In the Doghouse - Chapter 167
“What?”
Courtney turned her head to see the attendant’s troubled expression. For him not to be in his chambers at such a late hour was unusual. She frowned deeply and asked,
“Where is he?”
“Well, um…”
The two attendants exchanged glances, clearly unsure of how to respond. Just as Courtney was about to press them further, she sensed someone approaching from behind.
“Your Highness, let me explain.”
She turned and recognized the familiar voice. Hanson, dressed in informal attire, stood there, as if he’d come from a nearby room, having heard the commotion.
“Hanson.”
“The Crown Prince is currently—”
“Ah, ahem!”
One of the attendants, who had remained silent until now, suddenly raised his voice, cutting off the conversation. The other attendant quickly intervened, grasping Hanson’s arm to stop him from speaking.
“Why are you out here when it’s not even your shift?”
“But I feel I must inform Her Highness—”
“Hey now! That’s not for you to decide.”
“Right. We’ll handle it, so just head back!”
As the three men bickered, Courtney’s gaze grew sharper. She had no idea why such a commotion was happening in the dead of night. Reaching the end of her patience, she lowered her voice and said,
“One of you, give me a straight answer.”
The three men, who had almost been on the verge of physical confrontation, froze at once. Courtney, her voice weary, asked again,
“Did His Highness leave the palace?”
“I’m sorry, Your Highness. We cannot say.”
The attendant’s firm answer left Courtney speechless. She fixed her gaze on Hanson, who looked down with a somber expression, unwilling to speak again. Completely disheartened, she turned and left without another word.
Why couldn’t they tell her where the Crown Prince was?
The answer was clear—Richard had instructed them not to.
“I apologize, Your Highness…”
Hanson’s apology echoed behind her, adding to her growing confusion. She hurried back to her chambers, trying to quell the unsettling thoughts rising in her mind. But her thoughts kept spiraling in the worst direction.
The awkwardness that had begun the day she pushed him away. The strange nightly absences that started after she’d declined his invitation to visit his chambers. Could it be that he was seeking satisfaction elsewhere because she wouldn’t give it to him? She couldn’t shake the suspicion.
And she had just conceived his child. A wave of sadness rose within her, and she swallowed back the tears that threatened to spill.
She had been the one to avoid the conversation in the first place, so maybe it would all seem trivial if they were to finally talk it out.
She tried to calm her aching heart with this thought, promising herself to think it through calmly in the morning.
* * *
When morning came, Courtney was able to approach the situation with a clear head. With a logical mindset, she saw that there was no good way to interpret Richard’s actions. It wasn’t the fact that he hadn’t dined with her or that he was sneaking out of the palace that bothered her the most—it was the lack of any word from him. He surely knew by now that she had visited both his study and his chambers.
“What is he trying to do…?”
Rebecca’s eyes grew wide as she observed Courtney muttering to herself while brushing her hair.
“Pardon?”
“Nothing.”
Courtney stared into the mirror, her face showing a sour expression. The woman staring back at her wore a sullen look that irked her.
Yes, it was her fault for pushing him away without an explanation. But if she really thought about it, the root cause was Richard’s brazen and inappropriate behavior. She’d only distanced herself after realizing her own feelings.
And now, instead of trying to reconcile, he was out gallivanting? It was infuriating.
The original conflict was now far from her mind, replaced by suspicions that filled her head. She wondered if he might actually be cheating.
Rebecca, cautiously watching her expression, ventured a suggestion.
“Won’t you go see His Highness?”
“Why should I?”
“Oh, no reason…”
Rebecca quickly closed her mouth, sensing Courtney’s irritation.
Courtney continued to stare into the mirror, lost in thought, her suspicions solidifying into near certainty.
Just because she’d pushed him away once, he was already straying? After all he’d put her through, bombarding her with his unrestrained advances when she’d lived her whole life unaware of such depravity.
Her imagination took off. She pictured him on his knees before another woman, subservient and humiliated.
“Maybe I should kill him.”
As she muttered to herself, her face twisted with anger. Rebecca inhaled sharply but remained silent as Courtney’s mind wandered elsewhere.
