IDIBC Chapter 41

The Lady with the Yellow Rose

The butler, who was setting out a late breakfast on the table, wore an expression of considerable shock. However, there was no reason to doubt the servant standing before him.

Though he was still young, he had been working here since he was 15 years old. He had even started as the butler’s own page, so there was absolutely no question of his trustworthiness.

“No, sir. He was definitely with some lady.”

“That can’t be…”

Facing the butler’s bewildered expression, the servant continued his explanation.

A bell had been pulled from a room he thought was empty, and since the butler had briefly stepped away, he had rushed to Walter’s room. When he knocked and entered, Walter was definitely not alone.

Walter’s expression hardened ominously.

While he had often lost memories, he was a calculated man. The butler, who knew the family secret, always kept meticulous track of his movements, and spatial travel was used only intermittently in very urgent situations.

“Hmm… So you’re certain no one came to this house except His Highness the Crown Prince and the palace attendants?”

“That’s correct.”

The butler answered with a confident expression. Then his memory after returning to the mansion had disappeared. In that case… was this Paquin’s doing?

“And you’re certain no one saw Julian.”

“That’s correct.”

Julian Bow Paquin was someone prone to mistakes. It was rather hard to believe that he would handle matters so meticulously. Moreover, as an opportunist far from recklessness, he wouldn’t have dared to tamper with a royal’s memory…

“What was the woman’s description?”

Then there was someone else Walter needed to find. He had to prevent the secret of the Chaplin power from leaking out at all costs.

Exposing one’s strength also meant it could work as a great weakness.

“First of all…”

Glancing at Walter’s stern expression, the servant carefully chose his words.

“She was wearing a silver dress. The skirt part of the dress was decorated with blue jewels.”

Silver hair, blue eyes, rather tall, slender build, quite beautiful face. A certain image flashed by, but it was merely a fleeting afterimage. With such a detailed description, finding the woman would only be a matter of time.

Then the servant hesitated for a moment. As Walter’s already serious expression grew more severe, the butler urged him on.

“What are you doing, not reporting everything you saw?”

“Well… she was holding a yellow rose.”

Since the servant knew how much he normally detested such frivolous noble courtship culture, his hesitation was understandable.

“Ha, a yellow rose…”

It was already astounding that she had crossed over with him, but on top of that, a yellow rose. Though he usually didn’t show his emotions well, his brow furrowed involuntarily at his displeasure. Where on earth had the silver-haired woman holding the yellow rose disappeared to?

“Find out if a woman matching that description came to the Count Enehaz ball that day.”

If she had made a mess and then fled because she couldn’t handle it, she could easily be found. No doubt her identity would fall into his hands before noon tomorrow.

“Understood.”

Hearing the loyal butler’s response, Walter laughed briefly. “Huhu.”

‘What should I do with her when I find her?’

Despite not enjoying wasteful amusements like hunting, he felt interested for the first time in a very long while, as if starting an entertaining game. Then suddenly he spread out his hand and stared at it for a long while.

Why did his empty hand feel somehow lacking? As if someone had stolen something he had been grasping.

‘I’ll find out when I find that woman.’

Even then, Walter didn’t think he would have such great difficulty finding her. Nor that he would encounter her in an unexpected place, in an unwanted relationship.

****

My engagement ceremony with Ricardo was now two weeks away.

The days really had passed in a blur. If I had known that preparing for a ducal engagement would involve this much work, I wouldn’t have rashly urged him to get engaged—that’s how much I thought about it, as there were tremendously many things to deal with and decisions to make.

Yet in the midst of handling all those matters, I hadn’t met with my prospective fiancé even once to discuss them together.

At first, I didn’t think Ricardo was intentionally avoiding me. But after ten days passed without seeing him, I couldn’t help the bad feelings that crept in.

Even if the Hyacinth Estate was large, how could it make sense that we couldn’t meet like this on the same floor of the same building?

There was something I only learned this morning.

