Chapter 42
Iella let out a long sigh, her face tightening with frustration.
“Did I really look that insincere to you?”
All of a sudden, the arrow was aimed at him. It was an unexpected question, but not one he couldn’t answer. Still, Franz found himself unable to say yes, and just as unable to say no. There was no real reason to hesitate this much—yet, for some reason, the words didn’t come easily.
“Ah, that’s right. You once said that your refined eye suffers, didn’t you?”
Iella spoke as if she hadn’t expected an answer anyway, her expression calm.
‘Stop wearing those dull dresses. My aesthetic sense is in pain.’
Franz remembered all too clearly when he had said those words so casually. He had no intention of taking them back now.
“In the end, I think it was good you threw them away. You were quite popular.”
At the memory of the ball, Iella let out a dry laugh and wrinkled her nose.
“That’s only because of the Rose Festival.”
“The Rose Festival?”
“Yes. All the letters I’ve been receiving are invitations to watch the fireworks at the festival. I’ve been rejecting them all, of course…”
Franz suddenly recalled the bet made at the club.
“Why not try it? You won’t know if someone’s decent or not unless you go on a date with them.”
Iella shook her head firmly, as though the thought itself was distasteful.
“I’m not the type to believe in superstitions, but… you’ve heard it, haven’t you? They say if you watch the fireworks together, it leads to eternal love. Even if it’s just superstition, how could I watch them with someone I hardly know?”
Franz found himself nodding slightly. There was at least some sense in what she said.
“It’s not just about the superstition. In any case, it won’t happen.”
“And why is that?”
“Because all of those people only approach me to get closer to Louisa. Ah—Louisa is my younger sister. She was chosen as this year’s Flower of the Season, so she’s really beautiful. Not just beautiful, either—she’s been popular ever since she was a child.”
Her eyes sparkled as she spoke with pride, as if her sister’s charm were her own. Then, as though suddenly remembering, she added:
“Oh! And besides, I promised you. I can’t go on dates with other men when I agreed to be your shield.”
“Ah.”
Franz, who had been silent for a moment, finally spoke. He couldn’t shake the image of her earlier, just for a second, looking so downcast.
“Why not try believing in yourself a little more? You look beautiful today.”
“Ehh?”
To be told she was beautiful—by him, no less—should have been something to smile about. But instead, Iella looked utterly unconvinced.
Franz had never seen an expression like that before. By status and by reputation, he was not a man people usually doubted.
Then what was that look? Was she saying she didn’t believe him?
Franz, incredulous, spoke again with firmer conviction.
“You’re beautiful. You can believe it, because you look beautiful to me.”
Even at his repeated assurance, Iella refused to think too deeply about it. She decided to accept it as nothing more than a compliment.
She was his shield. If she let herself fall, it wouldn’t just be Franz who suffered for it.
“This time it was easy to find something nice to say.”
“Mm. That was a compliment.”
Franz’s smile deepened.
“But don’t forget—inside there, you have no allies. Attention is not the same thing as goodwill.”
At his firm tone, Iella nodded in understanding.
“Still… is it really alright for me to just be sitting here like this?”
“Why? Do you feel uneasy, like you’re earning money without doing any work?”
“That too, yes.”
In truth, she hadn’t done much of anything. And yet she had been showered with the finest art supplies, a flood of dresses, and even portraits.
They say, ‘He who does not work, neither shall he eat.’ So yes, there was some unease. But more than that, her mother’s marriage pressure had been mounting again, giving her no end of headaches.
She had always sworn she hated men and marriage. But if she told her mother she was seeing a prince… well, as unbelievable as it sounded, Franz Princeton was not someone impossible to imagine. Her mother might scold her for chasing dreams, but she wouldn’t dismiss it as sheer nonsense.
“Iella.”
“Yes?”
“What if I asked you to watch the fireworks with me?”
“What? That’s impossible!”
“Impossible?”
Of course it was impossible. The Crown Prince of Princeton asking her to see fireworks? If she didn’t look shocked, that would be stranger.
“Are you serious?”
She had prepared herself in some way for this, but still—it was the very words themselves that startled her. Yet, as proposals went, there could be none more perfect.
“So, what’s your answer?”
Franz waited leisurely, knowing full well what her response would be. Since the day she first took his hand, Iella Clarence had no right to refuse him.
“I agreed to this already, and I have no intention of refusing. But… why fireworks?”
Seeing her wary expression at the mention of the superstition, Franz merely shrugged.
“A superstition is just that—a superstition.”
‘True. It’s nonsense,’ Iella thought, and agreed. She and Prince Franz could never end up like that anyway. The very idea was laughable.
