I Stole the Prince's First

Chapter 6.

 Between coincidence and necessity (3)

Translator: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only

Leaning toward each other, Herald’s eyes, resembling the red of rubies, held a reflection of Retina, while Retina’s azure eyes captured the essence of Herald. As their gazes exchanged, an inexplicable current flowed between them.

“Uh, you go first!”

“I’d rather you start.”

Herald raised his hand toward Retina. Caught off guard, Retina hesitated, then cautiously inquired,

“Well… Have you found the person you were looking for?”

It was a foolish question, even as she asked it. Yet, considering the limited topics she could discuss with the Crown Prince, what else could she possibly say? She worried that this might lead to her inadvertently disclosing some crucial information and digging her own grave. Thankfully, the Crown Prince still seemed oblivious to her true identity.

“Is it still about that matter?”

Herald chuckled, pointing to his own nose. Despite not recognizing her, he wore a bashful expression that suggested the memory of that day was not all that unpleasant.

A bashful Crown Prince. Unbelievable. Retina shook off the thought that her perception might be wrong and focused on his response.

“Well… I’m not exactly sure about the details of that day. I remember that her hair was disheveled on the bed, glimmering in the moonlight, and her face wasn’t very clear. But what I do remember is that she was incredibly beautiful.”

As Herald tilted his head slightly, his lustrous golden hair cascaded down. Retina, despite knowing better, found herself drawn to his handsome face.

Even though she knew she should keep her distance, his breathtaking beauty had an undeniable allure.

“If even Your Highness, the Crown Prince, finds her beautiful, just how stunning could she be? I’m curious,” Retina remarked.

Her lips tingled as she attempted to praise herself. Retina quickly averted her gaze from the Crown Prince and stared into the distance. Her cheeks had turned a faint shade of pink.

Looking at him, with his sun-like golden hair and eyes filled with intense flames, Retina finally understood why people compare the Rudenheim royal family to the sun.

“That’s true. I’d like to see her properly once again. The woman I thought was beautiful.”

“Everything… went in…” The low voice that scratched her throat and flowed out along with the Crown Prince’s words echoed in her mind. What, what went in?! Retina vigorously shook her head, trying to dispel the intrusive memory. Why did it have to resurface at this moment?

“Your body… is so soft, I like it.”

Aahh!!! Retina’s face, which had just begun to regain its composure, turned bright red. Blushing all the way to her ears, she avoided the Crown Prince’s puzzled gaze and shifted her seat.

“Young lady? Are you feeling unwell?”

“Uh, aaah!”

As Retina screamed, startled by the sudden approach of Herald, she jumped up from her chair. Her untimely scream briefly attracted the attention of those around, but it was soon drowned out by the music at the party.

“Hahaha, you almost fell off the chair, that’s all. Ahem.”

Retina adjusted her posture and used her fan to cool the heat that had risen to her flushed face. She couldn’t understand why she felt so flustered when she stood in front of the Crown Prince, both now and back then.

‘…There must be something that bothers me’, after all, she thought.

“Be careful not to get hurt. If you get injured, those Deneuve guys will cause a fuss, and that’s already scary.”

“Yes, thank you for your concern.”

Retina looked back at the dance floor, sitting next to the Crown Prince. Couples were dancing to a waltz composed of 3/4 time, an essential element of any party. If you were a noble entering society, knowing how to dance was considered a basic skill, but Retina had never danced at a party before, at least not a waltz.

“…”

“…”

Earlier, it seemed like there was something to say. Are they not going to say it? Another awkward silence fell between the two as they watched the dance floor. They needed to either leave their seats or bring up a conversation somehow. One of those options had to be chosen to break the tension.

“Um…”

“Would you like to dance for one song?”

As if they were thinking the same thing, the voices of the two overlapped again. Retina, facing the Crown Prince, looked at the hand extended towards her.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not in good health, and because I’ve spent a long time in the countryside, I never properly learned to dance.”

Dancing? Despite receiving the best education from her governess, Retina was perplexed at how she couldn’t manage something as simple as dancing.

She clarified that it wasn’t that she didn’t want to dance but that she couldn’t dance when the Crown Prince seemed disappointed by her refusal. Her words were truthful; she was simply not gifted when it came to dancing, even with the best education from her governess.

“”If you refuse like this, I think you’ll be more famous than those ladies are.”.

Herald glanced around them. With a gentlemanly smile and whispered words, Retina glanced around and noticed that, somehow, they had attracted quite a few overt stares. The intense gazes from these young ladies were so strong that it made her skin tingle.

“I really, really can’t dance, what should I do?”

“As long as you don’t step on my feet, it’ll work out.”

Having reluctantly accepted Herald’s invitation, Retina rose with his escort. Herald took her hand and led her to the center of the hall. As they made their way out alone, the crowd that had gathered along the way split apart.

“Is it really okay?”

Retina, who had never received so much attention before, looked around with worried eyes. In the center of the hall, they were surrounded by couples who had formed a circle.

“What could possibly not be okay?”

Herald, holding Retina’s hand as they faced each other, bent and straightened his knees, exchanging greetings. Soon, the music, which had been playing softly in the background, changed, and the dance began.

