Chapter 22
I Woke Up and Became the Grand Duke’s Fiancée
“Whenever you face a difficult problem, feel free to come to me.”
I think I understood why Madam Carmen was so kind. She had only been teaching Roel so far; now that she had a proper student, it made sense that she felt proud.
Madam Carmen seemed to take pride in her teaching.
So if the student was eager to learn, she probably wouldn’t be displeased by it.
I hesitated, thinking it might be rude to speak up since I was getting lessons thanks to Roel, but the words escaped my mouth impulsively.
“Could I… come to you if I want to learn more?”
“…!”
Through her glasses, Madam Carmen’s eyes sparkled for a moment.
Then she reached out and held my hand.
“…?”
I froze, surprised at the sudden contact. Madam Carmen seemed just as startled and quickly let go.
“Hmph, sorry about that.”
Madam Carmen murmured, a faint blush on her cheeks.
“It’s just that it’s been a while since I’ve had a student with such a thirst for learning. I may have gotten a little emotional.”
She must have been having a hard time with Roel too.
“I’m sorry, but during the day I’m busy preparing for classes, so I won’t have time.”
I expected her to decline, but it wasn’t very harsh. Even in her refusal, there was room for possibility.
Madam Carmen just glanced at me silently.
I blinked and boldly asked,
“What about in the evenings?”
“…….”
Seeing my confident request, Madam Carmen smiled slightly.
“That’s admirable.”
“Admirable?”
“The way you’re eager to learn.”
Madam Carmen looked at me with a smile in her eyes.
“I assumed a commoner girl would be more passive about education. I was wrong.”
It was reasonable for her to think so—commoner girls rarely get formal education at academies. I would have thought the same if I were in her place.
“Alright, Ribera. Come in the evenings as you wish. I’ll give you extra lessons. We’ll continue daily until you master the basics.”
I hadn’t expected daily lessons—what a bonus.
Daily lessons would probably be taxing for Madam Carmen, but for me, it was a huge gain. Still, I didn’t want to be a burden.
“Have Roel pay the tuition.”
Since it was Roel who dragged me into these lessons, he probably wouldn’t mind paying for them now.
“No, I won’t take any payment for this outside of our contract.”
I meant it as a gesture for her to at least get something, but Madam Carmen firmly refused.
“Just promise me you’ll keep up. No giving up halfway.”
Her words made me smile naturally.
“You don’t think I’d run away.”
My natural arrogance showed through. Madam Carmen seemed pleased, smiling gently.
A few weeks passed since I started the lessons, and delaying the trip to the palace was becoming difficult.
Finally, Roel and I got into the carriage.
“…….”
I leaned my head against the window, trying to calm my uneasy feelings. Meeting the Crown Prince soon made my heart tense.
“Ah…….”
I groaned lightly. Roel, sitting across from me and reading a book, looked up.
“Are you nervous?”
“It’s not that……”
Roel gave me a puzzled look, then returned to his book.
“…….”
I silently stared at him.
“Roel.”
“Yes?”
He flipped the pages of his book, replying. I cleared my throat awkwardly and spoke.
“……What about the Crown Prince?”
The last time I saw the Crown Prince was more than ten years ago. I worried if his personality had changed much. People often change as they grow, especially someone of his position.
“The Crown Prince?”
Roel blinked, thinking for a moment.
“He’s kind.”
“Is that all?”
“You can’t define a person in just one way.”
I frowned. Roel smirked mischievously.
“See? You are nervous.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Don’t worry, he’s not scary.”
“What about the Crown Princess?”
“No, she’s scary.”
“……”
Just thinking of the Crown Prince was unsettling enough; I hadn’t worried until now. But after hearing about Envis, my concern grew.
“You were close with her, right?”
“Yes.”
Roel looked away for a moment.
“……Being close and being scared are separate things.”
“I don’t get it……”
I gazed at Roel with blurred vision, then turned my eyes back to the window.
‘……I don’t know either.’
For now, I decided to just stay calm.
Since we arrived earlier than planned, we had a day of free time.
