I Stole the Prince's First

‘What kind of dream is this?’ The next morning, Retina, waking up from her slumber, sat on the bed, lost in thought. With disheveled hair and a dazed expression, she blinked her eyes in a sluggish manner.

Lena, who had been busy running around since morning, brought water for washing, but even after washing her face and chewing mint leaves, Retina’s absent-mindedness persisted. Feeling the need to do something, she got up from bed with determination.

With no special schedule for the day, Retina, dressed in simple attire, moved with a sense of purpose for a change. Today, without any particular plans, she went to the dining room for a leisurely breakfast. The kitchen staff, excited at the rare news of Retina’s relaxed morning meal, busily went about their tasks.

“Hmmm.”

Seated at the long 10-person dining table, Retina yawned, covering her mouth with her palm. Despite waking up intermittently due to a strange dream, she felt tired, probably because she didn’t sleep deeply.

Seated alone in the spacious area, Retina looked around and, seeing a maid bringing a tray, placed a napkin on her lap.

“A salad with young leafy vegetables and herbs, bread, and vegetable soup.” Dishes that were not too heavy for someone who didn’t usually have a hearty breakfast were served one after another. It was a menu carefully chosen for Retina, who usually didn’t eat breakfast. Retina, appreciating the chef’s consideration, picked up the outermost utensil.

‘Indeed, breakfast prepared by others is the best.’

Getting used to such convenience and returning to the estate would be challenging. Retina nodded approvingly as she savored the refreshing salad with lemon sauce. The taste was on a different level compared to the meals she prepared alone.

“It’s delicious. Thank you. Please convey to chef that the breakfast menu today was excellent.” Holding a fork, Retina smiled at the maid, who was observing her reaction.

“Huh? Reti? What’s going on? You’re having breakfast for a change?” Retina, enjoying her meal leisurely, looked at Haint, who was stretching and yawning, with a grin on her face.

“Just… woke up and felt hungry after a long time.”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s good to have a proper breakfast for good health. But what’s this menu? Will you get energy just from bread and grass?”

Haint, sporting a large bruise on his face, checked Retina’s plate with a disgusted expression. He, who always consumed all four meals a day with meat, seemed to need that much to maintain his size.

“Well, I don’t train like my brother. But what’s wrong with your face?”

“Oh, this…,” Retina asked, seeing the fresh purple bruise on Haint’s face, but he stretched out his words, avoiding eye contact. His gaze, fumbling with the bruise under his eye, eventually turned towards the entrance of the dining room.

“Sat!”

Translators: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only

Haint enthusiastically greeted Sat, who entered the dining room following him. Shaking hands vigorously with Haint, whose hands were like bear paws, Sat unexpectedly showed a different expression when he turned his gaze towards Retina.

“Reti. Up early.”

“Early? The clock is about to strike noon.”

“If there’s no work, I won’t get up until the sun is at its zenith. What brings you to the dining room so early?”

He settled down next to Retina after strolling over with long strides. He threw a question similar to Haint’s, as if suspecting twins wouldn’t do.

“Woke up hungry, she says.”

“Hungry? Is there anything wrong? Our sleepyhead hardly comes out of her room, even on holidays.”

“True. Now that I hear it, it’s suspicious. What change in mood happened?!”

Sat’s sharp observation, with slightly narrowed eyes, made Haint stand up abruptly, slamming the table with his fist. Retina didn’t react much and casually replied, going around the topic. If he keeps prying, I have my ways.

“What change in mood? None. Just.”

“Just? There’s no ‘just.’ Tell us already!”

“Why is there a bruise on your face, brother?”

“Oh, uh, this, um…”

Retina effortlessly blocked Haint’s probing.

“Sat! Help!” A desperate look from Haint sought assistance from Sat. Ignoring Haint’s earnest gaze, Sat picked up a teacup. A cup of tea before the meal is Sat’s long-standing habit.

“Why so? Acted recklessly and got a hit.”

“What? I’m reckless? Who caused the bruise that’s so bad!”

“Who?”

“I, I can’t say.”

“Then he got hit for being reckless.”

Having a quiet meal was a mistake. Retina, listening to her brothers’ childish bickering, tore a bit of bread and dipped it in the soup.

‘Oh, it’s delicious.’

Softly chewing the bread, not thinking much, created a sophisticated taste as the flavor and aroma of the bread blended in her mouth.

