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Chapter 21
“Rai.”
At Julian’s voice, Rai flinched visibly.
His neck ached from how long he’d been staring in one direction.
His unwavering gaze had been fixed on Iva. Just moments ago, he had forgotten his duty to guard the royal family and had nearly run toward her.
All his attention was on Iva as she spoke with Butteri.
Rai had heard the rumors about Butteri.
The kind of sleazy, sly man who tried to mess with young, innocent noblewomen.
If even someone like Rai—who had little social interaction—had heard them, it spoke volumes about how many scandals Butteri had caused.
Seeing such a man approach Iva was already intolerable, but the moment he dared to grab her hand, Rai wanted to break each of his fingers.
Just as he was about to step forward to cast him away, it wasn’t him but Brigitte who got there first to help Iva.
Watching from afar made Rai’s insides churn.
He had been watching Iva longer, had seen her first—but none of that mattered if he couldn’t act when it counted.
It felt like she was slipping further away from him, and it made him feel suffocated.
Even so, he couldn’t look away from Iva, who smiled as she chatted with Brigitte—smiles she had never shown him.
He just wanted to steal a glimpse of her happiness, even if it wasn’t his.
The two clinked their champagne glasses as they exchanged kind looks.
Brigitte did things effortlessly—things Rai hadn’t even dared to ask for, fearing he’d be a burden.
Then something pushed Rai past his breaking point.
“Damn it.”
Brigitte leaned down with a gentle smile to meet Iva at eye level, their faces drawing closer. Iva didn’t pull away.
They looked like lovers about to kiss.
A sharp pain squeezed his chest. He couldn’t think. Only instinct remained—he had to go to her.
“Rai.”
Just as he took a step, Julian grabbed him in a panic.
“Where are you going?”
“I’ll just be a moment.”
“No. Don’t go.”
“Your Highness…”
“No, stay by my side. That’s an order.”
Julian’s voice was a mix of cuteness and desperation. But she had used the word “order.”
An order from a royal—Rai could never defy such a command. It was his unbreakable oath.
“…”
He stopped mid-step and turned his gaze from Iva to Julian.
She was staring up at him like a puppy begging for affection. The moment she saw he wasn’t leaving, her face bloomed into a smile.
“Rai, if it’s too crowded here, shall we go somewhere else—just the two of us?”
“…”
“Or maybe we could return to my brother Claude’s palace together. I’d rather be with you than at this party.”
She clung to his arm and whispered quickly.
Rai looked down at her hand and replied—
“Let go.”
“Dinner together… What?”
“I’m not acting as your knight right now. I’m not obligated to follow orders. Let go of me.”
He was quietly furious. His mind was so filled with Iva that even his sacred duty had lost meaning.
His voice was like an icepick—calm but sharp. His restrained glare cracked Julian’s smiling face.
Her grip weakened, and Rai used the moment to pull away and head straight for Iva.
Julian watched him walk off without hesitation, her face hard.
‘What did you do to me?’
‘I only wanted to help you.’
‘Don’t touch me! I can’t trust a word you say anymore.’
Those frozen words, long buried deep in her heart, suddenly hurt again.
“Urgh…”
It felt like her entire body was shattering like fragile glass. The pain was too much to bear.
Julian collapsed.
It had only been a few steps since Rai turned away.
“Your Highness! Are you alright?! Oh no!”
“Please wake up! Your Highness!”
“What happened?!”
A crowd gathered around the fallen Julian.
Iva and Brigitte, who had been outside the group, rushed over to assess the situation.
“What happened? Why did she suddenly collapse?”
“I don’t know. It happened out of nowhere.”
She needed to be moved immediately.
Claude was the host and couldn’t leave. Chase had to remain by his side as aide.
There was only one person fit to carry Julian away.
“Rai.”
Claude, who had come running, gently lifted Julian and called to him.
“Take her to my palace immediately and summon a doctor. Stay by her side until she wakes.”
Rai would normally have moved before the sentence finished—but he hesitated.
“What are you doing, Rai?”
