The Sub Male Lead is Burning with Jealousy - Chapter 11 Part 1
If he bore the name of Duke Noer, then it was only natural that he should be able to enter places where even the imperial family could come and go. And yet, for the tournament held on the eve of the festival, Jeremy had been explicitly told not to attend.
The Imperial family had not said so directly, but the message had come through Duke Noer.
“His Majesty will be displeased to see you. Do not come to the event!”
His father had snapped at him as if this was all his fault. His mother had briefly cast him a look of pity, but then she turned away and left with his father.
He had thought he would at least get to see Anais up close.
In truth, he had planned to make the Empress uncomfortable. The ducal family and the imperial family were bound to remain close, and as a noble of the capital, Duke Noer frequently interacted with them. He had wanted to tell Anais that because of you, I am this miserable.
But even that, his father had not permitted. The look he cast at Jeremy, who stared at him in desperate appeal, was one of sheer disdain.
Jeremy felt a bitter sense of injustice, but Duke Noer was not someone he could defy. The resentment he harbored—the belief that his father was responsible for the deaths of the woman he loved and their son—felt like nothing more than a petty grievance under that cold gaze.
‘But I had no other choice.’
He had been born into the life of a high noble. And high nobles, by nature, could never endure the life of lesser ones. It was only natural that someone born to grasp everything could not endure a fall from grace.
‘Anais, if only you had followed my wishes, then Laila and Charles wouldn’t have had to…’
Resentment boiled within him, but at the same time, he longed to see her. If she had never intended to accept his love, then she should never have appeared before him in the first place.
“Jeremy, what are you doing here?”
“Do you really need to ask? Isn’t it obvious?”
This place was meant for high nobles, but separate seating had been arranged for the ducal families. Even among them, Jeremy stood out. The so-called ‘friends’ who prodded at his presence despite knowing full well why he was here irritated him.
And then…
“Hah… Looks like the rumors about His Majesty being utterly infatuated with Her Majesty are true.”
“Just wait and see. Throughout the entire Harvest Festival, this will be all anyone talks about.”
“Not just the Harvest Festival, either.”
The snickering fools laughed freely, not even bothering to check for Jeremy’s reaction. Even though the Emperor had disgraced himself, no one condemned him. Instead, most found it amusing.
‘Damn that Emperor!’
Looking back, all the tragedies had stemmed from him. If the Emperor had not taken a liking to Anais—if he had not stolen her away—then eventually, she would have yielded to Jeremy instead.
Jeremy lifted his gaze toward the Empress. She sat two tiers above, a place he could never reach.
Sitting beside the Emperor, she looked as if she had been born to be an Empress. That fact alone was unbearable. Unable to watch the rest of the tournament, Jeremy stormed out. His fury made it feel as though his breath would stop.
‘If only I had been the Crown Prince.’
As soon as he left the arena, Jeremy headed for the club and ordered a whiskey.
Since Duke Noer had already sent a messenger ordering him not to return home, he figured he might as well drink through the night.
***
“…Did you hear some viscount’s son was going around insulting your father?”
By the time Jeremy opened his eyes, it was well into the afternoon, a whole day having slipped by. Since the club provided sleeping quarters for its VIPs, he merely shot his friend a weary look of annoyance.
“Badmouthing my father? He’d have to be out of his mind.”*
“The guy was furious. Said your father snatched away the formal suit he’d reserved for resizing and handed it off to some Baron Kyr… or something.”
Jeremy took the hangover remedy his attendant offered, swallowing it down with a sip of water. The idea that his father had stolen someone else’s reserved clothes was ridiculous enough, but to do so for some viscount’s sake? That made even less sense.
“Are you sure he didn’t mistake someone else for my father?”
“How many dukes do you think there are in this empire? Maybe if he wasn’t a capital noble, but otherwise there’s no way.”
“That’s strange.”
His father was absolutely not the type of person who’d ever do something for a mere viscount’s offspring, even if the world turned upside down. He wouldn’t even lift a finger for the viscount himself, let alone for his son.
milano0
thanks for the update
milano0
holy jeez
“If she had never intended to accept his love, then she should never have appeared before him in the first place.”
he is one of those delusion bas****s.
Greedy and cowardly. Scary combo.