Chapter 53…
“You’re saying I’m kind?”
Dale furrowed his brows as if he had never heard such a thing in his life.
“Yes. Lately, you’ve been less irritable and more generous. Surely you don’t still feel guilty about burning down my house at will, do you? Secretly, you’re a soft-hearted type?”
Cynthia gave him a sly smile, and as she did, Dale let go of her hand and waist and took a step back.
Cynthia, momentarily losing her balance, quickly lifted her head.
“What is this!”
“Since you feel I’m kind, it seems your endurance has improved.”
“Huh?”
“I mean I’m going to increase the intensity.”
Cynthia, suddenly losing her partner, blinked in shock.
W-What! I was just complimenting him!
Dale crossed his arms and stood at an angle, scanning her from head to toe before speaking.
“From now on, we’ll start turning.”
“Turning?”
“Yes. Turn gracefully to the right.”
“L-Like this?”
“Yes, do it 100 times like that.”
“100 times?!”
Dale nodded calmly at Cynthia, who screamed in surprise.
“You need to do that many turns to make it look natural and elegant. Now, begin.”
Dale nodded as a signal, and Cynthia glared at him but had no choice but to twirl her body.
That wicked man… My compliment feels wasted…!
“Violet, I’m so nervous.”
“You’ll do fine.”
Cynthia gripped the fan Violet handed her with trembling hands.
She never imagined that as a commoner, she would even attend a royal banquet. Exhaling nervously, she looked down at her surprisingly low-cut, elaborate dress and whispered in concern.
“Don’t you think this dress is too revealing? I really have no choice but to keep my back straight the entire time.”
“Evening gowns are made like that. Don’t worry, it’s beautiful.”
“It’s not an excuse. I feel uneasy. What if I ruin everything?”
“Please calm down. Ah! Over there, the Archduke’s carriage is arriving.”
Cynthia turned her head in the direction Violet indicated.
Through the main gate of the Bailey residence, the Romanov family’s black carriage was arriving.
Violet, standing beside her, muttered softly.
“Luckily, the Archduke himself is escorting you. The others probably wouldn’t dare speak to you with him by your side, so just sit quietly.”
“Oh… alright…”
Cynthia forced a smile and approached the Romanov carriage.
As the carriage stopped, Tession opened the door and stepped down. Dressed neatly in a stylish navy uniform, with his hair tidily swept back, he smiled upon seeing Cynthia.
Shining under the sun like a perfectly ripe fruit, he looked incredibly handsome.
“My lady.”
Ah…! Blinding!! How is he so good-looking today?
Cynthia watched Tession approach in slow motion, her mouth agape.
“How have you been?”
Cynthia snapped back to reality as Tession drew near and greeted her again, lowering her eyes unconsciously.
“Ah, hello, Archduke.”
It was their first meeting since the villa encounter. She thought she could greet him calmly, but in reality, she found herself avoiding his gaze.
Oh no… this feels so awkward and embarrassing…!
“Thank you for giving me the honor of attending the banquet together.”
“Not at all. I should be the one thanking you for letting me escort you.”
Cynthia avoided eye contact while holding his hand and stepped into the carriage.
If she let her guard down, the memory of that kiss from before made her heart pound uncontrollably.
Tession, following her into the carriage, sat close by. His distinct woody scent was strong, making her head spin.
“You look beautiful today.”
“T-Thank you. You look wonderful too, Archduke.”
“Is that so? It seems you haven’t even looked at me properly today.”
Tession spoke with a voice tinged with amusement.
Cynthia quickly glanced at him and responded,
“You look great!”
“Hahaha.”
Tession laughed heartily, raising one hand to cover his eyes.
“My lady, you really…”
Cynthia turned her head slightly more boldly to peek at him. His smoothly curved smile kept stealing her attention.
She tried to restrain herself, but her eyes kept drifting toward his lips.
‘Cynthia, open your mouth.’
‘Huh? Ah… uh.’
I keep thinking about it… Cynthia sighed as she stared at Tession’s red lips.
Am I the only one feeling awkward?
