In the Doghouse - Chapter 170
As Courtney’s face twisted with distress, Isabella asked worriedly,
“Does it taste strange? I did taste it myself, but…”
“No, no… It’s delicious.”
To prove her point, Courtney continued eating, and Isabella’s expression relaxed into a relieved smile.
The power of sugar was truly remarkable—it didn’t just calm Courtney’s anger, but it also cleared her mind, which had been on the verge of spiraling out of control.
As she slowly chewed the sweet pie, Courtney began to think things over rationally.
Who could Richard have been meeting outside the palace? There weren’t many noblewomen who would tolerate his eccentric desires, but if he had expanded his search beyond that circle, finding a willing partner wouldn’t have been difficult. Now that he was married, was he planning to keep a mistress?
If that was his intention, he’d have no shortage of partners who were more skilled and charming than she was, especially if he found her dull and uninteresting. Places like that bizarre shop staying in business was proof enough.
Courtney’s frustration began to build again, and she bit her lip hard. Noticing, Isabella quickly pushed a teacup towards her.
“Please have some tea. It’s the one His Highness sent over last time.”
It was the last thing she wanted to hear right now. Courtney looked down at the familiar, mild tea, as if it were poison.
Could it really be that easy for him to lose interest?
A different thought suddenly crossed her mind, a possibility she hadn’t considered before—and one that seemed equally plausible. But if this scenario were true, it would be even more unsettling than if he were meeting a mistress outside the palace.
This situation had gone too far to ignore. Courtney set down her fork and looked over at Isabella, who gazed back at her as if waiting for a command.
Finally, Courtney spoke in a heavy tone.
“Could you call a physician for me?”
* * *
Anton glared at the Crown Prince, irritation plainly written across his face. He was well aware of Richard’s eccentricity, but getting dragged into these absurd situations again and again was starting to wear on him.
Richard had promised that if Anton helped just once more, he’d get back to his work. Yet hours later, there was still no sign of him starting anything productive.
More than anything, Anton wished he would put away that peculiar object in his hand. If he was restless, he could at least fiddle with a pen instead.
“Please, just put that thing away,” Anton snapped, his voice exasperated.
Richard looked at his aide with a raised eyebrow. His feet propped up on the desk as usual, he held a small silver plug in his hand, a sly smirk spreading across his face.
“Oh, there’s someone waiting to put it away for me.”
“Ugh!”
Anton couldn’t suppress a groan of disgust.
“I don’t know what that means, and I don’t want to know,” he muttered to himself, burying his head back into his paperwork.
Meanwhile, Richard was lost in thought. Why was there still no response? He’d taken extreme measures, yet there was still no reaction. Knowing Courtney’s personality, he didn’t think she was the patient type, so the lack of news was unusual.
It was one thing for her not to barge in and confront him, but even the maids—who would normally report every move—had been silent. Richard tapped the desk with the end of the plug, his expression contemplative.
Enough was enough. He decided he’d go see her himself when, suddenly, the door burst open.
“Your Highness, the Crown Prince—!”
Richard’s brows knitted at the overly excited voice. He’d been hoping for some news, but the person he’d been longing to hear from hadn’t shown up.
Rebecca burst in without knocking, her face flushed with excitement as she cried out,
“Your Highness! It’s a disaster. The plan failed completely. What should we do now?!”
“Just get to the point.”
Richard replied lazily, propping his chin on his hand. It was no surprise to him that things had been tense since Courtney kicked him out of the bedroom and started avoiding him. What could possibly be a new disaster?
Ignoring his calm demeanor, Rebecca stormed over to him in frustration.
“Her Highness went to see the Emperor.”
“What for?”
“How should I know?”
“Then what’s the big deal?”
Richard frowned impatiently. Rebecca, even more frustrated, clutched her chest as if struggling to find the right words to explain. She started with the first thing that came to mind.
“She… She might be planning to leave the palace.”
“What?”
The plug slipped from Richard’s hand, and Anton, too, froze in shock. Rebecca, distraught, continued her explanation.
“Before she went to the Emperor, she said to me… that she wanted to find me a suitable marriage match before leaving the palace.”
“What do you mean by that? She’s leaving? The palace? Why?”
“I told you, I don’t know!”
Rebecca’s shout echoed through the room. Guilt gnawed at her for deceiving the Crown Princess to help the Crown Prince. Thinking that her actions might have pushed Courtney into leaving made her want to bite her own tongue.
Richard, overwhelmed by the idea that Courtney was planning to leave, couldn’t even reprimand the maid for her tone. Only one thought consumed his mind—Courtney, leaving him, leaving the palace.
