“……”
A heavy silence filled the air.
I didn’t respond. I simply stared at him, eyes wide.
The question had come so suddenly, I was stunned.
‘Why would he bring that up now…?’
We’d been talking about how difficult it must be for a prince without a mother, and then—this?
I had just begun to let my guard down, sympathizing with his struggles. That’s why this sudden shift rattled me even more.
The First Prince was smiling faintly as he watched me. His eyes gleamed with something dangerous.
Was it just my imagination, or did he look at me like a predator sizing up prey caught in a trap?
‘How does he even know…?’
My heart pounded wildly, the blood draining from my hands.
No—I couldn’t let this shake me.
‘Pull yourself together, Vanessa.’
I fought desperately to regain my composure.
Hadn’t he asked Lady Bankey similarly pointed questions? Maybe he was just suspicious of my green eyes.
I couldn’t act like I’d been caught red-handed. I had to say something.
“…Haha.”
I let out a nervous laugh, breaking the suffocating silence, then asked in mock confusion:
“The auction house? I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about…”
“So, you won’t admit it right away, huh?”
“You’re suspecting me of being the one in the mask?”
“Yes. I tracked them down to figure out who they were—and now here I am.”
‘Unbelievable…’
My mouth went dry. I’d gotten away with everything until now. Where had I slipped?
“I don’t know why Your Highness was trying to track that person, but it wasn’t me.”
I decided to play dumb to the end.
“The only reason you came here was to build rapport with my father and the other nobles, wasn’t it?”
“You still believe that?”
“Pardon?”
“I couldn’t care less about getting close to central nobles.”
He looked almost amused as he said it.
“Do you really think I’d insert myself where I don’t belong? That was just an excuse.”
“An… excuse?”
“Right. I only came because you don’t attend social events.”
Ah…
I groaned inwardly. No wonder he’d brought up how rarely I went out. So the whole “building connections” thing was really just a cover?
I suddenly recalled what he’d said at the princess’s tea party—that he was only there for his sister, to observe the young ladies.
That had been a lie, too. Just like now.
‘He really lied with a straight face…’
“If you’re still planning to lie, I suggest you stop now.”
His tone made my jaw drop.
“I truly don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I knew this man was dangerous. What good could possibly come from getting caught in his sights?
He studied me for a moment in silence, his posture relaxed but sharp—one hand on his hip, voice slightly mocking.
“Do you know what the other nobles said after Lady Burkell left?”
“…?”
“They said your entire personality had changed. Not just your tone of voice—even your ‘voice’ sounded different. Like you’d become a completely different person.”
My eyes widened. I barely kept myself from gasping aloud.
‘Why would the conversation go in that direction?’
“Count Techel said it seemed like you were pretending to be a proper lady sometimes. That you weren’t normally like this.”
‘Oh, come on…’
I wanted to laugh.
So he really spilled all of that? Brother truly was the bane of my existence.
The prince smirked at me coldly.
“Trying to fool me with such a cute little trick?”
“Please don’t say such dreadful things…”
“You shouldn’t blame the count. The critical mistake was yours.”
“Mine?”
‘What mistake?’
“That day at the clock tower.”
But… nothing happened that day?
I racked my brain, trying to remember.
“I never told you what time I was meeting someone. But you spoke as if you already knew.”
“I did?”
I didn’t recall. Who could remember every word of a past conversation, verbatim?
But the prince seemed to remember clearly.
“You said something like, ‘I think you’ve waited long enough.’ I only mentioned my guest was running late—but you spoke like you knew the exact time.”
“I really said that?”
I still couldn’t recall. All I remembered was wanting to get rid of him as quickly as possible.
Maybe I’d said it carelessly in the heat of the moment.
‘So that’s my mistake…?’
Still, I couldn’t admit it. That would be the end.
“That’s not enough to accuse me. Your Highness is chasing a dangerous figure—a threat to the Empire. Are you saying that’s me?”
“You’re still playing dumb. I’m not a very patient man, Lady.”
His voice dropped, his irritation growing clearer by the second.
“By now, you should’ve admitted it.”
He slipped a hand into his coat. I braced myself, half-expecting him to pull a dagger— but what he produced was one of my earrings.
“How about I go to your room and look for the matching earring? If I only find one, that’ll be proof enough.”
He was serious. Dead serious.
