Chapter 2 (Part 3)

‘Why is it so hard to get disqualified from being a Crown Princess candidate?’

Though she felt somewhat relieved, she also felt more drained than usual. The problem was that today was just the beginning. If she felt like this on the first day, the road ahead seemed even tougher.

Though she wanted to go home and rest her weary body, she couldn’t. Amelia’s hardships weren’t over yet.

“Now that the lesson is over, let’s go meet His Highness the Crown Prince.”

After the lesson, the Chancellor took the candidates to the Crown Prince’s palace. The purpose was to spend time with the Crown Prince and get to know each other.

“What are your special skills? Each of you, tell me.”

Standing before him, Lucius asked each of them to share their strengths with a bored expression.

“I am good at singing.”

“Then let’s hear you sing.”

“Yes.”

As Lady Telbeos began to sing, Lucius asked the same question to Lady Brooke, who was standing next to her.

“I am good at drawing.”

“I’ll have the drawing tools brought to you, so draw something.”

“Yes.”

“And you?”

Next in line was Amelia.

“My specialty is embroidery.”

“I’ll have a handkerchief and embroidery tools brought to you, so you can start embroidering.”

“Yes.”

No sooner had she finished speaking that an attendant brought the tools, and Amelia sat down at the designated spot to begin her embroidery.

‘What kind of situation is this?’

As she embroidered, Amelia observed her surroundings. She couldn’t comprehend how to react to the absurd situation unfolding in the Crown Prince’s palace. She was doing as instructed, but…

One person was continuously singing, another was playing an instrument, another was drawing, and she was embroidering—a bizarre scene.

Everyone was showcasing their talents, yet the Crown Prince yawned as if bored. It seemed he still hadn’t found a lady to his liking.

Although it felt like performing tricks for someone who showed no interest, Amelia had no choice but to comply.

“Well, you do embroider well, as you said.”

After finishing her embroidery and showing it to the Crown Prince, he gave a perfunctory compliment, clearly uninterested, and signaled the attendant to take it away.

The attendant, who approached immediately, received the handkerchief from Lucius and left the audience chamber. Although it was unclear what would be done with it, it was certain that he would never use that handkerchief.

‘This is the worst….’

Seeing this, Amelia felt whatever little affection she had for him completely vanished.

‘I absolutely refuse to marry such a man.’

Shaking her head, she glanced at the expressions of the other ladies. Thankfully, despite the Crown Prince’s indifferent behavior, none of them seemed to lose their determination to become the Crown Princess.

However, the issue once again was Lady Brooke.

Following the Crown Prince’s orders, a royal attendant took her drawing to an unknown place. The treatment was so poor that it wouldn’t be surprising if it were discarded. In that fleeting moment, Lady Brooke bit her lower lip.

‘Lady Brooke is the only one who fits the conditions…. I barely managed to console her, and now the Crown Prince is ruining my plan.’

Unable to tell the Crown Prince to choose Lady Brooke as the Crown Princess because she was the only one fitting his conditions, Amelia could only watch the situation unfold with frustration.

After the audience with the Crown Prince ended, Amelia sighed deeply as she walked to the carriage.

“This is exhausting. Truly exhausting.”

She felt more mentally drained than physically tired. Therefore, she declined the royal attendant’s offer to escort her to the carriage. As long as they were watching her like guards, she would have to maintain a composed demeanor until she reached the carriage, which she didn’t want to do.

While walking down the corridor in a slightly relaxed manner, a large hand suddenly emerged, roughly grabbing her arm and covering her mouth.

Eek!

She almost screamed, but the hand muffled her voice. Without making a sound, she was dragged out of the corridor into a secluded garden.

‘What on earth is happening?’

For a moment, she wondered if one of the Crown Princess candidates was staging a kidnapping to eliminate a rival.

All the candidates were from prominent families, so it was unlikely anyone would resort to such tactics, but since nothing like this had ever happened before, even such absurd thoughts crossed her mind.

She struggled to break free, but her strength was insufficient. She felt as if she were up against a massive rock.

