MAWBF 7

Chapter 7

    ***

    Wouldn't anyone have thought so?

    This was a private garden accessible only to royalty, and as far as she knew, there were only two young men among the Wills.

    Prince Cassian, one of them, had black hair, resembling the first queen who had died. The reason King Bailion cherished Prince Tiberian somewhat was because the prince resembled the king himself.

    Therefore, the man before her must be Prince Tiberian—her future husband, no doubt.

    Not expecting to meet him like this, and finding him far, far more handsome than she had imagined, Reina’s mind went completely blank. All she could manage was to blink stupidly at him.

    “Hey, what’s wrong?”

    "Didn't you just hear something over there?"

    Had it not been the distant voices of the guards, she would surely have continued acting like a fool.

    The man, frozen as if time had stopped just like Reina, was the first to come to his senses.

    The man—no. Her prince—stepped forward swiftly and whispered silently.

    "Quiet."

    As he placed a finger gently over her lips, Reina found herself holding her breath at the sudden closeness of his handsome face, barely managing to nod.

    He crouched down, bending his knees. Following his lead, Reina knelt beside him, unable to tear her eyes away from his profile as he watched intently in the direction the guards’ voices came from.

    Feeling her gaze, he suddenly turned to look at her.

    Their eyes met, close together. Perhaps finding it awkward, he gave an ambiguous smile.

    It was a shy, clear smile, like a boy's.

    Reina gaped, feeling heat rush to her face.

    Then her heart began to race wildly. She felt certain he could hear it too. Overwhelmed by this unfamiliar fluttering, she felt no shame and couldn't even think to look away.

    Thus, it was he who became flustered instead.

    Blinking rapidly, he turned his head away, stammering somewhat awkwardly.

    Unlike him, Reina watched intently as his prominent Adam's apple bobbed noticeably, his broad chest rising and falling visibly.

    Meanwhile, the voices of the guards who had approached grew distant.

    "Strange. I distinctly thought I heard something."

    "Well, probably just a small animal..."

    Once more, a stillness descended, filled only by the chirping of grasshoppers and the distant clamor of the banquet hall carried on the wind.

    And he seemed reluctant to move, whether out of caution or tension.

    Thanks to this, Reina could observe him to her heart's content.

    Of course, her heart still pounded, and she too felt the tension. But a strange mischief had been bubbling up in a corner of her heart since earlier, and before she knew it, she took a deep breath and whispered.

    "They must have left."

    This time, he flinched as if genuinely startled, his shoulders jerking as he turned to look at her. Then, a split second too late, he covered one ear with his hand and gaped, his lips parted in a daze.

    "...Ah."

    As far as she knew, the prince was three years older than her. He seemed rather naive for his age, but for some reason, Reina found that incredibly endearing and couldn't help but laugh.

    His face flushed with embarrassment as he stood up and cautiously held out his hand.

    Reina looked up at him with sparkling eyes and grabbed his hand firmly.

    Had she gripped it too tightly? His firm, warm hand seemed to flinch.

    So, Reina laughed again.

    "Haha..."

    This time, she couldn't help but make a sound. He seemed embarrassed, letting out a sigh-like laugh that followed hers, then whispered awkwardly.

    "Quiet..."

    Wanting to make a good impression on him, Reina quickly nodded her head in compliance.

    He began leading the way.

    Reina hurried to follow behind him.

    As she walked, matching his stride and taking in the sight of his hair swaying gently with each step, he occasionally glanced back over his shoulder.

    Each time, she smiled brightly at him. It was an instinctive smile, born from liking him and hoping he liked her too.

    He couldn't meet her eyes for long and quickly looked straight ahead.

    'Gosh, he must be shy.'

    She found it hard to contain her fluttering heart. How disappointing it was when they left the courtyard.

    When she finally met his gaze again beneath the wall's shadow, Reina looked up at him, brimming with anticipation.

    He seemed to choose his words for a moment before speaking.

    "You shouldn't be here."

    Like an obedient child, Reina nodded quickly once more.

    Then, as if suppressing a smile, he pursed his lips slightly and asked quite cautiously.

    "Whom are you waiting for?"

    ...Waiting for? Confused by his question, Reina frowned for a moment before suddenly remembering her own appearance.

