Chapter 1 (Part 6)

The banquet began with speeches from the Emperor and Empress, and as soon as the speeches ended, the hall turned into a space for men in tailcoats and women in fancy dresses to dance together.

After declining dance invitations from several men, Amelia stood in a corner, sipping wine handed to her by a royal attendant. Her mind was still preoccupied with how to approach Edwin.

Although she kept watching the people dancing, she didn’t forget to glance at Edwin, who was standing next to the Emperor.

The deep navy uniform and cape adorned with gold medals and ribbons suited him so well that her eyes naturally gravitated towards him, but approaching him was difficult.

Despite his gentle smile, his sharp eyes and the cold aura he exuded made it hard for her to approach.

So, Amelia could only stand at a distance, looking for an opportunity to approach Edwin.

‘Should I just go and talk to him?’

Just as she was hesitating, she accidentally made eye contact with Edwin due to her frequent glances.

‘Oh no!’

Instead of signaling that she had something to say, Amelia instinctively turned her head away. The moment their eyes met, she felt as if the surrounding air had turned cold.

‘It’s not the right atmosphere to talk to him, what should I do?’

“Amelia, what are you doing over there alone?”

Standing in place and fidgeting, Amelia was approached by the Duchess of Hamilton. Unlike the young ladies vying for the Crown Princess position who were circling around the Crown Prince to dance with him, Amelia’s behavior seemed to disappoint the Duchess.

“I was just thinking about something.”

“Don’t just stand there alone, come out here.”

“Yes, I will.”

Even as she nodded, Amelia’s gaze was fixed on Edwin. She was waiting for the right moment to approach him, and just then, she noticed that the Emperor had left his side, leaving him standing alone.

Thinking it was a good opportunity to talk to Edwin, she tried to approach him but found her feet glued to the floor.

Worried that he might find it strange if she suddenly spoke to him, she caught the eye of the Duchess of Hamilton.

‘Oh, I can ask Mother for help!’

Smiling, Amelia linked arms with the Duchess.

“I want to talk to Edwin, but it’s not easy. Could you start the conversation for me?”

“You want to talk to Sir Birken? Why don’t you just go and talk to him?”

The Duchess, unaware of the awkwardness between them, looked puzzled.

“He’s on duty. I feel bad for disturbing him.”

“Whether I start the conversation or not doesn’t change anything. You’re quite peculiar. Alright, let’s go to Sir Birken.”

Though she looked perplexed, the Duchess thankfully didn’t refuse Amelia’s request. She naturally approached Edwin and greeted him warmly.

“It’s been a while. We haven’t had much chance to talk since you became the captain of the knights.”

“Duchess, it’s been a while. I’m always at the palace, so feel free to talk to me whenever you see me.”

After politely greeting the Duchess of Hamilton, Edwin’s gaze shifted to Amelia. When their eyes met, she felt a chill run down her spine.

“It’s been a while.”

Amelia greeted him, trying to appear as if she had just followed the Duchess.

She tried to act naturally, but her nerves made it difficult, causing her to stutter.

Edwin seemed quite surprised that she had initiated the conversation.

“Yes, it has.”

His stiff tone made it unclear whether he was pleased or not. His eyes were steady, revealing nothing of his thoughts. Feeling pressured by his unwavering gaze, Amelia looked down to avoid his eyes.

“Thank you for the flowers you send every year. Amelia especially likes them and places them in a vase in her room.”

Unaware of the awkward atmosphere, the Duchess mentioned something unnecessary, causing Edwin to glance at Amelia again with a surprised expression.

“The scent is pleasant.”

Worried that he might find it odd, Amelia added a reason.

“I’m glad you like them.”

“Well, you two seem to be getting along fine. I’ve said what I needed to, so I’ll leave you to talk.”

Having exchanged only a few words, the Duchess seemed unaware of the awkwardness between Amelia and Edwin and tried to leave them alone.

‘Mother!’

Feeling a great sense of betrayal, Amelia could only open and close her mouth, unable to call the Duchess back.

Feeling embarrassed, she glanced at Edwin, whose expression remained unchanged. The awkward atmosphere persisted.

She had mustered the courage to approach him, so she couldn’t just stand there. Although the Duchess had been tactless, she couldn’t let this hard-won opportunity slip away.

After several attempts to speak, Amelia finally opened her mouth.

“So… what kind of person is the Crown Prince?”

‘Idiot! What are you saying?’

