Chapter 12

Freyer sighed deeply.

He had ordered Derek to find information about her, but he still had no answer. Thus, the day of the Crown Prince’s return banquet arrived without him being able to take any action.

‘This is no time to be doing this…’

Freyer, for whom attending the banquet was not a priority, continued to sigh deeply even as the servants attended to him. Derek cautiously entered Freyer’s bedroom while the preparations were underway.

“That’s enough. You may leave.”

Freyer dismissed the servants upon Derek’s arrival. Once the servants left, Derek bowed his head in apology to Freyer. Derek bit his lip and began to speak.

“Your Highness. I tried my best, but… the information broker seems to be having difficulties, and information about the person you are looking for will take more time.”

“I see… Report to me as soon as you have the information.”

If he hadn’t met the Empress that day, he wouldn’t have needed to go through Derek to search for her.

Suppressing the urge to run out immediately, Freyer checked his reflection in the mirror. His face, reflected in the mirror, looked uncomfortable, as if he were wearing clothes he shouldn’t be.

Freyer exhaled briefly and adjusted the cravat constricting his neck.

“I suppose I must go to the banquet hall now.”

Freyer frowned intensely and headed towards the banquet hall.

The banquet hall was quite a distance from the Second Prince’s palace. When Freyer stood at the banquet hall door, it opened with a loud shout from the knight.

“His Imperial Highness, the Second Prince Freyer Lundberg, enters!”

Freyer slowly walked into the banquet hall, following the purple carpet laid on the floor. He felt the sharp glances, the curious stares, and the whispering nobles. The currents of the air directed towards him were all too familiar to the bone.

‘I want to go back already.’

Freyer ignored the gazes of the nobles and sat in his assigned seat on the dais, his eyes unfocused. The urge to rush out of this place welled up fiercely. But he knew he couldn’t.

‘I am merely a doll who must guard his seat as if dead.’

He wished for time to pass quickly. Just then, with the Crown Prince’s entrance, Freyer looked toward the side door of the banquet hall.

Freyer’s eyes widened when he saw a woman with messy, lemon-colored blonde hair and a navy dress cautiously entering through it.

She was the owner of the garter belt, the one he had desperately searched for, having heard just this afternoon that her information couldn’t be found.

The surging feeling of despair instantly vanished, and a sense of having gained the entire world filled Freyer’s heart like a wave.

‘I found her.’

***

“The chair was softer than I thought, and I dozed off…”

I had intended to keep my eyes closed until my vision cleared. Startled by an ominous feeling, I shot my eyes open from my sleepy daze. The world, which had been hazy like fog, was now clear.

“Whew… Thank goodness.”

Fearing that a lot of time had passed, I quickly checked the clock in the powder room. The time check showed that I hadn’t been asleep for long.

However, it was now the time when the Imperial Family members would be entering. I quickly got up and exited the powder room to return to the banquet hall. Standing blankly in the corridor built of white stone, I couldn’t help but be puzzled.

“Where do I go?”

Since I had arrived at the powder room following the servant’s guidance, I was confused, not knowing the way back.

‘Is it this way? No, this way?’

I alternately pointed left and right, but the corridors looked identical, making it impossible to distinguish one from the other.

“How am I supposed to know when I don’t live in the Imperial Palace! Isn’t this too inconsiderate?”

It seemed right to have signs for people like me who get lost easily… Realizing that if I stood here, I would never escape this place, I made a resolution.

“I’ll just have to open every door I see!”

Surely one of the many doors would lead me out.

With that resolve, I made up my mind and moved my steps to the right corridor. I became exhausted carefully opening every door I passed.

“Why are there so many doors…?”

I recalled the manor where I lived now. It was a rather small manor, so there was no risk of getting lost, and there weren’t this many doors either.

As expected, the Imperial Palace was the Imperial Palace. I was walking listlessly, having given up hope, when I saw a door that looked different from the ones I had opened so far. It was a door with the image of a phoenix engraved in relief, like burning wood vines. I held onto my last hope and pulled the door open with all my might.

“Please be the right one!”

The scenery of the banquet hall and the nobles unfolded before my eyes, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Just then, I raised my head at the loud shout of the knight.

“His Imperial Highness, Ivailo Lundberg, the Crown Prince, the successor of the Empire, enters!”

Since I had entered through a side door, the giant main entrance on the second floor opened right next to me, and the Crown Prince slowly descended the stairs.

I was startled to see him at a distance where, to exaggerate, I could almost see his pores.

‘What…? Why is he so handsome?’

When I looked down at him from the trade guild, he was quite far away, and my impression was just, ‘He looks like the male lead drawn on the cover!’

