Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: Lady Werena's Bold Request
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“Hello, Lady Etwar.”
Her curly brown hair swayed gently. Werena, with locks that evoked soft chocolate, was a pure and refined beauty rather than a flashy one.
“Thank you for inviting me.”
“No, thank you for coming.”
We exchanged perfunctory greetings. A brief staring contest began between her and me. Werena, raising the white flag first with impressive speed, whispered just loud enough for only me to hear.
“I do have something to say…”
Lady Werena, aware of the eyes fixed on us, let out a soft chuckle.
“Thank you for the gift. I’ll put it to pretty use.”
With her words as the cue, all the ladies expressed their thanks to me.
“Thank you.”
“It’s so pretty!”
Soon after, food to enjoy with tea began to appear one by one. The afternoon tea set was arranged on ornate dishes adorned with floral patterns.
We continued our conversation alongside the sweet desserts.
The first topic, as expected, was Darsi.
“I heard the two of you were absent together. How terribly romantic…”
“His Highness Prince Darsi’s dragon eyes are truly beautiful.”
The conversation flowed as if the time I had spent trailing after Ryan had never happened. They all showered praise on Darsi without pause.
Compliments like how perfectly we suited each other kept pouring forth.
‘…How should I even define our relationship?’
I didn’t hate their misunderstanding. Darsi had even said it was fine to just leave things as they were.
But I couldn’t shake the unease lingering in one corner of my heart.
‘Because it’s not the truth.’
He and I weren’t lovers.
It was then that Lady Werena, who had been quietly savoring her food, finally spoke up.
“So, how exactly did the two of you meet?”
The illegitimate prince known far and wide. The lady rumored to be a villainess. How they had met was the burning question on everyone’s mind, yet the topic everyone had been skirting.
Werena charged straight ahead, as if such concerns meant nothing to her.
“During my seclusion, I grew interested in various items… I ended up meeting him by chance through dealings with merchants. He has such deep knowledge of art and music.”
I wrapped the story of our meeting in a tidy package. Tossing in some praise while describing him was just a bonus.
Our tastes differed, but Darsi did enjoy music, and calling his magic tools artworks wasn’t entirely wrong.
“Oh, so he’s well-versed in art.”
“Honestly, his face alone should be enough…”
Hearing the praise for Darsi lifted my spirits.
I wanted more people to realize just how remarkable he was.
“And actually, this is the real point.”
Werena glanced around, letting the moment hang, before fixing her gaze squarely on me.
A dignified grace emanated from her, one impossible to dismiss lightly.
“Have the two of you promised a future together?”
Her eyes brimmed with vibrant curiosity as she voiced it.
I stared at Werena, my face blank with bewilderment.
“…Pardon?”
It was the last question I’d expected to hear today.
“Or are you perhaps dating?”
“…”
“You’ve been seen together quite often, but Prince Darsi was a complete unknown at first. It made sense that you two stuck so close.”
What on earth was she going on about?
“Isn’t it just a coincidence born from the timing—when Lady Etwar started going out alone overlapping with Prince Darsi’s emergence?”
“…”
“His Highness has never officially acknowledged anything between you two, after all.”
…She had zeroed in on the details others had overlooked in an instant.
“And Lady Etwar’s expression earlier was rather peculiar.”
I nearly corrected her on the spot.
“Friends can worry about each other this much.”
Until Darsi’s words echoed in my mind.
The way he had dreaded any progress in our relationship stood in stark contrast to Werena’s confident demeanor.
Only after replaying his voice in my head did I realize.
Those words of his back then had wounded me more deeply than I’d thought.
‘And she’s not wrong.’
Just as she said, we hadn’t officially acknowledged a thing.
I gave a bitter smile. Then I gazed steadily at Lady Werena, who awaited my response.
The words I could say were set in stone.
“We haven’t promised any future, but we’re the closest of friends.”
Lady Werena’s eyes lit up.
“Thank you so much for indulging my rather rude question, Lady Etwar. In exchange, I’ll explain why I asked.”
Lady Werena pressed on as if she’d been waiting for this very moment.
“I’m really taken with His Highness the Prince.”
“Prince… Darsi?”
I nearly slipped into calling him by name out of habit, tacking on the title at the last second. Werena nodded.
“Yes, his heterochromia eyes, that pristine silver hair—it suits him so well. Not many could pull off such a look.”
Her frank admission of her feelings was utterly unlike the Lady Werena I knew.
“I want to meet him… but he avoids noble ladies. You were my only option, Lady Etwar. You’re the sole highborn lady seen associating with and accompanying Prince Darsi.”
Hearing our relationship described from someone else’s lips felt both gratifying and oddly surreal.
Especially since she was openly asking me for an introduction, right here in front of me.
Werena cut straight to the chase.
“I want to meet Prince Darsi.”
I sank back into contemplation.
Darsi had said he needed no one but me.
‘But is it right to keep him isolated like that?’
And her status was no small matter—she was a lady of the highest rank.
After agonizing over it, I finally spoke.
“It’s not my place to decide. But…”
I couldn’t force Darsi’s hand.
That would border on betrayal. No matter his choice, the first step was to respect it.
“I’ll ask him.”
Still, my tone came out rigid. Werena’s words had struck a truly raw nerve.
“Thank you, Lady Etwar!”
Werena beamed, unperturbed by my stiffness.
“But.”
“But?”
She arched a brow slightly at what followed.
“Would you mind writing a letter first? I worry I might not convey all of Lady Werena’s true feelings.”
It was my way of asking her to introduce herself—a blend of petty impulse and genuine intent.
She had to know Darsi had no interest in meeting her.
What reason would compel him to set aside his wishes and see her?
Until I understood what she offered, what she could do at Darsi’s side, she was no different from the other ladies here voicing support for him.
I hated playing gatekeeper, but for Darsi’s sake, I’d grown far more calculating.
I knew all too well how fragile he was beneath that tough exterior.
Werena let out a chuckle, her expression saying, *Well, well*.
“I suppose I never really knew you, Lady Etwar. Up close like this… I’m seeing so many new sides to you. Oh, I mean that in the best way…”
She’d never paid me any mind before, so of course she wouldn’t know.
I replied with a brilliant smile.
“I’m delighted to show you my better side, Lady Werena… I suppose dealing with all those who refuse to believe I’ve changed has altered me.”
“La, Lady Marso…”
“Lady Werena…”
The onlookers listening to our exchange grew visibly restless.
Crackle. It felt as if sparks of electricity danced around us.
“…Very well. Then shall we meet again? Letters can so easily be misinterpreted.”
“Yes, please proceed however suits you, Lady Werena. I’ll await your word.”
We smiled at each other, yet for some inexplicable reason, veins throbbed at our temples.
The ladies seated amid this razor-thin tension watched us with bated breath.
At last, one lady squeezed her eyes shut and rose from her seat.
“Th-that reminds me, I heard you helped Pitol’s theater company! He expressed his gratitude, but never revealed how, so rumors are everywhere… Could you perhaps give us even a little hint?”
Her desperate pivot to a new topic landed perfectly. I’d been meaning to bring it up anyway.
I nodded and turned my gaze to her.
“Ah, that’s still in the works.”
“In the works—does that mean something’s brewing?”
“Yes, we’re aiming for a rather innovative overhaul.”
I swept my eyes over everyone present and smiled.
“Much like Prince Darsi.”
It was my subtle way of asking whether they would follow him.