Herald’s steps came to a halt as he conversed with unfamiliar individuals approaching him. Those walking in sync with him noticed Retina across from them and greeted her.
“Isn’t this His Excellency, Duke Ignes? Haha, it’s my first time greeting you. I am Ramun Lapidus from the Lapidus Viscounty. I have only seen you from a distance during discussions, and now I have the opportunity to greet you.”
“Nice to meet you.”
Viscount Lapidus had been called to the capital to fill the vacancies left by purged nobles. All those following the Crown Prince, including him, were newly rising nobles.
“I’m not sure how to express my gratitude to Your Excellency. Thanks to you, I have had the honor of conversing with His Highness the Crown Prince, and every day has been the most glorious moment of my 40 years of life.”
“No, it is His Highness the Crown Prince who chose you, Viscount. You don’t need to thank me.”
Retina responded to his extended hand for a handshake and looked up at the Crown Prince. Since notifying him of their breakup, she had encountered him a few times in official settings, but it still felt awkward.
“I greet His Highness the Crown Prince.”
Unable to ignore him, Retina was the first to slightly bow her head in greeting. Herald barely acknowledged her greeting and instead spoke to Sat, who was standing behind her.
“Where are you headed?”
“A trial for the Hastings family and the nobles who committed corruption is being held, so I’m on my way to observe.”
“Is that today? I’m sorry for letting you go alone. I intended to attend, but as you can see, something urgent came up.”
“The outcome was already determined from the beginning, so there wouldn’t be anything new even if you did attend.”
Sat shrugged as he responded. Herald had planned to attend the trial no matter what, but due to the lords who usually stayed in their territories during the social season arriving in the capital earlier than expected, he couldn’t make it.
However, to Retina, who didn’t know the detailed circumstances, it only sounded like Herald had deliberately scheduled conflicting appointments to avoid seeing her.
It was natural for him to focus on other matters since they were no longer anything to each other, but it was unavoidable that his indifferent words hurt her.
‘Why am I the one getting hurt when I was the one who suggested the breakup first?’
Retina watched Herald’s profile as he chatted casually with Sat. His jawline looked sharper as if he had lost some weight, but his expression seemed better than before.
Seeing him looking fine as if she was the only one left with lingering feelings made her eyes sting with tears.
Even though she had been the one to push him away, it seemed it would still take a long time to completely erase the Crown Prince from her heart. Perhaps leaving Rudenheim quickly and avoiding encounters with him would help her think less about him.
“It seems you both have much to discuss. I have a tight schedule, so I will take my leave.”
Retina interrupted their conversation, fearing that staying any longer would make her reach out to him first. She ignored the envious gazes of nobles who wanted to engage further with her, a foreign noblewoman.
“Would you like to… No, you must be tired. Go and rest.”
“Yes, see you at the mansion.”
Retina passed by them, leaving behind Sat, who almost tried to stop her. Although the Deneuve family was currently aligned with the noble faction, it was wise for her brother Sat to build connections with the rising nobility, as he would become a close aide to the Emperor once the Crown Prince ascended to the throne.
With the ongoing trials, the power of the families supporting the Empress was dwindling, and it was up to the Crown Prince to figure out how to use the emerging forces filling those vacancies. Judging by his actions so far, he seemed to be handling it well.
The Crown Prince, who had once been unable to participate actively due to his madness, was now attending various events and securing allies, filling his previous shortcomings.
His attitude was entirely different from when he had turned even his own allies into enemies to protect Retina. Because of the Crown Prince’s sudden change, Retina had to be even more resolute in her coldness towards him.
Clutching the pendant she had kept close since inheriting the duke title, Retina walked quickly towards the carriage. She had resolved to harden her heart, but her emotions, easily shaken, felt like they might collapse at any moment.
* * *
“Crying?”
“Get lost.”
“I thought something was wrong since your eyes were red. Glad to hear you’re not crying.”
