Chapter 88….
Because I hadn’t sensed any presence at all, the sudden voice from the darkness naturally startled me.
“Eeeek!”
My scream startled the other person even more, and we ended up screaming back and forth together. After a long standoff like that, we both got tired and collapsed onto the floor. The darkness hadn’t fully lifted yet, so I still couldn’t clearly tell who it was.
“W-What is it?”
“H-How dare an outsider follow me into a restricted area and startle me? I will never overlook this!”
That unpleasant voice. That arrogant tone. It felt strangely familiar.
“State your identity!”
“When asking someone’s identity, shouldn’t you introduce yourself first?”
Still, I had to say what needed to be said.
“Hah.”
At that moment, moonlight slipped into the corridor and briefly illuminated his face. Even in the dimness, his bright blond hair and blue eyes stood out clearly.
The First Prince.
‘Damn it.’
I’d been avoiding him so carefully. At this point, calling it coincidence felt forced.
I quickly tried to hide my face with my side hair—but not a single strand fell down.
‘Ah… of all days, I braided and half-tied the sides today….’
Nothing ever went my way.
Not that covering my face now would really hide anything anyway.
“I am Errian Winston Peshtain, First Prince of the Akaia Empire. Now, state your identity and explain why you were wandering here.”
Having my worst fears confirmed, I squeezed my eyes shut and started thinking fast. I didn’t know the way, so I couldn’t run, and now that he’d revealed his identity as the prince, I couldn’t act recklessly like before.
In that case…
“Why no answer?”
I’ll take the straightforward route. It’s not like he’s certain I’m the girl from the forest. If I deny it, that’s that. What’s he going to do?
“I greet the Empire’s Little Sun. I am Lassetia Delphinium. It was too dark here for me to recognize Your Highness earlier.”
“Delphinium?”
“Yes. I was on my way to the ballroom and got lost, which is how I ended up here. I hope there are no misunderstandings. Then I will take my leave—”
“Wait.”
“Yes?”
I had already begun subtly stepping back when the prince stopped me.
“Haha.”
After calling me back, the prince suddenly started laughing to himself like a madman. I narrowed my eyes coldly, and he spoke with clear amusement.
“I finally found you. Thanks to you, I spent several extra hours in that pit.”
“….”
We’d only exchanged a few words—how did he figure it out already? His timing was completely unexpected, and my identity being exposed made me falter for a moment.
Thank goodness it was dark. If we’d been somewhere bright, my expression would have given everything away and confirmed that I was the girl from the forest.
I opened my mouth, hoping my voice wouldn’t shake.
“I’m not sure what you mean… My apologies. I’ll be going now.”
“Didn’t you confess you liked me in the forest, my lady?”
That nonsense came out of nowhere, and I froze halfway through standing up and sat back down again.
“I believe you’re mistaking me for someone else, Your Highness.”
“We even promised marriage—don’t you remember? You said you liked that I’m handsome, rich, and high-ranking, and you even offered me chocolate.”
‘When did I ever, you lunatic.’
I let his nonsense go in one ear and out the other, my gaze cold. It seemed like he was trying to provoke me into revealing myself first. I’d almost fallen for it, so it wasn’t completely ineffective.
As expected of imperial blood—there was more than one sly snake inside him.
Normally, in situations like this, shouldn’t the face-blindness cliché kick in so he pretends not to recognize me…? It’s not like I left a good impression back then, and I didn’t even help him because I didn’t want to get tangled up. Yet he recognized me from just my voice.
‘Definitely not male-lead material.’
By principle, the male lead is supposed to fail to recognize the female lead until the very end. Even if he knows, he’s supposed to pretend he doesn’t.
“I have never been to that forest, and this is naturally my first time meeting Your Highness. I believe I must go meet Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress soon. May I take my leave?”
“Is that so? I was just heading there myself. Let’s go together.”
It was an unexpected response, but refusing didn’t seem like it would work—and I did need someone to guide me—so I had no choice but to accept.
