Chapter 4 (Part 3)

After Edwin left, Amelia immediately went to the bathroom to wash herself. She intended to clean herself thoroughly with a towel to remove any traces of their encounter, but as the recent events replayed in her mind, she couldn’t do it.

Her face turned red in an instant. Who would have thought they would entangle their bodies in broad daylight, for everyone to see?

This time, they didn’t even hide their faces as they explored each other’s bodies, which brought immense shame and embarrassment.

‘I’ve gone mad, absolutely mad!’

After the incident, Amelia regretted her actions. Even if the first time was because she was asking for help, the second time was different. She couldn’t deny that her own will was involved this time.

Edwin’s body was so attractive that she couldn’t refuse, and that was her mistake. It was the first time she had acted on instinct, leaving Amelia bewildered.

‘No, no. Edwin was just helping me.’

She wanted to believe that absurd statement about magical devices malfunctioning and one night not being enough.

Amelia was still a candidate for Crown Princess. Although she was expected to be eliminated soon, she needed to maintain an appropriate distance from Edwin for now. No, she had to. It was the only way to keep her peace of mind.

Thinking any further about it would only complicate things, so Amelia decided to set aside thoughts of Edwin for a while.

* * *

Two days later, Amelia headed to the royal palace for her Crown Princess candidate lessons.

She was fine until she got off the carriage, but the moment she set foot in the palace, she couldn’t maintain her composure. Just seeing a knight in his uniform made her heart race.

‘Surely I won’t run into him, right?’

Even though they were just friends, the thought of running into Edwin made her uncomfortable. She had visited the palace a few times before without such thoughts, but now she strangely worried about encountering him.

She knew the reason herself. Contrary to her intention to maintain a proper distance, her body craved Edwin.

So, while she didn’t want to see him, part of her also hoped to see his face, a contradictory thought that coexisted in Amelia’s mind.

‘Is this what it means to be physically attracted?’

Amelia was confused by her emotions, unsure whether she wanted Edwin or not.

‘No, I can’t let this happen.’

Shaking her head, Amelia followed the royal attendant to the education room. When she arrived, three other young ladies were already waiting.

When Mrs. Lowden saw Amelia’s face, a slow smile spread across her lips, sending chills down Amelia’s spine. It was a signal that the lesson was about to begin.

What initially seemed like a demanding education for Crown Princess candidates had turned into something far more bizarre than she had imagined. Under the guise of education, they were subjected to near-torture, and today was no different.

“Now, a Crown Princess must never lose her dignity under any circumstances.”

Mrs. Lowden instructed the four candidates to extend their arms sideways and balance teacups on their heads and hands, competing to see who could endure the longest.

It felt more like harassment than education, filling Amelia’s mind with questions, but she found it preferable. During this time, she didn’t have to worry about Edwin.

After the grueling lesson that left her body aching, the candidates moved to the Crown Prince’s palace to meet him.

The Crown Prince’s expression was filled with boredom as he awaited them. His increasingly listless demeanor made it seem like all four candidates were destined to be eliminated.

This impression was reinforced by his lackluster attitude towards them. He always asked the same things of them.

“Lady Telbeos, sing a song. Lady of Portsmouth, play an instrument. Lady Brooke, paint a picture. And Lady Hamilton, was it embroidery? Do that.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

After giving the same instructions each time, the Crown Prince would yawn widely, an act unbecoming of his royal stature, yet he seemed indifferent. It almost seemed like he was doing it on purpose.

‘How long must we keep repeating this? If none of us please him, he should just eliminate us all!’

When thinking about her relationship with Edwin, Amelia wanted to remain a candidate for a bit longer. But after meeting the Crown Prince, she wished this tiresome process would end soon.

As a result, Amelia felt drained every time she visited the palace. As she dragged her exhausted body towards the carriage, she saw Edwin walking towards her from the opposite direction.

The moment he spotted her, he approached quickly. Although she had wanted to avoid him that morning, her fatigue now made her feel differently. She felt at ease, knowing she didn’t have to maintain formalities with him.

Thankfully, the awkward atmosphere from before was completely gone.