Of course I didn’t have the pair. I’d given him the other one.
“Even if you say no, it doesn’t matter. If I ask, the Duke will allow me to search your chambers.”
I couldn’t hide my shock any longer. Maybe he saw the defeat on my face—he let out a scoff.
I didn’t laugh. The tension in my throat wouldn’t let me.
Then, suddenly, his expression hardened.
“What are you, exactly?”
There it was—the look I’d been dreading. He hadn’t drawn his sword, but his aura was sharp and fierce enough to make me flinch back instinctively.
He stepped forward.
“Th-this is my family’s estate! This is the Burkell Ducal House, not some alley—!”
“So?”
I was going to say he shouldn’t threaten me here, but he didn’t care.
I kept backing away—until I couldn’t anymore.
‘Why is there a lake behind me…?’
I glanced behind me, and he smiled like a hunter who had cornered its prey.
“This is your home, which means there’s nowhere left to run.”
“……”
“I didn’t think this game of tag would go on so long. How many times have you tricked me now? What are you after, that you’d go this far?”
“Your Highness, please listen to me.”
I slowly raised both hands in surrender. The careful tone and soft voice I’d been using were useless now.
I spoke in my real voice—no affectation, no pretense.
“I’m not the suspicious person you think I am. I have no ties to any dark magical sect.”
It was late, but I had to at least try to explain myself.
“That incense was just defective. That’s why I was unaffected.”
“If you weren’t involved, why did you keep running? You had every chance to come clean.”
His smile was chilling. He was genuinely pissed off.
‘Which is exactly why I was avoiding you…’
“B-because… I was scared.”
I bowed my head and replied softly. He repeated my words flatly:
“Because you were scared.”
“You said at the auction that even if I revealed my identity, I wouldn’t be safe from investigation.”
“I did.”
“So I ran because I was afraid.”
“Afraid—so you pretended not to know me at the tea party, the masquerade ball, the clock tower? You even changed your voice?”
His smile widened. I squeezed my eyes shut, terrified of what he might do next.
“Why were you even at that auction?”
“It was… to find my late mother’s belongings.”
“The tiara?”
Of course he knew about that too. I scrambled to explain.
“Yes. You may have heard they were stolen, but the truth is… I was the one who lost them.”
“How?”
“I don’t know.”
“You lost them but don’t know how?”
He looked at me like I was talking nonsense. His eyes turned colder.
“Still trying to talk your way out of this, huh? What are you really thinking?”
“No—please, listen!”
I shouted desperately.
“There’s something wrong with my memory.”
“Your memory?”
“Yes… I collapsed, and after that, some of my memories disappeared. It’s not widely known in society, but I’m not completely well.”
“Memory loss?”
He folded his arms, eyeing me skeptically. I nodded earnestly.
“You can ask my family. Even the physician said it was a side effect of the medicine I was taking.”
“Medicine caused aftereffects?”
“Yes. They said I left the house with my mother’s keepsake, but I have no memory of it. That’s why I went to the auction—I didn’t know where else to look.”
“And that’s when you met me.”
“Yes. You saw how confused I was when the slave was brought out, didn’t you? I had no idea. I thought it was just a jewel auction.”
He remained silent. Unsure of what he was thinking, I kept explaining.
“I’m really not suspicious. Go to the wizard who made that incense. Ask him to recreate it.”
I didn’t dare say, ‘So you can stop harassing the wrong person.’
“You won’t find anything, even if you keep digging. I’m someone who could live without breaking a single law.”
He scoffed in disbelief.
“Coming from the infamous troublemaker of House Burkell, that’s rich.”
“…Regardless, I’m not someone worth your time.”
The only secret I had was that I came from another world.
But he wasn’t the type to back off easily.
“I’ll be the judge of that. I’ll investigate thoroughly before I decide if you’re truly innocent.”
He wasn’t going to find anything, but that didn’t comfort me.
“That’s enough for today. Now that I know you’re the woman I’ve been searching for.”
“You’re not… arresting me?”
“You’re still a noble lady. For now. But if I get confirmation, I’ll come for you again.”
I had never been so grateful for my noble status.
As he turned to leave, it felt like I’d just barely been granted a temporary reprieve.
I was innocent.
But still, I sighed inwardly.
“Why am I going through something like this…?”
