“Why are you standing there so dangerously? What if you fall?”
Herald, who had entered the bedroom, approached Retina, who was standing by the terrace door, leaning against the railing and gazing at the garden. Retina, who was so absorbed that she hadn’t noticed Herald’s entrance, turned around at the sound of his voice. The thin chemise she wore fluttered to the left in the gentle breeze. Sunlight streamed behind her as she brushed her hair away from her face and smiled at Herald.
Perhaps it was because she had shed the secret she had hidden her whole life and was now her true self, but the atmosphere around Retina felt markedly different. Herald hurriedly moved and embraced Retina, who was standing with her back to the railing. The uneasy feeling that she might suddenly disappear somewhere made him want to pull her away from the railing.
“I felt stifled just staying in the bedroom. The doctor said I’m fully recovered now, are you still worried?”
“Yes, I am worried.”
“I never knew Your Highness was such a fearful person.”
Retina smiled as she spoke to the crown prince, who was locking the terrace door tightly while holding her. He had been by her sickbed for days and, even now, treated her as if she were made of glass.
“If you want to go out, call me.” “How can I ask a busy person to come and go just because I want to take a walk in the garden right in front?”
“Isn’t Tetten outside? If you tell him, I’ll come.”
“If I have to ask Sir Tetten to call you, I’d rather just go out with Sir Tetten.”
“In that case, I wouldn’t leave Tetten alone.”
After confirming several times that Retina was in his arms, Herald finally let her go. Not wanting to be apart even for a moment, he held her hand tightly and led her to the sofa.
“Aren’t you hungry?” “I ate earlier.”
“How about dessert?”
“I want to eat, but I’ve gained some weight from lying down all the time, so I’m trying to refrain.”
“You can gain a little weight.”
Herald sat Retina on his lap and held her wrist, still so thin it was like holding only bone, with one hand.
“Even if I keep eating and end up rolling around the hallway?”
“Why? Is it uncomfortable being with me?”
“Um, it’s not that.”
Retina, leaning against Herald’s chest, shook her head from side to side.
Living with the crown prince, who adjusted everything to suit her, wasn’t difficult. She missed Lina’s constant chatter, but the maids in the imperial palace treated her well without any discomfort.
However, aside from the living arrangements, she was originally not of a status that allowed her to enter the crown prince’s bedroom. While she could step in if summoned by him, staying this long would undoubtedly lead to rumors.
‘There are people who won’t stand by quietly seeing me in the crown prince’s palace.’
It was a wonder there hadn’t been any noise so far, considering how he must have persuaded them. By now, anyone would see her close relationship with the crown prince and become envious.
The crown prince hadn’t informed Retina of the situation outside. He cited the doctor’s advice that she needed to rest due to the severe mental shock she had endured, keeping her unaware of the outside world.
“You don’t need to worry about what people are saying outside. You now have the status of an honored guest, like Prince Norden, so you have the right to stay in the imperial palace.”
“But this isn’t the crown prince’s palace, is it?”
“It’s all the same.”
Herald lightly dismissed Retina’s concerns. Although it raised some doubts, his words weren’t entirely incorrect. When foreign envoys visited, it was customary to designate a palace within the imperial grounds for them, but there was no rule against staying in other palaces.
“It’s completely different!”
Struggling to resist the strangely persuasive logic, Retina straightened up and pulled away from his embrace.
“Can’t you bear with it for a little longer? I don’t want to let you go. The moment you leave, you’ll be so busy you won’t have time to think about someone like me.”
Herald pulled Retina back into his arms, facing her, and held her like a child, gently swaying.
‘It wouldn’t do Retina any good to step into society right now.’
He had another reason for keeping her from leaving. The capital, where fresh greenery should be sprouting, was instead experiencing a sudden bloodstorm.
A small spark had become a wildfire, unexpectedly engulfing the corrupt nobles. The timing coincided with the social season, bringing nobles from afar to the capital, leaving them no time to destroy evidence or escape.
