I Stole the Prince's First

“Lena, you stay here. I’ll go down for a moment.”

“Miss!! What if someone has invaded? What are you going to do? It’s dangerous; stay in your room until things calm down.”

“No, it’s okay. My brothers are there, and it doesn’t seem dangerous. I think I saw something. I’ll just check and come back.”

“But your head…!”

“It’s fine. It’s our mansion.” Retina, who had been wearing a wig until just before and hastily wrapped a shawl over her head, reassured herself. Since she saw the unconscious crown prince on Haint’s back, there was no chance of being recognized by him. When Retina went out again, the people crowded in the corridor were gone. They had disappeared. Retina followed the light reflected at the end of the dark corridor. As she approached the guest room used by the prince, various sounds became audible.

“Catch him over there!!”

“Don’t lower your guard just because he’s unconscious! If we don’t catch him properly, ugh!” “What kind of person has this much strength…” Retina tightly held the shawl covering her head. What was happening over there? Silently approaching, she peeked inside. Normally, the knights would have sensed Retina’s presence even from the corridor, but they didn’t seem to notice her watching them.

“I can’t endure this any longer! At this rate, the wound will…!”

“I’ve taken out all the glass shards embedded in the flesh. Let’s start the hemostasis.”

Translators: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only

“Just stay still; whether you get treated or not is up to you.” Several men were gathered around one person. When he tried to relax for a moment to catch his breath, his body twitched so much that it seemed like a convulsion, making it impossible to turn a blind eye. With a struggle, he resisted any attempts to treat his arm, where numerous sutured wounds kept bursting open.

The area around the bed where the prince lay was scattered with tools on the floor and rags stained with his blood, making it look chaotic.

Seeing the crown prince tormented among the people standing, Retina covered her mouth with her hand and held her breath. Even from a distance, his agony was palpable. His feverish face was red, but his lips were pale, lacking any trace of vitality. The brothers watched him indifferently, only restraining him to prevent him from thrashing around.

‘What’s going on? Why is he…’

Unconsciously, she took a step back. She hadn’t heard that he was in pain. At the same time as his cries and screams erupted from his mouth, Retina covered her ears and returned to her bedroom. Trying to forcibly calm herself, not wanting to cause more worry to Lena, Retina couldn’t stop trembling. As soon as she entered her bedroom, she found the handkerchief of the crown prince in the drawer, held it to her chest, and trembled.

‘He won’t die, right? The brothers seemed calm, but… But there’s too much blood…’

Retina, who was approached by Lena as she was trembling next to her bed, covering her mouth with her hands, couldn’t easily regain her composure. She had to crouch down for a while, feeling breathless. “Would you like me to bring you some warm tea, miss?”

“N-no, I’m fine. I’m just a bit shocked. It’ll settle down soon.”

“Is something happening downstairs? Did the young lords—” “My brothers are fine. It’s just… the crown prince; he’s a bit injured.”

“Oh, um, I see.” Lena, who seemed about to say something, closed her mouth after meeting Retina’s eyes. Retina looked at Lena, who seemed to know something. Lena had been at the mansion for a long time before Retina. She had heard that the crown prince often stayed at the Duke’s residence, even before she was employed there. Lena seemed to know something. Unable to withstand Retina’s silence, she finally yielded and revealed what she knew.

“Actually… sometimes, when the crown prince has seizures, the young lords bring him to the mansion. I haven’t seen it often, but… I’ve heard that this has happened occasionally, even before I was employed here.”

“Occasionally? Not just once or twice?”

“About two or three times a month…? But there were months when he didn’t come, and… recently, for almost two months, the young lords haven’t mentioned him, so I thought he was getting better.”

As Lena continued her explanation, Retina’s expression darkened. Coming urgently to the mansion from the capital once or twice a month meant that it was a more common occurrence in the imperial palace.

‘Occasionally… showed seizures. Does that mean he has suffered like this every time until now?’ Thinking about him struggling in pain, Retina bit her lip in distress. Seeing her firm expression, Lena clung to her arm.

“P-please don’t mention that I spoke about this. All the servants of the Duke’s residence have signed an agreement not to disclose what they see or hear in the mansion… but, you’re not an outsider.”

“Don’t worry, Lena. I won’t report you. Besides, I’m the one who asked first. Thank you for letting me know.”

Retina reassured Lena while recalling the scene of him having seizures, which had left a lasting impression in her mind due to the shock.

“Don’t be too upset. He’s generally healthy, so he’ll probably wake up as if nothing happened the next day.”

Lena covered Retina’s trembling hand with her own. With Lena’s help, Retina quickly suppressed the overwhelming emotions and managed a faint smile.

“Yeah. He’s a strong person.”

Thinking she would soon pull herself together, her chest ached as if she herself were in pain. Despite knowing that she couldn’t do anything, even if she went to see the crown prince, she felt she had to. Perhaps seeing him personally would bring some relief.

“I-I’ll be back.”

“Where are you going? Is it downstairs?”