Realizing she had said something different from what she intended, Amelia mentally scolded herself.

She wasn’t curious about the Crown Prince at all. What was there to be curious about a man who always looked bored whenever they met?

“Are you curious?”

Instead of explaining about the Crown Prince, Edwin asked a question, leaving Amelia flustered.

‘Oh, maybe he hasn’t heard yet that I’m a candidate for Crown Princess?’

Since he had just returned from the palace that morning, the news might not have reached him yet. Given that they hadn’t spoken much before, it might seem strange to suddenly ask about the Crown Prince

“Oh, no. I’m not curious. It’s just that you seem to spend a lot of time with him, so I was just asking.”

Not wanting Edwin to think she was interested in the Crown Prince, Amelia quickly retracted her question.

“He’s a good person. Although he can be difficult at times, which can be troublesome.”

Despite that, Edwin told her about the Crown Prince. It was ambiguous whether he was praising or complaining about him.

“Oh, I see.”

After responding awkwardly, a heavy silence fell between them again. Determined to finally say what she had originally intended, Amelia glanced at Edwin. He looked back as if asking if she had something to say.

“So, um….”

Now was the chance to make her request, so Amelia gathered her courage and spoke.

“What is it?”

Meeting his eyes, she suddenly felt her lips freeze.

“Well, it’s just….”

Though she managed to open her mouth, the words she wanted to say wouldn’t come out.

“If you have something to say, just say it.”

“….”

As the silence grew longer, Edwin urged her, but Amelia still couldn’t say anything.

‘Maybe it’s better not to ask?’

As the uncomfortable conversation dragged on, Amelia realized it might be better not to make such an embarrassing request to someone she knew.

Rather than prolonging this awkwardness, it would be better to shamelessly ask a stranger as she had initially thought.

“Never mind.”

After much deliberation, Amelia changed her mind.

“That’s disappointing.”

Edwin chuckled, and after that, no further conversation passed between them. Amidst the awkward silence, Edwin spoke first.

“I heard.”

“Heard what?”

Amelia, who had been looking down, lifted her head, and their eyes met again. His expression remained unchanged, making it hard to read his thoughts.

“That you’re being considered as a candidate for Crown Princess?”

‘So the rumors have already spread.’

He hadn’t shown any signs, so she thought he didn’t know, but it turned out he had known all along.

“Oh, right.”

“Congratulations.”

“Th-thank you.”

Hearing the word “congratulations” directly from his mouth made her heart feel heavy. At the same time, being reminded that she was a candidate for Crown Princess jolted her back to reality.

‘I’m glad I didn’t ask him.’

Amelia felt relieved that she had changed her mind a moment ago. She realized belatedly that Edwin’s close relationship with the Crown Prince could be a problem.

Although he was currently guarding the Emperor, Edwin, as the captain of the Royal Knights’ Second Division, usually guarded the Crown Prince. Moreover, he had been the Crown Prince’s sparring partner since childhood.

‘He might refuse my request because of his friendship with the Crown Prince.’

While she knew Edwin was discreet, she had to consider the possibility that if she proposed spending a night with him and he refused, the Crown Prince might hear about it.

If she attended the masquerade ball, she could handle it quietly, but there was a risk of it escalating.

That can’t happen.

It would be better to spend a night with a stranger. Even if her identity was discovered, it would end in embarrassment, which was preferable to getting entangled with the Crown Prince.

“Well, take care.”

“Alright.”

With nothing more to say, they ended the conversation, but even that moment was filled with awkwardness between them.

Although she hadn’t succeeded, Amelia had achieved her goal of talking to Edwin, so there was no reason to stay at the banquet any longer. She informed the Duke and Duchess of Hamilton that she wasn’t feeling well and headed straight to the carriage.

As soon as she was alone, she covered her face with her hands, regretting the conversation she had just had with Edwin.

“Oh no. What should I do? Why did I even talk to him if it was going to be like this? What if he thinks it’s strange?”

It must have looked incredibly suspicious to bring up such trivial matters after three years. The more she recalled their conversation, the more embarrassed she felt, making her cringe.

The only saving grace was that she hadn’t brought up the important matter. If she had, she wouldn’t have been able to attend any future banquets where Edwin was present.

“Spending a night with a stranger is definitely the better option.”

Reaffirming her decision, Amelia hurriedly climbed into the carriage, hoping that the royal family’s summons would come later rather than sooner.