Chapter 45

How Was It? Impressions of the Crown Prince’s First Time?

Retina rolled her feet, making a thudding sound as she climbed the stairs. Only after leaving the dining table did she realize she had been too sensitive. However, she should have shown courtesy in front of the Crown Prince. He seemed not to care, but it bothered her.

In the corridor, she stood still, burying her face in her palms. She pressed her hot eyeballs as if tears were about to come out. She had hoped he wouldn’t remember. Even though she ran away, why was she crying?

Retina wiped her eyes discreetly and continued the steps that had come to a halt. It was vivid in her memory because it happened just a few hours ago. It should get better with time. As soon as she entered the room, Retina threw away the wig on the desk and collapsed onto it. The long strands of hair, previously wrapped neatly inside the wig, scattered as they fell down.

“What happened at the dining table? You don’t seem well.”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Her rounded back, lying on the desk, clearly indicated something was wrong, but Retina dismissed it casually. She didn’t want Lena to know about her childish jealousy.

“I prepared this for you.”

Lena noticed why Retina looked depressed and placed a well-folded handkerchief on one side of the desk. It was the same handkerchief that had become crumpled in Retina’s hands.

“It might be something the owner is urgently looking for. How about returning it?”

Understanding that groaning alone wouldn’t solve the problem, Lena suggested a solution in her own way. Instead of endlessly procrastinating, confronting the issue might be more helpful.

“I don’t need it anymore.”

“What? You said you would return it because it might be the owner’s. I even cleaned it thoroughly.”

“That person probably won’t even remember.”

“Well, even if the owner doesn’t remember, returning it could be a good idea. I even washed it neatly.”

“They probably have forgotten.”

“If you return something that belongs to the owner, who knows, it might be fun for them. Why not return it?”

Now that Lena realized that groaning alone wouldn’t solve the problem, she suggested a solution in her own way. Instead of endlessly procrastinating, confronting the issue might be more helpful.

“It’s no longer needed.”

Translators: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only

‘Now, I should forget too. Holding onto lingering feelings is something only those who can’t forget have to deal with. If I can’t remember, I won’t have to deal with the lingering emotions. I will also discard memories that I can’t forget along with the lingering feelings.’

“Lena, do you know any lively places to erase unnecessary thoughts and have fun?”

“Unnecessary thoughts? Is the subject of those thoughts a person, by any chance?”

Pretending not to know, Lena asked, and with a sidelong glance, Retina lowered her tail. In her mind, Lena considered several places.

“If you want a fun place, what kind of venue are you looking for?”

“Anywhere. Whether it’s crowded or not, I don’t care. Any place that doesn’t come to mind is fine.”

Lena was more knowledgeable about the capital than Retina, but it took some time for her to come up with a place.

“Right now, it’s the time when coffee shops and restaurants are packed with couples on dates. Reserving a seat might be difficult since it’s been crowded for the past month. If the lady wanted to enjoy the capital’s attractions, I should have reserved a few places for you.”

Lena said it with a regretful tone. The period for socializing among nobles was in full swing after the debutante ball, and couples who succeeded in courtship spent their days enjoying dates in parks and cafés and attending dinners or various parties at night. It was a sea where, everywhere they went, people were bustling around.

“I didn’t know you wanted to enjoy the capital’s attractions. I should have reserved a few places for you.”

“Well, I should forget too. Holding onto lingering feelings is something only those who can’t forget have to deal with. If I can’t remember, I won’t have to deal with the lingering emotions. I will also discard memories that I can’t forget along with the lingering feelings.”

“Lena, do you know any lively places to erase unnecessary thoughts and have fun?”

“If you want to forget about something, do you prefer places with a lot of people?”

Lena asked, pretending not to know, and gave a meaningful glance at Retina, whose tail had dropped. Lena considered several places in her mind.

“What kind of place would you like if it’s a fun place?”

“Anywhere. Whether it’s crowded or not, I don’t care. Any place that doesn’t come to mind is fine.”

Lena, who was more knowledgeable about the capital than Retina, took some time to think about a suitable place.

“Now is the time when coffee shops and restaurants are crowded with couples on dates. It’s been difficult to get a reservation since a month ago. If you wanted to enjoy the capital’s attractions, I should have reserved a few places for you.”

“I don’t know if the places I reserved at Very Max Fantastic Elegance Salon are still available. They asked for Fontaine Liang to visit. How about shopping after a long time?”

“Shopping? Hmm…”

Retina made a sound of displeasure, recalling the day when she shopped tirelessly. She had been dragged around by Lena all day and nearly collapsed from exhaustion. Even thinking about it again, it was an incredibly hectic schedule.

“Let’s do shopping later.”

“Then, where do you like to go? The only places worth going are parties, but… It’s getting boring to attend formal parties now.”

Observing Retina’s rapidly changing complexion, Lena changed the topic. Retina, who had been avoiding the Crown Prince like crazy, vigorously nodded her head up and down. She didn’t want to go to any more parties for a while.

“How about the opera? Concerts? Theater?”

Lena suggested various options, but none seemed to capture Retina’s interest. If she wanted to focus on something to forget someone, meeting another person seemed to be the only option.

“There’s a saying that people are the best way to forget about someone.”

