Chapter 1001:
Theo shook his head. “I’m at a loss too.” Elyse speculated, “By sharing this, are you suggesting—” Before Theo could answer, the study door burst open, and Louise tumbled in.
Elyse gazed silently at the obviously pained Louise, then asked, “You were eavesdropping, weren’t you?”
“Of course not,” Louise responded quickly. “I am a princess. Eavesdropping is beneath me.” She struggled to her feet, striving to regain her composure. “I came to announce that dinner is ready,” she declared.
Elyse rose gracefully. “Then let’s proceed to dinner.”
Louise’s face tensed. “Do you wish to dine now? Perhaps you could continue your discussion a bit longer?”
“I’m quite hungry,” Elyse answered. “We can resume our talk after dinner, if necessary.”
Louise seemed perturbed. “Maybe you could wait just a little longer?”
As Louise averted her gaze, Elyse smiled knowingly. “You were listening, weren’t you?”
“I was not!” Louise protested, flustered and upset. Hurrying toward the door, she proclaimed loudly, “I’ve already explained that a princess would never behave in such a manner. You may carry on with your conversation.”
Elyse laughed softly and turned to Theo, who was thoughtfully stroking his chin. “A princess? Her brother has recently been embroiled in a conflict with militants and has gone missing, yet she appears unaffected.”
Elyse paused, reflecting. “The brother you’re referring to must be Chesney. I doubt he’s the one you meant.” Theo realized they were discussing members of a different family branch.
“If that man doesn’t return, Louise and Chesney would stand to inherit, wouldn’t they?”
Theo, deeming it irrelevant to Elyse, shifted the conversation back to Mabel.
Later that evening, after dinner, Elyse removed Theo from her blacklist—a decision not made lightly or recently. After bidding Theo farewell, Elyse returned to her room to relax, only to find Louise covertly trailing her. In a hushed tone, Louise inquired, “What were you and Theo discussing earlier?”
Elyse chuckled. “Didn’t you say you weren’t eavesdropping?”
Louise, unable to contain her frustration, exclaimed, “You were speaking too softly. I couldn’t catch a word.” . . .