… I’ll just use him as a walking map and toss him aside.
Realizing it was ridiculous that we were both still sitting on the floor having this strange conversation, I brushed myself off and stood up.
“Haha.”
At the hollow laugh above my head, I looked up to see the prince holding out his hand with an intrigued expression. When I looked at him like what are you doing, he awkwardly withdrew it.
He had probably meant to help me up. I just stood on my own before noticing.
“As expected, you’re the first person to treat me like—”
“Let’s go.”
I cut him off, pretending not to hear. I refuse to entertain cheesy K-drama lines.
Despite my indifference, the prince kept throwing trivial questions at me the entire way to the ballroom.
“Now that you’ve confirmed who I am, don’t you have anything to say?”
“No, I don’t.”
“I’m high-ranking, wealthy, and this handsome—there’s no one in the Empire who can compare. Still nothing to say?”
“…That must be nice for you.”
“Hah. How absurd. To show such a lukewarm reaction to a man as splendid as me.”
The prince rubbed his chin as if genuinely lamenting his fate—apparently suffering badly from prince syndrome.
“Well, perhaps I would have thought differently if Your Highness hadn’t screamed and collapsed on the floor earlier.”
“Th-That was! H-Hey, you—!”
Embarrassed that even he knew how shameful it was for a prince to jump like he’d seen a ghost, he grumbled for a moment before falling silent.
‘He’ll be quiet for a while now.’
…Or so I thought.
It hadn’t even been long before he started talking again.
“Then what kind of man is your type, my lady?”
“And why do you ask?”
“I’m curious what kind of lofty taste rejects a man like me.”
“I believe that’s an inappropriate topic of conversation for our age.”
When I shut down his question with a look of disdain, the prince shot back in disbelief.
“At my age, one discusses marriage. At your age, one discusses engagement. What exactly is inappropriate? It’s perfectly suitable. Answer me.”
I glanced at the chattering prince beside me and replied firmly.
“Dark hair.”
“……”
“Not too high in status.”
“……”
“Most importantly, someone with good character and a warm personality.”
With each condition I added, the prince’s face stiffened further.
“…I see.”
“Yes.”
In short: definitely not you.
“Anything else?”
“What do you mean?”
“What other kind of person do you like?”
Persistent to the end. After a brief thought, I answered.
“Someone who makes me laugh… or keeps me curious.”
“Someone who makes you laugh and keeps you curious… I understand.”
I had no idea what exactly he “understood,” but during that conversation, we had already reached the ballroom.
As soon as we entered, I saw Duke Delphinium, Theodore, Lucian, and Kaiden scanning the room as if looking for me.
It seemed they’d noticed I hadn’t returned even though it was time for the audience.
“I’ll be going now.”
“Alright. See you again. Ah—wait, my lady.”
“Yes?”
When I turned at his voice stopping me yet again, the prince suddenly stepped close—too close. As I leaned back to create distance, his thumb brushed beneath my eye.
“…?”
I froze, too startled to speak at his completely unexpected action.
Then, from behind me, a chilly voice rang out.
“And what exactly are you doing right now?”
I turned toward the sound.
There stood Rashid, his face cold.
Come to think of it, Rashid was from a ducal house too. Why hadn’t I seen him earlier? Did he arrive late?
Seeing a familiar face in this bleak social circle made my relief spike. Forgetting the prince standing in front of me, I greeted Rashid brightly.
“Rashid, you just got here?”
“Yeah… What are you doing here? And why are you two standing so close… I believe an explanation is in order, Your Highness.”
Looking down at his own thumb, the prince answered Rashid coolly.
“There seemed to be something on the lady’s face, so I was merely wiping it away. But whether I stand close to her, speak with her, or do anything at all—must I report each detail to you, young lord?”
Out of nowhere, a silent battle of nerves began between the two.
‘…If you’re going to fight, please do it somewhere I’m not involved.’