Having presented all possible hobbies one could pursue in the capital, Lena, who had been rejected on all fronts, spoke up boldly. She believed that if it was the prince who had come to see the lady, he would be able to turn her heart around.

“Meeting Prince Norden is…”

Knock, knock. At that moment, someone knocked on the door. Lena, who had been contemplating words to persuade Retina, raised her head in response to the knocking sound.

“Who is it?”

“Well, I don’t know. It sounds a bit different from the knocks of the young master or the mansion’s people.”

Exchanging glances as if they had planned it, Lena and Retina turned their attention toward the door. If Retina was looking for someone, then the person who had come to see her must be…

Sending a signal for Retina to quickly put on her wig, Lena headed towards the door. Leaning against the door, Lena positioned herself to block Retina from being seen from the outside. However, no matter how much Lena blocked, the tall stature of a man peeked into the room over her head.

“Oh.”

A surprised voice escaped Lena’s mouth as she confirmed the visitor.

“Ah, milady.”

Ignoring manners, Lena slammed the door shut and urgently called for Retina. Approaching Retina in a hurry, she roughly turned her around, pushing the wig-concealed hair back inside. Without a chance to fix her hair, Lena, who only managed to hide the color, rushed back to the door.

“Haint, is it? I’m sorry, but you’ll have to tell him we can’t play now. Tell him to come back in the evening.”

“Who is it?” Retina, intentionally raising her voice, conveyed a real question with her eyes to the flustered Lena.

“I think you should come out. His Highness, the Crown Prince…”

“He’s inside, huh.”

Lena, who closed the door after seeing the prince but couldn’t delay any longer, opened it again. Behind Lena, who was sweating profusely, a large hand rested on the door.

“Young Lady Retina Cecilia.”

The Crown Prince approached, calling out each of her names, syllable by syllable. Seeing the Crown Prince approaching without permission, Retina stood up from her chair.

“What’s the matter, Your Highness?”

Retina instinctively sensed that something had changed in the atmosphere. Stepping back, she stumbled backward, avoiding the approaching Crown Prince. Without realizing it, she began to backtrack, feeling that the Crown Prince had recalled memories that she shouldn’t think about.

“What happened? Don’t you know better than I do?”

The prince responded to Retina’s question with a rhetorical question, smiling slyly. It was a satisfied grin, like that of a predator that had caught its prey.

Having already sensed everything, Retina held back her words. She had expected to be exposed sooner or later. If she had returned to her territory after that day, the prince might not have found her. However, since she chose to stay in the capital, it was akin to carrying a bomb with her.

The prince, going from one party to another and turning everything upside down to find a certain woman, knew that he had to leave. Retina knew it too, but despite that, she lingered.

‘Avoiding him was the right thing to do, but I shouldn’t have stayed this long.’

‘I can’t say that I’m the person you’re looking for now, can I?’

Retina also had words to say. Initially, she had avoided him because she was scared of the unknown. But once she realized his feelings, there was already Marquess Zenferno Lady by his side.

In the situation where the prince favored young lady, what would change if she came forward? Without the courage to reveal the secret, she could only deny it. Retina slowly stepped back, and when she felt the wall against her back, she stopped.

“About last night. Do you have anything to say?”

‘Ah, I haven’t thought of an excuse yet.’

Unable to escape any longer, Retina raised her head defiantly and faced the approaching prince. Despite her confident expression, cold sweat dripped down her spine, soaking in the excitement of her daring escape. She had no choice but to continue with the excuse she had.

“Last night? I just went downstairs for a moment, intending to bring a towel. That was just a mistake…”

“Mistake?”

“You mistook me for Marie Zenferno due to a fever. It was a mistake, so…”

“Marie Zenferno and you? A mistake?”

Her hair was tousled by Herald’s hand, and Retina let out a nervous laugh.

“No, not really. Let me be straight with you.”

Translators: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only

He pushed the wig lightly, and instead of fixing her hair, Lena, who only hid the color, rushed back to the door.

“How could I mistake you for another woman?” Herald, with Retina between them, leaned against the wall, his eyes filled with the glint of silver strands that revealed Retina’s true appearance hidden beneath the mismatched wig. It was her, the woman he had fallen for at first sight.

“The woman who dared to leave nail marks on my back, where did she run off to?…”

He approached, his face coming close. Retina couldn’t meet his intense gaze directly, lowering her eyes as memories of the previous night’s kiss flashed through her mind. He knew everything, even her secrets.

“Not knowing you were this close, I searched for you.”

Herald lifted the strands of hair that had fallen onto Retina’s chest. The strands, caught between his fingers, appeared even icier in the moonlight.

“You kissed me and acted like you didn’t know anything in the morning.”

Herald ran his fingers through the silver hair, creating a chilling effect. Then, he kissed Retina’s forehead, a gesture filled with reverence. He had made a mistake assuming she was a woman with golden or platinum hair, common in the empire, due to the absence of silver-haired women. The unique color, so beautiful that it could not be compared to anyone else, captivated him.

Herald came even closer, bringing their faces close enough for their lips to almost touch. He couldn’t take his eyes off Retina, who was so beautiful that even a brief glance could steal one’s gaze.

“So, how was it? The impression of stealing the first kiss of the Crown Prince?”