Chapter 22

Third-Person POV

Felix finally breathed a sigh of relief when Henny returned to her bed and fell asleep. He couldn't help but smile as he recalled how intently Henny had stared at him earlier. Embarrassed, he rubbed his face with his hands and glanced at her peaceful, sleeping figure.

He felt a stirring within himself, his body reacting to how close they were to each other. Thankfully, he managed to restrain himself; otherwise, he might have done something he would regret.

Taking a deep breath, Felix summoned his Shadow Knight. He needed an update on the task he had assigned.

"Your Majesty, you must go to the Emperor now," the Shadow Knight informed him. Felix stood up and scribbled a note on a piece of paper in case Henny woke up looking for him.

As soon as he stepped out of the apartment, a royal carriage from the empire awaited him.

"His Royal Highness, Prince of the Northern Kingdom. The Emperor has summoned you," said the Emperor's aide as Felix approached. Without hesitation, Felix entered the carriage, and they departed for the palace.

When they arrived at the palace gates, everyone gathered to welcome him—including the Emperor himself, whose joy was evident in his eyes upon seeing Felix.

"Long time no see, Felix," greeted the Emperor warmly.

"Yes. Can you tell me why you're calling me at such a late hour?" Felix couldn't hide his irritation; this was typical of him when dealing with the Emperor.

"Relax, Felix… I know you're eager to return home, but there's something I want to discuss with you." The Emperor chuckled at Felix's curt response as Felix merely nodded in acknowledgment.

"You're so cold to me, Felix."

"That's because you treat me like a child."

"I know, son—"

"You're not my father either. Please refrain from calling me that, Your Majesty."

"You haven't changed," the Emperor said with a sigh before leading them into the dining area, where a grand feast was laid out on a long table.

"I want to know why your attitude toward Penelope suddenly changed. Don't you love her anymore?" asked the Emperor.

"No," Felix replied bluntly.

The Emperor hadn't expected that response but was determined to understand why.

"What's the reason, Felix? I know you well enough to realize you wouldn't act this way without good cause." Concern was evident in the Emperor's voice. While he supported Felix's decisions, he didn't want him to regret them later.

"She betrayed me," Felix said coldly.

The Emperor was taken aback but pressed further. "What do you mean?"

"I caught her with Lukas… in the Garden Palace. They were… intimate." Felix's voice trembled with anger as he clenched his fists. "She made a fool out of me!"

The Emperor sighed deeply. "Now I understand why you're acting this way." He stood up but paused when Felix spoke again.

"I'll take some of this food with me," Felix said casually.

The Emperor laughed at his remark. "Sure! You can also bring your new lover here—"

"She doesn't like it here, but I'll try to convince her," Felix replied politely.

The Emperor smiled knowingly. He had noticed a change in Felix's demeanor—he seemed calmer and more composed than before. "That's good. I'd like to meet the woman who has changed you so much. You're speaking so gently now—something I've never seen from you before. But I'm happy for you."

"Well, Henny wants me to be a gentleman… so I'm trying," Felix admitted with a small smile.

"A beautiful name. She must be an extraordinary woman."

"She is."

Duke Felix POV

"Let me borrow your piano and bring it to our apartment," Felix said to the Emperor. He couldn't hide his excitement at hearing Henny sing again.

"What do you mean borrow? You can have it, Felix."

"Well then… that's settled." With that, he bid farewell to the Emperor and returned to their apartment by carriage.

Once back home, he placed the food on the table and glanced over at Henny, who was still sound asleep. He lay down on his bed but couldn't take his eyes off her. He also noticed Kiro—the wolf—sleeping beside her. That wolf often disappeared into the forest but always returned eventually.

"Kiro! Come here!" he called softly. The wolf immediately came over as Felix got up to feed him. As Kiro ate, Felix found himself lost in thought—his mind drifting back to when Henny had kissed him.

Unconsciously, he touched his lips and smiled secretly to himself. "Did Henny kiss me?" His ears turned red as he replayed that moment in his mind over and over again. Burying his face into his pillow didn't help erase the memory—it only made it stronger.

By morning, he hadn't slept at all. When Henny finally woke up and got out of bed, she startled him by saying:

"Felix!" she exclaimed in surprise when she noticed him staring at her intently.

"Why do you look like that?" she asked with a frown.

"Ah… I didn't sleep last night because… well… I just wasn't sleepy," he lied awkwardly.

"Okay…" she replied nonchalantly before heading toward the table where breakfast was prepared. "There's no poison in this food… right?"

"Of course not!" Felix answered quickly.

"All right." She began eating while Felix stood nearby watching her intently.

"Sit down and eat with me instead of just standing there," she said without looking up from her plate. Embarrassed but obediently following her request, he sat across from her—but his gaze kept drifting toward her lips as he swallowed nervously.

"You're blushing… are you sick?" Henny asked curiously when she noticed his flushed face, causing his heart to race even faster. He couldn't think straight and froze for a moment before responding clumsily:

"I-I'm fine…"

"You look tired; maybe you should rest instead." She got up from her seat and began preparing for work when suddenly Felix stopped her by grabbing her wrist gently.

"What is it?" she asked calmly but curiously as she looked back at him—her tone much softer than usual.

"Didn't you promise to play me a song?" he asked shyly while avoiding eye contact with her because she disliked being too close to him physically.

"Later… after work—and once we have that piano," she replied before leaving for work without any trace of irritation in her voice—a rare occurrence that left Felix stunned yet relieved.

He flopped onto his bed face-down after she left and groaned into his pillow:

"Sh*t! This is frustrating! My face is—"

Felix blushed even harder as thoughts of Henny filled his mind once more…

Up Next: A Challenge"I challenge you, Henny! Compete with me!" Claudia's voice echoed throughout the theater room as soon as she spotted Henny inside.

"I'm the best performer here! No one else compares!" Claudia declared arrogantly while glaring at Henny from across the room.

Henny sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration—she had no intention of competing with Claudia over something so trivial. "I'm not interested… please return to your room, Lady Claudia."

But Claudia wasn't about to back down so easily—instead, she threw all of Henny's belongings onto the floor in anger.

"If you don't accept my challenge… I'll make sure you lose your job! You'll never find work anywhere else!" Claudia threatened maliciously.

Henny hesitated—she couldn't afford to lose this job; it was her only source of income right now. Reluctantly, she nodded and replied:

"Fine… I accept your challenge—just don't fire me."

Claudia smirked triumphantly.

"Good."