Chapter 16
Lingering Scent
Matching her pace to his, His Highness walked beside Sena down the wide corridor, guiding her to the room where the invited guests would first gather.
Along the way, he asked her a question in a relaxed, gentle tone.
“May I ask where you’re from?”
“From the Empire… the imperial capital, Your Highness.”
Sena overlapped herself with Mia and answered accordingly.
It wasn’t wrong yet. If she stayed consistent, she could keep this up.
Her heart felt heavy with guilt, as though the lie itself carried weight and pressed down on her chest.
His Highness nodded, saying he too had experience studying abroad.
“The imperial capital is a beautiful ancient city, older than a thousand years.”
“Yes… I suppose that’s how it must look to those from other countries. It’s a city we’re proud of.”
That part wasn’t a lie.
But that city held far too much hatred.
Trying to smooth over her wavering emotions, Sena softened her eyes meaningfully.
Looking down at her, Robert received that expression and returned it with a similar smile.
She sealed the memories she had lost long ago deep within her chest, trying not to recall them and hoping the conversation would move on to something else.
Before she had to present the invitation—Mia’s invitation—she needed to get away from him.
She had to figure out how to enter the venue under a false identity without him noticing anything strange.
Once again, she cursed her own foolishness for taking his hand earlier.
With every step she took, Sena’s heart beat faster and faster. The pounding in her chest became intense, and she could feel her cheeks heating.
If only she had delayed leaving Mia’s room while the beauticians were preparing her.
Or no—if she had been just a bit quicker—she never would have crossed paths with him like this.
“I attended the Royal Academy and the University—are you familiar with them?”
“Of course. Vakkas University is known as one of the Empire’s most prestigious institutions.”
“Thank you. And which academy and university did you attend?”
Her heart thumped hard.
This was it—the decisive moment. A fairy, one who looked only to Sena like Mia’s mischievous twin, seemed to push her closer and closer toward the crown prince.
“I was in Barshard. I graduated from Barshard Girls’ Academy. And now I’m enrolled at Saint Linsenia University.”
“Enrolled?”
“It’s not my graduation year yet.”
That explains why your classical Imperial language is perfect, Robert thought.
Barshard Girls’ Academy was one of the Empire’s—and the world’s—leading prestigious schools.
One of the oldest institutions since the early Imperial era, it was famous for its staggering tuition fees.
Only a small number of the wealthy elite could attend, and even among them, only daughters of high nobility were accepted. It was also known as a school patronized by the imperial family.
Even among Sena’s relatives, siblings, and the noble daughters she knew, only a handful had attended that school.
Sena felt deeply grateful that she at least shared that connection with Mia.
“My younger sister graduated from there. You might be close in age.”
“Is that so?”
He said it as though trying to probe her background, but his smile showed he was simply enjoying the conversation.
Sena realized his teasing remarks were merely tools to move the conversation along.
She was trying her best not to act suspiciously, but the more she spoke, the more she feared he might suspect she wasn’t truly one of the invited guests. Because of that, she couldn’t bring herself to talk much.
“You’re unusual. Most ladies who walk with me hand-in-hand become quite talkative.”
“…I didn’t mean anything by it. I’m sorry.”
Robert let out a thoughtful “Hmm,” stopped walking, and his expression clouded ever so slightly—so different from the confident expression he had worn until now.
“There’s no need to apologize. I simply haven’t had many chances to meet someone like you. That’s all. Silence and diligence can, at times, rival beauty yet to come.”
“It’s nothing that special.”
“You’re honest. In our world, honesty can be poison—or it can be a jewel. Treasure it.”
As they exchanged words, he began walking again.
They soon arrived before a large door. Beyond it was a waiting room where invited guests could sit and relax before the ballroom officially opened.
Soon, Sena would have to show her invitation to the security staff. They would check whether the name was listed among the invited guests.
At that thought, her vision began to blur.
Her blood pressure rose, and her heart hammered faster and faster—like church bells ringing in her ears.
She needed to get out of here.
That impulse surged violently from deep within her chest. Before anyone learned too much—before she got caught—Sena felt she absolutely had to disappear from this place.
Just before the guard opened the door, Robert gently released her arm.
Then he raised her hand and placed a soft kiss on the back of it.
It was a brief farewell.
His lips barely brushed her skin—so soft she could hardly feel them.
“Before the party begins, there are a few things I must attend to. I’ll see you again later.”
“Yes… thank you, Your Highness.”
He bowed and turned away.
A refined, elegant fragrance lingered in the air, calming Sena’s overheated heart.
It was his lingering scent.
