Chapter 54
While I was thinking about where I might have seen her before, I must have stared at her without realizing it.
She looked startled when she noticed me staring. Holding the child in her arms, she gave me a light bow.
I wanted to ask if we had met somewhere before, but this was not the time. So I returned the bow politely and stepped aside so she could pass.
Meanwhile, a maid reported to the First Prince.
“Your Highness, the young lady of Duke Rohaim has arrived.”
“Let her enter.”
For some reason, my eyes kept following the bishop’s back as she left, but this was not the time for that.
I went inside at once and greeted the First Prince properly.
“Cecilia of Rohaim greets Your Highness, the First Prince.”
“You may raise your head.”
How generous of him, I muttered inwardly as I lifted my head and looked around the room.
‘Uni….’
Eunice was kneeling beside the long sofa where the First Prince was sitting.
For a moment, I almost shouted at him out of anger. I barely held back my rising fury and forced a bright smile.
“Your Highness, may I ask why my maid is kneeling here?”
“You should hear the reason directly from her.”
The First Prince leaned back against the long chair as if he was tired of sitting upright.
‘While my Uni is still kneeling!’
Just as sparks seemed ready to fly from my eyes, Eunice spoke.
“Your Highness, forgive me, but I have nothing to say.”
“What?”
“Did Your Highness not just say that this matter would be treated as if it never happened?”
“…Ha!”
The First Prince looked down at her as if he had been insulted.
Afraid his anger might turn toward Eunice, I quickly spoke.
“I may not know exactly what happened, but I also heard Your Highness say that this matter would be forgotten. Then shouldn’t that be the end of it?”
“You heard? And you admit so shamelessly that you were eavesdropping like a rat?”
“I cannot pretend not to have heard something I clearly did. Wouldn’t that be deceit toward Your Highness?”
The First Prince let out a dry laugh when he saw that I did not back down.
He looked at me as if amused. I simply kept smiling.
What? Are you going to spit at a smiling face?
Of course, if he really did spit at me, I was fully prepared to run home crying and tell my parents—and spread the story everywhere.
Whether he guessed that or not, a crooked smile formed on his lips.
“Fine. I cannot take back words spoken from my own mouth.”
“Then…?”
“However, your maid committed more than one offense.”
“What?”
What was he talking about now?
I immediately looked at Eunice. She shook her head, clearly confused as well.
“Your Highness, what crime has my maid committed?”
“It’s very simple. She stepped into my palace garden without permission.”
At his words, I turned to Eunice. She looked troubled.
“I am sorry, Your Highness. I had no intention of entering the Prince’s Palace without permission. However—”
“You are not about to say you didn’t know where the boundary between the Empress’s Palace and my palace lies, are you? That excuse is quite worn out.”
But the boundary really is unclear!
To be exact, the garden of the Empress’s Palace and the rear garden of the First Prince’s Palace were connected.
Originally, there had been a stone wall dividing them, but it was torn down by order of the Empress, connecting the two gardens.
Because of that, people sometimes entered the wrong palace by mistake. If the palace owner forgave it, it was nothing. But if someone wanted to make an issue of it, it could become serious.
And the First Prince clearly intended to make it serious.
Fine. I’ll play along.
Grinding my teeth inwardly, I asked,
“Your Highness, what must I do for you to forgive my maid?”
“My lady!”
Eunice cried out in shock, but I gestured for her to stay quiet.
The First Prince’s lips curled upward, clearly pleased with my reaction.
“What must you do…? Yes, that’s right. A master should take responsibility for her servant’s fault.”
“No! It is entirely my fault. Please punish me—”
“Silence. You have not been granted permission to speak.”
“Uni, stay quiet.”
After signaling her again, I looked back at him.
If he made an unreasonable demand, I was ready to grab Eunice and run out of here.
“Since she didn’t steal anything or harm anyone, I cannot demand too heavy a price… Yes, this should do.”
As if he had just thought of it—though he clearly had prepared it beforehand—he spoke smoothly.
“At next week’s hunting competition, how about tying your handkerchief to my bow instead of your fiancé’s?”
“What?”
Has he lost his mind?
He wanted me to give him my handkerchief instead of my perfectly fine fiancé? At the hunting competition? Everyone knew what that meant.
Eunice shook her head fiercely, signaling that this could not happen.
I knew it was unacceptable. It would create the perfect scandal.
Rumors would spread that I was in love with the First Prince, or that I was playing between the First and Second Princes. And Lionel would be mocked for not receiving a handkerchief from his fiancée.
But with Eunice effectively being held hostage, I could not openly refuse.
After thinking hard, I spoke.
“Your Highness, I am sorry, but I cannot grant that request.”
“Why? Because you must tie your handkerchief to Rio’s bow? It seems your loyalty to your fiancé outweighs your affection for your maid. She must be very disappointed.”
“No, that is not the reason. I have no intention of attending the hunting competition.”
“What?”
“I do not like the sight of blood, so I never planned to go. And I cannot go. I have not yet made my debut in society.”
I gave a meaningful glance to the elderly attendant standing behind him like a shadow.
He understood at once and explained.
“If the young lady of the duke attends the hunting competition now, that day would become her social debut.”
“So? Is that forbidden?”
“She would not be the main figure.”
The highlight of the hunting competition was, of course, the hunt itself.
If someone was confident in archery, debuting there was fine. Winning would firmly establish one’s name.
But I had not learned swordsmanship, and officially I could not use magic. There was no way I could win. How could I debut there?
“Most importantly, my mother would not permit it.”
When I mentioned my mother—famous in high society—the First Prince’s brow twitched.
“So… you have no intention of going to the place where the hunting competition will be held?”
“Yes. I will stay at home.”
He narrowed his eyes at me.
“Then there will be no chance of your handkerchief being tied to my brother’s bow either?”
He was asking whether I planned to secretly tie it to Lionel’s bow beforehand.
That had actually been my plan. I felt a pang inside but calmly nodded.
“Of course not. I said I won’t go. I can swear on my name.”
“…Fine.”
Though he looked displeased that things had not gone as he wished, he did not push further.
“You had better not change your words that day.”
“Of course not. Your Highness will not see even a single strand of my hair there.”
“Very well. I shall trust you.”
Thus, Eunice and I were able to leave the First Prince’s Palace safely.
I felt completely drained and sent word that I would not be able to visit the Second Prince’s Palace today before getting into the carriage home.
“Ahhh… What a relief. We escaped safely!”
But unlike me, who was simply relieved, Eunice’s face remained dark.
Sure enough, before I could comfort her, she dropped to her knees inside the carriage.
“I have committed a grave sin, my lady. Please punish me.”
“A grave sin? Don’t be ridiculous. How could you stop someone who is sulking because his fiancée won’t tie a handkerchief to his bow?”
“But…”
“That’s enough. Tell the coachman we’ll stop somewhere before going home.”
Eunice looked confused when she heard my destination.
“Why the Magic Tower all of a sudden?”
“He doesn’t like the idea of my tying a handkerchief to my fiancé’s bow, does he? Then I’ll make it completely natural that my fiancé won’t have one.”
How dare he make my maid kneel?
I’ll make him regret this.
Just you wait, First Prince!
A week later.
At last, the day of the hunting competition arrived.