“There’s nothing more dramatic than fireworks.”
Franz smiled at the thought of the spectacle, while Iella sighed quietly at the thought of his “dramatic plan.”
“Do you need time to think?”
“No. I already agreed. And I can’t go back on my word right after giving it.”
“That kind of responsibility—I like it.”
Iella Clarence had never been an irresponsible woman. Responsibility, duty, wealth, favor—Franz planned to turn all of those into shackles for her.
“I should go back now. I’ve been away too long. My aunt will be looking for me.”
Franz pulled his pocket watch from his vest and checked the time. Indeed, it was time to return.
“I’ll go first. You should wait a little before coming in.”
“And why should I?”
He asked innocently, though both of them knew. If a young lady was seen alone with a man without a chaperone, her honor would be ruined, gossip would spread like wildfire.
“For dramatic effect, of course.”
“Oh-ho.”
Franz folded his arms, narrowing his eyes, and Iella blinked at him in confusion, as though wondering if there was more to it.
Reckless, or simply naïve?
Franz nodded, as if satisfied with the explanation.
“Then I’ll see you tomorrow, Your Highness.”
“When are you going to stop calling me that?”
“Ah, I’ve been meaning to, but it’s difficult. I’ll try.”
“Trying isn’t enough. You need to do it.”
“Yes, I’ll try to do it well.”
With a bright smile, Iella rose and carefully tucked away her handkerchief. Her steps toward the mansion were light. Franz watched her retreating figure for a long moment before finally standing himself.
By now she would have left the garden.
Realizing how docile he had been just then, Franz let out a wry chuckle. If someone else had acted the way he just had, he would have told them without hesitation: “What a fool.”
With a long, dissatisfied sigh, he dragged himself out of the conservatory.
He had just passed the garden fountain when a sharp, heated voice pierced his ears.
It was a quarrel, between a man and a woman, no doubt. His lips curled automatically into a mocking smile. A scandal like this fit the Vermont family perfectly—ruined lives from playing around too carelessly below the belt.
“You are being extremely rude!”
Franz froze. He knew that voice. If it had been a stranger, he would have walked right past. Instead, he turned immediately toward the source of the sound.
“Blocking a lady’s path—is that not the height of discourtesy?”
“Haha. Forgive my discourtesy. But, Lady Clarence, perhaps you don’t realize—in this place, it is not discourtesy at all.”
The man gave a lazy bow, his body swaying drunkenly. His very appearance made her frown.
Iella already knew the rumors surrounding the Count of Vermont. But to harass a lady so openly, here of all places—this was nothing short of humiliation.
“Sir Edmund, was it? We are meeting for the first time, yet your behavior is already quite offensive. Step aside.”
She glared at the man who had introduced himself as Billy Edmund.
“First time? That stings. Though, I suppose, with how you look tonight, it does feel like I’m seeing you for the first time.” He laughed crudely.
“Do not insult me any further.”
But Billy Edmund ignored her plea.
“You reject every letter, every gift. And you don’t think that is an insult to me?”
“It seems Sir Edmund values only his own feelings. I have made my stance clear enough in writing. I have nothing more to say. Now step aside.”
When she tried to pass him, he blocked her path again.
“Hmph. And what gives you such confidence, Lady Clarence? A little attention lately, and suddenly you think you can be so cold? You really do have quite the… nose in the air.”
He changed his words halfway through, stopping himself from mentioning the wager. Even drunk, he knew better than to bring it up.
“And what gives you the right to act this way?”
Her calm but unyielding response seemed to amuse him further; he burst into laughter.
“I’ve nothing to rely on. But if word spreads that a lady was alone with a man in a secluded place—what then? I don’t care, but you? Wouldn’t your oh-so-carefully built image come crashing down?”
Billy Edmund grinned slyly.
Every inch of Iella’s skin prickled with revulsion, but outwardly she stood tall and proud.
“I am not afraid. I believe in myself, and that gives me strength. Something you, Sir Edmund, clearly know nothing about.”
Billy Edmund laughed, as though thoroughly entertained.
“So naïve. No wonder you’ve reached this age without marrying. A woman who only talks back and argues.”
As he clicked his tongue and moved closer, Iella’s shoulders twitched slightly.
“Lady Clarence needs to learn some proper manners. Tonight seems like the perfect lesson.”
His lips curled into a lewd smile, mocking her obvious tension.
Iella forced herself to think clearly. Reasoning with him was useless. That meant she needed another way.
Stay calm. Even in a lion’s den, if you keep your wits, you can survive.
