Episode 46: If You Run Away, Take Responsibility

‘Wait? What is this person saying right now…?’

Retina’s eyes widened as she listened to Prince Herald’s one-sided words.

‘First? The first time?’

The following words didn’t register through her ears. Prince Herald, claiming it’s his first time. It was unbelievable. She vividly remembered his skillful touch when handling women. Rumors about him were numerous.

“Seems like you’re too overwhelmed to speak, huh?”

“First time, you say? Surely, according to the rumors…”

“Yeah, the rumor is that Prince Herald, even before the coming-of-age ceremony, was a playboy who spent countless nights with numerous women.” He nodded, seemingly easily admitting the rumors. No, it was more like pretending to admit it.

Trying to escape, Retina glanced sideways, but Prince Herald, closing in even more, tightly wrapped his arms around her waist. Adding force to his arms, he pulled her strongly into his embrace.

“You’re not thinking of denying the fact that you took Prince Herald’s first time, are you?”

“Yes?”

“I said I would come find you when the sun rose, didn’t I? Although I’m a bit late for the promised day, now it’s time for you, my lady, to take responsibility.”

Having already learned the whole truth, Prince Herald didn’t ask Retina for explanations. He was asking about their future.

“Um, how long have you known?” Retina stammered in response to Prince Herald’s assured attitude.

“For a long time. Every time I faced you, I felt a special emotion. I was sure during the debutante ball. Looking at you and Marie.”

Her head was gently caressed by Prince Herald, as if he couldn’t resist her cuteness. Retina’s shoulders were shrugged. This meant that when Marie stepped forward, he knew she wasn’t that woman.

Now that she thought about it, Marie had been shouting unilaterally the whole time. Prince Herald hadn’t expressed his stance even once. He just silently tolerated Marie’s actions.

To anyone, it was apparent that everyone had been deceived by Prince Herald’s actions of being in love with Marie. He claimed that he had never taken his eyes off her from the beginning.

“What’s with that look? Did you really think I, who just had my debutante ball, would fall for an inexperienced lady running towards me like a fool?”

“….”

“This is truly hurtful. I only sought you out. And although not at once, eventually, I recognized you.”

Seeing Retina not responding, Herald mimicked her in a wounded manner. There was no falsehood in what he said to Retina. The fragments of memories that were slowly coming back now fell into place. He, too, recalled that day and tried to find that woman. However, by deliberately hiding and seeking her, there was no way to find her.

“I tried not to reveal that you were that woman. I tried to quietly ask. But Marie told ridiculous lies. Even during my debutante ball.”

Marie judged that any means to connect with Prince Herald would do. Even if lies begot lies and inflated like a snowball, she probably hoped to receive Prince Herald’s attention, who didn’t bother to notice her.

“I couldn’t ruin the debutante ball of a young lady I’ve known since birth. I waited for you to reveal your lies on your own. I waited for you as well. I hoped you would come to me. But instead of approaching, you kept running away. I never expected that it would be so difficult to have a simple conversation, even though I intentionally led you into the Duke’s residence.”

Herald’s hand, which had been caressing her head, descended to her face. With a palm large enough to cover her whole face, he gently covered her cheek.

“Retina Cecilia, I love you. Not a single day has passed without thinking about you. That’s why I’ve been searching for you all this time.”

The sweet whisper melted Retina’s uneasy feelings in an instant. Retina, who hadn’t even shown her liking due to Marie’s sudden appearance, realized her feelings toward him. It was her first unrequited love that ended before it even started. However, Prince Herald was now saying that he had always liked her, not Marie.

“Really, is this… sincere? Why did you…”

Translators: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only

“How many times do I have to say it for you to believe?”

Herald lightly tapped Retina’s forehead; she couldn’t believe him. Even the slightly sulking appearance seemed satisfactory to him, as he smiled contentedly.

“Am I disliked?”

Herald asked Retina, who offered no resistance in his embrace. Instead of asking if her appearance was unpleasant to him, Retina thought she should have asked if he didn’t dislike her true form, the one with the silver hair that the empire frowned upon.

“You seem shy.”

“… It’s not like that.”

“Then, what’s with this face?”