The moment her back touched a tree, the hands restraining her finally released. Squinting, she saw that the man who had dragged her into the shadows was Edwin Birken. As expected of the Royal Knights Captain, he had approached without making a sound.

‘He could have just called me. Why did he summon me like this?’

“Couldn’t you have called me normally?”

Confirming that no one was around, Amelia cautiously spoke.

“I couldn’t risk anyone hearing.”

“What do you mean?”

“Amelia, I’ve noticed you’ve been attending the masquerade balls lately.”

“What?”

‘How does he know?’

Her eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected revelation. Her face also turned red instantly.

‘Could it be that rumors have spread?’ 

She had disguised herself thoroughly, so that seemed unlikely. Moreover, she had only attended twice, and briefly at that, barely speaking to anyone, making it even less likely that she had been discovered.

But there was always a chance. If Edwin had noticed, someone from the estate might have spread the word.

“There are no rumors. I just happened to see you while I was there on business.”

Reading her anxious expression, Edwin explained.

“You were there too?”

Feeling like a secret she wanted to keep hidden had been exposed, Amelia’s face turned even redder.

“Yes. I was there to apprehend someone.”

“That’s strange. I was in disguise.”

She had disguised herself so well that even the Duke and Duchess of Hamilton wouldn’t recognize her. There was no way anyone could have identified her. Hence, Amelia was filled with questions.

“No matter how much you try to hide, your basic physique remains the same. How could I not recognize you? I could tell just by seeing your silhouette from a distance.”

Hearing his words, she felt her energy drain.

Thinking about it, the fact that he could attend the masquerade ball to catch a criminal meant he had the ability to sense something other than appearances.

While it would be difficult for an ordinary person, someone who had risen to the rank of Royal Knights Captain must possess some unique perception.

However, according to his words, Amelia should have been able to recognize Edwin as well. Yet, she couldn’t recall seeing anyone at the masquerade ball who resembled him.

“Were you also in disguise?”

“Yes.”

“I see….”

Even as she answered, Amelia kept an eye on Edwin’s reactions.

‘Surely, he doesn’t think I’m a frivolous woman?’

Since attending a masquerade ball usually had one primary purpose, she was worried he might think ill of her.

Of course, his assumption would be correct, but she didn’t want him to misunderstand her as someone who enjoyed a promiscuous lifestyle.

“You might misunderstand….”

“Stop with the nonsense. What business do you have going to a place like that as a Crown Princess candidate?”

She was about to argue, but before she could, he reprimanded her. Despite their recent awkwardness, his straightforward manner remained unchanged.

However, his voice carried a chilling coldness, and his eyes were icy. His words sounded almost like a threat, sending shivers down her spine.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s just a personal matter.”

Unable to meet his gaze, Amelia turned her head to the side. She tried to sound composed, but her nervousness made her stutter.

“You can’t be unaware of what kind of place that is.”

“I know very well.”

“Then why go to such a place? Stop before something bad happens.”

“That’s none of your concern. So don’t interfere.”

His commanding tone made Amelia respond curtly without realizing it. She knew he was speaking out of concern, but honestly, it wasn’t his place to meddle.

He was probably worried as a friend, but she wished he would mind his own business. At the same time, she felt relieved that she hadn’t asked for his help.

He would have undoubtedly told her to stop doing such ridiculous things.

“Don’t interfere?”

At that moment, Edwin’s eyebrow twitched. It was an expression he made whenever he was displeased.

“Yes. I had my reasons for going.”

“What reasons?”

“There’s no need for me to tell you that.”

“Is that so?”

“What?”

Suddenly, Edwin’s eyes turned cold. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him, their bodies colliding as he held her chin.

She struggled, but Edwin merely chuckled, pressing his thumb against her lower lip.

“Try to escape if you can.”

“What are you doing?”

“I want to show you how dangerous it is to keep going to that place.”

“Let go! If you saw me there, you must have seen the knight guarding me. So you should know I’m fine.”

“If you can escape from me, I’ll believe you. Go ahead and try.”

Given the significant difference in their physiques, it was impossible for her to break free from him. Edwin knew this better than anyone. He wouldn’t let go until he got the answer he wanted.