‘Your Highness. Your Highness?’
Behind the tall Prince, I could see a shadow hopping up and down. The Prince blocked the half-open door and couldn’t answer.
I could feel his extremely flustered gaze traveling downward and stopping at one place. Without thinking, I embarrassedly covered my chest with my arms. ‘Surely, there’s someone inside—’ Having heard his confidant’s words up to that point, the Prince slammed the door shut behind him with a bang.
‘Your Highness! Prince Benedict?!’
Click—the locking mechanism that had tormented me so was easily manipulated.
I was frozen in place, crouched like a child caught doing something naughty.
Rattle rattle—only the sound of Count Leroy desperately calling the Prince while turning the locked doorknob broke the silence.
Looking only at the tips of the neat shoes standing stock-still, I forced open my tightly shut mouth.
“…Hyung… forced me to wear it,”
I can’t breathe… The voice I barely managed to produce crawled out.
What kind of situation is this?
I wish this were a dream.
“…!”
Don’t come!
You can’t come!
Prince Benedict was approaching. Even in that situation, I thought his hesitant steps were unlike him.
I hung my head, surely looking tearful, along with my body. What bothered me to death at this moment was the ill-fitting corset and the underwear below.
“Shall I help you?”
He reached out his hand to me simultaneously with his words. Without even waiting for an answer.
“No, uh, I, no—”
I was so ashamed that proper words wouldn’t come out. Ignoring the arms pushing him away, he just lifted me by the waist. I was lifted easily with one arm and moved while in a daze.
Even though it couldn’t have been a light weight, Prince Benedict did it easily. In just a few steps, I was placed on the bed, and before I could refuse, the butter knife was taken from me.
“Lean forward.”
He said calmly.
At the hand pushing my back, my waist tilted at an angle and I reflexively braced the bed with both hands.
I inadvertently showed him my back. Then, recalling that below my waist I looked like I was completely naked except for a single string, I became completely rigid.
“……”
Prince Benedict was silent.
The silence pressed down on my shoulders like a heavy curtain.
Now even screams wouldn’t come out from within. I couldn’t move at all. Goosebumps swept across my skin as if there was a threat behind my back.
After a long while, I felt him sitting down behind me.
The bed sank. When the Prince’s hand finally touched my lower back, I squeezed my eyes shut.
Snap snap. With a feeling of rapid cutting, the corset came undone.
Even if he’d used a sharp knife, it wouldn’t have cut faster than that. I knew the Prince was wielding his aura.
“……”
Prince Benedict silently undid the corset himself. Swoosh—the sound of cut strings slipping through the loops. Blood flowed back to my waist. The part connected to the underwear was cut last. Because it was cut carefully, there was no pulling sensation either.
……
Still silent, he set down the butter knife beside my hand. Then he pulled the sheet over and draped it over my shoulders.
Whoosh—
Like someone released from a motion-stopping curse, I covered myself with the sheet up to my head and curled up.
I feel like dying……
With my head buried in the bed, I thought I hoped the Prince would leave quickly.
Even though I heard the sound of the door closing, I couldn’t easily emerge from under the covers.
It’s devastating.
I couldn’t believe I’d shown such a pathetic appearance, and to Prince Benedict of all people.
I absolutely, absolutely didn’t want to, but if someone had to discover me in this state, anyone but the Prince would have been fine. I feel like dying…… What should I do?
Only after a long while did I cautiously crawl out.
I desperately wanted to fall asleep like this and forget everything, but I can’t do that here.
As I picked up the clothes scattered on the floor, I kept thinking about it. Ahhh ahhh, I made a silent fuss. Then, realizing that there were still over ten days left of the music festival, I jumped up and down.
I just want to disappear from the world.
I really wanted to show him only my cool side.
I originally avoided him, but now I really need to act like I don’t exist and not show even the tip of my nose…….
* * *
“Just try disappearing on your own again today!”
Since Rilke said he’d go with his friends and left first, today it was just Mikhail and me.
“There’s no point in participating in the banquet! Where on earth have you been running off to for three whole days!”
As soon as the carriage stopped, I rolled out of Mikhail’s grasp.