“You’re here for your lessons?”

“Yes.”

“I heard Mrs. Lowden’s lessons are quite tough. Are you alright?”

“No, the rumors are true. It’s more like torture than a lesson.”

Amelia shook her head in horror. Seeing her reaction, Edwin made a peculiar expression.

“Has His Royal Highness said anything about when he will choose the Crown Princess?”

“He hasn’t mentioned anything, so I have no idea either.”

Seeing his unusual expression, Amelia asked just in case, but it seemed he didn’t know either.

“I see.”

‘Is His Royal Highness a secretive person?’

Amelia recalled the Crown Prince she had just met. His eyes always appeared drowsy, yet there was an unapproachable air about him, suggesting he might indeed be secretive. The problem was that he was inscrutable.

‘I wish he would just choose Lady Brooke quickly.’

Only one young lady met the criteria, so if he chose the Crown Princess soon, they wouldn’t have to suffer like this. She couldn’t understand why he hadn’t made a decision yet.

If the extended selection period meant he was being thorough, that would be one thing, but his attitude suggested otherwise, making her worried about his true intentions.

Just as she was about to end the conversation due to her exhaustion, Edwin took out a bottle from his coat and handed it to her.

“What’s this?”

Amelia looked puzzled as she accepted the bottle from him.

“It’s a fatigue recovery potion. It should help you feel better.”

“A fatigue recovery potion?”

Amelia examined the bottle closely. The red liquid inside was known to quickly restore energy but was rare and usually reserved for royal knights. 

‘Did he come just to give me this?’

At that moment, a strange, indescribable emotion seeped into her heart. She thought she might understand what it was, but Amelia chose not to delve too deeply into her feelings.

She wanted to believe it was just the friendship between them.

* * *

After four days of enduring the royal lessons, Amelia finally had some rest time. Although it had only been four days, the break felt long overdue.

As she lounged on her bed, Mary knocked and opened the door.

“You have a visitor.”

“A visitor?”

Amelia looked puzzled, as she hadn’t scheduled any visits.

“It’s Sir Birken.”

“Edwin?”

‘What did he come to say?’

Meeting once at the Birken estate, twice at the Hamilton estate, and recently at the royal palace, it was clear to anyone that Amelia and Edwin were meeting quite frequently.

‘Why is he visiting so often when we should be avoiding each other?’ 

Amelia tilted her head to one side.

“Tell him I’ll be out shortly.”

“Yes.”

As soon as Mary closed the door, Amelia got up from the bed and stood in front of the mirror. After quickly tidying her appearance, she headed to the drawing room where Edwin would be waiting.

“You’re here? What’s the matter?”

“I came to see your face.”

“What?”

Amelia was taken aback by Edwin’s words and couldn’t respond immediately. As she looked at him with a surprised expression, he wore a look as if he had come to see his lover.

‘No way.’

A foreboding feeling she had momentarily forgotten flashed through her mind.

‘No, it can’t be.’

“Is that the only reason? I’m still a candidate for Crown Princess. If you visit so often, it might cause trouble for both of us. I’m worried strange rumors might start circulating.”

Amelia tried to deny her thoughts and spoke as cautiously as possible, hoping he’d understand her hint.

“I don’t mind. You haven’t become Crown Princess yet.”

His unexpected response was contrary to Amelia’s expectation that he would adhere strictly to principles and rules.

“Don’t you feel guilty towards His Royal Highness for meeting with me?”

“His Royal Highness doesn’t particularly favor you, and you don’t want to become Crown Princess either. Why should I feel guilty?”

“That’s true, but…”

Edwin’s words weren’t wrong, so Amelia couldn’t immediately refute them.

“Or has your mind changed?

“What do you mean?”

“Have you started wanting to become Crown Princess?”

At that moment, Edwin’s eyes glinted.

“T-that can’t be. If that were the case, I wouldn’t have asked you for help…”

Amelia couldn’t finish her sentence. As she continued to converse with Edwin, she realized she could no longer deny it. She was the woman he had told his mother he wanted to marry.

He had changed since the night they spent together…