Chapter 35:

Love is about Conquering (Part 1)

Following the advice of the brothers, the visits from prospective grooms stopped the next day. Instead, the basket was piled high with invitations and business cards, all bearing the name of Retina, this year’s Crystal Moon. Retina, having lost her excuse to return to her homeland, continued to keep herself busy, much as she had before.

With no guests visiting the mansion for a while, one might think she could rest comfortably in her bed. However, for some reason, she had been avoiding the mansion for the past ten days. Every time she was there, she seemed to accidentally run into the Crown Prince, and she had been avoiding him ever since. She had given up staying at the mansion and had been attending every event she was invited to.

“Miss, is there no one at the parties who catches your eye?”

“Someone who catches my eye? Well… not really.”

“No way! You don’t want to talk to anyone or find someone’s face alluring?”

“Well…”

In response to Lena’s question, Retina thought long and hard. Someone caught her eye. She had encountered various eligible bachelors at events like the banquet and tea party, but she hadn’t felt a strong desire to meet any of them. On the contrary, she had been preoccupied with someone else, whether she was at the mansion or outside, and had no room in her mind for anyone else.

How could she resolve the tumultuous emotions that surged like a broken machine every time she saw the Crown Prince? As she pondered this, Lena recalled that she was well-versed in matters of love. Lena had been a source of various stories and insights, not only in romantic novels but also in magazines, which she generously shared with Retina.

“Lena, this isn’t about me, but the day before yesterday at the tea party, there was a girl who mentioned something. She talked about a guy she had met and how she couldn’t stop thinking about him. She mentioned that she wondered how to handle it if they were to meet. I overheard her talking about it.”

“Yes, Miss. Is Young lady the new friend she made at the party?”

“Yes, Young lady. She was talking about this. She said she keeps thinking about a young man for no apparent reason, and she’s worried about what to do if she happens to meet him. I asked Lena about it because, as you know, I’m not very knowledgeable in these matters.”

“Really? Miss, do you have a secret crush?”

As Lena was lifting Retina’s hair, she looked at Retina in the mirror. Retina, who was pouring out her heart as if talking about a friend, was no different from any other young woman who had fallen into unrequited love.

“Has our young lady finally fallen in love?” Lena’s heart swelled with emotion as she bombarded Retina with questions.

“Which young man is it? Is he handsome? Is he tall? Well, of course, since you’ve chosen him, he must be exceptionally good-looking. What’s his personality like?”

Translators: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only

“No, it’s not about me.”

“Oh, right, I see. Sorry, I got carried away. So, this new friend you made at the party has a secret crush on him?”

“Huh? Well, not love, exactly. She just said she keeps thinking about him and that it’s uncomfortable to meet him. But she can’t run away from seeing him all the time during the social season.”

“That’s love! Your heart flutters just thinking about him, you can’t stop thinking about him, and it’s embarrassing when he’s around. You get jealous when he’s with someone else. If she’s already in love, there’s no way out. You just act on your instincts, following where your emotions lead!”

As Lena’s enthusiasm continued, Retina scratched her cheek awkwardly and replied. Lena clenched her fist in triumph. Love is about conquering. The young woman who mustered the courage to act first could win the man she desired.

“Love is about conquering…” Retina mumbled, her face drooping. While she had been lukewarm and evasive, there was already a young woman by his side, small, delicate, and able to blush her cheeks modestly. Lena had passionately spoken about love while meticulously applying brown stone powder to her eyebrows, but it fell on deaf ears.

“But he already has someone he likes, doesn’t he?”

“He’s engaged, isn’t he? Oh, dear, Miss… Out of all those young men, you had to fall for someone who’s already taken. Forbidden love like that is even harder to give up.”

“He’s not engaged yet. But I think he will be soon. I heard the other party has liked him for a long time. And it’s not me, okay?”

“I understand. Your friend is in painful love. But I get it all. Handsome men are either already taken or they like someone else. So, who is this handsome man your friend has fallen for?”

Lena nudged Retina with eyes filled with anticipation. Rather than being interested in Retina’s concerns, Lena seemed more curious about who this man was. Confused by Lena’s seemingly random talk, Retina left the vanity.

There were indeed different feelings towards the Crown Prince now compared to before, but it didn’t seem like love just yet. Or did it?

Her face, which had been painted white in frustration, turned as red as if she had applied rouge to her cheeks. Lately, it had become difficult to hide her emotions when she thought of the Crown Prince. Standing in front of him, she often found herself unable to speak and would stumble over her words before just saying hello and fleeing.

