Chapter 38

Omen (Part 2)

Retina was startled by the voice coming from right next to her ear and involuntarily shrunk her neck. Instead of answering him in a friendly manner, she hurriedly separated herself from his arms.

“Uh, were you at the mansion? I thought you hadn’t come in yet since the preliminary round ended not too long ago.”

“I just got here.”

Just a few minutes after she had vowed not to see him, Retina encountered him. She awkwardly asked, avoiding eye contact by lowering her gaze and politely clasping her hands in front of her. Her feet moved on their own accord, stepping back hesitantly.

“You must be tired, why don’t you go in and rest first?”

He was the person she wanted to see the least right now, yet the one she couldn’t help but smile at when she looked at him. Afraid of revealing her emotions to him, Retina wanted to get out of this situation as quickly as possible.

“I came to see the preliminary round.”

“The maids wanted to go watch together, and Sat is also playing today, so I went with them.”

However, whether he knew or not that was her sentiment, Herald instead started a conversation with Retina. He blocked her path to prevent her from escaping and continued to talk to her.

“Weren’t you there to see Norden Lagrange?”

“Norden? The Prince?”

At the sudden mention of a name, Retina raised her head to look at him but quickly lowered it again. She had not gone to see Norden. She hadn’t even heard the news that he was participating. She only found out that they were in the same group right before the match started.

“He greeted me quite amicably. I wondered if he heard the news before I did since he’s participating in the swordsmanship competition.”

“I didn’t hear any news. I saw him for the first time since the debutante ball. I was a bit worried after the competition started, but I couldn’t see him…”

“I wasn’t worried?”

“What?”

Out of the seven people, why would you worry about me, who is perfectly fine? Retina suppressed the question that was about to burst out. She had been avoiding him for how long now, and yet she was casually continuing the conversation. She drew a line and kept a certain distance from him.

“Oh! On my way here, I met Zenferno Young Lady.”

“Marie?”

Translators: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only

“Yes, her. She asked if you were at the mansion. She seemed quite worried, as if she were concerned about whether the competition would be affected.”

She clenched the handkerchief tightly in her hand, which was wrapped around her fingers like a lifeline. Fortunately, this tactic worked in diverting the attention of the prince, who was asking awkward questions. Instead, she had to endure his gaze, which seemed to be examining her closely.

“Zenferno Young Lady seems to have a great affection for you. She looked pale, probably because she couldn’t sleep due to worry.”

“Retina. You.”

“Yo, you must be happy. The lady you’ve been searching for so eagerly pours endless affection on you.”

The feeling of having her innermost thoughts exposed in his gaze made Retina lock the door to her emotions. The more she talked about Marie to the prince, the deeper her jealousy grew. She didn’t want to reveal this embarrassing feeling to him.

“I’ve been out since morning, and my body is tired, so I think I’ll go to my room now.”

“Retina!”

Brushing her bangs to cover her deliberately distorted face, Retina fled from Herald, who was trying to hold her back. The hurried footsteps on the stairs reflected Retina’s feelings perfectly.

“Ha.”

Unable to chase after Retina, Herald withdrew his outstretched arm into the empty air. He had spotted Retina at the arena, followed her all the way back to the mansion, and even engaged in a post-game celebration, but he had gained nothing.

He ruffled his hair haphazardly, covering his forehead in frustration. None of the plans they had made at the Duke’s estate had unfolded as intended. Despite his irritation, the momentary contact with Retina and the traces of her he sensed reminded him of something he had forgotten.

“It can’t go on like this…”

Herald stared at his empty hand as if it held the answer. Only his right hand, the one that had held Retina, was free from the persistent pain that tormented him.

* * *

Tap, tap, tap. The empty whiskey glass rhythmically tapped the circular tabletop. Herald, who had been staring into space lost in thought, closed his eyes and pressed his temple firmly. The recurring headache that had started again out of the blue was tormenting him relentlessly.

“I’ve traveled all my life, and yet, I can’t find peace even for a month.” Herald, who knew the cause of the recurring headache, frowned.

“Even when we’re in the same house…” He deliberately used the excuse of the martial arts competition to enter the Duke’s estate directly, but even then, it was difficult to meet her. He wandered around the mansion on purpose, but he had only glimpsed her face a few times. They hadn’t had a proper conversation, so he couldn’t even attempt to clear up the misunderstanding that had occurred on the terrace.

