Love Me Just Once (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 55

“What does that mean?”

The question was filled with pure curiosity. Idren assessed how much the other party, whose face remained obscured despite their proximity, might already know.

It seemed the second prince of Egelbamot had not told Ophelia that he served his half-brother like a servant.

Though he held no particular fondness for the man, Idren understood his mindset—after all, he himself had once carried shameful, unseemly flaws he wished to keep hidden.

Precisely because they were friends, the second prince would have been even less willing to expose his own weaknesses.

Moreover, Ophelia possessed a certain quality that made those facing her wish to appear admirable in her eyes.

But what he knew was something Ophelia also deserved to know. Choosing loyalty to his wife over preserving the dignity of a rival prince—even one close to him—Idren opted to uphold his trust with her.

“The second prince of Egelbamot didn’t come down to Reden because of his own affairs.”

“Then why did he go all the way to Reden?”

“I’m not entirely sure myself, but since his half-brother, Crown Prince Orienn, treats him like a servant, it’s probably because of that.”

As you well know, the ruling families of the three nations tend to be harsh toward illegitimate children, don’t they?

There was a peculiar bitterness underlying the man’s tone as he spoke.

Realizing he was referring not only to Netepel but also to himself, Ophelia bit her lip inward. She understood exactly what Idren meant.

Though the fault lay with the monarchs themselves, the emperors of Egelbamot and the kings of Aglante heaped every imaginable sin onto the children born of their transgressions.

Since childhood, Ophelia had never been able to comprehend it. It was the sovereigns who, overcome by a fleeting impulse, had cast their sacred marriage vows to the ground.

Read full content of this chapter on r e d c a t t y . c o m