“I’ll be going now.”

“Take care! Make sure to tell your friend that love is about conquering!”

“Alright.”

After finishing her makeup, Retina left Lena’s enthusiastic farewell and got into the carriage. Lena had said that love is about conquering. As she looked at the receding Duke’s Manor, Retina bit her lip.

But wasn’t it already too late for that? The Crown Prince believed that Marie was the woman he had been searching for, and even if she confessed now, she would only be an intruder in their relationship.

‘Ugh, I’ll probably see him again today.’

Whether at the mansion or at the party, she couldn’t avoid running into the Crown Prince. However, it was a bit more bearable to encounter Marie at the party than the Crown Prince.

‘But at least today, we won’t all be sitting at the same table, so that’s a relief.’

Retina arrived at the meeting place quickly and got out of the carriage. The servant who escorted her handed her a plain parasol without any lace.

“The sun is strong today, so the eldest young master asked you to take care of yourself.”

“Thank you.”

“Then we’ll come to pick you up when the competition is over.”

The carriage had arrived at the Pavillon Arena, the grandest circular arena in Rudenheim. Every year, the fencing competition, from the preliminaries to the finals, took place here. While the intense and blood-pumping duels were generally considered a male-exclusive event, the fencing competition was an event enjoyed by people of all ages and genders. On this day, noble candidates were gathered to support and cheer for their own in the preliminary rounds.

Translators: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only

“Ah! Cecilia! Over here, this way!”

“You’ve come early. Basilius.”

“Oh no, I’ve only been here a short while myself. Others are just arriving.”

Basilius, who had spotted Retina at the entrance to the VIP seats, shook her hand. Basilius was one of the few people Retina had become friendly with in the social scene. She was the daughter of a small landowner in the border regions and had a single small estate to her name. However, with her cheerful personality, she was quite popular and well-traveled.

“So, shall we go inside?”

Basilius, who had been bouncing around to greet newcomers, unfolded her stack of tickets when all the young ladies who often gathered for tea at social events arrived. She had managed to secure five scarce VIP seats, and she hadn’t been able to sleep for the past few nights worrying about it.

“Let’s go in!”

“I’m so excited!”

“I wonder how much the participants’ fencing skills have improved in a year.”

The excited young ladies chatted loudly, their anticipation filling the air. They didn’t want to miss a moment of today’s competition, where their favorite young gentlemen would be participating.

As Retina was about to enter the arena with the young ladies, she turned her head and caught sight of Marie waiting alone in the distance.

“Weren’t they originally together with Helen’s group?”

When Retina arrived, Helen and her friends had entered the arena ahead of her. She wondered if Marie had received a separate ticket from the Crown Prince since she couldn’t see him. However, seeing her standing alone in the middle of the square, it seemed that wasn’t the case either.

Whether Marie felt Retina’s gaze or not, she briefly looked at Retina, observed her for a few seconds, and then walked away. Marie always seemed like she had something to say but held back. Retina wondered if this had something to do with the incident where Marie ruined her dress during her debutante ball, but it turned out not to be the case.

“Why is she looking at me, then?”

Retina shifted her gaze, following Marie but was halted by a guiding hand. She turned her attention back to the front. Marie was nowhere to be seen among Helen’s group. Opera glasses were placed in the VIP seats to provide a closer view of the entire arena.

“By the way, I heard that His Royal Highness will be participating in the preliminary rounds today.”

“The top 10 from last year automatically enter the main tournament, but this year, everyone starts from the preliminary rounds. That’s why there are so many matches in a single day.”

“Oh, I see. That’s why I’m worried. His Royal Highness, Lord Haint, Lord Rembery, and Lord Teton, they all have experience in fencing, and they’re all starting from the preliminaries. It sounds like there will be fierce competition from the very beginning.”

In the first round of the preliminaries, they divided the nobles who had learned fencing from those who hadn’t, with three participants in each group. In the second round of the preliminaries, the two survivors from randomly matched groups moved on to the finals. The matches were thrilling, but it was impossible to advance without a bit of luck. Those who were only aiming for a chance to enter the finals and trying to rely on luck had already withdrawn from the competition.

“Now! Let’s start the 8th-day preliminary rounds of the tournament!”

The announcer’s voice boomed as he stepped forward. The cheers of the spectators, who had gathered in the arena long before the matches began, reverberated through the circular arena.

Translators: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only