    A blue skirt and a white headscarf. She must look exactly like a lost, new maid.

    In the meantime, he changed his question.

    "Um, so... what's your name?"

    ...So, the prince didn't recognize the lady he was about to be engaged to at all, and instead showed interest in an unknown maid.

    This made Reina feel a sudden pang of resentment. At the same time, the fact that he seemed to like her made her feel endlessly excited.

    So, without thinking, she playfully said,

    "Guess."

    "...Huh?"

    "I know who you are."

    His eyes widened in surprise.

    Ah, she definitely liked him. With a bright smile, Reina took a step closer to him.

    He didn't stop her, just watched her. She stood with her hands behind her back, her eyes crinkling at the corners.

    "We'll meet again."

    At that moment, a strong gust of wind blew, shaking both of them.

    His eyes widened slightly more, and his starlight-like hair, which had been scattered by the wind, settled back into place.

    "Then you'll know who I am."

    Unable to control her pounding heart, Reina ran back to her room. Carla's nagging, who had been searching for her, trailed behind her.

    "Goodness, young lady. If His Grace finds out about this..."

    But the maid's anxious voice barely registered in Reina's ears. Her face flushed, she touched her lips, then abruptly stepped out onto the balcony and looked toward the garden.

    Only then did Carla notice how excessively flushed her face was.

    "Miss?"

    "What should I do…."

    "Why are you like this?"

    Reina murmured, her cheeks bright red, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

    "He's better than I thought. No, he's too good."

    After that, she never encountered the prince again. She lingered near the garden once more, but no miraculous coincidence occurred.

    Fortunately, the jousting tournament was just around the corner. Imagining his reaction when they met again made time fly by.

    On the long-awaited day of the jousting tournament, Reina, meticulously dressed since dawn, stood beside her father, constantly looking around.

    Leonard, about to admonish her for her frantic behavior, suddenly pointed his eyes toward one spot. At one end of the long rectangular arena, today's jousters were inspecting their armor and horses.

    "That man is Prince Tiberian. When it's his turn, you simply hand him the handkerchief. It's very simple."

    Handing a handkerchief during a jousting tournament held special meaning. It was customary to offer one wishing victory and safety for a brother, husband, or fiancé, but it could also serve as a  response to a marriage proposal.

    "I understand, Father."

    Reina answered with a rather solemn tone, took a deep breath, and moved her eyes.

    Thump, thump. Suddenly, her heart was beating far too fast.

    What if our eyes meet? What expression should I make? Should I wave? In that brief moment, a thousand thoughts raced through her mind, and she couldn't hide her tension and anticipation.

    ‘...What?’

    But the next moment, Reina’s lips parted in shock.

    To her bewilderment, the man her father pointed at wasn’t the one she’d encountered in the garden that night.

    His hair didn’t shine like starlight, his eyes were dull, and his features were crooked. His face was flushed red like her hair, as if drunk in broad daylight.

    Reina looked around again, doubting her eyes. But no matter how she scanned the area, the man she had encountered that night was nowhere to be seen.

    ‘…Unless I’m seeing ghosts.’

    Only then did Reina realize something was terribly wrong.

    While sitting under the blue canopy with the other ladies, waiting for the prince's turn, her mind was completely occupied with thoughts of that man. She found it difficult to focus on the  competition.

    Then, suddenly, the noisy surroundings fell into an eerie silence.

    Just as Reina belatedly noticed the strange change, Carla whispered excitedly.

    "That must be the man from the rumors."

    She wasn't alone. Everyone was looking down at the arena, murmuring.

    "To flaunt the bastard son the king disowned as his own jockey like that—Prince Cassian must be determined to fall out of the king's favor."

    "Prince Cassian always defies the king. And that fellow seems utterly shameless."

    "If I were him, I'd be too ashamed of my disgraceful birth to dare hold his head so high before us."

    It was the moment Reina casually lowered her gaze.

    Prince Cassian's standard-bearer—the rumored bastard son of King Balion—stopped before the ladies and removed his helmet.

    Under the searing sun, hair shimmering like starlight swayed, and beneath it, eyes as blue as the sea sparkled.

    It was the man from the garden.