His mind filled with images of Brigitte and Iva, staring into each other’s eyes, leaning in for a kiss while he was away.
He tried to shake it off, but the images grew stronger.
“Rai Castro.”
His name, spoken softly, shifted from a plea to a command.
To others, Claude’s voice might have still sounded gentle, but to Rai it was different. Crystal clear and authoritative.
This was the quiet force of Claude’s power—capable of controlling Rai without raising his voice.
Rai shut his eyes tightly and opened them in resignation.
He quickly took off his jacket and draped it over Julian.
He made sure their skin didn’t touch as he clenched his fists and lifted her.
“I’ll escort her to the palace. Whale, Hans—follow me.”
“Yes, sir!”
They exited the party and rushed to Claude’s palace.
Iva didn’t have time to space out.
Everyone was shaken, the mood now heavy.
I have to salvage this atmosphere—if I want to survive this.
She quickly ran over and pinched Chase’s side hard.
“Ow! What was that for?”
“Snap out of it. We can’t just stand here.”
“R-right.”
“Start calming people down. I’ll jump to the final part of the program.”
Chase relayed the update to Claude, while Iva signaled to Pell that they’d skip ahead.
“Everyone, we’ll keep you informed on Princess Julian’s condition as soon as we know more. For now, please stay focused here.”
Chase raised his voice to regain control of the party.
“Please take out the invitations you received tonight!”
But instead of responding, people murmured to one another.
“The princess collapsed? I thought royal blood couldn’t get sick.”
“She’s been ill for a long time, hasn’t she?”
“To faint during her brother’s event… How embarrassing.”
The low hum of gossip began filling the entire venue.
“This invitation contains a secret. Don’t you want to find out what it is?”
Now was not the time to sit still. Iva took an invitation from Chase’s hand and stepped into the crowd, waving it for attention.
“You may have noticed your invitation is a bit thicker than normal. That’s because we hid a secret on the back.”
As eyes started turning toward her, she amplified her voice and movements.
“If you dip the back into the central fountain…”
She did so, pulling it out again—and faint letters began to appear.
This was Iva’s carefully prepared trump card. The words that appeared read:
“Come with a yellow handkerchief tied around your wrist.”
Just then, Pell raised his hand and shouted—
“Follow the message on your invitation and you’ll receive a special gift from the royal palace!”
Nobody hates free gifts—especially not limited edition items from the palace.
Eyes lit up across the room.
If the ending is good, all is forgiven.
Iva watched closely, hoping the last surprise would work.
“Oh! Look at this! Amazing!”
“Let’s all try it!”
Thankfully, the reaction was positive.
People rushed to the fountain to try it for themselves.
“Mine says, ‘Come with someone wearing blue shoes.’”
“Mine says, ‘Come with a green jacket.’ May I borrow yours?”
“Sure. Mine says, ‘Bring two wine glasses in both hands.’”
The odd but fresh ideas brought laughter back into the air.
As Iva smiled at the success, Brigitte approached with his own invitation.
“Would you do mine as well?”
“Hm? You have to do it yourself to receive a gift.”
“Is that so? Then… would you check it together with me?”
“Alright.”
It was a chance to end things on a pleasant note with Brigitte too, so Iva agreed.
“Let’s dip it together.”
They each held an end and dipped the invitation into the fountain.
“What does it say?” Iva asked, eyes sparkling with curiosity.
As the letters formed, Brigitte raised an eyebrow and grinned.
“I’d rather give the prize to you.”
“Huh? But it’s a royal gift…”
“It suits you better than me.”
How expensive is this gift that he’s turning down? What did it say?
Puzzled, she accepted the card.
“Bring the brightest jewel.”
She looked up, more confused than ever.
Brigitte leaned in and whispered in her ear.
“Tomorrow. 4 p.m. Right here.”
“…What?”
Rather than answering, he winked and walked away toward the delegation.
As Iva blankly watched him go, the rest of the guests finished exchanging invitations and gifts.
“Thank you all for attending tonight’s party.”
At last, the party Iva had so desperately worked for came to an end.
