I Stole the Prince's First

After the swordsmanship competition, Sat and Haint, having enjoyed a honey-like rest, chose to stay at the Duke’s residence instead of attending the party for those who had safely completed the competition.

No one pressed them to take sufficient rest during the competition, understanding their desire for a break after enduring hardships. It evoked sympathy, considering that they, who had never been inclined to join parties since entering society, were the ones to bring up the topic of rest first.

“Why are the people who used to wander around so much suddenly staying in the mansion for over ten days? Please, just go out!”

Except for one person.

Retina shouted at her brothers, who, for no apparent reason, wouldn’t leave her alone in her bedroom. The two, who were quarreling in her room over trivial matters, simultaneously looked at Retina.

“Reti, do you want to go see that guy if we’re not here? What’s so good about that guy with a bad temper? Wouldn’t you prefer an older brother?”

“I know he has a bad temper, but… Oh, wait. Why am I even talking about that? I shouldn’t be dating, right?”

“Ignoring that our Reti is beautiful, has a good personality, and is well-off, it’s absurd that she can’t date! But still! The other person is wrong, definitely wrong.”

“Sat seems to be fine, though?”

“What? Sat, are you betraying me? We clearly agreed on this!”

“…I didn’t say I liked him. I just said I wouldn’t oppose it if Reti likes him.”

Haint, who observed Sat skillfully evading the situation, clenched his head. For days, he had been trying to persuade Retina, who had been isolating herself, to accept Herald’s feelings, but she simply refused to listen.

Once involved with the royal family, there’s no peace for the body and mind.

He couldn’t let his precious younger sister go through such troubles. Of course, there might be a little selfishness involved, but well, he consistently opposed it for Reti’s sake.

“My stomach hurts. It hurts!!”

“You didn’t buy land or eat too much for lunch, did you?”

“Not that stomach!”

Haint, clutching his stomach, turned his head sharply. His gaze towards Sat was filled with intense hostility.

Supporting Reti and praising her without being able to take my side? Herald Rudenheim, do you even know what kind of guy he is! It seemed like he wanted to say something like that.

“Come to think of it, Sat. Your performance in this competition is worse than last year, isn’t it?”

Haint, who had been rolling around clutching his stomach, suddenly stood up. Deciding that he couldn’t gain the upper hand in the argument, he shifted the course and launched an attack. “Ahem, well. It’s because of various reasons.”

“Then you should train, train!”

Sat, feeling the sting of the comment, suppressed his anger as Haint shook his fist and snorted. Fine, let’s have a match. He controlled himself that way.

“I’m different from a muscle-headed fool like you.”

“Oh, please. How can someone who got eliminated in the first match dare to talk to someone who made it to the semifinals with confidence? Sat Deneuve’s name is embarrassing!”

“I’m not even a swordsman. How can I beat the Imperial Guards? Just passing the qualifiers among those obsessed with swords is enough!”

“Your performance is worse than last year, performance. Where did the Sat Deneuve who used to excel academically go?”

Haint openly ignored Sat, pretending to clean his ears. If you’re upset, let’s settle it. That was the source of his confidence.

“Please… just leave my room.”

Retina covered her face, looking at the two who were causing a commotion in her room, which was neither the dining room nor the reception room. She keenly felt that it was heaven when her brothers were busy with their work.

* * *

“How is it? What did the reply say?”

Retina, reaching out beyond Sat’s hand that held the letter from the imperial palace, asked eagerly. Instead of going to the imperial palace herself, she made sure to exchange letters with Teten to get updates on Herald’s condition.

“He seems to have stabilized a lot since meeting you. News of the suspension of the competition has also been printed and spread. He’s going to take a break for a while.”

“How about his arm? Is it okay?”

“The chief physician says it needs a bit more treatment, but with Herald’s recovery ability, it should be fine by now. Currently, he has even moved his bedroom for recuperation. He probably won’t leave the imperial palace until the next schedule.”

