57. Great love (1)

“What? Is this your last present for your ex-wife who ran away?”

Joshua avoided his gaze as if to hide his embarrassment. It was a rare sight.

“She had nothing to do with this.”

“What do you mean? Do you have a knack for choosing an already ruined family as your business partner?” Joshua couldn’t answer as he swept a hand through his hair.  Brix felt satisfied at the sight. “This is too much, Your Highness. Nothing is worse than the Pearson family in this industry. They had already spent several times as much money as yours.”

“….”

“I can’t do this. I need to vent my complaints to my friends.”

Brix turned quickly as if he was going to leave. Perhaps, being with his light-mouthed friends in the Capital was better than staying here. However, the words that he had been waiting for rang quietly behind him.

“I understand.”

“What?”

“I’ll put your stuff in there,” Brix smirked. It was interesting how that runaway ex-wife of his was actually his weakness until now even if a few months had already passed. Brix silently thanked Ariad Pearson, who was called a ‘rare trash’ in the media. Finally achieving his goal, Brix laid himself on the sofa to cool off. Suddenly, a familiar scene flashed through his mind. Brix had remembered lighting a cigarette and putting it in his mouth. Joshua had scolded him about it while he had Ariad in his arms. The crown prince was working on his study at that time. After the strange scene had sunk in, Brix started. “It wasn’t like we didn’t know she was that kind of woman. I wasn’t even that surprised when I heard she left you.”

Joshua drank the wine from his glass and muttered. “What kind of woman do you think she is?”

“Well, a lot of people say that she’s a white fox.”

Joshua smirked when Bianca’s words came to mind. ‘Admit it, that’s all you love.’

After thinking about it for a moment, Joshua burst into laughter. She didn’t look like that to him at all. Wait a minute. It felt ridiculous to see himself defending her like this. Was he really possessed by a white fox? As Joshua trembled in anger, Brix got rid of the strange atmosphere by changing the subject.

“There are many interesting stories these days. Marquis Yulden and Lady Olivia were arranged to be married even if the lady had a commoner for a lover. In the end, the sorrowful lover understood and let her go.” After Brix had brought up the rumors circulating in society, he muttered meaninglessly. “Oh hell! What am I saying?”  Joshua didn’t respond. “Isn’t love great? If I was the woman’s lover, I would have ruined the wedding and run away with her.”

As the one-sided conversation continued, an unexpectedly low voice interrupted. “What kind of love does that commoner have?”

“It’s love. He’s selfless enough to let her go. It’s a great love that I can’t even imitate.”

“Perhaps, the commoner had given up on the lady. It’s not about her nor was it about their love. He wasn’t even sure if she would choose him in the end.”

Brix stood up and looked at Joshua. “Then, did you give up on her, too?” He asked dryly, filling his crystal glass with amber wine again.

Dense silence ensued. The man swirling his glass swallowed the alcohol at once. He spoke again. “I’ve never been in love.”

Brix laughed out loud. The crown prince had shown how much he loved Ariad for all the world to see but he still tried to deny it. When Joshua scowled in his direction, Brix’s hand covered his mouth immediately.  Joshua rose from his seat as if he had calmed down a little.

“Yes. I’ve never loved her, so time will naturally solve this mess.”

Brix approached Joshua and drank the alcohol-filled glass next to him. Next, he wiped his wet mouth with a roughly folded sleeve and said. “People forget.”Oddly enough, Brix’s heart throbbed, perhaps because of the high alcohol content.

“Congratulations on your second marriage, Your Highness.”

* * *

The wedding was just around the corner. Due to some unexpected news, Kelly, who was choosing accessories for that special day, quickly left the room. Joshua left a message that he wanted them to have dinner together. During the wedding preparations, the crown prince never contacted her for a whole month. Giving him information about their marriage was just a kind of notification. Fortunately, she got a call from him today and it made her ecstatic. At least he was finally acknowledging her as his future wife. The mere fact that he didn’t forget her made her heart full but when she entered the greenhouse garden, her empty thoughts fell apart.