Chapter 22
As the shop’s opening hours approached, more and more merchants passed by, and one by one the shops began to open. Around that time, a familiar man appeared in the distance. It was Raphael, the owner of <Majello>.
Iella, who had been anxiously pacing, ran up to greet him with relief upon seeing him.
“Raphael! Good morning!”
“Oh? What brings you here so early, my lady?”
“I was waiting for you.”
“For me?”
“Yes!”
Raphael looked puzzled and tilted his head, but soon unlocked the shop door with his key.
“Please, come inside.”
They both entered the shop right away. Raphael led Iella to the table placed in the center of the store.
“Would you like some tea?”
At his offer, Iella waved her hands emphatically in refusal.
“Oh, no! Actually, I came to ask you something.”
“Sure, go ahead.”
“Raphael. I think I left something here yesterday.”
Iella got straight to the point. She wasn’t in the mood to beat around the bush.
“What was it?”
“A notebook. The cover is a brown leather organizer. Have you seen it?”
“Oh… unfortunately, I haven’t.”
His words hit her like a bolt from the blue, and Iella’s face fell immediately. She had been certain she’d find it here, and the disappointment washed over her like the ground crumbling beneath her feet.
“Ah, I see. It’s about this size—are you sure you didn’t see it?”
She drew a square with her index fingers and asked again, desperately.
“Yes.”
Raphael shook his head with regret. At that, Iella looked like she was about to cry. She felt like the sky was falling.
“Sorry to trouble you so early in the morning. I’ll be going then…”
She had no choice but to say goodbye and rise from her seat.
Raphael looked at her sorrowful face, as if tears might spill any moment, then suddenly clapped his hands.
“Oh! There was something a gentleman gave me yesterday! Wait just a moment.”
He quickly got up from his chair and walked over to the counter. Then he returned with a card.
“He told me to give this letter to whoever came looking for the leather organizer.”
Iella accepted the card Raphael handed her and stared at the sealed envelope. She looked at it with suspicion.
‘What is this? Who left this?’
Raphael also looked at her with curiosity.
‘Well, I’ll know once I open it.’
Iella used a knife from the table to open the envelope and took out the letter. It only had a few words written inside:
[Humphries Grenville]
Iella’s eyes wavered with unease as she read the name, packed with meaning.
‘Grenville? That’s… No, it can’t be!’
Seeing Iella’s confusion, Raphael also looked flustered.
“Are you all right, my lady?”
Just in case, Iella pinched her cheek.
“Ow!”
It hurt. So this was reality.
“Huh? Why did you suddenly pinch your cheek?”
Raphael asked, surprised.
“They say when you can’t tell if it’s a dream or reality, you should pinch your cheek. I guess this isn’t a dream. Haha…”
Iella forced a laugh, sounding on the verge of tears.
“Does that mean you can get it back?”
“Yes… it seems that way…”
She didn’t know how it had happened, but it seemed her notebook was with him—Prince Franz Princeton, the owner of Grenville.
‘Surely he didn’t rudely look through someone else’s belongings, right? Please, let that be the case.’
At this point, she could only hope the prince had acted like a gentleman and hadn’t looked inside.
Iella sighed softly. She had to go to Prince Franz. Having made up her mind, she smiled at Raphael.
“Thank you for letting me know.”
“Not at all. I’m sorry I didn’t remember sooner.”
“No, I’m the one who showed up early and caused trouble.”
“Trouble? Not at all. I sincerely hope you find what you’re looking for, my lady.”
“Thank you. Goodbye, then.”
“Take care.”
As soon as Iella left the store, she hailed a private carriage.
“To Grenville Palace, please!”
The coachman looked puzzled by the unexpected destination so early in the morning. But only for a moment—after seeing the payment Iella offered, he shrugged. As long as he got paid, that was all that mattered. He opened the door and helped her into the carriage.
“We’re departing now.”
With the coachman’s booming voice, the carriage began to rumble forward.
“Haah…”
Inside the carriage, Iella let out a long-held sigh. Her forehead throbbed, and she pressed it with her hand.