Sat omitted the part about Herald destroying the room, leaving nothing intact, due to his mental state. After reading Teten’s letter, which expressed concerns mixed with worries about Herald showing signs of tremendous symptoms though not reaching madness, Sat, who had visited the imperial palace, had to clear his mind when faced with the war zone-like bedroom.

“What did you hear from the Emperor and Empress to create such chaos?”

Without delving into details, Sat, who already grasped who might be involved, immediately bought opera tickets and threw them at Herald’s face.

“Get yourself together after meeting Retina.”

Herald, looking at the opera ticket with unfocused eyes, responded only to the name Retina. His blurry pupils gradually found light, and the intelligence that had been lost returned.

“He’s severe too.”

Realizing that Retina was the only person who could subdue him with such a clear and distinct change, Sat sighed. Some might want to send their siblings to that ghostly guy. With chaos on both sides about how much they loved each other, there was no way for him to intervene. All he could do was support them until it worked out.

If it were Retina, she would surely not fall behind in the position of the Crown Princess, even if it wasn’t through the competition. Everything, from her family background to her education, was perfect. The only problem was…

“What about Prince Raglas?”

It was Retina, engaged in private discussions with Prince Raglas. If the royal marriage proceeded as planned, there was no way for Herald to stop it.

What mischief Herald would cause after parting with Retina… he would find out at that time. But he knew it wouldn’t be smooth.

“Yeah, what should we do?”

Lowering her head in response to Sat’s question, Retina mumbled, “Sigh, my feelings won’t change, but he’s returning it like this. Haha.”

“What did you say?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just talking to myself.”

Since receiving a letter from Norden after the flower basket, Retina had been troubled.

“I won’t give up on you either. It seems I like Retina more than I thought.”

Among the numerous candidates, he had chosen her. True to his promise, he actively stepped forward, ensuring his determination was not in vain.

Since then, he openly expressed his feelings, sending gifts to the mansion or visiting in person. Despite trying to block the news, with people from Prince Raglaras’s side visiting the Duke’s residence every day, they couldn’t entirely prevent rumors.

“He confidently said he wouldn’t leave the Crown Prince, but I can’t think of a way to break off the engagement with Norden.”

Merely expressing dislike wouldn’t persuade her father and the emperor. They needed to do something before the engagement through the spoken marriage proposal was confirmed, but no suitable solution came to mind.

“What should we do, brother?”

“The only surefire way is to reveal your relationship with Herald.”

“But that’s too risky.”

“That’s true.”

If they disclosed that she had a pre-engagement lover, they could avoid the spoken marriage proposal. However, doing so would reveal her lover’s identity, causing another significant uproar in society once it became known that the person was the Crown Prince.

If she revealed she had a lover shortly after the Crown Princess selection, all the blame that had previously fallen on the imperial family’s mistakes would shift to Retina. That was something Sat couldn’t accept, either.

“And if Father finds out, he won’t just stay quiet.”

It was only now that Sat realized, ever since Retina’s mother had left the world, their father had been determined to send Retina to the northern territories by any means necessary. Rather than letting Retina live her life being pointed at in Rudenheim, he preferred her to have the freedom to live even in another country.

But what if Retina married the Crown Prince? The attacks against Retina would intensify, and he couldn’t tolerate that. Above all, as long as the Empress held her ground, there was no way he would let Retina be sent to her den.

“It’s one mountain after another.”

“Agreed.”

Sat and Retina both sighed deeply at the same time. They had simply wished for a normal life, to live peacefully, love each other, and have lovely children. Yet, they couldn’t easily have anything they desired.

“Don’t be too discouraged. There must be some way. And Herald won’t just stand by and watch.”

In truth, the person they were most concerned about was the Crown Prince, but Sat tried to comfort Retina. He hoped that in the process of resolving the issue, their deep emotions wouldn’t cause any harm.

“I hope Herald gets hurt less than Retina, if possible.”

When it came to matters involving Retina, Sat, even as a close friend, couldn’t remain indifferent.