Chapter 30

I Don’t Know Well

 

‘It feels like I’ve overheard something I shouldn’t have.’

Retina glanced around, wondering if anyone else had heard the conversation besides her. The voice was coming from a corridor leading to the separate wing where the debutantes stayed, but it was still part of the estate. However, given that the debutante ball was still ongoing, Retina was the only one in the vicinity.

“I’ve liked Her Highness for a long time, you know that. How could you ask me to tell Her Highness it was a lie, even when you know my feelings?!”

“If you truly care about Her Highness, telling the truth is the right thing to do. Should I speak to His Highness about it myself?”

“I don’t want to! Why should I? Today was the only chance I had to be alone with His Highness. I don’t want to…”

“Is it okay to discuss this here?”

The conversation contained dangerous statements that were openly exchanged. Retina couldn’t just walk away, as the topic seemed to involve her in some way. Even though it was a secluded area within the palace, she couldn’t help but wonder if it was too careless to linger here. Despite the lack of people around, someone like herself passing by might raise suspicion.

“Did you say that because I mentioned that His Highness might consider that woman as a potential Crown Princess if she’s found? I told you there’s nothing confirmed yet. His Highness will soon select candidates for Crown Princess, and until then, if we keep searching, you might have a chance to be considered. Why did you lie then?”

Under Illiyan’s probing, Marie couldn’t immediately respond. She hesitated, and under Illiyan’s continued pressure, she finally revealed her inner thoughts.

“It’s been a month since the party at Penelope gala. At this point, it seems like she deliberately isn’t showing up. His Highness the Crown Prince is desperately searching, and it’s better for anyone to appear rather than not finding anyone!”

Marie whispered softly with closed eyes. She held her shoulders, avoiding Illiyan’s gaze and staring at the ground. Her efforts to avoid his gaze were evident. Illiyan understood one truth that Marie wanted to conceal.

“You know who that woman is.”

Illiyan’s previously narrowed eyelids widened. His silver-gray irises held his sister. The quiet admission made Marie’s heart race with anxiety.

Hiding in the bushes, Retina had overheard their conversation. She recoiled, as if caught in a crime, and quickly fled the scene.

‘Someone saw Prince Consort and me that day? How?’

Retina, clutching her hat to prevent it from being blown away by the wind, ran back to her room. She ran at full speed, and by the time she arrived, her breath was heavy, and her heart was pounding.

Translators: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only

“Oh? You said you were going for a walk, and now you’re running back?”

“Yeah, umm… I just felt like running because the night air was nice.”

She replied to Lena’s question while catching her breath, then drove onto her bed. As she lay there, her pounding heartbeats echoed in her ears.

‘They’re selecting a Crown Princess…’

Retina’s thoughts raced as she absorbed the implications of the conversation she had just overheard.

Indeed, the Crown Prince and his brothers were of an age where they still had plenty of time for marriage. However, not even an engagement was in sight. While her brothers were in steady relationships, but the Crown prince had only rumors circulating about his engagements, and even those fell through repeatedly. It seemed the Queen’s concern wasn’t limited to Retina alone.

With the upcoming ascension of the Crown Emperor, there could be no further delay in arranging marriages. Retina believed the Queen considered this year as the appropriate time. She turned her body to face the bed and flopped down on it.

‘Marriage, marriage…’

Was that why she was so desperately searching for the woman who had spent the night with her? Retina thought back to the two people she had seen at the ball. If Zenferno were not to be exposed as a liar, then she was to become the Crown Princess.

They had looked good together, those two. Illiyan may not have wanted to believe it, but Retina thought they were a good match in both appearance and lineage. Not only Retina but probably everyone there must have thought so. The House of Zenferno was one of the prominent imperial faction families, after all.

Even the Queen, who had been watching from afar, seemed to have taken a liking to Marie’s actions, though she didn’t show it outwardly. During the time when there was concern about which noble family the Crown Prince would choose, Zenfarno’s daughter made the first move. In essence, the position of Crown Princess had already been decided.

It should have been a favorable outcome for everyone, so why did Retina find herself not wanting to congratulate them? She closed her eyes, pressing her palms together, her heart in turmoil, not entirely sure of the reason behind her unrest.

* * *

“Your Highness, I’ve longed to meet you so many times, but I couldn’t appear before you without participating in the Debutante Ball. I worried so much about what to say if you didn’t come to find me. Thank you for waiting.”

