RYL Chapter 45

Chapter 45

“Sorry, what?” I asked dumbly.

The Crown Prince kindly repeated himself.

“I said, use me.”

Still unsure if I’d heard him right, I replied hesitantly,
“How could I possibly use someone like you, Your Highness?”

But he just smiled like it was nothing.

“We’re friends, right? Friends can help each other like this.”

I had a feeling his definition of “friend” was a bit different from mine…

“So use me, Claire.”

His gentle smile felt like a tempting offer from the devil himself.
I swallowed hard without meaning to.

Honestly, he wasn’t wrong.

No matter what I did, someone like Mathieu—who thought he was better than everyone—would always look down on me.

He probably still believed I liked him, too.
Didn’t he just try to act like I was still his fiancée?

But… if I was with Mikael, the Crown Prince?

Maybe even Mathieu would feel defeated.

Because no matter how full of himself he was, he couldn’t top the Crown Prince.

Maybe then, that stubborn pride of his would finally let go of the lingering attachment.

Still, even if the offer was tempting, I had some sense of guilt.

Could I really use the Crown Prince just to make my life easier?

Even if he was the one suggesting it…

Just then, I heard Mathieu calling from outside the terrace.

“Claire!”

His loud voice made me freeze in place.

“Claire! Can we talk?”

While I bit my lip anxiously, Mikael remained calm, gazing toward the terrace door, and then turned to me with a smile.

“So, what do you say to my offer?”

“CLAIRE!!”

Why was he yelling my name like that in public?

As his voice grew closer, I swallowed nervously and looked at Mikael, who was smiling gently as if he already knew my answer.

“…Alright. I accept your offer.”

Mikael’s smile widened.

“Smart choice.”

Suddenly, he took my hand and opened the terrace door.

There stood Mathieu, pacing the hallway in search of me.
As soon as he saw us, his voice rose again.

“Claire!”

I instinctively turned toward him, but Mikael gently tugged my hand and whispered,

“Don’t look back. Not unless you want to give him hope.”

His quiet words made me steel my resolve, and I kept walking, coldly and confidently, without glancing behind.

Mikael smiled approvingly at my reaction.

Then, he led me into the brightly lit ballroom.

As we entered, all eyes began to turn toward us—
understandably so, since the Crown Prince was holding my hand.

The stares were far more intense than before.
I couldn’t help but tense up under the weight of them.

Music for the ball had already begun to play.
Mikael gracefully led me to the center of the dance floor, placing a hand on my waist and guiding me with ease.

“Smile, Claire. You don’t want people to realize it’s all an act, do you?”

His teasing voice made me glance at him, then force a small, awkward smile.

“We really don’t need to go this far.”

I said through a clenched smile.
Mikael chuckled softly and leaned in close to my ear.

I hear audible gasps from the crowd.

“We need to leave a strong impression. That way, the young duke won’t suspect anything.”

I stared at him, stunned.

This might be a helpful situation for me, but what was he getting out of this?

While I pondered that, whispers about us spread like wildfire.

“Wait, is the Crown Prince dancing his first dance with Lady Devonshire?”

“Not with Lady Sinclair? That’s unexpected!”

“Right? He always danced with Lilianne at these events.”

Everyone’s attention turned to Lilianne, who stood elegantly nearby.

But instead of looking upset, she watched with curious, sparkling eyes.
She covered her mouth with her hand and smiled knowingly—
like she understood exactly what was going on without needing an explanation.

Our eyes met, and I sighed softly.

She didn’t look jealous at all. If anything, she seemed proud that I was bold enough to use the Crown Prince.

The jealous one, it turned out, was someone else.

In the corner, Sophia was glaring at me, her whole body trembling.

I hadn’t been paying her any attention, but it looked like I’d unintentionally struck a huge blow.

When she lost the baron’s interest earlier, she calmed down quickly.
But now that I was the one dancing the first dance with the Crown Prince she adored,
she looked like she was about to foam at the mouth.

That thought made me grin.

Following Mikael’s lead, I kept dancing, smiling brightly.

***

Meanwhile, at the entrance of the ballroom, Mathieu stood frozen, staring at me and Mikael.

He clenched his fists tightly.

What was this feeling…?

It felt bad seeing Claire around other men,
but watching her smile while dancing with Mikael felt like a punch to the back of his head.

He had never felt any sort of rivalry with Mikael.

After all, they were born into completely different leagues.
Mikael was destined to be emperor.

Like two predators with separate hunting grounds, their paths never crossed.

But now, that invisible wall between them felt shattered.

Something wild inside Mathieu was baring its teeth—
furious that its territory had been invaded.

And the fact that Claire was the cause of this surge of emotion shocked him even more.

Overwhelmed by his own feelings, Mathieu finally couldn’t take it anymore and stormed away from the ballroom.

Lilianne silently watched him leave.

After seeing Mathieu leave the ballroom, Lilianne looked at Claire and the Crown Prince with a troubled expression.

It had actually been Lilianne’s idea to carry out this plan.

She had warned Claire about a possible downside.

-“There’s a serious risk with this plan.”

-“What is it?”

-“If the young duke is just holding onto his pride, then this plan will help him give up for good. But if…”

-“If what?”

-“If he genuinely has feelings for you, this might only provoke him further.”

At the time, Claire had laughed so hard she was holding her stomach.

-“Oh, come on. No need to worry about that.”

She had said with confidence,

-“Mathieu only cares about himself. There’s no way he actually likes me.”

Now, thinking back to Claire’s words, Lilianne gave a bittersweet smile.

You know what, Claire?

…I think you were wrong about that.

As the situation got more complicated than expected, Lilianne let out a sigh and sipped her champagne.

***

The grand ball at the House of Lorentino ended successfully.

While I danced with the Crown Prince, at some point, Mathieu had disappeared.

Probably because he was completely turned off by what he saw.

Just thinking that made me feel strangely relieved.

In that sense, tonight’s ball had been pretty productive.

Not just because of Mathieu.

I looked over at a man awkwardly standing among the musicians.

He was the bassist I had personally recruited for this event.

The problem was—just finding a bassist I liked didn’t mean the rest would fall into place easily.

“This… like this?”
I asked the tired violinist, starting to play again with a puzzled look after hearing my repeated directions.

I sighed in frustration.

“No, no. Can’t you make it feel more punk? Something more powerful and edgy?”

The musicians exchanged confused glances.

“What is she even saying…?”

“What’s punk…?”

Of course, people from this era wouldn’t understand modern punk rock or pop-punk like the bands from my world.

This time period didn’t even have electric guitars or drums.

Still, I believed that the emotional power of music could transcend time.

If strong, band-style music—like what you’d hear at a modern club—were to play here at the Clina Salon, it would be revolutionary.

Even if the instruments were different, I thought I could somehow recreate the feeling.

But… was that just wishful thinking?

If only I had a guitar—then I could show them the vibe I was aiming for.

As the musicians stood around awkwardly, not getting what I wanted—

—I suddenly heard a piano begin to play, from somewhere nearby.