Just as she tried to cool herself by fanning herself with the fan she had brought, Tession lowered the hand covering his face and met her eyes.
“Cynthia.”
“Yes?”
“Your face is red.”
“Ah!”
Startled, Cynthia quickly hid her face with her fan.
Ah, my face heated up without realizing it because of those strange thoughts…
Tession smiled and moved closer, gently lowering the fan she held.
Soon, his violet eyes filled her vision.
“Show me your face.”
“……”
“I wanted to see it.”
Ah… my face is getting hotter.
Tession watched Cynthia, who had lost words, and spoke again.
“Cynthia, didn’t you want to see me?”
“Ah, well… that is…”
He’s too close…!
Cynthia forced her eyes away. Still unable to meet his gaze properly, Tession said again,
“You like my face, don’t you? Didn’t you want to see it?”
Cynthia blinked. With Tession’s face… I like it…
“Well, that’s true…!”
“So, you did want to see it, right?”
Tession asked once more. Cynthia had no choice but to nod.
“Good.”
Finally satisfied, Tession stepped back.
Cynthia exhaled, holding her fan tightly.
Ah… it’s already exhausting…
“Cynthia, have you ever met Crown Prince?”
At that moment, Tession changed the topic.
Cynthia combined the information she had learned from Dale to give an appropriate response.
If it’s Elizabeth…
“When I was little, I attended the imperial ball celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Dirotein Empire. I went with other noble children to greet him, so he probably doesn’t remember me.”
“Nothing else?”
“Uh… no, nothing else.”
Certainly nothing else!
Elizabeth had lived in seclusion since then, and the Crown Prince, Rikayan, went abroad to study, so they had no further contact.
“I see.”
Tession muttered quietly.
Cynthia, watching his worried expression, asked,
“Why? Is there something special I should be careful about when meeting the Crown Prince?”
“I’m sorry to say, but today you might find yourself in an awkward or unpleasant situation because of the Crown Prince.”
“Huh?”
Cynthia asked again. What could it be…?
Tession looked at her with a helpless expression before slowly speaking.
“The relationship between the Crown Prince and me… is objectively not good.”
“You don’t get along?”
“I don’t know when it started, but we haven’t gotten along since childhood.”
Was that so?
Cynthia quickly recalled the information from the original story.
The Dirotein Emperor had a sister, whose son was Tession. That made Rikayan, the Emperor’s son, and Tession fairly close cousins.
‘But they don’t get along?’
In the novel, there weren’t many scenes where Tession and Rikayan appeared together. Plus, each was involved with Elizabeth in different ways, so it wasn’t surprising they weren’t close.
Still, she hadn’t known it was a childhood feud…
“So, the Crown Prince may openly show negative feelings even toward Cynthia, his partner for the event.”
Ugh…! To think someone with such a troublesome personality could dislike me from the start.
Cynthia nodded with a worried look.
“I just plan to greet him and stay quiet. Worry about the Archduke instead. You’re meeting him after a long time, so I hope the Prince doesn’t trouble you too much…”
“I’m used to it, so it’s fine.”
Cynthia quietly watched Tession leaning back in the seat, looking tired.
What could have happened?
As a member of the imperial bloodline, Tession must have attended the royal school, where only royals could enroll. He could have met Rikayan naturally, yet they still don’t get along…
‘…Could it be that Tession was bullied because he couldn’t see ahead?’
Cynthia frowned.
If Rikayan had been cruel from a young age, he could have easily bullied Tession.
Moreover, Tession likely had no shortage in looks, personality, or grades, so Rikayan’s high pride might have made him resent being compared to Tession…
‘Still, that’s too much!’
Cynthia clenched her fists on her lap.
To help a struggling friend is one thing, but to isolate and bully him?
Even though today her priority was to sit quietly and survive the banquet, she also resolved to support Tession if Rikayan showed signs of harassing him.
After all, in a few months, she wouldn’t have any connection to this place, so she wouldn’t meet the Crown Prince again.
Cynthia silently vowed to support Tession.