Though the carriage kept moving forward, the urge to stop it and turn back overwhelmed her.
She had been too lost in thought to notice, but soon Humphries Hill came into view through the window, and then the Grenville Palace emerged.
As imposing as the hill itself, the vast palace made Iella reconsider her decision. Fear and anxiety tempted her to flee, but she didn’t stop the carriage.
Even though she had no idea what to do once she arrived with just a letter in hand, and even though she didn’t know what might happen next, she could only follow where fate led her.
‘I have to take it back. From that pit of wickedness…’
Looking at Grenville, Iella clenched her fists tightly.
* * *
When Franz awoke to the sound of birds chirping busily, sunlight was already streaming in through the parted curtains.
He blinked a few times and sat up in bed. Pulling the bell cord lightly, he donned his robe and stepped out onto the balcony. The dazzling sunlight bathed him in white.
With arms crossed, he walked to the railing and looked down at the garden. Sunlight poured onto the lush greenery, making it sparkle. No matter how many times he saw it, he never tired of the view.
At the front of the palace stood a grand fountain named Grand Avenue. The water from it flowed through a canal down to the Luer River, which ultimately led to Lapland Bay. The straight, unbroken view from the fountain to the water’s end was truly breathtaking.
The spacious garden was filled with neatly arranged shrubs and small fountains—perfect for a leisurely stroll. It was the season of greenery: new sprouts, blooming flowers, and thick foliage.
“Good morning, Your Highness.”
At the balcony doorway stood the butler, Murray, bowing politely. The bedroom had already been cleaned up.
“Good morning.”
Franz greeted him without turning from the view.
“Your Highness, you have a visitor.”
Franz, who had been staring down at the garden, turned at the unexpected news.
“At this hour? Who is it?”
His brow furrowed with curiosity. But before he heard the answer, he already had a hunch—and the corners of his lips lifted slightly.
So she came early.
“It is Lady Clarence, of the Clarence Viscounty.”
Just as he suspected.
In a pleased mood, Franz’s smile deepened.
“Tell her to wait.”
Though who knows how long she’ll have to.
Still smiling, Franz issued the command and headed to the bathroom. He took a very long shower.
Iella waited nervously in the drawing room. It had already been two hours since the butler asked her to wait. The tea served had now cooled to a drinkable temperature, but somehow she couldn’t bring herself to sip it.
‘Did I come to the wrong place? …No. He wouldn’t have left a letter if that were the case. Just wait a little longer.’
Her anxious eyes had now grown weary.
“My lady, your tea must be cold. I’ll bring a fresh pot.”
As time stretched on, the butler Murray smiled kindly.
“No, it’s just the right temperature to drink. Thank you.”
Iella gave a slightly apologetic smile at his kindness. She could tell—intuitively—that Prince Franz was deliberately making her wait.
She knew she had come early, but this was just petty.
‘How did I end up in this situation?’
Everything kept going wrong, and she couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh. Suddenly, she remembered something Franz had said at the open café yesterday.
“Honestly, I’m not interested in these types of games. These boring push-and-pull antics meant to provoke interest—too cliché, too dull for me. I find straightforward, bold seduction far more interesting.”
Every word he’d spoken with that scrutinizing gaze had been vulgar and shocking.
It was her first time being so close to royalty. And up close, he was breathtakingly handsome.
On the way home, Betty hadn’t stopped praising the prince’s elegance and beauty, saying she could die happy now.
Honestly, Iella could understand why women swooned over him. But she herself didn’t have the mental space to admire his face.
‘I’ve been misunderstood in so many ridiculous ways. What goes on in his head?’
Her situation was already frustrating, but the misunderstandings made it worse. Thinking it over, even getting her sketchbook back wouldn’t help much.
‘He already thinks I have a crush on him. Whether he sees the sketches or not doesn’t matter, does it?’
If so, there was no reason for her to wait like this. She didn’t want to go through another dreadful situation like yesterday.
“Um, it seems His Highness is quite busy, so I’ll be leaving now.”
Iella rose from the sofa and gave a polite bow to the butler.
