I'll seem like a bad person!
I mumbled, my face turning red.
"What kind of greeting is this?"
Who greets friends like this? What kind of friends do this?
"Is this really a normal interaction between friends?"
"Of course. It's just holding hands and a kiss."
While he wasn’t wrong...
With him saying it like that, I had no counterargument.
Ahem, I cleared my throat out of awkwardness.
It was fortunate that it was a hand-kissing greeting. What if it had been a cheek-kissing greeting?
Just thinking about it made my whole body feel twisted.
On the cheek...
"Cough."
"Are you catching a cold?"
Seeing me clear my throat, Lewis smirked as if he found it amusing.
He must have figured out my little act by now.
"No, who catches a cold in this nice weather?"
I had no choice but to insist it was nothing.
But it seemed Lewis had already caught on. He kept smiling, clearly amused.
I fiddled with the spot on my hand where Lewis had kissed.
"Anyway, other than greeting my hand, there was nothing else noteworthy about Phillip's actions."
I hadn't expected to receive so many kisses just for mentioning it.
Feeling embarrassed, I decided to change the subject entirely.
"I heard the Empress is selecting candidates to be the Crown Princess. Do you think she's already chosen?"
"The Crown Princess?"
"Yes. You found it strange that the Crown Prince attended Lady Redmond's birthday party just because of a business connection, didn't you?"
Of course, from what I saw yesterday, Lady Redmond looked like a successful fan who had hit the jackpot.
She couldn't control her smile.
I wondered why she liked Phillip, but if she hadn't seen his other side, it was natural to admire him.
I used to feel the same way.
"If it’s just a rumor that the Empress is selecting the Crown Princess, Lady Redmond could be the Crown Prince's fiancée."
"It makes sense for the future Crown Princess to appear at her birthday party. But why her? There are many other ladies."
"Why not Lady Redmond? She has everything."
"Really?"
Lewis's tone sounded suspicious.
So I asked,
"Should I check?"
Lady Redmond was well-connected in society.
Plus, she had a tendency to reveal good news rather than hide it.
If she had indeed become special to Phillip, it would soon be the talk of the social circles.
"If Lady Redmond has a possibility of becoming the Crown Prince's fiancée, it wouldn't be strange for him to attend her birthday party."
"True. But if there's nothing between them, we should question why someone like the Crown Prince would appear at a party of a lady he's not close to and—"
Lewis gestured to my hand, which he had kissed earlier.
"Why he showed interest in you."
Lewis seemed more fixated on Phillip talking to me at the party than his mere presence there.
"I'll find out about Lady Redmond."
Not wanting to think more about my hand, I ignored his gesture and spoke.
* * *
It wasn’t difficult to hear about Lady Redmond. We met occasionally anyway.
In fact, there was no need to contact her separately.
A few days later, I met her at a gathering.
This was the first time the ladies had gathered since Lady Redmond’s birthday party.
Because the Crown Prince attended her party, Lady Redmond was the center of attention today!
"Lady, I didn't get to ask before, but how did the Crown Prince come to your party?"
After the birthday party, it was Lady Redmond's first outing and questions about Phillip poured in.
So I just had to listen.
I perked up my ears, waiting for Lady Redmond's answer.
"As I said, our family formed a new business with the royal family. So he came to congratulate us."
The content was simple, but Lady Redmond’s smile was about to split her face!
She looked like a fan who had hit the jackpot.
Among the ladies, envious remarks echoed.
"I'm so jealous. I wish he would come to my birthday party."
"He doesn't usually attend such events, right?"
Someone shared Lewis's thoughts.
Well, now that I think about it, Phillip didn't even attend Charlotte's birthday when he was infatuated with her.
Maybe because she didn’t hold a birthday party.
Anyway, it was unusual for Phillip to appear at Lady Redmond’s party.
Could she really be selected as the Crown Princess?
"Are you perhaps involved with the Crown Prince?"
Lady Hos asked.
Lady Redmond quickly shook her head.
"It's just a family connection. I was lucky. The Crown Prince personally congratulated my birthday!"
"What did he give you as a birthday present?"
"Yes, I didn’t get to ask."
Wow, they were really blunt with their questions!
But Lady Redmond's smile widened at the question.
She casually tucked her hair behind her ear.
"He gave me earrings."
Oh, ruby earrings!
A perfect match for Lady Redmond.
Exclamations of admiration arose among the ladies.
"Oh my, how beautiful."
"Is the Crown Prince going to confess to you someday?"
"I told you, it's nothing like that."
She waved her hand, but her smile betrayed her words.
A few hours later, the gathering ended.
How much Phillip had I heard today. Was it because Charlotte wasn't present?
I climbed into the carriage with Bella to head back to the ducal mansion.
Once we were alone in the carriage, I cautiously asked,
"Bella, do you think the Crown Prince is interested in Lady Redmond?"
"It seems that way."
Bella thought so too?
"He was very obvious. Attending the birthday party and giving expensive earrings."
The obviousness was the point.
Phillip never showed such open affection even towards Charlotte.
Everyone would take notice, but Phillip seemed to display it blatantly.
Could Phillip truly have feelings for Lady Redmond?
That doubt remained, possibly because of that reason.
* * *
Returning to the mansion, I went out to the garden alone. The weather was nice, and I wanted to take a walk and organize my thoughts.
What would Lewis say if I told him what I saw?
I thought of Lewis for a moment.
But it seemed I wasn’t the only one in the garden.
Someone was standing further inside.
Oh, that person?
It was a servant who had recently joined the duke’s mansion.
I had seen him coming out of the garden once before.
I didn’t think he was in charge of the garden. Was he out for a walk during his break?
With the dense foliage, I couldn’t see him clearly.
He probably didn’t see me either, due to the distance and the fact he was looking in another direction.
I was just watching him when he pulled something out of his coat.
Wait, that looks familiar…
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