When I Stopped Being Your Shadow - Chapter 60
Chapter 60
***
Helena smiled bitterly.
“To tell you a little bit of the old days, the Duke of Sussex has been prominent since childhood.”
“I think it’s possible because the Duke is such a great person.”
“You’re right, but being great isn’t always good.”
Helena touched the teacup with a thoughtful look on her face.
“Since the Duke of Sussex is so outstanding, public opinion has been formed that the Duke should be crowned instead of the current King.”
Ines looked very surprised, but she didn’t say anything recklessly.
And Helena liked Ines’s prudence. “Of course, the previous king and Queen did not want the two Princes to divide, and the current King’s will to succeed the throne was also strong, so that didn’t happen.”
A small sigh escaped Helena’s lips.
“…Perhaps the situation itself was too burdensome for the young Duke of Sussex.”
Helena briefly recalled the past. When she was fifteen, her fiancé, Edward, was made Crown Prince. While attending the dedication ceremony, she met Enoch for the first time.
Enoch was an eight-year-old who stood quietly in a glamorous robe that even an adult would find very uncomfortable to wear.
“I’m really glad that my brother was appointed as the Crown Prince.”
The child’s face was full of relief. That young voice whispered softly, as if telling a great secret.
“I have no interest in the throne at all.”
“Prince.”
“So my brother doesn’t hate me, does he?”
The little voice, fearful of being hated by his older brother, still echoed in Helena’s ears.
However, public interest in Enoch did not disappear easily, and Enoch was more and more isolated from the public eye. After years of suffering like that, Enoch’s feelings continued to dry up.
And at some point, Enoch had grown up to be an emotionless and indifferent person. Unlike his older brother, Edward, who was full of emotion.
Meanwhile, Ines, who had been listening to Helena’s story, suddenly had a surprised expression on her face.
“Then, the Duke of Sussex became the owner of Elton….”
“Right. To prove that he has no interest in the throne.”
Helena, nodding her head lightly, quenched her throat with tea.
Before she knew it, it left a bitter aftertaste in her mouth from the lukewarm tea.
“Actually, when he started paying attention to Elton, people’s interest in him diminished quite a bit. At least politicians have almost lost their hope.”
“…that’s what happened.”
“Maybe that’s why, even if it wasn’t the Duke of Sussex’s purpose, he valued Elton quite a bit.”
Click.
Helena put down her teacup and asked Ines leisurely.
“By the way, how many times has he published articles about the Countess of Brierton in Elton?”
For a moment, Ines shrugged his shoulders. Helena gently squinted her eyes.
“Of course, through cross-validation, he would have only published articles with certain content.”
“That, that…”
“Isn’t that proof that the Countess of Brierton was a significant person to the Duke of Sussex? I think so.”
Facing Ines’s red-hot face once more, Helena ended her words sarcastically.
“I still don’t know what that ‘special’ means.”
Completely flawless.
It was the most appropriate word for Enoch.
He was not shaken by anything and was always smooth.
In fact, it was not a bad quality for a royal family.
Enoch’s calmness and thorough judgment naturally made those around him in awe.
However,
‘… When he was younger and even now, he never seemed happy.’
He gave no side to anyone.
He was impeccably polite, and he was always careful not to be rude to others, but……That politeness was, in a way, a strong wall he had built towards others. By excluding faulty things, he tried not to get entangled with others as much as possible. But neither Edward nor Helena wanted Enoch to be that perfect as he was their only brother.
Rather, the two wanted him to be a person with a variety of expressions. Not insensitive nor a face that viewed everything was boring.
‘Can the Countess evoke various emotions in the Duke?’
Of course it was unknown.
But it was true that the Countess was, at this point, the most likely person to be.
Swallowing those thoughts to herself, Helena spoke her words playfully.
“Above all, on the day the Duke talked to the Countess, he dared to visit me at dawn to tell me about your idea.”
For a moment, Ines was startled, as if she was going to pass out.
“What? What?”
“Honestly, I was really surprised. What a great person the Countess was that made the Duke visit the Queen even at that hour?”
‘Ugh, what should I do…… !’
Ines’s face turned red in a different way than before.
Helena giggled.
Looking back, the Enoch she met at that time was completely different from now.
His characteristic expressionless face disappeared out of nowhere, and rarely did he explain Ines’s idea with a cheerful voice.
“The Countess is a genius.”
How about that firm belief?
“If my name is to go down in history, I think it is because I’m the one who discovered the artist.”
Yes, he certainly said that.
Helena smiled.
“I don’t mean to burden you. I just want you to know that the Duke of Sussex has high expectations for the Countess, and I also have expectations for you.”
Momentarily, Ines’s expression became determined.
She straightened her back and looked straight into the Queen’s eyes and spoke.
“All I can say is, the person I do not want to disappoint the most is the Duke of Sussex.”
Ines remembered Enoch.
His deep blue eyes looked straight at her with trust.
She could not betray that belief.
‘No, I don’t want to give up.’
She hoped to meet the Duke’s expectations as much as possible. She wanted to see him smile because of her.
“I promise. I will do my best not to disappoint the Duke and Her Majesty the Queen.”
For a moment, Helena blinked her eyes. Ines had just mentioned Enoch before Queen Helena.
Perhaps she said it casually without any intention. But…
‘It means that she cares about Enoch that much.’
The Queen’s smile grew a little deeper.
“It’s a good attitude. Then I look forward to it.”
***
At the same time.
Edward greeted his younger brother with excitement.
“Why are you so late? I have been waiting.”
“What is it? Why are you waiting so desperately?”
“Are you really going to keep up with that mouth?”
It wasn’t until Edward criticized him that Enoch opened his mouth with a look of boredom.
“I apologize for the long wait. I came right after receiving the message from the Queen, but I’m a little late.”
“I see.”
Then Edward patted Enoch on the back and exclaimed cheerfully.
“Hey, why do you need to apologize when it’s just us!”
… What do you mean?
Enoch looked at his brother with a dumbfounded face.
Of course, Edward didn’t blink an eye, he just said what he had to say.
“Sit, sit! Tea? Or alcohol?”
“… Drinking alcohol in the morning, if the Queen knows, your ears will be full.”
How sharp was the retorting voice?
Edward grinned.
“Are you complaining that I interrupted your time with the Countess?”
He must have hit the target.
Seeing Enoch glaring at Edward with bloody eyes.
Edward continued speaking.
“Yeah. It’s true that Helena won’t like it, so let’s drink tea for now.”
So the two brothers sat down with teacups in front of them.
“Come to think of it, you’ve been bothering my wife quite a bit this time, haven’t you?”
Edward stared at Enoch, his eyes twinkling.
“My brother, who clearly separates public affairs from private matters, has never asked me or my wife to do such a favor.”
“…”
“Does my brother think that the Countess of Brierton is that special?”
Edward groaned mischievously.
But it seemed that Enoch was determined to exercise his right to remain silent.
Seeing him keep his mouth shut, Edward changed the topic without further ado.
“But you must have a lot of faith in the Countess, don’t you? I was a little surprised to see you have introduced the Countess so confidently to my wife.”
Then Enoch opened his mouth for the first time and answered.
“Yes.”
It was a very natural tone.
‘Oh, look at this.’
Edward was a little startled. He didn’t know Enoch would be so sure.
***
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