“She seems to meet other nobles just fine.” He was frustrated that he couldn’t reach her, but Retina seemed to be wandering outside as if she owned the place. Strangely, it felt like she had become even more distant than when he had partnered with her without any feelings.

Herald rolled the glass, filled with fruit spirits, around in a circular motion, then quickly downed the liquid. Around him, aristocratic men at the club were playing billiards or engaging in card games with chips. When he felt like it, Herald sometimes joined them for card games or chess, but today he didn’t feel like it at all.

“She’s avoiding me.” Herald’s hand, which had been gently caressing the glass, stopped. The ice cubes, roundly shaved, swirled inside the glass.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that Retina was discreetly avoiding him, one after another. Because of that, he couldn’t help but wonder if he had missed the opportunity to explain what had happened on the terrace.

‘Why?’ Herald tried to seize the opportunity while people’s attention was on Marie, but the feeling of frustration only intensified. Excusing himself by saying that the restoration of the mansion, which had already been cleaned, was not yet complete, was starting to wear thin. He needed to spend money on something before that.

Herald slowly clenched and unclenched his right hand, which appeared no different on the surface but had significantly more sensation. If only he could find a solution to this recurring ailment that suddenly resurfaced. The pain that wouldn’t go away, even with a lifetime of medication, seemed somewhat bearable when she was around. Did he no longer have to constantly worry about when the next attack would occur?

Herald scratched his throat with his fingernails out of sheer thirst. The more he thought of her, the stronger his desire became, engulfing him. This emotion, surpassing instinct, was now relentlessly chasing only her.

‘I might make a mistake before the time comes.’ He had no intention of revealing his secret to Retina right away. If she learned the truth and panicked, she might run away. So, slowly and cleverly, he would create traps to ensure that she couldn’t escape.

Translators: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only

Until then, he could endure it. Herald took a deep breath, cooling the heat in his head. As long as he didn’t see blood, he wouldn’t have a seizure here. If he took the medicine he had brought from palace, he would be fine for a while without acting hastily.

“Oh, that’s Young Lady Retina Cecelia, right?”

Herald, who was about to return to the mansion due to his worsening condition, lowered his jacket at the mention of a name mixed into the conversation. He turned towards the source of the conversation, wondering who had dared to mention Retina’s name. At a round table behind the bar counter, three men were sitting.

“Is he the fourth son of Count Langerhans?” Among them, the man who was conspicuously puffing on a pipe and making noise stood out. “Kicked out of the count’s estate and crawled into the capital.”

His neck, arms, and jewelry were adorned with precious stones, confirming the rumors of him discovering a mine and making a fortune. It was said that he had lavished ruby jewelry on the debutantes. However, few women had accepted his business card. The ladies who remembered the scandal following him when he was kicked out of the count’s estate couldn’t just accept a piece of jewelry and take his business card. Nevertheless, his persistent display of wealth was nothing more than amusing.

“I met her at another ball too. I gave her a piece of jewelry, and her eyes practically rolled back in delight. She’s a bastard from the Deneuve family, but I suppose she couldn’t get a glimpse of such precious items. She was probably forced into society to marry off the Deneuve family’s cauldron. A bit more effort, and she would have crossed over.”

The man, who was flicking his wrist, said the same things as the people who had seen Retina for the first time. She couldn’t appreciate a precious item because she was a bastard? The Herald found the claim utterly baseless and chuckled. Anyone who had even a shred of knowledge knew that Retina was now controlling the Deneuve brothers.

“His business acumen is good, but he’s known for being oblivious in high society.”

Even the dress Retina wore during her debutante days was worth several hundred gold pieces. If they had any inkling of how much effort she put into it in Deneuve, such words would never come out.

The mention of Retina’s name on someone else’s lips was unpleasant, but Herald had no reason to intervene. Instead, he listened to their conversation with an odd sense of amusement. However, when Langerhans Young Lord spoke the next words, Herald’s mouth tightened.

“How about we make a bet on which one of us will win her first?”

Crack. The whiskey glass, which had been gently manipulated in his hand, shattered. Along with the fragments of broken glass, drops of red blood fell onto the table.