Chapter 13:
The Royal Ball (Part 5)
“Yes?”
“You went to find your brothers, but you’ve been with Raglaras’ prince the whole time.”
The Crown Prince, whom Retina had now reunited with, seemed somewhat off. He leaned closer to Retina as he gripped the pillar she had been leaning against. His usually sharp gaze appeared slightly softened as he regarded Retina.
“It seems you quite liked him. You spent more time talking to him than most nobles, who wouldn’t even agree to approach him.”
“I only had some matters to discuss with the prince, that’s all.”
“But it seems for you, ‘some matters’ equate to three waltzes, doesn’t it?”
Retina had been dancing tirelessly with her suitors, her dress trailing behind her.
Her Highness Princess Eryina, of course, had danced non-stop with everyone who came running her way. However, the Crown Prince, Herald, wasn’t interested in hearing Retina’s excuses. He continued to grumble in a sulky tone. Retina raised an eyebrow, wondering what had suddenly upset him.
‘What’s gotten into him all of a sudden?’
Retina stared directly at him and caught a faint whiff of alcohol on his breath. Could he be drunk? But he seemed fine, other than complaining about her. No one else seemed to notice.
Retina began to count on her fingers. She had had one glass of champagne at the start of the party and another after dancing. Even if she had shared her champagne with him, they would have had a total of five glasses between them.
‘Party champagne is usually low in alcohol content, so even if you drink a lot, you don’t get drunk.’
“What are you thinking about me now? Was Prince Raglaras so good that you would think of someone else when you saw the jewel of the empire?”
What’s gotten into this prince? Retina pushed away Herald’s hand, which was holding her chin, and scanned him from head to toe.
“What are you talking about? I only met the prince for the first time today.”
“You, the one who used to say you didn’t want to marry a nobleman, didn’t want to get married at all, and had no interest in men. And now you’ve stuck with a prince you just met for three dances?”
“Your Highness, I don’t know what you’ve seen, but I’ve been perfectly courteous with the prince. I’ve maintained proper decorum.”
“Well, you didn’t even let other suitors speak a word. What’s the reason for being so close to the Raglaras prince? Did he do something to you?”
He must be drunk. Retina was now certain as she observed Herald, who had suddenly started acting this way. Even if there were lingering hostilities due to more than a century of enmity, was it appropriate for the Crown Prince, the one who invited her as a guest, to openly display hostility?
“It doesn’t matter what Your Highness thinks, but I can assure you it’s not like that.”
He must have misinterpreted something. Retina watched Herald, who seemed to be slumping, apparently affected by alcohol. Although she couldn’t fathom why he was behaving like this all of a sudden.
“If you have concerns about me having the same hair color as the prince or anything else, you should talk to me privately rather than making such a scene here.”
Translator: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only
But even if he had a problem with her, was it appropriate to show such open hostility to someone he invited as a guest?
“As you wish. Your business is your own. I’m just saying it seems strange.”
‘It’s probably best to confront that woman who’s so desperately searching for someone’, Retina thought. If she can find her. With that in mind, Retina picked up a champagne glass from the array of displayed drinks. She had been conversing with Norden and then engaged in verbal sparring with the Crown Prince, making her quite thirsty.
“Oops!”
“Why is this so heavy?”
Even if she wanted to push the heavily built man aside, who was strong enough to carry her, it was futile. She was attempting to detach the Crown Prince, but instead, she might end up collapsing herself.
Should she just abandon him? Well, he was still the Crown Prince, so if she collapsed in the hall, someone would probably come to her aid. Besides, didn’t the nobility always travel with an entourage?
“Doesn’t the Crown Prince have any bodyguards with him?”
“That’s not the case.”
As the Crown Prince, he didn’t have any bodyguards. The more she leaned on his shoulder, the heavier he seemed to become. Retina was muttering to herself, considering whether she should abandon him or not when she suddenly noticed a knight appearing from the shadows.
“Since when were you… there?”
“Your Highness mentioned the Raglaras prince from the beginning.”
So, he had been there from the start. Had he seen everything? Retina widened her eyes and asked. The knight in black uniform remained silent instead of answering her question.
“Yes, I’ve seen it. I’ve seen it.”
It was fortunate that the witness was a bodyguard. If it were a noble who liked to eavesdrop and spread rumors, the situation could have turned quite ugly with strange gossip circulating.
