Chapter 4.2

The day Judith first confessed to him, he honestly hadn’t even recognized her. And how could he? She looked nothing like the ‘Judith Melveryn’ he had known until then. The memory of her crouching under the soft blue moonlight, looking up at him, remained vivid in his mind.

“P-Please go out with me!”

Flushed cheeks, eyes sparkling like they held starlight, and a bright, innocent smile peeking through strands of pink hair blowing in the wind—

He remembered it clearly.

It was only after hearing her nervous, trembling voice that he finally realized the woman standing in front of him was Judith Melveryn.

‘…Is she really the same Judith Melveryn?’

It was unbelievable. She seemed like a completely different person.

From her clothes to her gestures, and her expressions, none of them resembled the woman he had known.

He had always thought she was a woman who would spend her life screaming and throwing tantrums. That was the first time he realized she was capable of such an expression. Though briefly thrown off by the changed Judith, Axel soon regained his composure and reverted to his usual demeanor.

“…Have you finally lost your mind, Lady?”

At first, he assumed she had mistaken him for the Crown Prince. There was no way she would ask him to date her unless she had lost her mind.

“…Did you mistake me for the Crown Prince or something? Judging by your current state, Lady, it seems your mind is… unwell. You don’t look all there. Let’s pretend I didn’t hear what you just said.”

As he turned to walk away, Judith grabbed his arm.

“W-Wait! Your Highness the Grand Duke, I’m perfectly sane. I meant it!”

“…You meant it? Meant what?”

“Well, obviously… that my feelings for Your Highness are sincere!”

It was laughable that she could spout such lies with such a straight face. Had she changed her appearance and behavior just to mock him?

Axel’s eyes instantly turned sharp.

“…Ha. You expect me to believe such nonsense? Do I look like a fool who can’t see through ridiculous lies, my lady?”

“A lie? This is sincere—!”

“A lady who chased the Crown Prince relentlessly just a few days ago now claims she has feelings for me? Even a stray dog wouldn’t buy that.”

Come to think of it, there has been a recent surge in illegal drug use among the capital’s nobility. It had already become a headache for him to deal with…

He looked up at Judith again. By now, he thought she would drop the ridiculous act and return to her usual self, screaming and flailing about. She was, after all, the kind of person who would fly into a rage over the slightest provocation, completely lacking in patience.

But he couldn’t have been more wrong.

Judith, instead of lashing out, simply stared back at him with wounded eyes, her lips pressed firmly together. She didn’t throw a tantrum or get angry at all.

It was completely unlike her.

Axel furrowed his brows.

‘…Don’t tell me.’

A vague suspicion about the reason for her changed behavior crossed his mind. To confirm his hunch, Axel stepped closer to her. As he did, Judith’s expression, previously obscured by the darkness, became clearer. Her cheeks were unusually flushed, and her eyes looked dazed, as though she were drifting in a dream.

There wasn’t any scent of alcohol on her.

‘…So, had she actually taken drugs?’

“You don’t smell like alcohol, but… Lady, did you perhaps take drugs?”

“…W-What?! Drugs?! Of course not!”

Judith’s eyes flew wide open at his accusation, her expression a mix of panic and disbelief.

“You can’t know for sure without a test. Narcotics have been spreading through the capital lately.”

And really, there was no reason not to suspect her. Someone like her could easily get her hands on any substance circulating among the nobility in the capital.

Only then did all of her strange behavior start to make sense.

‘…Now she’s even resorted to drugs?’

It was utterly pathetic.

His opinion of her, already scraping the bottom, had now fallen completely through. Stifling the disgust beginning to show on his face, Axel gave her a cold warning.

“So whatever scheme you’re plotting, I suggest you stop here, my lady. I won’t be so forgiving next time.”

With those final words, he turned and strode off the terrace.