Ricardo had been staying in the residence closest to the main gate since the day he returned from Count Enehaz’s estate. At Freddy’s explanation that he had no choice because he had much work to do going back and forth to the imperial palace, I was momentarily dazed about what expression I should make.

However, since the duke’s engagement wasn’t simply a family matter, it was impossible to never meet Ricardo.

Today I had to go to the imperial palace together with my prospective fiancé. This too was something I had never imagined when I urged him to get engaged.

“Hah…”

A sigh escaped involuntarily. Such enormous events were unfolding that moments of feeling overwhelmed were increasing. To think I had to stand before the man who had twice ordered all the Fennels to be killed. Even someone with fortitude like me couldn’t guarantee whether my legs would shake too much to stand properly.

Before meeting the Emperor, there was one more mountain to cross.

“The Young Master is waiting for you.”

At Freddy’s words, which sounded like a sentence, throwing away both pride and everything else, my heart, which I had recently learned had no hope whatsoever, began to churn noisily.

I pressed my fist firmly against my chest area and comforted myself.

Since this was the first time meeting after kissing, this dizzying turbulence was natural.

Since it was my first kiss after the childhood kisses that had been purely light touches. That sharp memory, essentially no different from a first kiss, heating up my crown from time to time was unavoidable.

When I barely finished preparing and left the Hyacinth Estate, he really was waiting for me in front of the carriage. Just like the last day I saw him, properly dressed in formal wear, revealing his smooth forehead completely.

And the weather was so good that light seemed to sparkle all around him.

The early summer flowers that had bloomed after patiently enduring spring graciously served as his backdrop. Everything created the illusion that it all revolved around him.

He smiled as smoothly and naturally as he looked. Truly gentlemanly.

Somehow, resentment welled up at that sight.

As I approached, he extended his hand with an extremely courteous attitude, as if honoring his fiancée.

Though it was merely a hand offered for an escort, it was difficult to take readily. When I steadied my breathing and slowly raised my hand, I realized sharply.

The tragic fact that I had missed him terribly.

I filled my chest with breath and met his eyes intently. At that, Ricardo tilted his head slightly and smiled. Infuriatingly and despicably, he was frustratingly magnificent at every moment.

“It’s been a while.”

Instead of answering, Ricardo nodded and, gripping my hand firmly, pushed me into the carriage.

This time too, the Duchess had personally lent her carriage.

Entering inside, memories from last time unfolded before my eyes. Without realizing it, my hand moved to my lips as my eyes closed. The moment of contact with him felt unreal.

As Ricardo immediately boarded the carriage, I hastily lowered my raised hand to my lap.

He sat in the opposite seat and immediately smiled again with a grin.

But was it just my imagination that he seemed to be sitting farther from me than last time?

Watching him, I naturally felt exasperated and crossed my arms, stretching my body leisurely. Then, imitating him from that day, I slowly crossed my legs and lowered my eyes slightly.

‘So that’s how you’re going to play this?’

As he stared at me, he raised one eyebrow. I wiggled my ankle and asked in a somewhat insolent manner.

“You seem to have been well.”

“Of course. Have you been alright? Are the engagement preparations going well?”

His attitude of asking about his own engagement as if it were someone else’s business was so natural that I almost nodded obediently without thinking.

“Yes, have your engagement preparations been going well, Young Master?”

“As a man, I have less to prepare than you. I’m sorry for not being able to pay more attention. If I may make an excuse, there was too much imperial business to handle before the engagement.”

“What?”

At the suddenly kind and considerate explanation, I slowly uncrossed my legs and straightened my posture.

“I see.”

Only after hearing those words did I notice the dark circles under his eyes. He looked truly exhausted.

“I worry that you might be overexerting yourself.”

“Ah, yes… Not really. The Duchess has been paying so much attention.”

When I began preparing for the engagement in earnest, the Duchess brought in Countess Corhena, who had accompanied me to the Enehaz night banquet last time, as my lady-in-waiting.

Angela said that Countess Corhena was the Duchess’s most cherished attendant. Though I didn’t know much about noble society, I understood that giving away one’s most cherished attendant was not a common occurrence.