“What you just saw must remain a secret.”
“Yes, yes, I understand.”
Retina helped the Crown Prince shift to the knight who was assisting him. She watched as they left. If she hadn’t followed the knight as they left, it could have caused more trouble.
“…?”
“Oh, it’s just that this arm…”
The sentence was left hanging as the Crown Prince’s arm wrapped around the knight’s neck.
Dressed in her gown, Retina grumbled and asked for help from the knight who was escorting her. No matter how hard she tried, the hand holding her wouldn’t let go.
She could read the pitiful look in the knight’s eyes as he stared at her. I know this situation is strange too! But how do I get this Prince to let go of me?
“…Would you like to accompany me to the bedroom?”
The knight, who had been hesitating for a moment, finally spoke. It was tough, but there was no other way. Retina looked down at her painful foot. She wanted to drop this burden and rest, but it seemed wiser to get to a place without people quickly.
“Yes… let’s go.”
Eventually, Retina decided to follow the escort. Even though they were supporting the Crown Prince between them, in reality, it was the Crown Prince and the knight dragging Retina along.
The path the escort took was away from the crowded banquet hall, and there were hardly any people around. The knight, who seemed to have been here many times before, appeared accustomed to such situations.
“Here is His Highness’s bedroom.”
The escort stopped as they arrived at the Crown prince palace, slightly away from the castle. Relieved that they had finally arrived, Retina put more strength into her legs, which had almost given out.
I’d rather throw this child hanging on me than throw away my glass slippers. The escort opened the door hastily upon arrival, and Retina, who had been on the verge of collapsing, forced herself to stand up.
“Are you in a lot of pain?”
“A little. These glass slippers are making it hurt even more.”
Even though she hadn’t taken off her glass slippers, her skin looked reddened. It seemed like her feet would be swollen tomorrow.
“Then would you like to rest for a while?”
The escort looked at the Crown Prince for a moment before making the suggestion. Even though she had wanted to rest ever since sitting on the stool, Retina was taken aback when she realized they were in the Crown Prince’s bedroom.
“Is that alright? This is His Highness’s bedroom.”
“It should be okay.”
Though she murmured to herself if it would be alright, the escort didn’t explain further. He simply left Retina in the room, suggesting she rest until she felt better.
As soon as the door closed with a firm sound and the escort disappeared from view, Retina threw her glass slippers. She had hesitated because it was the Crown Prince’s bedroom, but all of her hesitation vanished.
“Geez, this will be a real problem tomorrow.”
Translator: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only
When she examined her feet hidden in her shoes, she found them in a worse state than she had expected. Her swollen feet seemed like they would get even worse by tomorrow.
Retina lay down on the stool with her feet placed below. There wasn’t a single part of her body that didn’t ache. That’s why she avoided doing such things in the first place. The accumulated fatigue from living quietly since arriving in the capital was catching up with her all at once.
“You’re quite comfortable lying there, considering how hesitant you were.”
Retina abruptly sat up, dispelling the drowsiness that had been coming over her, upon hearing a voice.
“Y-You’re awake?”
“Somebody was pounding on the bed a little while ago. It was loud enough to wake me from my sleep. I wonder how hard you put me down for the me to wake up.”
The Crown Prince, rubbing his head, frowned. Retina was about to apologize but then remembered that she had been dragged to the bedroom because of this. She raised her chin defiantly.
“Oh, I said I was careful, but I guess you felt that way because your body was too heavy. So, who wants to fall for a frail woman over a good escort knight?”
She wanted to thrust her swollen legs right in front of the Crown Prince’s face, but thinking about the governess, who had worked hard to teach her manners, she decided to restrain herself.
“You should’ve just left me behind.”
“I had to bring you with me.”
“How can I, as an Imperial citizen, solve a problem when the strong arm guarding the Empire doesn’t let go of my neck? Anyway, it’s just like my older brother’s aggressive way of speaking.”
“Well, my brother, Sat, was born that way, but I’m a bit more discerning.”
“Does that mean I’m a worthy rival for you?”
Herald’s question left Retina momentarily speechless, and her eyebrows twitched slightly, as if it had struck a chord with her. After pondering for a while, she finally responded to Herald’s question.
“The prince… Well, if I’m being precise, he’s someone I have a favorable impression of.”
Her unexpected answer caused Herald’s eyebrow to quirk up in surprise.
this is really confusing!!!!