I Stole the Prince's First

Chapter 10:

 The Royal Ball (Part 2)

It goes without saying, but the prince entered the royal palace without an invitation. His hair and eyes were like his credentials, proving his status.

As Retina followed the prince into the banquet hall, people who had come to greet him lowered their heads in respect. However, the adoring gazes aimed at the prince turned cold when they reached Retina. Suddenly, another noble, who had appeared out of nowhere, took her place beside the prince. The glances directed at Retina remained polite but were no longer as sincere as before.

Translator: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only

Retina knew that, due to her status, people wouldn’t openly disrespect or scorn her in front of the prince, but they would whisper behind her back. She couldn’t simply ignore it.

Retina mumbled quietly to herself, making sure the prince wouldn’t hear. Then Herald’s gaze fell on her.

“My partner was supposed to be unshakable no matter what, but were the twins mistaken?”

“Even though I try to be indifferent to the gazes around me, I’m still human. It’s not easy to ignore being constantly disliked.”

Herald, who was walking alongside Retina, experiencing the same stares she was, pulled his arms in closer. Although he was holding the prince’s arm, Retina’s body was pressed closely to his.

“What if we do it like this? Will it get better?”

“For whose sake am I being treated like this? It’s okay. I don’t want to say anything more here.”

Retina, who had pushed Herald away, distanced herself from him once again. Although she was the dance partner of the Crown Prince, she needed to maintain an appropriate distance to avoid looking too close. Since everyone was well aware of the friendship between her brothers and the Crown Prince, it was sufficient for her to appear as the Crown Prince’s partner only because of that friendship.

“I greet His Highness Herald Rudenheim.”

During the journey to the ballroom and even after entering the banquet hall, those who recognized the Crown Prince all bowed and greeted him. Every time nobles greeted him, Retina, who stood by his side, also paused to offer her greetings, making it quite bothersome.

‘But thanks to this slow pace, I can admire the scenery inside the palace.’

While Retina was looking around, captivated by the scenery, she felt a hand grab her arm, pulling her back to reality. If it weren’t for her holding onto the Crown Prince’s arm, she might have tripped and fallen embarrassingly due to her inattentiveness.

“Thank you.”

“By the way, have you not seen Mother all this time, since you were not in the capital during the social season?”

“Yes. I haven’t had the chance to meet Empress Mother since I didn’t participate in the debutante ball.”

“It seems like the order has changed.”

“Yes.”

Retina’s response to Herald’s questioning was somewhat grumbling. She hadn’t even participated in her debutante ball, yet she was sitting right next to the Crown Prince. As long as she didn’t have a special partner, last year’s Crystal Moon, who was said to be the Crown Prince’s partner, would be chosen, right? Was it really okay like this?

Retina had considered the position of the Crown Prince’s partner a bit annoying and bothersome, but her thoughts changed when the topic of the Empress came up.

“Now that you mention it, I somewhat regret not having greeted Empress.”

She hadn’t thought much about not participating in her debutante ball until now, but when it came to actually facing the Empress, she felt nervous. The debutante ball was simply a way for young ladies who had turned eighteen to announce to the Empress that they were ready to enter the marriage market. In reality, even young ladies who hadn’t participated in the debutante ball could enter the social scene.

‘If only I had greeted her when I was younger. Then I probably wouldn’t have been summoned to the capital so late like this.’

‘It’s safest to bury yourself when everyone else is doing it,’ they say. But just the thought of mingling with four-year-olds and young children makes my head spin.

“Contrary to your thoughts, it seems that Duke Deneuve is looking into your marriage,” Herald commented.

“My father summoned me to the capital with the intention of having me greet Empress. If I want to continue receiving support, I should at least fulfill this obligation. After the debutante ball is over, I’ll return immediately.”

“Duke Deneuve would probably be quite saddened to hear that.”

Herald’s response was devoid of emotion, a formal reply that didn’t seek empathy from the Crown Prince.

Retina, who hadn’t brought up the topic to seek sympathy from the Crown Prince, followed his gaze ahead. She had walked and talked with the Crown Prince to the point where they were now near the dais where the Emperor and Empress sat.

The Emperor and Empress recognized them and exchanged nods with the Crown Prince and Retina. Retina unlinked her arm from the Crown Prince’s and raised her dress with both hands. As she ascended the stairs, the glass slippers given to her by the Crown Prince the day before were revealed. With every step she took, her sparkling dress, sprinkled with jewels, shimmered.

“I am Retina Cecilia, daughter of Duke Deneuve, the sun that rises over Rudenheim’s skies, the one who envelops the sun greets Emperor and Empress for the first time.”

With the Crown Prince placed below on the stairs, Retina greeted the Emperor and Empress.

“Hehehe, you must be that Retina. We’ve heard quite a bit about you. I heard you’ve been staying at the Rudenheim estate since you were young because of your frail health,” the Emperor said.

“Yes, it seemed like my condition was improving as I grew up, but it worsened again while I was focusing on my studies at the academy. That’s why I couldn’t greet you earlier. It’s an honor to finally meet both of you.”

