Chapter 56

Blind date (1)

“Where did Your Highness got hurt?”

“He’s always in pain, heh. His health would not be a major problem under normal circumstances, but I am concerned that he may not be in good condition during the swordsmanship competition. What is his purpose in this competition to win…….”

“Retina, when did you arrive? You said you went out for a moment, but you came back quickly.”

Interrupting with a fake cough and then continuing with his words, Sat’s voice was heard amidst Illiyan’s words. Sat, who had returned after escorting a guest, sat across from Retina, giving her a glance.

“Yeah, there wasn’t much to see, so I decided to read a book after a long time. What about my brother?”

“I just came in briefly to greet the guest instead of Father. I have to finish the conversation with Illiyan and go out again. Let’s talk more later.” Having exchanged a few words with Retina, whom he met for the first time today, Sat, along with Illiyan, went into the drawing room.

As he said, it felt chaotic, as if there wasn’t much time to stay in the mansion. ‘Well, it means I won’t be able to see him for a while.’ Retina put down the teacup she had been holding all this time. This time, the swordsmanship competition entrusted to her brothers by the Crown Prince was a very small part of government affairs, but her brothers were busy day and night. She now deeply understood why the mansion in the capital, where her father stayed most of the time, was frequently empty.

‘He said he never slept deeply. That’s why he always carried sleeping pills.’

‘Why did he mention that?’

Retina thought as she climbed the stairs to the third floor, where the study was located.

‘He used to say that when he’s with me, he doesn’t have strange dreams and sleeps well. That the symptoms that have tormented him all his life disappear.’

Retina’s face blushed. After all, he would sleep for about five hours at most and wake up again. Unable to sleep as usual, he often visited Retina’s bedroom every night. If Retina was asleep, he would lie quietly next to her and leave before dawn.

‘He’s busy without a moment’s rest, and here I am worrying for no reason. I can ask him about it later when we meet.’

If Illiyan spoke like that, the situation must not be good. Even if it’s just for a short time, she would definitely embrace him if she could see him. The disappointment from the news about the Crown Prince was gone, replaced only by worry. It seems like she cares for him more than she thought.

Despite the resentment that often popped up, the desire to see him unexpectedly emerged, and it bothered her. When they were together, time passed so quickly without notice, and now it seemed to drag on slowly. Retina bit her lip, suppressing the conflicting emotions.

‘Come back quickly and explain before I get tired……’

The night without him already felt terribly lonely.

* * *

Nonchalantly flipping through the pages, Retina abruptly closed the thick book. She had opened a romance novel, her favorite to pass the overflowing time, but couldn’t concentrate at all.

“I thought I could at least see him briefly during the match.”

As the main event began, the Crown Prince attended all the matches held in the pavilion. Thanks to Sat, Retina had received tickets close to the Crown Prince, but due to the attention focused solely on the Crown Prince because of the selection, it was difficult to engage in casual conversations.

Moreover, beside the Crown Prince, the Empress and other nobles always occupied their seats, making it challenging to have any encounters apart from occasional eye contact.

“It seems like we won’t be able to meet until the swordsmanship competition is over.”

Retina murmured to herself while caressing the velvet cover. She had initially tried to watch from behind the stadium, but from the main event onward, outsiders were restricted from entering. Even when she considered greeting him by chance, the Empress prevented her from getting close.

Since they hadn’t exchanged even simple greetings, there was no opportunity to learn what happened to the Crown Prince.

“There’s still no reply to the letter.”

Since the day she asked Sat about it after meeting Illiyan, Sat had stayed at the Crown Prince’s mansion. There were rumors that he planned to stay for several days, carrying luggage with him.

“Both of them must have forgotten since they are busy.”

Sending another letter would be bothersome to busy people. She had no choice but to wait until the swordsmanship competition was over. Considering the reduced number of matches as they progressed in the tournament, it would be over in about a fortnight.

Now left alone in the vast mansion, Retina yawned out of boredom. It was the familiar quietness she was used to as someone who lived alone. However, the emptiness of the grand mansion made her feel a sense of emptiness.

Translators: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only

Retina descended from the reading nook, smoothing out the wrinkled skirt. When she raised her head to look ahead, Lena, who had been waiting outside the study, had come in.

“What’s the matter?”

“Miss, outside…”

Before Lena could finish her sentence, someone entered the room.

“Have you been well?”

The duchess approached with graceful steps and smiled kindly, speaking in a comforting tone. After finishing her debutante ball, she had returned to Horn Castle and finally came to the capital to visit the Duke’s mansion.

