Chapter 52

Revealing the Truth (Part 2)

“…Did you know everything?”

“I happened to overhear it. The conversation between your brother and you.” Marie’s hand, which had been fidgeting with her forearm, twitched. There was no way Retina wouldn’t know. She was the woman the Crown Prince had been searching for.

“As Young Lady said, I had no intention of revealing it to the Crown Prince until the end. Even when Young Lady stepped forward in front of the Crown Prince at the ball, he tried to ask about the truth. I didn’t want to be entangled with the Crown Prince in that way.”

“But I still…”

“The Crown Prince knew from the beginning that young lady Marie was not that woman.”

Marie’s cheeks and neck, hearing Retina’s words, turned crimson. She sent a gaze that seemed to say she couldn’t believe it at all. Then she sighed and looked at Retina with a disappointed smile.

In the face of Marie’s reaction, Retina wondered if she had spoken without thinking. However, she couldn’t just leave Marie to continue weaving more lies. Lies often beget more lies. The more Marie tried to continue the relationship built on lies, the more lies she had to tell.

‘Like saying the handkerchief tied to the Crown Prince’s hand was mine.’

“You can’t keep spinning lies forever.”

It should have been revealed earlier. Marie stood in front of the Crown Prince when she argued with Illiyan. No, from the beginning, instead of deceiving the Crown Prince, she should have spoken the truth and sorted out the situation afterward.

“But if I don’t, the Crown Prince won’t pay attention to me. I truly love the Crown Prince.”

Marie clenched her fist. She said all these actions were to gain the Crown Prince’s affection. Is it worth dedicating her promising future to his attention? In a world where there is more than one man besides the Crown Prince,

Retina looked at Marie with pity. Your overflowing love has hurt your heart. Young Lady, who had broken free from the confines of a family built on overflowing love, knew how to be loved but didn’t know how to give love to others.

Retina gently took Marie’s clenched fist in her hand, spreading her five fingers softly. Then, she intertwined her fingers with Marie’s, interlocking their hands.

“If someone dislikes it or has no interest, they would want to release their hand immediately, fold their fingers, or pull their arm away.”

To prevent Marie from pulling her hand away, Retina held it firmly and pulled it towards herself.

“How does it feel when someone forcibly holds your hand from one side? It feels coercive, confining, uncomfortable, and irritating.”

Translators: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only

Retina released Marie’s uncomfortable hand, allowing her to withdraw it.

“One-sided feelings are like that. It may not be visible, but it can make the other person uncomfortable, or it might even become violence. On the other hand, when you’re holding hands with someone you like, even if your skin is touching, you won’t want to let go for a long time.”

Just liking someone doesn’t mean a relationship is formed. Even if you like someone, if the other person rejects, the relationship cannot progress.

“Love is not one-sided. It’s not deceiving the other person with your feelings. Love happens when both hearts reach each other.”

Retina had recently realized this herself. When she found out that the feelings she thought were one-sided were reciprocated, the emotion was indescribably ecstatic.

“Be honest. Confess not by imitating others, but with Young Lady’s sincerity. And please respect the other person’s feelings as much as Young Lady’s feelings.”

Retina finished speaking with a slight smile. Though young, this intelligent young lady would surely understand her words.

“What if the Crown Prince is greatly disappointed in me because of this… What if he avoids seeing me because he dislikes me…”

“That won’t happen. The Crown Prince is just clumsy in expressing himself, but he cares for Young Lady Marie. If he didn’t care about Young Lady, he would have rebuked you right there.”

Retina put her hand on Marie’s slightly bent knee, aligning herself with Marie’s eye level. Marie raised her eyes to look at Retina.

“If Young Lady gathers the courage first, the Crown Prince will surely accept it willingly.”

Despite not having seen the Crown Prince for long in the capital this year, Retina seemed to know him well as she spoke.

‘What happened between them at the Duke’s residence?’

Marie, sensing something was amiss, was about to ask Retina when their attention was drawn in unison to one end of the corridor. Herald stood there, with a blood-soaked handkerchief, now removed, and a fresh bandage wrapped around his hand.

“Did I hear the voices of ladies? Were you worried and came here?” Herald, who had initially spotted Retina and approached with a bright smile, stood upright upon noticing Marie behind Retina.

As Herald attempted to embrace Retina with all his might, he hesitated, retracting the arm that was reaching out when he saw Marie behind her.

“…You were with Marie.”

Even as Retina was placed in front of him, Herald concealed his fidgety hand, wet with perspiration, behind his back. Due to the decision to keep their relationship a secret until the complicated matters were settled, they couldn’t freely display affection outside.