“Just follow my lead,” Herald said.

Herald wrapped his arm around Retina’s lower back and skillfully held her waist. Retina moved closer and farther away in sync with Herald’s movements, twirling around gracefully, although she appeared to be someone who couldn’t dance at all.

“It’s nice to listen to music while dancing,” Herald whispered to Retina, who was moving in time with his heartbeat against his chest. Once again, he had summoned her alone because he had something to say.

“In three days, there’s a royal ball. I hope you can be my partner then.”

“What? What are you saying now…?”

“Just look ahead and listen as if it’s nothing special. Originally, I was planning to take the woman I was looking for with me, but it didn’t go as planned.”

This time, they clasped the backs of each other’s hands and twirled their arms to the right twice.

“It seems like Your Highness really likes that person.”

“Well… it’s more about confirmation than liking. I mean, I’m not trying to say everything here. It seems like Young Lady doesn’t need to know all the details. So, are you going to attend the royal ball with me? Invitations have also been sent to Young lady’s brothers.”

“Why me of all people? I don’t have much influence in the social circles, and I haven’t even made my debut.”

“You seem to know better than me why I chose young Lady, just as Young Lady said.”

Retina, who had been pushed away and then pulled back into Herald’s embrace, was now enveloped by him. In the countless steps embedded in each movement, Retina’s feet had never once tripped. She looked up at Herald, not just because of the reason he mentioned.

“I chose you because you’re not capable?” Retina asked.

“If Young Lady thinks that way.”

“Does it mean you’re going to use me and then discard me?”

“It means I trust you that much.”

Herald nodded and held Retina’s finger, spinning her around. Retina spun around in place, being pulled in various directions by Herald’s movements before she could collect her thoughts. The music was gradually coming to an end.

“So, does that mean, unlike other young ladies, I haven’t made my debut, have no influence in society, and am un-charming, so you won’t pay any attention to me and just use me as a partner?”

Retina shot Herald a stern glare. Clearly, she was at the bottom rung of the social ladder, with just a handful of party attendances under her belt. Even the prince she was seeing for the first time seemed to want to use her.

“Oh, please, how infuriating.”

Despite her lack of interest in the social scene, she couldn’t help but feel offended by the blatant disregard. Retina didn’t easily give her response to the prince’s proposal.

Normally, Retina, who hadn’t made her debutante appearance, wouldn’t be able to attend the first royal ball of the season. During the social season, there were a total of three royal balls, and typically, young ladies who hadn’t made their debut waited until the second ball, meant for those who hadn’t found fiancés in the previous social season.

But things were different if you were attending as the prince’s partner. Who knew when else she would have the chance to come to the capital this year?

Glancing upwards for a moment, Retina suddenly found herself locking eyes with Herald, who had been watching her all along. She quickly lowered her head, holding her breath, wondering if the pounding of her heart was audible to him.

“When did he start looking at me like that?” she wondered.

As one of the four renowned beauties representing the Empire, Retina had become accustomed to men constantly vying for her attention. However, she was now flustered by the prince’s gaze.

Avoiding the prince’s eyes, Retina kept her gaze fixed on the floor. As the music signaled the end of the dance, she exchanged greetings with the prince. Typically, after a dance ended, one would greet their partner and either continue dancing with someone else or take a break by the side of the hall. However, Retina left the ballroom as soon as the dance concluded.

Feeling her heart racing incessantly, Retina placed her hand on her chest. Thump, thump, thump. The more she thought about it, the faster her heart raced.

‘Could it be… that I… with the prince? No, right?’

Retina stepped out into the garden, taking a deep breath. She needed to clear her head, given how complicated things had become. However, even the garden seemed to have its own complications…

“Uh, Your Lordship, that’s…!”

“Hehe, he, tonight, I won’t leave you alone!”

Retina’s steps, as she was about to enter the maze garden, abruptly halted. She turned on her heel and headed back towards the mansion.

“Haha, everyone’s quite lively tonight.”

With creaking limbs, she found an empty room on the same floor as the ballroom. Since there weren’t many nobles staying overnight at Sylas Castle, they didn’t have assigned rooms; if there was an empty one, you could rest there.

“As long as it’s not too late, the room should be…”

”Scream!”

“Who’s there?!

In that room, a pair of lovers had already occupied it, creating an intimate atmosphere.

“I-I’m sorry!”

Covering her eyes, Retina quickly rushed out of the room. She had thought it was empty since the lights were off, but it turned out to be occupied by two people engaged in a secret rendezvous.

Since it was increasingly challenging to find an unoccupied spot wherever she went, Retina gave up on her plan to rest in a secluded area and headed towards the location where the carriages were parked.

‘I’ll wait until 10 o’clock, and if my brothers don’t show up by then, I’ll go back to the mansion alone.’ With this thought in mind, she crossed the garden and arrived at the place where the carriages were waiting.

However, when she arrived there, she was greeted by the sight one of her brothers, Haint kissing the young lady who had been playing in the banquet hall in front of the carriage.

“Ah! My eyes!”

Retina covered her eyes and screamed in horror, causing a startled Engi and Haint to quickly separate.

It seemed like nothing was going right tonight.

Translator: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only