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Chapter 4
Cornelia’s eyes sparkled as she asked for more interesting news.
It was obvious she was talking about what had happened at Count Kale’s banquet.
Even Rovellin perked up, hoping there might be more information.
Brian let out a sigh so deep it felt like the ground would collapse beneath it.
“Haah… His Highness is insisting I find that woman no matter what… but there’s no real way to do it.”
“Really? You truly don’t know anything? Not at all?”
“Nothing. Just that she had brown hair and a white dress.”
“Brown hair?”
At those words, Rovellin’s heart dropped.
Without realizing it, she touched her own hair.
Brian shook his head as he noticed her reaction.
“Don’t worry, Bell. I guarantee His Highness’s memory is wrong. He can’t even remember what a maid he just saw looks like.”
…This time, he seemed to remember perfectly.
But if Brian was going to be wrong about this, Rovellin had no reason to correct him.
So she stayed silent.
Cornelia, unaware of everything, asked with genuine disappointment:
“So there’s no clue at all? Even the dress color might not be certain.”
“Oh, that part is certain. I have proof.”
Brian reached into his coat and pulled out a piece of white fabric.
It was the evidence Ian had given him before leaving the palace.
‘My lord, surely you don’t think—’
‘Stop your ridiculous assumptions immediately.’
Brian had been thoroughly disgusted, but the truth remained:
It was part of the woman’s dress.
And Rovellin recognized it instantly.
‘Why is THAT in his possession?!’
Her face turned pale.
She had known her skirt tore, but she never imagined Ian would pick up the fabric and keep it as evidence.
“Have you ever seen a dress made from this kind of material?”
“Huh… this is…”
Cornelia tilted her head, examining the white fabric embroidered with delicate floral patterns.
Then she smiled innocently.
“Bell, don’t you have a dress like this too? I think I’ve seen it before.”
“…Is that true, Bell?”
“W-what? No! I’ve never seen it before!”
Rovellin shouted a little too quickly.
“C-Cornelia, you’re mistaken. I’ve never seen this fabric in my life.”
“I see… I thought if we checked your dressmaker, we might find the culprit. But if not, there’s nothing we can do.”
Cornelia accepted it easily, not suspecting her at all.
“Well, everyone wore white dresses that day. There must be at least twenty ladies with something like this.”
“Exactly, exactly.”
Rovellin nodded vigorously, refusing to meet Brian’s eyes.
‘Sorry, Bri… the person you’re looking for is me…’
Brian simply sighed, staring into his tea with a hollow expression.
Rovellin felt a prick of guilt.
But she couldn’t confess.
Her life was on the line.
As long as she stayed careful, she likely wouldn’t be caught.
‘He’ll eventually give up after enough dead ends… Brian will just suffer a bit.’
She glanced at Brian again.
He was still drinking tea, looking exhausted and unaware of everything.
* * *
Members of the Imperial House of Heriette often gathered for breakfast.
It was meant to be a warm family meal with the Emperor, Empress, and their sons.
But for Ian, it was always both familiar and suffocating.
“Crown Prince, I hear you’ve been attending banquets often lately?”
“…Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Social gatherings are fine, but where there are people, there are rumors. Be careful.”
The Empress glanced toward the Emperor as she spoke.
As she said, Ian had been attending every banquet lately in search of the woman.
Thanks to that, many unmarried noble ladies had begun to feel a flutter of excitement—
But Ian had not found her.
“In any case, I intend to restrain myself now.”
He had decided to stop attending banquets.
They were all the same anyway—identical dresses, identical hairstyles, identical smiles.
It was exhausting.
“Do be mindful. Many eyes are watching you.”
The Empress ended with a sly smile.
It was a smile of satisfaction—pleased to see Ian reduced to a man chasing rumors at banquets.
Ian quietly laughed to himself but did not respond.
It was pointless to argue.
“Brother, may I join you at the next banquet?”
“Maxim!”
The youngest prince, Maximillian Heriette, spoke up eagerly.
Unlike his mother, he admired Ian deeply.
Tall, composed, noble—everything Maximilian aspired to be.
But the Empress disliked that admiration.
“Maxim, do not speak nonsense in His Majesty’s presence. Finish your meal; your tutor will arrive soon.”
She quickly shut him down.
Ian did not bother to oppose it.
He knew the Empress would not change.
“Truly, Your Highness, you should set an example for your younger brother.”
“Yes, I will keep that in mind.”
As always, it’s my fault.
Ian lifted his glass and drank wine.
Watching the Empress glare at him, he recalled something from his childhood.
‘I’ll be honest. I don’t like you, Ian Heriette. I intend to raise my own son above you. Power works that way.’
That was what Empress Karola had told him when she first met him—before he was even ten years old.
Expecting maternal affection from her had long been meaningless.
“By the way, Ian.”
The Emperor, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke.
“I’m considering your engagement soon. What do you think?”
“Engagement?”
“Yes. I hear the Bennet young lady is well-mannered.”
Ian nodded calmly.
The Bennet family had always been a top candidate for Crown Princess.
But unlike Ian’s calm reaction, the Empress looked like she had been sentenced to death.
“I-I’ve also heard the Countess is beautiful and proper, Your Majesty…”
“Yes. And her dowry is unmatched.”
The Emperor smiled in satisfaction.
That was what mattered most to him.
‘An old man obsessed with wealth and power.’
Ian thought indifferently.
But he had no reason to oppose it.
He wasn’t expecting a romantic marriage anyway.
As long as it strengthened his position, it didn’t matter who it was.
“That would be wonderful, wouldn’t it, Maxim?”
“I’m not as great as my brother, Mother…”
“Maxim!”
And once again, it was entertaining to watch the Empress lose her composure.
‘Even if the lady were two years younger, she’d probably try to attach her to that fool Maximilian.’
Ian almost smiled imagining it.
The engagement topic did amuse him.
‘Was the Bennet young lady at that banquet?’
He recalled the Count’s eldest son listing attendees beside him.
He might have heard her name.
And then—
‘…That woman was there too.’
The woman who had been occupying his thoughts for days.
Memories surfaced like moonflowers blooming at night.
Mostly, they were the heated fragments of that night in bed.
Every time he tried to recall her face, his body reacted before his mind could, making him fail again.
Even now, thinking of her soft, pale curves made his mind drift—
“Brother? His Majesty asked you a question.”
“…Ah.”
Ian snapped back to reality.
His cheeks were faintly flushed as he looked around.
The Emperor, Empress, and the young prince were all watching him.
“Ian… is there perhaps a woman you have your eye on?”
