Chapter 6

The color drained from Riley’s lips in an instant, and they trembled finely. Andrea looked at her and asked, almost like a reproach.

“When exactly were you planning to tell me? Or were you never going to say anything at all?”

The thin film that had been gathering over Riley’s lavender eyes finally spilled over and ran down her face.

Guilt and the shock of being found out made her bow her head, and the cold words fell on her again.

“Either way, I can’t bear it any longer, so leave the palace. Your goal was to become independent after leaving, wasn’t it.”

˗ˋˏ ♡ ˎˊ˗

After that, Riley was finally discharged from the ward and had returned to Eli Palace.

With her last day approaching and much to hand over, she had to work diligently to teach Jayden.

Jayden was the senior attendant, of course, but the delicate tasks Riley had handled as Andrea’s personal attendant required passing on her particular expertise, so that things would continue without a hitch.

She still could not quite believe she was really leaving the palace, and she felt guilty about it, but she also thought this is remarkably generous, all things considered.

Though she did feel a little hurt, even so.

Maybe he’s taking into account my contribution in getting rid of Queen Fabienne?

Either way, she had deceived her employer twice over, so she had no right to feel hurt.

Riley folded silk handkerchiefs and brooded.

Above all, for someone supposedly furious with her, he was treating her the same as always.

If anything, Andrea was keeping Riley close, making sure she stayed near him rather than drifting away.

If he had told her he could not stand the sight of her and to stay out of his view, it would have broken her heart.

She arrived at the conclusion that His Highness is always generous with me, and decided she would not feel hurt anymore.

His Highness had kept her by his side all this time thinking she was a young man, treating her with easy familiarity, and now to find out she was a woman must have been a tremendous shock.

So what she needed to do was make sure she left things in the best possible order, causing as little inconvenience as possible, and then go.

And take one last good look at that handsome face she would only be seeing in the newspaper from now on.

So today, Riley was again shut inside the dressing room with Jayden.

The dressing room was so tall-ceilinged and vast it was almost imposing, filled to the brim with clothes, accessories, and jewels.

Handing over to Jayden what had been her private sanctuary and dream space for years, Riley felt a strange pang of regret.

“So…… among the onyx buttons, this hexagonal style is what he wears most often. Anything bright like sapphires or emeralds gets skipped unless it’s formal dress. And here in this cabinet, the cravats are arranged by type, but whatever you choose, he hates anything fitted too tightly, so be careful. Our Highness has a thick neck, a thick waist, and very large feet.”

“I know that much. But do you really have to go into this much detail? I can’t memorize all of this.”

Ignoring Jayden’s complaints, Riley continued.

“The hunting stock ties are already separated by jacket color, so you just need to hand them over as a set like this.”

With no sign of the lesson ending, Jayden’s expression gradually stiffened with anxiety.

“I…… I’m not sure I can do this. Was dressing him always this complicated?”

“Yes…… His Highness is a little particular about his appearance.”

“Didn’t you make him that way?”

Before Riley arrived, His Highness had been in the military, so the attendants had rarely had to worry about such delicate matters.

And now, out of nowhere, the crown prince had returned to the palace and become a fashion icon, and Jayden was supposed to manage it.

His worry was considerable.

But Riley thought it over and nodded with unexpected agreement.

“Hmm…… that might actually be true.”

She had been doing the work all along for the pleasure of arranging beautiful, elegant things, pinning them on and seeing how they looked, and then draping them on the finest model imaginable.

That was probably how His Highness had come to earn that particular reputation.

Still tilting her head, Riley carried on with the explanation.

“Brooches and coat chains are all displayed in this glass cabinet, so just coordinate them with the day’s outfit as best you can.”

The words ‘as best you can’ seemed to weigh on Jayden more and more, and his expression finally fell.

Riley too felt a sharp pang at having to hand over a space so thoroughly infused with her own taste.

But she could not afford to be careless about the handover, for His Highness’s sake.

“Epaulettes and boutonnieres are in the rightmost drawer here, so keep that in mind. When he’s going to a banquet, you can dress him a little more elaborately and he won’t complain, so feel free to show what you can do.”

“What? He does complain?”

“Of course, he complains and he flicks you on the head too.”

“He what?”

Jayden had never experienced anything of the sort and was both baffled and frightened.

He could not begin to picture the crown prince flicking anyone on the head.

That doesn’t sound like him at all.

He would have thought His Highness more likely to give someone a cold look and ignore them entirely. But a flick on the head?

Imagining those large hands of His Highness, with their evident strength, delivering a flick to someone’s forehead, Jayden shuddered involuntarily.

The more he heard from Raul, the more he felt he was learning a whole other side of the crown prince.

Meanwhile, Riley breathed in deeply the warm, familiar scent of the elegant space and ran a hand along the fur and leather coats.

Mixed with a faint musk, she caught the faintest trace of Andrea’s scent.

A sudden, fierce wave of longing rose in her chest, and she was startled by it. It felt like missing something precious before it was even gone.

Pushing the feeling aside, Riley buried her nose in the coats and murmured.

“Goodbye. I loved you all.”

His Highness often refused to wear these, calling them a nuisance, but she had loved these imposing, magnificent coats.

Projecting all those strange, aching feelings onto the coats, Riley forced herself to continue.

“Even if he refuses, you have to make him wear these in winter. Otherwise the young duke of Sherian, who’s been closing in on His Highness’s reputation as the top fashion icon, will overtake him.”

Other young nobles had been fiercely imitating Andrea’s style and gaining ground.

Riley could not help worrying that after she left, His Highness might slip to second place.

Then she shook her head at herself, as though she had lost her mind.

“No. That could never happen. There’s no comparison when it comes to the face.”

She was murmuring to herself and nodding when Jayden tapped her on the shoulder.

“Oh, speaking of which, your farewell party. The date’s been set. After the day’s work is done, we’re planning to set up in the dining hall from midnight until dawn. The head cook said he’d give us several good bottles, so let’s drink properly that night. But why are you really quitting, honestly.”

“Oh come on…… you know I always wanted to be independent someday.”

“Why does it have to be now, though. I thought it would be twenty or thirty years from now.”

The two of them were tender with each other and yet giddy with excitement about the drinking party at the farewell, and giggled together.

Andrea had been watching from the doorway for some time, and he sensed it was his turn to step in again.

He had been passing through the corridor when he happened to hear their voices, and had stood at the doorway and listened to the whole conversation. Idly turning his watch chain between his fingers.

He had been behaving in ways unbecoming of a gentleman rather frequently lately, and it was because Riley’s daily life and relationships, things he had never noticed before, were gradually coming into view.

Why had he never seen it before?

The sight of Riley laughing freely among a group of men and the easy familiarity they all shared grated on him considerably.

In the end, Andrea stepped into the shadow behind Riley and separated the two of them again, and the farewell party that had been heading toward a late-night drinking affair was rescheduled to noon.

The send-off, drained of all festive spirit, ended up wholesome and dull.

˗ˋˏ ♡ ˎˊ˗

The palace felt hollow.

But it was not the absence of Queen Fabienne, who had stirred up so much intrigue and political turmoil, that made it feel that way.

It was Raul, or rather Riley, leaving the palace.

That was right.

It had not been long since Andrea learned her real name.

Calling her ‘her’ still felt strange, but now that he knew the truth, he had to admit that ‘she’ suited her far better than ‘the boy’ ever had.

And Riley had offered him all manner of explanations.