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‘That expression is like you’re asking, “Why on earth did you pick me as your partner?”’
Reading Herald’s thoughts, Retina lowered her gaze and avoided his eyes.
‘He’s a flirt who constantly changes the ladies around him, so why would it matter to him anyway.’
Well, if an unmarried crown prince were to only keep one lady by his side, that would cause a different kind of problem. Rumors about him getting engaged would spread immediately. Still, since he doesn’t have a fiancée yet, he can’t completely avoid ladies either.
‘Ah, that’s right. He’s been looking for the woman who tricked him and ran away.’
Retina remembered why the crown prince had suddenly started rejecting other young ladies and fell into thought. It made no sense that he couldn’t forget a woman he’d spent just one night with. He was never that kind of romantic man to begin with. As one might expect from someone who was close friends with those infamous playboy brothers, Herald was just as notorious for his complicated love life.
‘He’s pretending to be a man devoted to one woman right now, so it makes sense he’s keeping his distance from the others.’
Her reasoning felt plausible enough that Retina nodded to herself. It wasn’t his first time, not at that age, and if he was drunk, he probably didn’t even remember the woman’s face clearly. There could be only one reason he was trying so hard to find his one-night partner.
‘He must want revenge on the woman who left him alone in bed the next morning.’
His pride would never let that slide. He might even feel insulted. If she’d known this would happen, she should have left a note explaining she was leaving to keep things secret between them.
But it was too late now to suddenly pop up and say, “Surprise, I’m the woman you’ve been looking for!” There were too many complications. She knew he was friends with her brothers from the Academy, but she hadn’t realized they were so close they stuck together constantly. So the “fiery guy” her brothers once mentioned—“One of our friends is a hothead. He started a crazy fight at the Academy again today, so we were late watching it.”—turned out to be the crown prince himself.
‘If only I weren’t the woman he’s looking for, I wouldn’t have to care this much. Should I try to persuade him to give up? But if he’s as sharp as he seems, he might catch on…’
“What’s got you thinking so hard?”
“Ah.”
The crown prince’s hand suddenly appeared in front of her. Herald gently pulled Retina’s hand away from her lips—she’d been biting them without realizing, a nervous habit when she overthought.
“I’m sorry. That was improper of me.”
Her behavior at the party would reflect not only on herself but also on her partner. Pushing her distracting thoughts away, Retina apologized. Biting one’s lips in such an open space was considered improper for a noble young lady.
“You’re bleeding.”
Looking down at her, Herald noticed her lipstick had smudged with blood. He raised his hand to her face and pressed his handkerchief gently against her lips to stop the bleeding.
“You didn’t have to go that far. It would’ve stopped soon.”
Startled, Retina fumbled backward, but his hand didn’t move away. His calloused, rough fingers brushed her lips, pressing softly against their full, red shape.
“You’ll scab over.”
His gaze lingered on her lips as he checked whether the bleeding had stopped. The lipstick had faded, but her lips were naturally red, so it wasn’t very noticeable. He had the strange feeling he’d seen those lips somewhere before—chattering animatedly, never losing in conversation. And back then, they’d been even closer.
Herald leaned in, eyes fixed on her lips. The déjà vu raised goosebumps on Retina’s arms. Their faces were close enough for her to feel his breath when she suddenly grabbed his wrist.
“Um, should I… throw this handkerchief away?”
“What?”
“My blood’s on it. Your Highness always throws away your handkerchiefs even when just a bit of cream gets on them. Haha…”
She grabbed the handkerchief, quickly changing the subject. The atmosphere had gotten dangerously close to a public kiss, and she could feel the death stares of other ladies piercing her.
“If you’re going to throw it away, can I—”
“I’m not throwing it away. Do young ladies discard their handkerchiefs after one use?”
He stared at the stained handkerchief, then casually tucked it back into his pocket. Retina stared at him in disbelief. So he throws out handkerchiefs with a bit of cream but not this?
She looked away from his pocket. It wasn’t that she wanted his handkerchief; she just thought it was a waste to toss out a good one after a single use.
Then again, maybe she should return that other handkerchief he lent her—she had Lina wash it, and it still looked new.
