Chapter 56
Blind Date (1)
“Your Highness, are you feeling unwell?”
“I’m always a bit under the weather, hmm. Normally, my sturdy bones keep me healthy, but I’m worried about my condition during the swordsmanship competition. What is your goal in this tournament… winning it, perhaps?”
“Leti, when did you get here? You just went out a moment ago, and now you’re back already?”
Sat’s voice came through as Ilian paused mid-sentence, clearing his throat. Sat, having just seen off a guest, looked toward Letina, sitting opposite Ilian.
“Yes. There wasn’t much to see, so I thought I’d read a book for a change. What about you?”
“I just stopped by briefly to greet a guest in place of my father. I’ll leave after finishing my conversation with Ilian. We’ll talk later.”
After exchanging a few words with Letina, Sat led Ilian into the reception room. As he said, there didn’t seem to be much time for them to stay in the mansion, giving off a rather restless feeling.
‘That means I won’t see him for a while…’
Letina set down the teacup she had been holding. Although the swordsmanship competition with the Crown Prince was only a small part of state affairs, her brothers were constantly busy. She finally understood why her father often left the mansion in the capital unoccupied.
‘He can’t get enough sleep…’
Letina, who had been waiting in the anteroom, rose from the sofa. She recalled hearing that he suffered from insomnia every day—except during the grueling military training at the academy, he had never truly slept deeply. He always carried sleeping pills with him.
‘Why did he tell me that…?’
Letina thought as she climbed the stairs to the third floor where the study was.
‘He said that when he’s with me, he can sleep without dreaming at all. That the symptom that had tormented him his whole life disappears.’
Her face blushed. Even so, he would only sleep about five hours before waking again. He would quietly lie beside her in her bedroom at night and leave before dawn.
‘He’s always busy and can’t sleep, and here I am, worrying unnecessarily. I can ask him later when I see him.’
If Ilian said that, the situation must be really bad. Even if she could see him for just a moment, she’d hold him tight. The disappointment she felt over the news of the Crown Princess vanished, replaced entirely by worry.
She realized she probably liked him even more than she thought. Though she resented him when he appeared unbidden in her thoughts, she couldn’t help the sudden yearning to see him.
Time had passed quickly when she was with him, but now, apart, it seemed to crawl. Letina bit her lip, holding back the swelling emotion.
‘Come quickly and explain before I wear myself out…’
The night without him already felt unbearably lonely.
Letina, flipping through her book absentmindedly, slammed the thick volume shut. She had picked up a romance novel to pass the time, but she could not focus at all.
“I thought I’d at least see him briefly during the match.”
Since the preliminaries began, the Crown Prince had been observing all matches at the pavilion. Thanks to Sat, Letina had tickets close to him, but because of the tournament and selection process, the Crown Prince’s attention was entirely occupied, making private conversation impossible.
Moreover, the Empress and other nobles were always seated beside him, so aside from a brief exchange of glances, there had been no real interaction.
“Looks like I won’t be able to see him until the competition ends.”
Letina murmured to herself, flipping the velvet cover of her book. She had tried to watch from behind the arena as before, but from the main round onward, outsiders were restricted. She had hoped to greet him casually, but the Empress’s sharp gaze nearby prevented her from approaching.
Since they couldn’t even exchange pleasantries, she had no opportunity to learn what had happened regarding the Crown Princess.
“There’s still no reply to my letter.”
She had intended to ask her brother Sat, but since the day she met Ilian, Sat had been staying at the Crown Prince’s mansion, apparently planning to stay several days, having taken his luggage with him.
“They’re both busy, so they probably forgot.”
Writing another letter seemed troublesome for such busy people. She decided to wait until the swordsmanship competition ended. As the tournament progressed, the number of matches decreased, and it would be over in about two weeks. Considering how long she had already waited, it wouldn’t be long.
Left alone in the vast mansion, Letina yawned from boredom. Though she was used to quiet from living almost alone, the emptiness of the mansion made her feel hollow.
She descended from the reading nook, smoothing the creases in her skirt. Looking ahead, she saw Lina, who had been waiting outside the study, step inside.
“What is it?”
“Miss, outside—”
Before Lina could finish, someone entered the room.
“How have you been?”
The Grand Duchess approached gracefully, smiling kindly. Having returned to Horn Castle immediately after the debutante event, she had come to the duke’s mansion in the capital.
“It’s been a long time, Your Grace, Grand Duchess Lencia.”
“Yes, it has.”
“I would have gone downstairs if you were below… was it tiring to come up here?”
“Do you think I’m too old to climb stairs? Don’t worry; I’m healthier than you.”
Letina, fidgeting with her skirt, sat opposite the Grand Duchess at the small desk in the study. Even without speaking, her body froze in tension whenever she faced the Grand Duchess.
“How have you been? I imagine no one has left you alone with the Crystal Gate.”
“Yes… They really wouldn’t let me have any private time. I thought I got a lot of invitations before, but that was less than half. Sorting through the daily pile of invitations and business cards is exhausting.”
“The social season begins in April, but the main events happen after the debutante ball. There are far more parties now, and since you are a Crystal Gate member, you are invited to every party, so it must feel even more overwhelming.”
The Grand Duchess watched Letina, who was tongue-tied, as if she had expected it. Becoming a Crystal Gate member didn’t change her demeanor.
‘After all, she didn’t covet the Crystal Gate during the debutante ball, even when I appointed her chaperone.’
Letina had only filled exactly five names on her dance card, as instructed. The Grand Duchess tapped her fan on the table with interest.
“I’ve heard that recently, you’ve rejected all suitors who visited the mansion.”
Startled, Letina’s shoulders twitched. Here it comes.
“W-well, they are all wonderful and from good families, but… I mean, they’re just not my type. Thinking about spending my whole life with someone, I had to consider carefully… Haha. I didn’t think my news would reach Horn Castle.”
“Of course. I’ve always kept an ear out for my chaperone. I expected as much. Even if some of them had questionable personalities, their appearance was always exceptional. Naturally, they would not be satisfactory for your standards.”
Contrary to what Letina expected, the Grand Duchess nodded in understanding.
“Besides, the Crown Prince’s unwelcome intrusion probably scared off the more cautious men.”
“Haha… Indeed, I haven’t had many visitors since His Highness came.”
“Good. The timid ones aren’t worth your time. Nowadays, men are too careful. In my day, even if a duke came by, they’d settle it with a duel.”
“Really? So what happened?”
“See for yourself. I became the Grand Duchess, didn’t I?”
Most of them were gone, and those who remained spent their days weak and frail. The Grand Duchess brushed off Letina’s curiosity. She hadn’t come for idle chatter.
“Enough chatter. Get ready to go. We have somewhere to go.”
“Now?”
“Yes. Since you’ve brought a dress, it’s time to go.”
“W-where are we going? Why bring a dress…?”
“What are you waiting for? Do you want to keep this old lady waiting?”
The Grand Duchess urged Letina forward, while the waiting maids guided her out of the study.
Without needing the bedroom, they dressed Letina in the guest room next door with practiced skill. Lina, frowning from afar, couldn’t compete with their experience.
The silk empire dress the Grand Duchess brought emphasized refined elegance rather than attracting attention. Unlike an evening gown for a party, it was suited for formal occasions.
“You look lovely. It would be better without the wig… but perhaps it’s too soon. Now, let’s go.”
Pleased, the Grand Duchess placed a tiara atop Letina’s neatly arranged hair. Holding her gloved hand, she led her to the carriage. Just as the carriage began to move, Letina, still unaware, could not escape.
“Finally, your arranged marriage meeting has been approved.”
