“When I found you, I wondered how I should greet you.”
Pulled by a strong force, Retina leaned forward. The shawl that was on her shoulders fell to the floor as she found herself in the arms of the Crown Prince, dressed in thin indoor clothing.
“Uh, Your Highness, I was just sleeping.”
Losing her balance and ending up on top of the patient was embarrassing for Retina. As she tried to get up, her chin was lifted up involuntarily. The sight that met her eyes as she raised her head stole her gaze, and without realizing it, she held her breath. His face, devoid of any signs of illness, was radiant to the point of creating a story about a face that had never seen sickness. Thump, thump. The sound of a heart, whose it was, echoed. Since realizing her feelings for the Crown Prince, whenever she saw him, her heart pounded as if it were broken.
The Crown Prince liked Marie. Knowing this, it was still difficult for Retina to distance herself from him.
‘I didn’t know I was so honest with my emotions.’
Even with this, she was holding back the impulse to say that it was her that night, not Marie. If she hadn’t held back, she would have confessed to it without hesitation.
‘Wait. You pondered how to greet me when you found me?’
Excited by the Crown Prince’s words, Retina, who couldn’t bring herself to listen earlier, perked up her ears belatedly. The Crown Prince probably thought of her as Marie. His red eyes, looking at her as if to burn her, were hazy without the usual warmth.
He had just woken up, and it seemed like he was still in a daze. Returning to reality first, Retina pushed the Crown Prince’s chest forcefully. The emotions that were jumping around as if alive subsided. No matter how much she liked him, she didn’t want to deceive someone who mistook her for another woman.
“I’m not Zenferno’s Young Lady, I’m not—!” Retina’s words were cut off as the face approaching slowly caused her to tightly shut her eyes. His dry lips, slightly parched, gently moved as he lightly bit her lower lip and opened her lips. He explored the area around her lips as if examining her without delving deeper. Tilting their heads slightly, their lips simply crossed each other. Retina’s closed eyelids trembled as his warm breath and body temperature on her face were the only things she felt in this moment, devoid of disappointment or worry.
Unable to take her eyes off his right hand wrapped in bandages, Retina finally shook off the lingering reluctance to hold onto her own ankle. Unaware that someone had been watching her all along, she returned to the room where Lena was waiting. If Lena, who was always full of concerns, were true to herself, she would probably be waiting for her even if she got sleepy and said she would come right back.
Sure enough, Lena, who had been wandering the room, unable to sleep, noticed Retina coming in and hurriedly ran over.
“Miss, why are you coming so late? You said you would come back soon, but when you didn’t come, I thought something had happened. If you had come a little later, I would have gone down.”
Walking with a shawl draped over her shoulders, Retina, with Lena sticking to her side, heard her endless chatter.
“I was only going to see his face, but Your Highness seemed to be suffering from a fever, so I was a bit late as I handed him a wet towel.”
“You could have asked someone else to do that. There must have been someone by his side.”
“Everyone seemed to have gone to sleep. There was no one. Besides, it was getting late.”
“You could have called me.”
Translators: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only
Even though she casually mentioned that she had done some chores, Lena showed a disappointed expression. Despite being instructed to do such tasks as a servant, Miss behaved cautiously, as if she were a guest just passing by. It seemed uncomfortable for her to be in the Duke’s mansion, and she seemed eager to leave this place at any moment.
“I don’t distrust others. I just want to do what I can do myself. They don’t let me do anything here.”
Retina comforted Lena, who looked upset. Living with servants was unfamiliar for her, even though she lived in the Duke’s mansion in the territory. Except for once a week when someone came from the Duke’s mansion to clean, Retina handled everything on her own.
“Now really go to sleep.”
“Yes, Miss. It’s very late. Please lie down quickly.”
Retina, wrapped in a soft blanket, pulled it up to her neck. Her body felt heavy, and she thought she could sleep well even without Lena’s massage. As Retina, with closed eyes, settled into sleep, she heard Lena’s voice leaving the room.
The room, now left alone, was quiet. There was no sound of wind brushing through the building, and the only sounds were the ones Retina made, resonating fully in the silence.
The interior, covered with blackout curtains, was pitch black. No light entered, and whether her eyes were open or closed, the same scene greeted Retina. Blinking her eyelids continuously, she gradually adapted to the darkness, and the pattern on the ceiling of the bed became clear.
The touch that gently embraced her cheek, the face slowly tilting as it approached, the breath and lips that touched her skin and then withdrew, the playful flesh that meandered
Retina lightly traced her slightly swollen lips with her fingertips. The fantasy of the prince, which had been appearing without warning for a while, transformed into an image of him bestowing a reverent kiss on me.
“They say the first kiss and the last kiss in life are unforgettable.”
He took away both my first kiss and my last kiss. The tender kiss, different from the first, was light but left a deep, lingering feeling.
“With such feelings, how can I meet someone else?”
He took away all my firsts, and he would probably be someone I’d never forget for a lifetime. Among the countless nights he spent with various women, I was likely just one of them, but to me, he was special.
“But why did the prince seek me out?”
If it had been me in front of him instead of Marie, would he have liked me? With unanswerable questions swirling in her mind, Retina fell into a deep sleep, unaware that she had succumbed to slumber. Soon, her chest rose and fell with regular breaths.
* * *
On that day, Retina had a dream.
“Did you sleep well?”
A clear and decisive male voice echoed above her. Retina lifted her head to see the direction from which the voice was coming. Along with the firm and broad chest and shoulders and the deep collarbone that followed, she confirmed the face of the man.
“You stripped me naked and ran away, and then you came searching for me.”
The morning sunlight, pouring fiercely into the bedroom without the curtains drawn, made her squint and furrow her brow. Shadows on his face, caused by the light from behind, made it difficult to identify who he was.
“How does it feel to sleep with someone who ran away? Don’t you feel like running away now?”
“Who…”
“You’re the woman who spent the night with me at the inn.”
“No, it’s not me.”
Translators: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only
“I hope it’s not pretending not to remember. Or are you pretending not to remember?”
Retina remained silent in the face of the vivid memory. Admitting it here would be the end. Intuition was telling her that.
“Well, then, I have to make it come back by force.”
He rose from the bed, the blanket falling, revealing his bare upper body with countless scars, remnants of numerous battles. The marks between the scars spoke of the passion of the previous night.
“H-how?”
Driven by instinctive fear, Retina tried to retreat, but she couldn’t escape the hand that was now placed on her head. Trapped between her thighs and the strong arm, she couldn’t escape the golden strands of hair cascading down as she faced the unidentified face.
“Try sleeping once more, and you’ll figure it out. Whether you spent the night with me or not,
A subtle smile spread across the man’s thin lips. As he leaned in, the weight on his arms slowly bent, bringing him closer to Retina. Though the man’s face wasn’t clearly identifiable, she now knew who he was.
“Your body seems to remember me, at least.” His hand ventured beneath the blanket.
