I Stole the Prince's First

chapter 16:

Tea party 1

Before becoming a lady, noble young women were always accompanied by their female elders. Usually, the debutante would be introduced by the lady of the house, but in some cases, when the lady’s position was vacant, other families or another lady from a different lineage would be asked to accompany the debutante as her chaperone. This was the case for Retina of the Duke Deneuve’s family, as her mother’s position was vacant.

‘I almost forgot about the chaperone,’ Retina thought.

She had been so focused on the debutante that she had forgotten about the presence of a chaperone who would escort her to the Empress. It seemed her father had arranged someone to fill this role, even though he was busy with affairs in the capital. Retina appreciated his consideration.

‘Though I am grateful… it still feels burdensome,’ she thought.

After all, it was the Grand Ball. She knew enough from the occasional bits of gossip at parties to understand her position in society. Even if she didn’t reveal her face, having someone with that much influence as her chaperone would surely draw attention to her.

“I guess I have to go”, she sighed.

“It’s not ‘I guess.’ You must attend,” her butler emphasized.

Retina made a reluctant sound. She couldn’t bring her brothers with her this time, and she already missed the comfort of their presence. Their ability to attract attention without her having to do anything, their knack for blending in and then quietly slipping away—she’d come to rely on it. Going to the party alone was beginning to worry her.

“Why don’t I just meet them separately for greetings? I don’t know anyone there, and what am I supposed to talk about?” Retina asked.

“It’s about building connections,” her butler explained.

“Connections… I don’t even know if anyone will approach me.”

Even if they did, Retina thought, they might start a fight. She chuckled softly, mixing irony with self-deprecation.

“Not everyone will be hostile. There will surely be those who are friendly toward you,” the butler assured her.

“But if someone does approach me, what should I talk about?”

“Conversation topics can vary. Anything that interests the young ladies can become a topic of conversation. Perhaps something from the newspapers…”

As they spoke, the butler glanced elsewhere, and although he tried to be discreet, Retina easily understood. It was probably about how some people in high society pretended to be noble but gossiped and fought behind each other’s backs.

Translator: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only

Retina’s expression darkened further. Of course, her name had to be prominently featured in the newspapers just before this party. She wouldn’t have to worry about running out of conversation topics.

“If I really don’t want to go, will you force me?” Retina asked.

In response, the butler smiled quietly. With the official seal of the Grand Duke’s household and her name clearly written on the invitation, there were few who could ignore it.

Retina sat there, feeling as if she were being led to a slaughterhouse, yet her penned response to the invitation appeared resolute. Her script, however, showed no hint of such emotions.

“Aren’t there any other invitations from elsewhere?” she inquired.

“No, there aren’t any. If there were, I would bring them to you immediately,” the butler replied.

“Hmm… No, it’s fine. Just relay everything to Sat,” Retina waved her hand dismissively. She received the invitation to the Grand Duchess’s party from the steward today because Sat, her elder brother, had temporarily vacated the mansion. Normally, Sat would have filtered the invitations for her. Retina was used to entrusting such matters to him, considering her limited knowledge of the social hierarchy and the strengths and weaknesses of each noble house.

“Oh, and please send the newspapers to my room from now on.”

She realized she had been too complacent. Judging from the contents of the newspapers, if she acted carelessly, she might be treated as a naive fool who had just come from the countryside, even though she was forcibly brought to the capital. Once she set foot in high society, making a fool of herself right in front of everyone was not an option.

* * *

‘Retina, you can’t trust just anyone. It’s a den of vipers in there. If you accept an apple offered by them without thinking, you could end up poisoned.’

Retina recalled her brother Haint’s stern warning as they rode in the carriage on their way to the Grand Duchess’s residence, just before her debutante ball. She couldn’t help but agree.

‘Certainly, we need to be cautious at the Grand Duchess’s party,’ she thought. If even Sat, her older brother, was cautioning her like this, it meant that the event was not to be taken lightly.

‘The only person I can somewhat trust is the Grand Duke himself.’

‘Do you believe the old lady who boiled 100 of those squirrels? Oh, the sun. I’d rather eat a poisoned apple.’

Sat muttered this as he clenched his fists, as though he were praying, his eyes focused on the sky. What could the Grand Duchess be like to make her brother Haint act like this?

Retina had never seen the Grand Duchess before. Her knowledge about her came solely from the stories her brothers had told her.

“At least there are very few people who know your hair color.”

Sat gently stroked Retina’s hair. He looked at his younger sister, who was supposed to be cursed from birth, with eyes full of disbelief. Despite the absurd rumors about her cursed bloodline, Retina had never been anything less than adorable. When their father suggested bringing Retina to the capital out of concern for her unpredictable future, Sat had agreed, but he still couldn’t shake the unease.

“The Grand Duchess wanted you as her chaperone first, so she will surely offer assistance.”