Duke Deneuve was at the forefront of this upheaval, invoking imperial orders, reshaping the noble faction landscape.
If Retina returned to the duchy, she would inevitably hear about the outside world, and naturally, news about the Deneuve family. Given her brothers’ unwavering devotion to her, they also seemed to prefer her staying in the imperial palace.
“Just stay until the envoy from the north arrives. Once they do, even I won’t be able to keep you here.”
“When are they coming?”
“In two days.”
Two days. Retina, having quickly accepted the crown prince’s proposal, stretched her arms and wrapped them around his neck.
She felt a bit stifled staying in the bedroom all the time, but realizing their days together were numbered suddenly made her feel wistful.
“Aren’t you liking this too much? I’m starting to feel a bit hurt.”
“There’s no way. I’m just sad because once I return to the mansion, it will be hard to see you again like before.”
“Weren’t you just eagerly waiting for the day you could leave?”
“Did you really take it to heart when I said I wanted to go?”
“…No.”
“I said that because I was worried my brothers, whom I haven’t seen since that day, would be concerned.”
Retina clung to the crown prince, who tried to hide his feelings but still wore a pouty expression. The more she got to know him, the cuter he seemed to become.
‘If anyone else heard, they might tell me to stop saying such nonsense, and I wouldn’t dare say it carelessly.’
If he had said the same thing when they first met, she likely would have reacted the same way.
Knowing that he showed this side only to her made her feel even more special.
* * *
Even though they had less than a day left together, Retina couldn’t stay with the crown prince for long. Waking up alone in the bed where they had fallen asleep together, Retina rubbed her sleepy eyes.
“Busy, huh.”
Even though it was their last day together, she had hoped to spend more time with him. Retina pulled the cord to signal the maid that she was awake and got out of bed.
‘Of course, he would be busy.’
He was the crown prince of the empire. Retina understood that he carved out time from his busy schedule just to see her.
Even during meals, people constantly knocked on the door to find him.
Despite that, the crown prince tried to spend as much time with her as possible. So wishing to spend the entire day with him was a bit greedy.
“Still, the social season is ending, so he should be less busy now.”
Retina washed her face with the water the maid brought and dried it with a soft towel.
The social season was coming to a close, with the riding club marking its final event. This was the time when couples who had met and succeeded in courtship during the season began to think about marriage.
As a result, parties and various events where meetings occurred naturally dwindled, and the social season ended with the final imperial ball.
Therefore, the crown prince’s duties should have lessened, but he seemed busier than ever.
“It’s frustrating not knowing anything because no one tells me anything.”
Having not left the crown prince’s palace the whole time, Retina had no idea what was happening outside.
The maids attended to her well without any discomfort, but when she tried to ask something, they quickly fled, leaving her unable to get any answers. Tetten, on the other hand, refused to answer any questions about the rumors circulating about her as if he had sealed his lips.
“That’s right, something was strange.”
She had dropped a huge bombshell at the riding club, yet everything seemed so peaceful. Propping her chin on her hand, Retina fell into deep thought. Until now, she had dismissed her feelings as mere anxiety, but she now realized the crown prince’s true intention of keeping her confined to the palace under the pretense of protection. To only realize this now—she must have been unwell for quite some time.
‘Setting the deadline for tomorrow means everything will be concluded by then.’
It was obvious who had come up with this plan. It must have been Sat. Retina shook her head and sighed. There were still two people who treated her like a child ignorant of the ways of the world. She had a foreboding feeling that there would soon be a third, sending a chill down her spine.
“Excuse me, Lady Retina Ignis, Your Grace.”
Having finished washing her face and preparing to leave, Retina turned toward the door at the sound of a knock. The door quietly opened to reveal the head steward, a man of dignified age. Bowing respectfully, he delivered the message from his master.
“His Majesty the Emperor requests an audience with you.”