Marie Zenferno portrayed herself as if she were genuinely the woman who had spent a night with the Crown Prince, complete with modest shyness and trembling. Herald, who had so eagerly sought the mysterious woman, cast a somewhat indifferent gaze upon the woman in front of him.

“Can you take responsibility?”

“…Yes?”

“Responsibility for what you’ve said.”

At Herald’s question, Marie hesitated for a moment, then firmly closed her mouth and nodded her head up and down.

“I can take responsibility. Sir.”

Taking responsibility, huh? Quite different from anyone else. A faint smile curled on Herald’s lips. This girl who used to secretly peek at him from behind Illiyan had grown so much. Her boldness in staring without turning away when their eyes met seemed to have continued to develop.

“Though you said you couldn’t remember because you were drunk, it seems you spent the night with such a young girl. You’re unfamiliar with the Zenferno name.”

“It’s… it’s alright. It was something I consented to. I… I enjoyed it. I didn’t know what to do during the day and tried to escape, but Your Highness, you remembered me and found me. I was touched.”

“Staying here for too long wouldn’t be good for someone participating in the Debutante Ball. You should return now.”

Herald didn’t take Marie all the way to the Crown Prince’s residence, indicating he wasn’t interested in bringing her to the palace. He simply wanted to ensure there were no interruptions during their conversation.

“Then… I hope you have a good night, Your Highness.”

Translators: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only

Herald waved his hand once in response to Marie’s farewell. What on earth was he doing, bringing a girl who was practically a child with no experience whatsoever? Even if he wanted to make it clear in front of everyone that she wasn’t the one he had been searching for, he had completely acknowledged Marie Zenferno as the woman he was looking for.

Lost in thought, Herald tapped his pen on the table. Illiyan, who had been his aide even when the Debutante Ball was in full swing, watched Herald closely and eventually spoke up.

“Do you have something to say?”

“No, not really.”

“If you do, say it. Don’t fidget around like a child who needs to pee and keep glancing around.”

“Is it true… that the woman you were looking for is Marie?”

Illiyan asked, holding out hope that Herald would deny it. His expression conveyed his wish that she wasn’t the one.

“She claims so herself. As you know, I don’t remember, and I wasn’t actively searching for the woman. I was surprised by what Marie said as well.”

Illiyan’s complexion paled, and a look of resignation crossed his face. While not to the extent of the Deneuve brothers, Illiyan cared for his younger sister quite a bit. He had been pondering how to handle the aftermath of her reckless actions.

‘It seems Illiyan wasn’t aware.’

Herald interpreted Illiyan’s reaction and realized that Marie’s actions this time were her own doing. To ease Illiyan’s worries, which seemed to be driving him mad, Herald subtly dropped a hint.

“But it’s true that the woman I spent the night with wasn’t Marie. I knew that much. I couldn’t possibly disgrace her in front of everyone, especially after her debut. Her reputation shouldn’t suffer.”

Herald’s words aimed to alleviate Illiyan’s concerns.

“I, I understand.”

Illiyan responded, his face turning pale, but he gave a confident answer to Herald’s question. He was worried about how to handle the situation since he believed Marie genuinely thought she had been with Herald.

Herald reassured Illiyan, “Already, rumors have spread that Marie and I spent the night together, so it might be difficult to deny now. I’ll handle it properly by rejecting her at the right time. In Rudenheim, relationships between men and women aren’t a big issue, so there shouldn’t be any problems during the marriage ceremony.”

Herald informed Illiyan that he wouldn’t reveal Marie’s lie. Exposing the falsehood would be equivalent to confirming that he now knew who the woman was. Since he hadn’t yet decided what to do with Retina and had no alternative to keep her from escaping, he didn’t need to reveal his cards.

“I’m sorry. She has been insistent on marrying you since she was young…”

“Once Marie spends a few days with me, she’ll never say those things again.”

Haint, who was laughing heartily, added, “She’ll find out he can be quite violent at night. Herald will probably have as much interest in Marie as he does in his own shadow. Most people will focus on the next Crown Princess, just like the Prince.”

Herald put his pen down and rubbed his chin, thinking about the situation. While it was an uncomfortable situation for the Zenferno family, Herald had plans to use this time with Marie to search for evidence while she was close. He knew he had been rather ruthless in using the young Marie for his own purposes.

“Maybe I should check it now.”

He decided that it was time to investigate the situation further. From the moment he met Retina at the Penelope Villa, she had occupied his thoughts entirely.