“You don’t look like someone who’s been suffering from an illness, especially climbing the stairs in glass slippers. It seems Duke Deneuve spent quite a bit.”

While the Emperor wore a kind smile, the Empress, from the beginning, had an expression that suggested she didn’t particularly like Retina.

Perhaps having a commoner, who could be considered a stain in the nobility, wandering freely in the palace was like a thorn in her side. And the fact that this commoner had taken her son’s side must have been particularly annoying.

Still, wasn’t it too harsh to judge someone who had been ill? Retina maintained her smile, even under the Empress’s overtly critical gaze. Sweat trickled inside her gloves as she held onto her dress.

“The tainted bloodline never goes away, does it? Duke Deneuve’s two sons may have grown up well… Tsk. The Duke seems quite indifferent. He pretends to cherish his child, but he doesn’t provide her with a title. It’s as if he doesn’t want anyone to know that she’s a bastard.”

“Empress.”

The Emperor intervened, not hiding his disdain towards Retina’s comments about a tainted bloodline. Such derogatory remarks, regardless of one’s social status, were overly harsh.

“My father wanted me to carry the Deneuve name, but I chose to follow my mother’s name. After all, I am a product of both my father and mother. The fact remains that I am the daughter of both of them.”

Retina’s response to the Empress’s discrimination carried a trace of her pride. She calmly conveyed her thoughts, standing her ground.

Oh, look at this? The Empress’s eyes, which had been looking down on Retina, changed slightly. Even though it was clear that Retina was trembling, the audacity of the young lady, who was clearly holding back her words, touched something inside the Empress.

Translator: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only

The Emperor, noticing the change in the Empress, intervened before she could say anything further. He blocked their path, preventing Empress from holding onto her any longer, and addressed them.

“Ho ho ho, it seems Duke Deneuve raised his daughter to be quite bold. Greetings are sufficient at this point; go and enjoy the ball.”

“I am grateful for the Emperor’s consideration. May the light of the sun always shine upon the Empire.”

“We hope for the protection of Rudenheim to be with you, young lady.”

With the Emperor’s words allowing her to step away, Retina held onto her dress, slightly bending her knees, and lowered her head. She couldn’t remember in what state of mind she had descended the stairs. As she descended the final step, she almost collapsed, her legs giving way from the tension that had momentarily gripped her. The Crown Prince, who had been waiting for her, caught her before she could fall.

“You seemed quite composed despite trembling,” he remarked.

“I was trembling?” Retina replied.

“You’re quite exceptional compared to the other young ladies who are standing before Mother for the first time. Your temperament, which doesn’t yield to nobles, whom do you resemble?”

“Well, Father and Mother aren’t like nobles, and neither are the envoys.”

Since Retina had no problem speaking her mind even to the Empress, there was no other way to describe her straightforwardness but to say that it was the Prince’s trait. She replied to him matter-of-factly while still holding onto his arm and lifted a champagne glass from a tray handed to them by a servant.

“Now, it seems like everyone has gathered to some extent, so let’s raise a toast first.”

Following Retina’s greeting and with a raised glass, the Emperor, who had stood up, began his speech. In summary, he wished for a successful social season, encouraging everyone to enjoy themselves and to eat well since it had been a year since their last gathering.

“May Rudenheim’s protection be with you all.”

“May the sun’s light always shine upon the Empire.”

In sync with the Emperor raising his glass above his head, the nobles gathered in the banquet hall also raised their glasses. With the Emperor’s toast concluded, the official imperial ball began.

Herald and Retina wandered through the banquet hall, engaging in conversations with approaching nobles. Among them were Misha and the young ladies accompanying her. Normally, unless one had the intention to provoke, they wouldn’t come to greet you first. But since Retina was the Crown Prince’s partner, there was no way around it.

Retina greeted Misha and smiled awkwardly as she looked at her tightly clenched lips. Misha’s gaze remained fixed on the dress Retina was wearing. It was a design with a few additional embellishments compared to the dress she had originally chosen. Judging by the look in her eyes, she would probably have a lot to say when she turned away.

“Your Highness, would you dance with me?” A young lady gathered her courage and asked the Crown Prince. Even though partners were assigned for the party, it would become dull if you only danced with your partner, so it was customary to dance a few songs with others. Dancing too many songs with different people or dancing with someone other than your partner too much wouldn’t be proper, though.

“I’m sorry, but I haven’t danced with my partner yet, so I’ll have to decline for now. Maybe later.”

However, even that was only possible after dancing the first song with their designated partner. If they didn’t dance with their partner throughout the party, they couldn’t dance with anyone else.

“Why are you refusing dance requests from other young ladies?” Retina, who knew that the Crown Prince deliberately hadn’t danced with her for the first song, lowered her head and looked at the young lady walking away with a slightly puzzled expression.

“…”

She clenched her jaw, unable to withstand Herald’s gaze fixed on her, and turned her head towards him.