“Well…”

Herald pressed his thumb gently on Retina’s lips, preventing her from making excuses. He pressed the plump, bouncy flesh, brushing it from side to side.

“This side of you is a first. You’ve always shown a confident and carefree appearance. You avoided me, saying you had no thoughts of marriage when I, who has been diligently searching for you, spoke of marriage.”

He openly revealed his desire to kiss Retina. Unlike Retina, who was hasty in hiding her emotions, Herald was more honest about his feelings than anyone else.

“I thought about marriage from the moment I first saw you.”

“What? Marriage?”

Retina asked in surprise, grabbing Herald’s hand, which was exploring her lips. The idea of Herald’s marriage was not something to be decided in just one night. Of course, when she heard rumors about him marrying Marie, she dismissed it as someone else’s business, but…

The man in front of her was the Crown Prince. He wasn’t someone in a rush to decide on marriage, like an innocent country boy struck by love at first sight.

“Marriage is a distant matter.”

“Don’t you want to marry me?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to, but… marriage, especially for you, Crown Prince, who will become the Emperor, is a decision that should be made carefully.”

“If you don’t dislike it, then it’s settled.”

Herald smiled and whispered as he drew a smile on his lips. Feeling the breath tickling her neck, Retina shrank her neck. Just facing him like this made strange thoughts come to mind, so Retina took a deep breath.

“Well, I guess I’ll have to force it to come up.”

Vivid dreams replayed in my mind as if they were real. The scenes that appeared with the questions also flashed back.

‘Did I reveal it like this?’ Retina, who turned her face red in an instant, vigorously shook her head in denial.

“If I try once more, I’ll know. Whether you spent the night with me or not.”

Voices echoed in her ears and resonated in her head simultaneously. In excitement, even Retina wondered if it would flow away like a dream. Since quite some time had passed since the Crown Prince entered the room, she felt that no matter who came in, it wouldn’t be strange.

‘Oh, Lena!’

Retina, who had momentarily forgotten Lena in the room because of the Crown Prince, widened her eyes. She searched for Lena in the bedroom over the Crown Prince’s shoulder. She hadn’t even explained anything to Lena, and she was concerned about how surprised she might have been to witness this scene.

“Wait a moment! Lena is in the room!”

“Lena? Ah, is that your maid? She left quickly you’ve employed observant servants.”

However, no matter where she looked, Lena was nowhere to be found. There was no sound of even her breathing, as if she had left a long time ago.

Translators: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only

Unable to escape with the excuse of Lena, Retina, whose attempt failed, turned her gaze to Herald as he held her face. The shadow receded, and the crimson eyes gleamed with intense possessiveness.

“I don’t intend to treat that night as if it never happened. It’s better not to think of running away again.” Being robbed of what was in front of her eyes was detestable. Retina, whose attempt to escape using Lena as an excuse failed, held her face, and her gaze turned to Herald. The eyes, with a deep possessiveness, gleamed with a vivid crimson light.

Herald buried his face in her neck, held his breath to ensure her delicate skin wasn’t hurt. He bit it lightly to prevent painful imprints. Soon, faint traces appeared on the thin skin.

After moving Retina to the bed, he left his marks on her by biting and licking. Once he realized there was no one to disturb them, there was no sign of them parting ways.

Retina only placed her hand on his arm, making no resistance. She didn’t dislike the man’s touch, who eagerly sought her as if thirsty. No, there had never been a time when she disliked it. Only dressed in clothes, the quickly rising temperature soon warmed up the room with a sultry heat.

“Are we moving too fast?” Retina, who shared an intense kiss with Herald, spoke as she caught her breath for a moment.

“Too fast? We haven’t reached the end yet if there’s still… more to go.”

“Ah, ah, ah! Please stop! I can’t hear, I can’t hear!”

Startled by Herald’s playful words, Retina desperately covered his mouth. He looked at Retina, who responded amusingly every time he teased her, with affection. Disregarding the fumbling bandages around his hand, he skillfully unraveled them.

Letting the bloodied bandages fall under the bed, he clenched his hand a couple of times to get rid of the stiffness, then freely used his freed hand to touch Retina as much as he wanted. As if trying to compensate for the patience he had accumulated up to this point, he stayed close to Retina, not letting go.

“After searching for so long, you should be prepared for this.”