Chapter 33

Spending Time with the Crown Prince at the Mansion?

Three days of debutante balls had come to an end. Exhausted from three days of non-stop activities, Retina, upon arriving at the mansion, tossed her crystal tiara randomly and collapsed onto the bed.

“Miss… but I’m glad you became the Crystal Moon as you wished,” Lena, who had also turned into a wilted flower like Retina, hesitated as she sat down by the bed. Lena, who had carried dresses from the salons on Leblem Street to the palace every day, now leaned against her carrier as if it were her lifeline.

On the final day of announcing the Crystal Moon, Retina was undoubtedly the star. The moment rumors circulated that the Grand Duchess was appearing as Chaperon, and that Lady Rose was in charge of her education, Retina was already the frontrunner for the Crystal Moon.

“Did… did I do well?”

“Of course. Do you have any idea how rare a Crystal Moon is? There’s already an overflow of invitations to the mansion in your name. And what about the name cards? Soon, the front of the mansion will be filled with suitors… don’t you think?”

As Retina asked her question, Lena’s voice gradually dropped lower and lower. She bobbed her head up and down, half-asleep, and then suddenly jerked awake, repeating this cycle until she eventually fell into a deep sleep.

Retina considered waking Lena uncomfortably but ended up covering her with a blanket instead. She felt guilty for all the hard work Lena had put in during these three days.

“You’ve worked hard, Lena.”

Retina gently stroked Lena’s hair and adorned the bun with jewelry. The crimson rubies complemented her warm auburn hair beautifully.

* * *

After the debutante balls came to an end, Retina expected to have a bit of a break. However, by the morning of the next day, she was busy again. The debutante balls marked the beginning of the formal social season, and suitors flocked to the mansions of young ladies.

Among them, the most crowded mansion was the Duke of Deneuve’s. The mansion, recognized in every aspect as superior to any other noble’s, was filled with gentlemen who came to court at Retina, the Crystal Moon, extending in a long line all the way to the front gate.

Sitting on the drawing-room sofa, Retina, who had been getting ready since the crack of dawn, clenched her fist with gloved hands. As a result of her three days of hard work, dark shadows had formed under her eyes.

For short durations ranging from 5 minutes to as long as 15 minutes, she engaged in conversations. The gifts brought by the suitors piled up in the corner of the drawing-room. They were all items that Retina had no interest in, things she could easily get her hands on whenever she wanted.

During a brief break, Retina, who had maintained a rigid posture, turned her neck to relieve her stiff muscles and looked out the window. Yet, despite having met half of the suitors, they were still lined up outside the gate.

Translators: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only

Seeing that there were still many people left, Retina’s head began to throb. She leaned against the sofa, touching her forehead. The words on the tip of her tongue were urging them all to leave since she had no intention of marrying anyone.

Questions like how many children she wanted or if she intended to spend her life in the mansion devoted to child-rearing were meaningless. There were no listeners among those who wanted to hear her thoughts. In that regard, even though he only asked about her thoughts, the Crown Prince was better.

‘…Why am I comparing them to the Crown Prince?’

Retina scolded herself inwardly for unconsciously comparing the suitors and the Crown Prince. It was because there wasn’t a single suitor among them who seemed worthwhile. Her standards were high, and there was no man who caught her eye in terms of looks or background.

‘Rather than getting married…’

However, as the days passed, and she engaged in soulless conversations with the increasing number of suitors, the Crown Prince, who had escorted Marie with perfect etiquette, came to mind. His voice, which whispered in her ear while he cared for her at night, disrupted her sleep.

She found herself muttering complaints about the suitors to Lena, and she had to bite her tongue to stop herself from almost mentioning him. A few more days of this and she might reveal that she didn’t really dislike the Crown Prince at all.

“I want to return to the estate.”

Retina declared, unable to bear it any longer.

She would tell her father that she had no intention of marrying and leaving. If she stayed in the capital any longer, it felt like she might actually start to like the Crown Prince. She had a nagging feeling that she might go looking for him to figure out her emotions if she stayed in the capital any longer.

Having declared that she would no longer receive suitors, Retina packed her bags instead of dressing up. It was a bit disappointing to part with Lena, but she wouldn’t completely avoid coming to the capital, so they could meet occasionally.

