Chapter 14
Princess
By chance, she happened to be facing this way, looking as though she had nothing in particular to do.
One hand rested between the marble pillar and her back as she leaned against it.
In her other hand, she held the silver invitation that all guests attending tonight’s ball were required to bring.
Slowing his steps, Robert studied her carefully.
At first he wondered if she was waiting for someone, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
Noticing him approach from the edge of her vision, she slowly lifted her face as though realizing his presence.
Then she lowered her gaze and turned her feet in a direction opposite the entrance to the ballroom.
Maybe she was going to meet someone.
Feeling her gaze on him for some reason, Robert couldn’t help but follow her graceful movements with his eyes.
Perhaps she felt uncomfortable under the weight of his stare on her feet, for she looked away and began walking.
He glanced at her again, unobtrusively.
She was still young.
He could tell she was either his age or younger.
A guest invited for tonight.
Which meant, of course, she had come as one of Robert’s potential brides.
What was her name, what kind of family had raised her, what education had she received?
Robert found himself extremely interested in her—despite not even knowing her name yet.
Most of her face was hidden behind a black mask.
The mask was adorned with silver decorations and trimmed with gold.
And further decorated with pale blue feather-like jewelwork that matched her dress, it evoked the image of a silver-haired fairy flying through the black night.
Keeping a respectable distance on the opposite side of the corridor as they passed one another, Robert found himself inexplicably unable to take his mind off her.
There was something about her that powerfully drew him in.
Robert realized his heart was pounding violently, like after finishing a knights’ training drill.
Her evening gown—white and steel green fabric embroidered with silver threads and countless gemstones—drew an elegant line along her slender waist, and the many overlapping layers of fabric were beautifully dotted with blue sequined roses.
The gentle swelling of the skirt softly hid her feet.
Robert almost mistook her for one of the actual princesses—usually so strict and demanding with him—arriving in their evening dress for the ball.
She was more delicate, more intelligent, more graceful than his sisters or cousins.
Perhaps she was indeed a real princess from some foreign land.
If so, royalty invited to this ball were very few; he should be able to determine it…
He stopped himself.
The masquerade ball did not begin until they entered the venue.
The night of dreams had not yet begun.
But the young crown prince could not stop the violent beating of his heart or the curiosity rising within him.
Robert approached her as they were about to pass each other.
Up close, she was about a head shorter than him, and her beauty became even clearer.
Her silver-blond hair was loosely tied at ear height, and at her slender, fragile-looking neck glittered a gold necklace adorned with small gemstones.
A pair of earrings dangled from her well-shaped ears.
It had been a long time since he had seen such a lovely young lady.
She outshone every marriage candidate his grandmother had arranged for him.
Robert wondered if she might be a lady from another country and so spoke to her in Old Imperial, the formal language of the kingdom’s aristocracy.
“Are you looking for someone?”
A pair of deep, lake-blue eyes—bluer than the depths of a clear lake—looked up at him from behind the mask.
From the slightly upturned shape of the eyes visible through the mask, Robert sensed instinctively that she was a woman of strong will, and carefully chose his words.
“The room where the guests gather for the entrance check is further ahead. Shall I show you the way?”
“No.”
The small word of refusal slipped from her thin lips.
For a noblewoman, it was customary to adorn both hands with several small gemstone rings.
On her right hand a sapphire ring shimmered, but the ring finger on her left hand was bare.
“Then are you waiting for someone? Instead of standing here, it would be more comfortable to wait inside.”
She looked troubled and lowered her head, giving a small shake from side to side.
If she was not waiting for an escort, then why would she be standing in such a halfway place? Robert couldn’t understand.
Once guests passed the initial check at the entrance, they had to go to the antechamber for a secondary inspection to ensure no dangerous items were brought inside. Without that, they could not enter the ballroom.
“I’m not waiting for anyone.”
Robert had assumed she wasn’t from a nearby country but a young lady from some distant wealthy land.
But when she finally spoke, he realized from her pronunciation that it was the speech of the Imperial upper class—and that his assumption had been wrong.
A woman who spoke Old Imperial so fluently must surely be from a distinguished family there.
Her pronunciation was filled with the refined intelligence of someone who had received a high level of education.
If she wasn’t waiting for an escort, that made things simple.
Robert offered his arm.
“In that case, allow me to guide you. Would you accept, Miss…?”
“Sena. My name is Sena, Your Highness…”
“So you knew who I was, Miss Sena. It’s an honor to meet you. Will you allow me to escort you?”
Sena had blurted out her real name before realizing it.
She should have said Mia…
Her heart screamed, scolding herself for her carelessness.
