Chapter 9
At the end of the corridor, Noxia saw another door. A chill seeped through the crack.
She opened it and stepped outside. The cold breeze grew stronger. Even though it was spring, the night was still sharp and chilly.
Since she had handed her coat to a servant earlier, Noxia felt the wind bite straight through her dress. She crossed her arms and shivered.
āUgh, itās freezing. Maybe I should just go back insideā¦ā
But then she noticed a quiet garden. A small white wooden gazebo stood among vines of roses, surrounded by shadowy lawns.
Drawn by its beauty, she walked toward it. Without lanterns, the garden was dim, carrying a still and dreamlike atmosphere.
Noxia tiptoed carefully, even though no one else seemed to be around.
Then she stopped. Someone was there. A faint figure sat on a bench. Her heart jumped in alarm.
āWhoā¦ is that?ā
The outline was clearly male, slim but tall, the frame of someone caught between boyhood and manhood.
He sat with his back to her, gazing upward. His shoulders trembled slightly.
āā¦Is he crying?ā
She listened closely. His breathing was shaky and wet with tearsānot calm or steady.
Noxia hesitated. Should she quietly leave, or should she approach and comfort him? Before she could decide, the boy noticed her presence. He spun around quicklyā
āand Noxia froze.
It was the Second Princeāthe very same one whose eyes had met hers in the ballroom earlier.
āThe prince? Crying here, alone?ā
Panic shot through her. Would she be punished for seeing something she shouldnāt? Should she kneel and beg forgiveness? Or ask why he was weeping?
But the prince, Elenon Hermeon, looked just as shocked. His face turned paleāhe had been caught crying by a stranger.
āDamn it.ā
He muttered the curse under his breath, rubbing hastily at his damp cheeks before leaping to his feet.
āWhat are you doing here? You look like one of the ballās guests, but no one is allowed into this place without royal permission.ā
His words were sharp and defensive, the instinct of someone caught in weakness.
āIām sorry, Your Highness. I lost my way while looking for the restroom. Please forgive my rudeness.ā
Noxia bowed her head quickly, offering the excuse. Normally she might have been offended by his tone, but right now she was too flustered. And, against her will, she felt sympathy.
He looked so vulnerableācrying alone in the shadows. Not like a powerful prince, but like someone weak and human.
Better to be humble here, she thought. So she apologized softly.
Her obedience seemed to embarrass him further.
āā¦The guest facilities are not in this direction. Iāll show you the way.ā
His voice was still curt, but less harsh than before.
āThank you, Your Highness.ā
Noxia answered politely. She didnāt really need a restroom, but she couldnāt exactly admit that.
āThis way. Follow me.ā
He wiped his eyes one last time, turned, and walked ahead. Noxia followed nervously, feeling like sheād stepped into a trap.
āI feel sickā¦ how did I end up in this situation?ā
She had only come to the ball as Karnenās guest, and now here she wasāalone with a prince she had caught crying.
She told herself firmly: next time, no matter what Karnen says, she would never come to such a grand event again.
āI donāt belong here. I shouldāve just gone to a tea party instead of the royal ballā¦ā
A country orphan like her had no business in this glittering world.
The Second Prince led her back into the palace silently. Noxia followed, half expecting him to hand her over for questioning.
Her imagination conjured up scenes from old novelsāgloomy dungeons, torture chambersā¦
But then he stopped at a polished door.
āThere. The restroom is through there.ā
āThank you, Your Highness.ā
Noxia bowed again. He gave a stiff nod.
āThen enjoy the rest of the ball. Have a peaceful evening.ā
With that, he strode away, leaving her behind.
Noxia sighed softly.
āIs he really a prince? Why so prickly?ā
She had never heard bad things about the royal family before. On the contrary, they were admiredāwise, kind, and popular.
The Crown Princess was known as a brilliant politician, the First Prince as a patron of artists and a skilled painter himself.
The Second Princeās reputation was smaller, but respectableāhe had graduated the academyās foundation course early and was now in university. People said he was polite, modest, and handsome.
Yet the boy she met tonight had been curt, even rude. Then again, she had caught him in tears. Anyone would react defensively.
At least he hadnāt threatened her. That counted for something.
āWhat would I gain by telling anyone what I saw? Nothingāexcept trouble. Of course Iāll keep it to myself.ā
Deciding to forget the strange encounter, Noxia freshened herself in the lavish restroomālarge and ornate like a hotel suiteābefore returning to the ballroom.
She looked around for Karnen, eager to find her friend and calm down.
But what caught her attention wasnāt Karnen.
It was him.
āYouāll see him again soon,ā Karnenās voice echoed in her memory.
Her heart pounded wildly. Her lips went dry.
āYouāll inevitably cross paths with Lord Ranon.ā
There he wasāJade Ranon.
He stood in the very center of the ballroom, like a timeless work of art, turning slowly until his deep blue eyes met hers.
In that moment, everyone else in the hall faded away. It felt as if only the two of them existed.
Noxiaās breath caught. Her chest tightened, heat surged through her, yet her face was cold as ice.
Across the hall, Karnen Holby saw everythingāher friend frozen, and Jade Ranonās piercing gaze fixed on her.
Expressionless, Karnen clenched her fists.