His hair was pitch-black, as if the dark night sky had been engraved into it. His deep navy eyes were like the abyss of the deep sea. His skin, moderately tanned from the Northern subjugation, was surprisingly lustrous.

His great height and broad shoulders seemed to require looking up at him for a long time. His eyes, round and clear under his dark eyebrows. His affable mouth curved into a refreshing smile.

The Crown Prince was wearing a dark navy uniform that resembled his eyes. He looked like a noble, sea-colored black wolf.

“The Crown Prince looks truly magnificent today…”

His appearance was dazzling, and gasps of admiration echoed from the young ladies all over the banquet hall. I could also hear the footsteps of young ladies who were completely bewildered, stamping their feet, mouths agape at the Crown Prince’s looks. The young ladies everywhere didn’t even blink, trying to catch a glimpse of him.

‘Is that what it means to fall in love at first sight?’

Looking at the ladies’ gazes, I felt I could understand.

Startled by a sharp gaze that felt stinging at my temple, I looked over. My eyes met the Crown Prince’s, who had descended the stairs, and I flinched.

‘Did he just glare at me?’

It was a look that clearly showed displeasure. But perhaps it was my imagination, as the Crown Prince turned his head, smiled, and leisurely walked up to the dais. I blinked slowly, bewildered.

“Is it just my imagination?”

Confused, I followed the Crown Prince’s gaze and saw the silver-haired Freyer sitting at the edge of the dais. The thought that the Crown Prince was handsome instantly vanished when I saw Freyer. As expected, my fan affection was not something that disappeared in a moment.

‘As expected, he is handsome, Freyer!’

Freyer’s green uniform, which seemed to have been modeled after his eyes, made his aura brilliant. But Freyer also seemed to be looking this way, and I tilted my head. However, I thought I knew where his gaze was directed.

‘He’s looking at Nazlee.’

Nazlee was not far from where I was standing. Freyer’s mother had died young.

‘Freyer regretted not being able to protect his mother.’

Perhaps that is why Freyer’s eyes are drawn to Nazlee, who looked exactly like his mother, and he was determined to make Nazlee happy.

It was clear that while I was away, Freyer had entered and fallen in love with Nazlee at first sight.

‘I should have seen this scene! Freyer must have had a spark in his green eyes when he saw Nazlee, right?’

Anyone could tell it was a look of falling in love at first sight. Even now, I can feel the fiery gaze directed towards Nazlee, as if he wants to engrave her image in his memory. How can anyone not fall for Freyer with that look!

“Trust me! Your unnie will take care of everything! Just stay put!”

I tightly clenched both fists, trying to contain my excitement.

***

Ivailo entered the banquet hall in a good mood. But instantly, his brow furrowed. It was because of the woman with the messy blonde hair and navy dress cautiously entering through the side door.

‘To enter the banquet hall the moment the Crown Prince enters. Is this an insult to me?’

He thought there was no other reason for her to act this way. The urge to decapitate her immediately surged up. Soon, seeing the woman’s eyes sparkling as if she were captivated by him, his shoulders lifted slightly.

‘Yes, that’s right. Look up to me like that.’

Ivailo averted his gaze from the woman, curled the corner of his mouth, and walked toward the dais.

‘But she still needs to be punished. Should the charge be for irritating the Imperial Crown Prince?’

That imagination made Ivailo’s lips curl even higher. If he hadn’t had to hide his personality, he would have made that woman kneel immediately and confess her crime. It would have been quite a sight.

He leisurely walked up to the dais, passed Freyer, and sat in his seat.

“He doesn’t even greet me.”

Ivailo looked coldly at the silver hair that was within his sight. He should have felt such a look, but Freyer was only staring at one spot.

Following Freyer’s gaze, he arrived at the same blonde woman who had annoyed him moments ago. Ivailo’s eyes flashed with curiosity as he examined the woman.

The blonde, violet-eyed woman whom Freyer was staring at.

She matched the description recorded on the paper about the woman the Second Prince was searching for.

Lilithia Baimery.

After finding out the woman’s identity, Ivailo had silenced everyone, making it difficult to find any clues about her. After the secretary reported that Freyer was having trouble finding her, he had dismissed the matter.

‘But to meet her here…’

Ivailo leaned back in a crooked posture, resting his chin on his hand, and alternated his gaze between the woman and Freyer. Seeing Freyer elated at meeting the woman he had desperately sought, Ivailo smirked.

“This has become interesting.”

What would happen if he, the Crown Prince, took the woman Freyer was so desperately searching for?

Freyer’s feelings at that moment would surely be devastating. Although it would be a bit troublesome for him, he felt that making Freyer lose hope through this effort was quite worthwhile.

Ivailo curled one corner of his mouth.

“Since the pumpkin has rolled in on its vine, shall I make the game more interesting?”