Translator: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only

Until now, Retina had been adapting quite well, but she couldn’t predict what would happen in high society. A Duchess of such stature would surely be a good mentor for her.

“Retina, you have to come back safely, no matter what you hear there! And even if someone annoys you, don’t hit them with a fan! You might be able to negotiate with a fist, but if an aristocrat’s face is scarred, it’s going to be a headache!”

Haint clung to Retina, his fingers entangled in her lace gloves. Was he saying all of this because he was genuinely worried, or was it just an expression of his concern? Retina wanted to reassure him that she had no intention of resorting to violence, but Haint’s heartfelt plea left her speechless.

Haint continued to offer his advice and concerns until the carriage door closed, creating quite a commotion before finally departing from the Duke’s residence.

‘This is the first party I’m attending without my brothers. I’m nervous,’ Retina admitted to herself.

Despite her nervousness, Retina had a unique way of managing her anxiety by maintaining a languid composure to control her emotions. Half of her thoughts were simply to go with the flow, so she didn’t feel much emotional turmoil.

“Miss, we have arrived at the Lencia Grand Duchy.”

Upon hearing the announcement that they had arrived at the Grand Duchy, Retina, who had been languidly stretching her arms, perked up. It was the first time in a while she had been in a carriage this long, except for the trip to the capital.

The Duke and Duchess had recently moved from their mansion in the capital to this Horn Castle just before the start of the social season. Although it wasn’t a great distance, the ride felt long compared to their mansion in the capital.

After a long carriage ride, Retina stretched her sore back and neck with the help of her maid. She couldn’t see beneath her dress properly because of its opulence.

With a slight grip on her dress to prevent it from dragging on the ground, Retina was helped down from the carriage. The extravagant dress made it difficult to see what was below, and it wasn’t the most comfortable experience.

Making sure her dress didn’t touch the ground, Retina jumped down from the carriage and immediately raised her head to look at the castle in front of her. It was an impressive structure, more like a fortress than a typical aristocratic mansion, emphasizing functionality over aesthetics.

“It’s not really a fortress, though. Probably built recently,” she thought.

The castle had been constructed as a last bastion during a war a hundred years ago but had undergone some renovations to become the Duke’s residence. It was rather unusual to hold a tea party in such a place. Following her maid’s guidance, Retina walked past the neatly stacked stone walls.

However, Retina’s impressions quickly changed as she passed through the iron-like walls.

“Wow…”

As they passed through the fortress-like walls, the main body of the castle was revealed. The interior of the castle, nestled in the midst of the mountains, was incredibly well-furnished. Among all the impressive sights, the most eye-catching was the glass-walled greenhouse garden that seemed unimaginable from the outside.

“This way, please,” the attendant responsible for guiding her stopped in front of the glass greenhouse. Inside, she could hear the voices of other debutantes who had arrived earlier, engaging in light conversation.

“Phew.”

Taking a deep breath, Retina clenched her fist tightly. Sip the tea, smile at the right time, and only respond when asked, right? She repeated the tips for a successful tea party that had been passed down to her. She hoped that no one would pay her any attention, just like before.

At the entrance to the greenhouse, she took a moment to compose herself and then, with a broad smile, she stepped into the greenhouse. After taking a deep breath and holding it for a moment, she looked around.

The greenhouse had tall bushes at the entrance, designed to obscure the interior from the outside. Following the path made of bushes and stones, as she took a few steps, the interior of the greenhouse, previously hidden from view, was revealed.

The greenhouse was filled with various plants, from those difficult to grow outdoors to wildflowers. It resembled a botanical garden, with plants of all colors proudly displaying their hues. On one side, the sound of flowing water and cheerful bird songs made it feel like she was not in a greenhouse but in the middle of a forest.

Among all this, the central part of the greenhouse, just below the round ceiling, had a table where you could sit and have a full view of the greenhouse’s surroundings. As she had guessed from the sound of voices, other debutantes were gathered around the long table, chatting and laughing.

‘It seems the Grand Duchess hasn’t arrived yet.’

Retina scanned the faces of the attendees, but she couldn’t spot anyone who resembled the Grand Duchess. Perhaps that was why there seemed to be a slightly tense atmosphere among the debutantes who were chatting and laughing.

‘How should I greet them here?’

Should she say “Hello~” in a cheerful manner? Or should she opt for something more formal like, “Greetings, I am Retina Cecilica of the Duke of Deneuve”? Standing in the corridor, pondering her choices, Retina decided to go with the latter. After all, what could she expect from someone who hadn’t even made their debut yet?

“Hello.”

With a somewhat timid voice, she greeted those around her as she made her way to a table. She didn’t want to just sit down without saying a word; that would be awkward.

However, as she took her seat and tried to blend in, the debutantes who had been chatting and ignoring her suddenly turned their attention towards Retina.