“How shameless of you, monopolizing His Highness like that when you’re not even engaged.”
“Really. Flaunting your affection in public like this—don’t tell me your debutante ball was just a prelude to announcing your engagement to the crown prince?”
“She’s a Deneuve, though… surely not.”
“This season, even the two dukes’ heirs are close with His Highness. The feud between House Deneuve and the imperial family is ancient history.”
As Retina and the crown prince spent more time together without dancing, whispers began spreading. At balls, partners were usually lovers or engaged couples.
Otherwise, they would dance the first song together, mingle separately, and then reunite for the second part of the ball. If unmarried partners stayed together too long during the social season, it usually meant romance.
‘I can’t let rumors like that spread about me and the crown prince.’
Realizing this, Retina quickly looked up.
“Shall we dance the first song now?”
“How rare, the lady inviting me to dance.”
“It’s just… the other ladies’ glares are burning holes in my face. Even if we’re partners, it’s awkward to stick together all night when we’re not engaged.”
She glanced sharply at the jealous onlookers.
“Even if it’s not by choice, coming to the capital during the social season is basically entering the marriage market. We’re not engaged, and there are married ladies watching, so caution doesn’t hurt, right?”
The looks she was getting weren’t just from envious young ladies but also from watchful noblewives.
There was no way to debut quietly as the crown prince’s partner. Her best bet was to stay as low-key as possible.
“We can’t ignore those hawk-like gazes forever.”
“I agree.”
For once, Herald shared her view. She took his hand, and they entered the dance floor.
As they bowed to each other, the music began. Herald pulled her by the waist into his arms. Retina stiffened at his touch but composed herself.
“It’s a serenade for lovers. Of course it’s this one. You have excellent taste, my lady.”
This dance required perfect synchronization; otherwise, one partner would step on the other’s feet.
“Are you taking revenge on me for making you my partner?” he said with a wry smile.
“Of course not. Even as a duke’s daughter, I don’t memorize the program order.”
Unskilled at dancing, Retina kept stepping on his feet.
‘Of course it had to be in glass slippers… That must hurt.’
She avoided his gaze, embarrassed.
‘What can I do? I was born hopeless at dancing.’
No amount of training could fix her wooden movements. She probably bruised every one of his toes by the end of the dance. Thankfully, Herald was skilled at hiding his expressions, so no one else noticed.
“This might be easier if I just hold you like this.”
He whispered in her ear as he moved behind her, guiding her from the back. Dancing in the same direction made it impossible for her to step on him.
“Do you regret choosing me as your partner?”
“A little.”
“You knew I wasn’t great after our last dance.”
“I didn’t know it was this bad. Last time you at least followed my lead.”
“Back then… the steps were different.”
“And that’s your excuse?” he scoffed.
His hand slid up her waist, brushing dangerously close to her chest. With her shoulders bare, his breath against her skin made her blush furiously.
The dance grew more intimate toward the end—faces brushing, hands clasping, bodies moving like one. Herald performed every move effortlessly, while Retina could barely look at him from embarrassment.
When the dance ended and they bowed to each other, Retina let out a relieved sigh, fanning her flushed face.
“Drink,” Herald said, handing her champagne.
The sparkling wine was sweet and mild, easy to drink.
“Your face is red. Out of breath already from one dance?”
He downed his glass in one go. She narrowed her eyes—his neck was flushed red too.
“Your Highness…”
Their conversation ended abruptly as people flocked toward the crown prince now that his first dance was over.
“Meet me by the cake after three songs.”
“Yes. I should look for my brothers anyway.”
She memorized the spot. The seven-tier cake was decorative, away from the crowd but not too isolated—a perfect meeting point.
Once Herald left to dance with other ladies, Retina slipped away to the terrace. She had no intention of actually finding her brothers. She’d had enough attention for one night.
‘A bit of fresh air helps.’
Her headache eased outside. From the terrace, she admired the view of Ludenheim’s capital lit up like a field of stars.
‘The view from the palace isn’t bad at all.’
“The capital of Ludenheim is beautiful from here,” a man’s voice said from beside her.
Retina stiffened.