Mikhail, who had been hurriedly following behind me while waving his cane, cleared his throat and straightened his collar.
Since many nobles were entering through the entrance, Mikhail tried hard to maintain appearances. He barely managed to grab my forearm.
“Fix your messy hair properly.”
Sticking close to my side, Mikhail drew an arrogant smile on his lips. His ventriloquism is top-notch.
“You better know it won’t be fun if you run away again today. If the day comes when people think I can’t control even you,”
“Count Meyer!”
“Ah, Sir Rood.”
Since the person Mikhail has been favoring the most recently came to greet him, a dignified voice was quickly fabricated.
“Are the preparations going well?”
Mikhail, wanting to be a wonderful patron, pretended to be a gentleman and received the greeting gracefully while holding his cane.
“That I’ve made it to this place today is all thanks to you, Count!”
This is Mikhail’s composer, Sir Cedric Rood.
“I’m always grateful, but today feels especially meaningful! Ah, Young Master Meyer! It’s been so long since I’ve seen you!”
I felt sorry toward him, who had consistently sent kind invitations every time. Because I had never once responded to his invitations.
“Both of you, please come this way. I was speaking with a noble personage! I was just receiving the gracious words that they’re most looking forward to my <Agapanthus> that will be performed tonight. When they heard news that the Count had arrived, they gladly told me to go!”
Sir Rood pointed to one side.
Mikhail beamed with a broad smile and I became a face that wasn’t words.
Mikhail was saying something beside me in an excited tone, but I couldn’t hear it well.
The Prince, wearing white ceremonial dress decorated with gold embroidery, was too beautiful again today, but—
No.
“……”
How did I manage to avoid him until now?
Even though there was distance, I felt like our eyes met.
“Young Master Meyer?”
It was a plausible thing for a member of the imperial family to show support beside a musician likely to win an award. However, I remembered that in the past, it was the Empress who had directly supported Sir Rood.
“I really, um, urgently need the bathroom.”
Since Mikhail was already flying over like a honeybee as soon as he saw the Prince, I said that to the composer calling me and hurriedly fled the spot.
The day Sir Rood’s piece is announced.
Today was a day that remained in my memory.
And… it was also the day I decided, after much deliberation, to twist the direction.
I’d been agonizing over it.
‘I don’t know exactly what kind of behavior you exhibited to cause this, but His Majesty is showing interest in you. You’ll need to be careful going forward.’
If the past is changing anyway.
First method.
Avoid what I must experience today. Then I’d have to seriously consider how to completely leave the house.
Second method.
Experience what I must experience today the same way. I’d be able to leave the house perfectly like before, but—
I’d already learned that even small things could change the past. It was already a dangerous matter, and if even one thing went wrong, I could fall off an irreversible cliff, which made my steps hesitate.
So what I chose was the third method.
“What business does oppa have?”
“I have something important to say. I keep looking but can’t see him.”
Fortunately, I spotted Miss Lucia, the Young Lady Lifros, who was just coming out from inside the hall.
She was his younger sister who had naturalized to the Empire together with Sir Lifros. She, who had lighter violet eyes than her older brother, was also an Omega. A very petite beauty with long brown hair braided down.
“Well, the Empire’s events are on too grand a scale. I’ve already gotten lost five times just today.”
The music festival unfolds in various forms.
In the largest banquet hall in the center, one renowned composer’s submitted piece is performed each day. In the countless large and small branching rooms around it, music salons open during the festival period. Nobles who play as a hobby show off their skills, and musicians who didn’t make it to candidacy freely present musical pieces.
“Oppa is in Misa Hall. His imperial friend performed there today.”
The place the Young Lady Lifros told me about was a medium-sized room not far from the central hall.
It seemed I’d found the right place—Sir Lifros could be seen in the distance. He was talking with someone holding a violin.
After confirming he was there, I hid my body behind a pillar. I was even holding champagne I’d received from a passing servant. Biting my lip, I surveyed the interior again.
“…!”
He was there.
A spine-chilling thrill struck up the back of my neck.
‘You’re the most peculiar of my targets. Normally I don’t set my sights on something like you… but that day was unusual.’
The sticky voice came back to life in my memory.
Baron Moss was already here, already in this place.