“I need to check if he’s really okay.”

“But miss!”

Retina gently released Lena’s hand and picked up the shawl hanging on the sofa. Despite Lena’s concerns, she returned to the place she had fled from. Though she thought it hadn’t been much time, the bustling first floor was completely empty.

Deep into the night, the mansion was quiet and serene. Depending on the moonlight filtering through the windows, the entire corridor, except for the small lamp on the wall, was shrouded in darkness. The crown prince’s bedroom, except for the small light on the wall, was dark, suggesting everyone had gone to sleep or left for the night.

When she gently pushed open the slightly ajar door, a faint creaking sound from the hinges was heard. Worried that someone might have been awakened by the noise, Retina, after a quick scan of her surroundings, confirmed that no one was there and quietly entered the bedroom.

‘Let’s just check if the fever has gone down and quickly go back.’

Retina, with half of the door left open to prevent any sound, approached the bed with a tense and determined expression. The crown prince, deeply asleep, emitted a rhythmic sound of breathing that indicated he was still resting. A wet towel was placed on the bedside table, suggesting that someone had been nursing him not too long ago.

‘Seeing him sleep like this is the first time since that day.’

The high-ranking nobles, always on edge due to the potential threat of assassination, had a prince who slept so soundly that he wouldn’t notice if someone carried him away. Retina leaned closer to him as if observing, and her face tensed.

No matter how she looked, the handsome crown prince’s facial features were distinct even with his eyes closed. Although hidden behind closed eyelids, his assertive eyebrows replaced the red irises, eyelashes that strongly asserted their presence, a well-defined nose bridge extending from the eyebrows, and slightly parted lips due to breathing. Everything blended harmoniously, forming an outstanding appearance that could be called the best in the empire.

‘What am I thinking while looking at someone who is sleeping because he’s in pain.’

Retina, who was appreciating the crown prince’s appearance without restraint, shook her head to dispel such thoughts. As she had seen the prince, who had calmed down from the seizures as Lena mentioned, she needed to return to her own bedroom before encountering anyone else. However, before hastening her steps to avoid meeting anyone, Retina looked back at him.

When she gently pushed open the slightly ajar door, a faint creaking sound from the hinges was heard. Worried that someone might have been awakened by the noise, Retina, after a quick scan of her surroundings, confirmed that no one was there and quietly entered the bedroom.

‘Let’s just check if the fever has gone down and quickly go back.’

Translators: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only

Retina, with half of the door left open to prevent any sound, approached the bed with a tense and determined expression. The crown prince, deeply asleep, emitted a rhythmic sound of breathing that indicated he was still resting. A wet towel was placed on the bedside table, suggesting that someone had been nursing him not too long ago.

‘Seeing him sleeping like this is the first time since that day.’

The high-ranking nobles, always on edge due to the potential threat of assassination, had a prince who slept so soundly that he wouldn’t notice if someone carried him away. Retina leaned closer to him as if observing, her face tensed.

No matter when she looked, the handsome crown prince’s facial features were distinct even with his eyes closed. Although hidden behind closed eyelids, his assertive eyebrows replaced the red irises, eyelashes that strongly asserted their presence, a well-defined nose bridge extending from the eyebrows, and slightly parted lips due to breathing. Everything blended harmoniously, forming an outstanding appearance that could be called the best in the empire.

‘What am I thinking while looking at someone who is sleeping because he’s in pain.’

Retina, who was appreciating the crown prince’s appearance without restraint, shook her head to dispel such thoughts. As she had seen the prince, who had calmed down from the seizures, as Lena mentioned, she needed to return to her own bedroom before encountering anyone else. However, before hastening her steps to avoid meeting anyone, Retina looked back at him.

‘He still seems to have a fever.’

The prince’s face was flushed, indicating that the fever hadn’t subsided. Retina hesitated as she glanced at the wet towel and then gently placed her hand on his forehead. She had only intended to check if he was okay, but seeing his pained expression even in his sleep, she couldn’t bring herself to ignore it.

‘He has a slight fever.’

There was still a warm sensation remaining in his body temperature that she could feel through her palm. Feeling that even a damp towel would bring some relief, Retina was about to dampen the dry one when she noticed the prince slowly opening his eyes.

“Oh, this is…”

What should she do? Did he wake up because of her hand on his forehead? She was so embarrassed that her words didn’t come out smoothly. Even though she didn’t have any ulterior motives and just wanted to place a damp towel, she felt the need to explain. However, he just stared at Retina without saying anything.

“You…”

A voice cracked and flowed out, sounding like it didn’t even belong to her. Only then did Retina realize that her hand was still on the prince’s forehead. Startled, she quickly pulled her arm back. No, she tried to.

The hand that grabbed Retina’s wrist brought her closer to his face. Unlike his smooth palm, his rough skin tickled her hand. As if moistening his dry lips, he pressed his lips against each of her fingers. Flustered, Retina, trying to escape, attempted to pull her hand away.

The man, who had been staring at her since he woke up, finally raised his body.