After Retina left, Sat teased Herald, who couldn’t take his eyes off where Retina had disappeared. Herald shoved Sat’s face away in annoyance, irritated by Sat’s playful probing.
He isn’t even Haint. Herald side-eyed Sat, who was deliberately trying to read his emotions with his teasing. Did he think Herald didn’t realize his sneaky attempts to find out what had happened with Retina?
Leaving Sat behind, Herald continued walking with the nobles in tow, following his original path.
“Hmm.”
With his arms crossed, Sat turned around, watching Herald’s retreating back as he animatedly conversed with the nobles. Both of them tried to hide their true feelings, but to Sat, it was clear they both still had lingering feelings for each other after their breakup.
Even so, neither of them made the first move to reconcile, leaving Sat unable to intervene without seeming nosy. As a result, both he and Haint had to tread carefully around them for the past few days.
“How long has it been since they were head over heels for each other, and now they’re broken up, just like that?”
Haint couldn’t bear it and holed up in the training grounds. Sat, with no excuse to be elsewhere, had to endure Retina’s gloomy emotions at the mansion and Herald’s at the palace.
They should either openly express their sadness or completely get over it. Both seemed fine but would suddenly sigh or look on the verge of tears, leaving Sat unsure how to handle them.
‘What’s the use of having so much relationship experience? I’m the one suffering from their fallout.’
Without knowing the exact details of their breakup, Sat could only speculate based on the visible outcomes. Retina likely initiated the breakup, and Herald tried to hold on.
However, he couldn’t openly cling to her because she hadn’t resolved the issue that caused the breakup. Thus, he surrounded himself with the newly risen nobles, trying to establish new allies in the capital.
‘Unexpected.’
Sat was internally surprised by Herald’s quick adaptation. Gaining close aides meant exposing oneself to greater risks, including revealing personal weaknesses. Herald, who suffered from severe madness, hated exposing his condition, even if it made him appear as a violent and ruthless ruler. He especially didn’t want the hypocritical imperial faction to hold any leverage over him.
Despite being a member of the royal family, Herald could not fully trust the imperial faction. He had long known the corrupt aspects of the families that had held firm control over the political landscape as part of the imperial faction. He witnessed the misdeeds committed by the heirs of these nobles, who exploited their status while at the academy.
Given this, it was only natural for Herald to harbor resentment towards the imperial faction. However, even though he was aware of the corruption not only of the heirs but also of the heads of these families, Herald did not act immediately. Instead, he meticulously gathered information, waiting until he could bring them down completely.
Feigning disinterest in power, he carefully managed his image, allowing opposition against the supposedly incompetent crown prince to grow. He was so thorough that even his parents, the Emperor and Empress, were deceived into thinking that Herald was genuinely unable to secure his position as crown prince. This was despite the fact that, except for the opposition faction, the rest of the imperial faction still supported him.
Herald’s decision to change was all because of Retina.
“I told him to be honest and open from the start.”
He must have appealed to emotions without considering the situation he was in. Retina was the only person who saw Herald show a semblance of humanity, who was otherwise known for his lack of emotional expression.
However, Retina was the type to make rational decisions when faced with emotional situations. The reason she, who had openly expressed her desire to become the crown princess to both Sat and their father, ended things with Herald was clear.
“She must have thought she was a harmful presence to Herald.”
So, Retina made a rational decision to leave his side for Herald’s sake. If Herald had just opened up a little, his dear sister wouldn’t have had to go through such heartache.
“Well, even if they clear up the misunderstandings, it doesn’t mean they’ll get back together immediately.”
There were numerous complex situations surrounding them. If it had just been a matter between families, it could have been resolved somehow, but with national issues entangled, breaking up seemed the only viable option.
“Still, it’s better to be honest about your feelings, even if you part ways, than to separate with misunderstandings.”
Sat, resting his chin on his hand and deep in thought, rubbed his lips. It seemed that these two novices in love needed some advice from a senior.