Retina, having packed all her belongings, stacked her bags next to the bed. It was easy because she had brought her belongings from the estate as they were. Although Lena objected from the side, Retina didn’t budge. She was about to ask the housekeeper to move her luggage downstairs when a loud noise, like the cry of a monster, echoed from the end of the corridor.

“Reti! Reti! Reti!”

Haint, who had heard the news of Retina leaving the capital, came running from the entrance of the mansion, shouting at the top of his lungs. Behind him, Sat, with his ears covered and his face twisted with displeasure, followed.

“W-what’s all this noise? I’m going back to the estate!”

Despite jumping down the stairs two or three steps at a time, Haint, who hadn’t even broken a sweat, stammered as he spoke.

“Retina. Are you really going?”

“Yes.”

“No! Reti! Is it because you don’t like the suitors? Are they getting on your nerves? Should I forbid anyone below the rank of a Marquis from even uttering a word to you?”

He blocked Retina’s path as she tried to leave the room. After spending so long in the capital, Retina couldn’t leave like this. She clung to the hem of his robe, and her reluctance not to leave was evident.

“If you go like this, when will you come back?”

“I originally planned to return after the debutante ball. It just happened to go on until now… I’ll come to the capital more often.”

“More often? Really? Then, uh, no, never mind. Can you stay a little longer?”

Haint, with his arms spread wide, moved alongside Retina, who was shifting her weight. Seeing Haint trying to hold her back without a clear plan, Sat, who couldn’t just stand and watch, used his bulk Body to block her at the door.

“Until the martial arts competition, Reti. We’ve been preparing for it. Of course, both of us will be participating.”

“The martial arts competition a few days from now? You guys prepared for that?”

“Yes. We’ll announce it at the opening ceremony, but from this year on, Emperor His Majesty has handed over the sovereignty of the martial arts competition to the Herald. It’s going to be a more exciting competition than ever.”

The martial arts competition during the social season was a big event that both nobles and imperial citizens could enjoy together. It was a competition to select the strongest knights, not distinguishing between nobility and commoners. The winner had the opportunity to request one thing from the Emperor.

Even if they didn’t win, outstanding participants often got scouted by knight orders or guilds, so it was a competition that anyone aspiring to be a knight could join.

“That’s why you were so busy during the debutante ball.”

“Yeah. I was working even during that time.”

Retina nodded. The martial arts competition. She was curious about the competition that Haint, her older brother, had won three times in a row. It must be interesting to participate again this year. Should she stay in the capital until the martial arts competition? She wavered for a moment but shook her head. It would be endless if she kept postponing like this. It was probably better to go somewhere where she wouldn’t see the Crown Prince.

“No, I’m still going back. I came here just for the debutante ball in the first place.”

“Reti, are you really going to leave us? Really? We just met after a long time.”

“After the social season ends, I’ll come back to the estate, right?”

Retina looked at Haint, who was looking at her with shining eyes. What was so great about having a younger sibling? It’s not like she was acting cute like when she was younger, but Haint always wanted to be around her.

“For now, since Herald is coming today, let’s put down the luggage. We’ll talk about it later.”

“What? Is His Highness the Crown Prince coming? Why?”

Translators: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only

“Starting from tomorrow, the preliminaries will be held. They decided to stay in the noble-owned mansion during the competition period to manage it. Since it was decided in a hurry, we decided to stay here while preparing the mansion. We won’t receive any guests for a while, so the suitors probably won’t come anymore.”

“Why are you telling me this now?!”

The bag in Retina’s hand fell with a thud. It wasn’t my fault. The real problem was inside.

“No, why did the he come here? We’re not even from the noble faction, right? Is it okay for someone like the Crown Prince to come to such a dangerous place?”

Retina protested, waving her arms. What was the point of going back to the estate if this was the case? She couldn’t meet the Crown Prince in such a disheveled state. Moreover, the last time she saw him was during the debutante ball when they met on the terrace. Meeting him again would undoubtedly be awkward.

“Can’t you go back as the Marquis?”

With her head in her hands, Retina shouted. Instead of answering her, Sat and Haint looked at the top of her head. Following their gaze, Retina slowly turned her head and jumped up with a gasp.

“Greetings, Marquis.”

The Crown Prince stood right behind her.