Following that, venison and abalone dishes freshly baked in the oven were laid out on the table. It was a menu for Haint, who loved meat and enjoyed it even in the morning, and for Sat, who didn’t like meat as much but appreciated gourmet dishes.

‘Ah, it’s not morning for Haint after all.’

Waking up early for training, having breakfast, and then going to the training ground—for Haint, it was already lunchtime. Retina made sure not to get overwhelmed by the lively breakfast scene after a long time. It was fortunate that she didn’t see the Crown Prince anywhere.

“Herald?”

In the midst of enjoying the meat-filled soup, Retina’s hand, which was about to dip a piece of bread into the soup, paused at the sound of Haint’s voice.

“What’s going on? Everyone gathered in the dining room since morning.”

Retina’s head turned to the right with a squeak. The Crown Prince was walking along the long dining table. Her jaw, chewing on tender young leaves, froze.

“….”

“Some faces are hard to look at.”

As soon as their eyes met, she lowered her gaze to the floor. She felt a warm gaze, but she tried her best to act like she didn’t know. Feeling a pull from the chair across, she didn’t know if he was still looking, so she nervously fiddled with the fork, only disturbing the untouched salad plate.

‘Memory… seems unable to recall?’

She stabbed the fork into the plate. About half of the remaining young leaves got stuck on the fork. From the words he spat out while looking at her, it seemed like he didn’t remember what happened last night.

‘Surely, he doesn’t remember?’

Retina glanced at the Crown Prince. Instructing the maids, he felt like an entirely different person from what she saw yesterday. Glancing at Retina secretly and meeting her eyes again, he fixed his gaze on the maid. The bandage wrapped around his right hand clearly indicated that yesterday’s incident was not an illusion.

‘I might vomit if I eat more.’

She couldn’t understand why the Crown Prince was bothering her so much. Even if he didn’t remember, she couldn’t fathom the emotions she felt when he treated her like a stranger. Suddenly losing her appetite, Retina put down the utensils she had been fidgeting with. Signaling the end of the meal by tapping her lips with the napkin, the waiting maids cleared the plates, most of which still had plenty of food.

“Already done eating?”

“Yeah. It doesn’t go down well when I eat after skipping breakfast.”

Answering Haint’s oblivious question without showing any discomfort, she originally came down with nothing to do, so she didn’t expect to eat much.

“There’s more. It’s rare for all of us to gather like this.”

Seeing Retina about to leave after finishing her meal, Haint muttered, as if reluctant to let her go. He seemed to want to be together but couldn’t openly hold her back. He expressed his regret.

“I’ll be at the mansion all day today. If you’re bored, come over.”

“Really? Really?”

Haint put down the fork and knife that he hadn’t let go of throughout the meal and asked eagerly. Retina ignored the four pairs of eyes directed at her and greet Herald.

“…Please enjoy your breakfast, Your Highness.”

Translators: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only

After blurting out the words standing in place, Retina fled from there. Herald, who had been silent all along, couldn’t take his eyes off the direction where Retina disappeared.

“Becoming the Crystal Gate and being diligently summoned must be tiring. Since it’s a rare break, don’t bother her and let her rest.”

“What? She invited Reti to play, didn’t she?”

“Just look, doesn’t she seem tired?”

Sat stopped Haint, who was energetically chopping vegetables, from skipping afternoon physical training. Herald suddenly remembered Retina’s darkened complexion. She certainly didn’t look like someone who wanted to play. He muttered with his lips pressed together.

“If I knew she’d be too busy to play, I wouldn’t have let her become the Crystal Gate.”

“That’s not up to us. It was the will of the King and the Queen.”

Sat’s subdued voice carried a sigh. Although Retina was unaware, both of them had a hand in all the events surrounding her. The unforeseen circumstances…

Sat alternately looked at Herald, who was glaring at the door through which Retina left. There was another thing that couldn’t go as they wanted.

“What do you want to do?”

“Should inform her.”

“How? Didn’t you see her run away the moment you saw her?”

Sat sighed deeply, looking exasperated. The two, who had stopped caring about their expressions as soon as Retina left, exchanged glances. Herald lightly tapped the table with his unwrapped left hand. After contemplating for a moment, he seemed to have thought of something before the food he had ordered to suit his taste arrived.

“You just need to make sure she can’t escape.”