Marie alternated between looking at the awkward conversation between the two and covering her mouth with her hands. In the Crown Prince’s hand was the handkerchief he had been using.

‘He eventually found out.’

Witnessing the awkwardness of the two trying to keep things discreet, Marie couldn’t help but burst into cheerful laughter. With a lightened heart, she accepted the reality.

‘As Retina said, the Crown Prince knew and was waiting.’

The gaze he directed at her and the gaze he reserved for the one he loved were distinctly different. The Crown Prince had always regarded her as a younger sibling rather than a woman.

Everyone has something they can’t obtain, no matter how hard they try. In Marie’s case, it was the Crown Prince’s heart.

‘I never expected the Crown Prince to make such a face.’

Marie looked at the Crown Prince’s face, filled with genuine love, and organized her emotions. She had never seen that face before, and she probably wouldn’t see it in the future either.

Marie closed and opened her eyes. She now understood the meaning behind the words: that her emotions could make someone uncomfortable and even turn into violence.

‘If you truly love someone, you should wish for their happiness more than your own.’

Marie lightly shrugged her shoulders, and her expression, burdened by the guilt of deceiving everyone, relaxed. Now that she had let go, everything felt much lighter.

Placing her hand on her chest and taking a deep breath, Marie approached the Crown Prince. With a heart that had released its long-held feelings, Marie’s face looked fresher than ever.

* * *

Near the Pavilion, in a café, Helen sat alone on a long sofa, crossing her legs and revealing her discomfort as she continuously bit her nails.

“Helen, would you like to try this cookie? It’s full of Earl Grey flavor and delicious.”

“How soft is this cake? The bread blends with the whipped cream and melts gently in your mouth.”

The surrounding ladies-in-waiting refrained from speaking rashly, trying to match their mood to Helen’s until she felt better. The only one troubled by Helen’s uneasy behavior, with her nails torn and bleeding, was her personal maid, Annette. Concerned about potential harm to Helen’s hands, Annette spoke up.

“Miss, if you continue biting your nails, your fingers will deform. The butler has repeatedly advised against it. If the Duchess sees, she’ll be furious.”

“Annette, are you ignoring me too? Huh?”

Translators: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only

“Oh, no, Miss. I didn’t mean that.”

“Then don’t care about whatever I do! What does it matter to you!”

Already irritated by the maid’s unperceptive behavior, Helen threw the cookie on the plate towards the maid. The cookie hit the maid’s body and shattered on the floor.

“Argh! So annoying! Is it reasonable for some women to swagger around the social scene as if it’s their own backyard? Of course, I should be the protagonist!”

Annette, with her carefully arranged hair now disheveled, faced Helen’s outburst with a scream. Everyone in the cafe witnessed Helen’s hysteria but chose to tolerate it. Helen’s fiery temperament was not only well-known but also held significant influence in social circles, especially as she was backed by the influential Duchess. Anyone opposing her intentions found it challenging to re-enter society.

“We need to find a weakness to bring that woman down.”

Tap, tap, Helen, who was biting her nails, spoke. She had tried seeking help from her mother, the Duchess, but even her mother, who was a duchess, said she couldn’t casually interfere with Retina, as the Grand Duke and Lady Rose were watching over her. Though they seemed uninvolved in Retina’s movements, the subtle restrictions around them appeared as a solid wall built to protect Retina.

“Even if I try to shake the door, I have to bear the name of Deneuve, so….”

With the Deneuve family staunchly guarding her, there was no bold act anyone could make against Retina. When Retina first entered society, Helen thought she was a ward brought out of a sense of duty, but that was far from the truth.

“I’ve never seen the Deneuve’s act so meticulously.”

There was simply no way to touch Retina. Helen couldn’t find a gap in this situation that operated like a well-played chess game.

“Could that woman be the one I know?”

Clack, clack, a lady-in-waiting approached, making a tapping sound with her shoes. Helen glanced at the approaching lady-in-waiting, who covered half of her face with a black lace fan, and clenched her fist at her side.

“She doesn’t even know the subject.”

“No, indeed. Who could suddenly roll into society like a pumpkin?”

“I want to keep that fox from even showing her face in society.”

“Wow, could it be that she’s thinking the same as me?”

Misha, who folded her fan with a thud, sat down next to Helen, clapping her hands.

“I’ve heard some interesting stories about her. What do you think? Isn’t it a bit intriguing?”

Leaning towards Helen, she covered her mouth with her palm and whispered in a subdued voice into Helen’s ear.