“It’s been a while, Duchess Lencia.”

“Yeah, it has been a while.”

“If you were downstairs, I would have come down… Wasn’t it difficult for you to come up?”

“Do you see me as an old man who can’t climb stairs? Don’t worry; I’m healthier than you.”

With a laughter-filled voice, the duchess scolded Retina and took a seat in front of the small table in the study. Retina, who had been fidgeting with her skirt, followed the duchess and sat opposite her. Even though no words were spoken, just being in front of the duchess made Retina automatically tense, and her body stiffened.

“How have you been all this time? There must have been a lot of talk about the Crystal Gate around you.”

“Yes… I really couldn’t have any time for myself. I thought I received a lot of invitations before, but it was less than half. It’s hard to choose from the overflowing baskets of invitations and business cards every day.”

“The social season starts in April, but the real grand events unfold after the debutante ball. There are much more parties than back then. Retina, as the Crystal Gate, you’ll probably feel it even more with invitations to every party.”

The duchess looked at Retina, who seemed to know it in advance, as if sticking out her tongue. Despite becoming the Crystal Gate and being expected to be more ambitious, she seemed no different from before.

“Well, considering your nature, you didn’t show much interest in the Crystal Gate even after being designated as a Chaperon in the debutante ball.”

It was the first time for young lady, who had been asked to fill in the names of at least five dance cards at the debutante ball. The duchess, who had an interesting expression, tapped the end of the fan on her palm.

“But these days, I hear you’ve rejected all the suitors who came to the mansion.”

Retina, pierced by the duchess’s gentle reproach, shivered and shrugged her shoulders. The moment had come.

“Well, you know, everyone was from excellent and respectable families, but… um, how should I put it? It’s not my taste? I think of it as someone I have to live with for the rest of my life, so I thought carefully and, um, considered it. Haha, I didn’t expect my news to reach Horn Castle.”

Retina chuckled nervously, trying to lighten the mood.

“Of course. You’re the child I took care of as a chaperone, aren’t you? Although I moved my residence to Horn, I’ve always kept an ear out for information. I had some expectations. The people around you may have issues with their character, but there’s something outstanding about you, isn’t there? Naturally, I thought that those busybodies wouldn’t dare to approach your castle without a second thought.”

Contrary to what Retina expected to hear, the Duchess agreed with her.

“Moreover, with that reckless Crown Prince crawling in, the ones with a quick wit probably didn’t even attempt to approach.”

“Haha… Indeed, there haven’t been many visitors since Your Grace’s last visit.”

“Those young lords got scared, tsk. It’s better that they didn’t come. Nowadays, these youngsters are too cautious about their bodies. In my time, even if a Duke came for a visit, they’d suggest settling it with a duel.”

“Oh! Really? What happened? How did it go?”

“It’s settled. Can’t you see that I became a Duchess?”

Most of the people had died, and the ones who survived spent the rest of their lives in agony. The Duchess dismissed Retina’s curiosity about her love story, brightening her eyes. She didn’t come to engage in trivial conversations or share stories.

“Enough of useless chit-chat. Get ready to go out. You have somewhere to go.”

“Now? Right now?”

“Yes. Since you brought a dress, get ready to go.”

“Um, where are we going? Why did you bring a dress?”

“Stop dawdling. Are you going to keep this old lady waiting?!”

The Duchess urged Retina, who was bewildered by the sudden turn of events. The maids, who had been waiting for the Duchess’s call, approached Retina and led her out of the study.

Without the need to go to the bedroom, the maids retrieved the equipment from the adjacent guest room and skillfully transformed Retina into an elegantly dressed lady in no time. Though Lena, who always handled Retina’s attire, made a disgruntled expression from a distance, her extensive experience with homeless women left her with no way to outsmart them.

The silk empire dress, brought by the Duchess for what seemed to be an important occasion, emphasized grace rather than extravagance. It was a dress typically worn for occasions where proper etiquette was essential, more so than the evening gowns worn at parties or banquets.

“It suits you well. It would be even better without the wig, but… it’s still too early. Now, let’s go.”

Duchess Lencia smiled satisfactorily as she observed Retina, who wore a tiara atop her neatly arranged hair. Taking Retina’s gloved hand, the Duchess led her towards the carriage. As the carriage set off, and Retina, still unaware of anything, felt she couldn’t escape, the Duchess finally spoke.

“Finally, your turn to be presented to society has arrived.”