Chapter 24 – Evening Party 2
Bianca was given a fruit drink while she was distracted by Flora. Before her eyes was a silver-haired prince, whose existence she had forgotten. His graceful appearance and refined features were impeccable.
“Would you like to catch up a little?”
She didn’t wish to be left alone with him. Hoping for help, she unconsciously searched for Satias nearby. However, he was accompanied by a young lady, which was unusual. The other party was a slim woman with lustrous chestnut-colored hair. Although she could only see her behind, the two appeared to be rather close. This was the first time she had ever noticed her brother alone with a woman. Who could it be?
At the Prince’s prompting, Bianca made her way to the balcony. She didn’t particularly want to go to the balcony. There, a large draped curtain obscured the view, giving the area from the venue the effect of being somewhat hidden. In essence, it was concealed from the public eye.
She didn’t like the idea of going to such a place alone with him. Besides, it was a place where she had allegedly fallen before…
When she looked at her oldest brother for help again, she saw that he was laughing with the young lady. The two of them are very well-matched…Henryetta? Were they intimate with each other?
“Bianca, are you wondering about your brother?”
Bianca shook her head.
“Not exactly like that, but it’s the first time I’ve ever seen my brother alone with a woman.”
“Her name is Henryetta, and she used to date Satias.”
“Huh? They…dated?”
She had periodically ran across the amiable Henryetta in the library, but she had never brought up the subject. She chatted like they were only acquaintances.
“But the parents are opposed to it.”
“Opposition from the parents?”
She questioned why neither Henryetta nor her brother had shared this with her. Stuart led her out onto the balcony in the meantime. While the view was stunning and the breeze was relaxing, she didn’t particularly like the place after all.
The sea’s hues were darkening and fading outside as night was just beginning to descend.
“Why did my father object to my brother’s relationship?”
“You’re wrong. The one who opposed it was Henryetta’s family, the Beryl family.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Right, you are amnesic, I see. Fascinating.”
Saying that, he laughed delightedly.
“It’s not fascinating at all. Brother is a brilliant man, and I can’t believe they would object to that.”
Even though she thought it was impertinent to be so blunt, she couldn’t bear it.
“That’s because he’s not the heir to the Kesler family, now is he?”
“…”
Stuart made a brutal statement outright. It seemed that this was a well-known fact that only Bianca had not been informed of.
“You still love your ‘Brother’ as always. That is the only thing that has not changed even though you have lost your memory. More importantly, let’s think about the future. I suppose you have heard bad rumors about me from Satias. It seems that you don’t like me very much anymore.”
Despite Satias’ warning to ignore the prince, he had not criticize the prince in any other manner. More of a concern was that the prince was publicly dating Flora.
“Let’s start over from the beginning. I’ve gone through a lot with you.”
Hearing those words, she wondered despondently whether she would end up marrying this man after all. Judging from her father’s behavior, she had braced herself for this. However, in that case, she did not want Flora to be involved. She wanted him to cut the crap. Even if what the family head said was absolute, she was still furious at his insensitivity.
“Flora will soon be unofficially betrothed to the Count’s son. An official announcement should be issued soon,” said the prince, as if sensing Bianca’s thoughts.
“Your Highness wanted to marry Lady Flora, and you wanted to break off your engagement to me, right?” she asked him bluntly.
“What a surprise. Your character has changed as well as your appearance. Quite frank of you.”
Watching Stuart smile graciously and beautifully, she recalled a rumor she had heard before. She threw herself off this balcony and into the sea in a fit of wrath because she was jealous of how well the prince and Flora got along. He was an attractive man, no doubt about it. For some reason, when she recalled this, her pulse throbbed. Unlike the bright marine blue of the daytime, the ocean at dusk is a dark, somber color. Fear suddenly washed over her.
“Stuart-sama!”
From behind, a voice abruptly called out. Turning around, she found Flora standing there. She did not address him respectfully as “Your Highness”. Her large eyes were currently brimming with tears. If he was considering getting engaged to Bianca, he would need to resolve his situation with his girlfriend first. Bianca glanced at Stuart, but he didn’t show any signs of compunction. Indeed, this made her want to erase a portion of her memory. Irene was spot on. She didn’t want to be reminded of this past, and if possible, she would like to have it buried for eternity.
“Your Highness, I’m sure you two have a lot to talk about, so I’ll leave you to it.”
Bianca was about to leave quickly when Stuart grabbed her arm.
“Bianca, don’t go. Flora, your engagement is already finalized, right? You can’t be here.”
Stuart was still trying to implicate Bianca to the very end.
“No, but, Stuart-sama! I am…”
Flora’s voice was strained. Somehow, the place was getting a little stuffy. Bianca wanted the two of them to handle the rest.
Can I shake off his hand and make a run for it?
It didn’t look like Satias would be able to help her today, so what should be done? Bianca was in a bind.
Seriously, please stop this.
It was doubtful that the Kesler family would be in good shape with this prince as their son-in-law. Flora had approached Julian earlier. If the prince married Bianca, would she follow him without exception? If so, neither of them was needed. Moreover, if Satias was in charge of the house, it would only add to his workload.
Whenever she went through a rough patch, Bianca would undoubtedly cry out to her brother. She could only envision a future in which Flora, Stuart, and herself would all be a nuisance to her eldest brother.
“I have nothing to do with you anymore. Let’s go, Bianca,” said Stuart, as he shook Flora off and pushed Bianca toward the back of the balcony. In that instant, Bianca was overcome with dizziness. Her feet wavered, and she couldn’t stop breaking out in cold perspiration.
“Bianca!”
Her palpitations heightened as her breathing became labored. When Stuart’s voice grew progressively more distant, her consciousness sank into darkness.