Maybe because the Grand Duke’s household brought a lot of staff, the palace didn’t assign separate attendants. I didn’t need maids either since Conny was with me. It was good not having to deal with strangers.
After the long trip, all I wanted was to rest in the room. Yet Roel kept following me.
“Shall I show you around the palace?”
I had grown bored of visiting the palace as a child, so I wasn’t curious. I gave Roel a displeased look.
“Just go and rest. Aren’t you tired from the trip?”
“Not really?”
He looked weak outside but was surprisingly sturdy. Still, I was tired.
“Fine, I’ll rest.”
Roel’s face fell noticeably. I sent him away before he could enter my room and collapsed onto the bed.
Conny, carrying my luggage, came closer.
“Ribera, are you planning to stay in the room all day?”
“Of course.”
“…Not exploring the palace?”
Conny’s face fell. She had high expectations and wanted to look around.
When Roel stared at me desperately, I could ignore him easily. But Conny’s gaze was harder to avoid.
“…….”
What a bother. I brushed my face with one hand and sat up.
“Alright, but just for a little while.”
“Wow!”
Conny clapped her hands excitedly.
As we prepared to step out, there was a knock at the door.
‘Roel?’
Before I could react, Conny flung the door open.
“Who’s there?”
It was a maid. Judging by her appearance, she seemed experienced and high-ranking among the palace maids. Her presence immediately brought tension.
“Do you have time this evening?”
I reluctantly nodded.
The maid continued calmly.
“The Crown Prince wishes to meet you privately.”
“Ah!”
Conny gasped loudly. I glared at her, and she quickly covered her mouth.
“Evening, you said? When exactly?”
“I will escort you after dinner.”
“Alright, then. See you then.”
With that, the maid bowed and left.
After she left, Conny finally lowered her hands.
“Ribera!”
“Quiet. I can hear you just fine.”
Conny jumped up and down excitedly.
“Why would the Crown Prince want to see you?”
“How should I know?”
“Is it alright? Will it be alright?”
Conny’s face was full of worry. I looked at her strangely.
“Why are you making such a fuss?”
“It’s the Crown Prince himself asking for you!”
Conny fidgeted nervously.
“People say he’s scary……”
“Really?”
“Very cold and blunt!”
“I see.”
I replied indifferently. I already knew he had a tough personality.
‘Why call only me separately?’
Perhaps he recognized me as Ribera? It was wishful thinking, but I couldn’t stop hope from rising.
“Anyway, I can’t go out, so I’ll have to wait until tomorrow to stroll.”
Since the maid didn’t give an exact time, we could only wait in the room.
After a light dinner, we waited in the room until the maid arrived.
Since this was the Crown Prince’s summons, a number of palace guards accompanied us.
‘Not bad.’
The lavish treatment made me feel excited.
As we neared the meeting place, thoughts of the Crown Prince naturally came to mind.
‘Howard.’
We used to be close enough that I could say his name freely.
‘It’s been so long I barely remember.’
The last memory I had of him was when he was fourteen. After that, I was taken away and raised in an orphanage. I never had a chance to see him again.
I wondered how much he had changed—personality, appearance. If anything had changed, I might feel a bit sad. I liked the Howard in my memory.
My steps carried both worry and anticipation.
“Here we are.”
After walking for a while, we arrived at the meeting place. The maid opened the door, and I entered.
Inside, it looked like a small audience room, perhaps used exclusively by the Crown Prince.
A man was seated inside.
Black hair, green eyes, handsome, but so cold that approaching felt difficult.
“…….”
It was Howard.
I recognized him immediately, though he looked much more mature than in my memory.
Though I expected a warm reunion, I only felt nervous. My current self seemed too insignificant.
Even if we were close in the past, now I was a commoner, and he was the Crown Prince. By rights, I shouldn’t even meet his gaze.
I hesitated, unsure how to approach. Howard’s green eyes met mine.
He smiled brightly.
“Hello.”
“…….”
Seeing that cheerful expression, I let out a hollow laugh.
Howard was exactly as I remembered.
