Chapter – 09
Ireon only woke up late in the afternoon. He reached out and pulled the bell cord.
“Did you call for me, Your Highness?”
The butler Bernard hurried in.
“What time is it?”
“It is 2:30 in the afternoon.”
“That’s late. I’ll eat something light now and have dinner an hour later.”
“Yes. I will prepare it.”
Suddenly, it bothered him that it was the butler and not Rona who had come.
“Where is Rona?”
“Ah, Miss Rona went out for a while because she had something to do.”
“Again? For what reason?”
While neatly fixing Ireon’s bed, the butler replied:
“Come to think of it, since Miss Rona came to this house, she has never really gone out properly. She said she had some clothes made yesterday… Since she is a young lady, she must need many things. She only has her maid uniform and one set of clothes for going out.”
“Rona only has one outfit?”
“Yes.”
The butler nodded.
“Her job is to attend to Your Highness, but since Your Highness has not been going outside, she only has the winter outfit she wore when she first came here.”
“Then yesterday?”
“She wore that too.”
“That makes no sense. Are you saying someone working in the Grand Duke’s household went on a picnic wearing winter clothes?”
Bernard jumped in alarm.
“It was Your Highness who suddenly said you wanted to go to the park. If we had time, we would have prepared something.”
“Still, you could have let her borrow clothes from the other maids.”
The butler looked miserable at the scolding.
“Your Highness dismissed them all, remember? The gardener’s wife Niel is elderly and short, and Olivia from the kitchen has a large build, so neither could lend clothes to Miss Rona.”
“Even so…”
Even Ireon remembered how harsh the sunlight had felt yesterday, like when he trained the knights.
“Wow, even though it’s spring, it’s hotter than I thought.”
He had simply brushed it off, thinking the weather wasn’t that hot. But he had no idea Rona had been standing beside him in winter clothing.
“Where is she?”
“Pardon?”
“I asked where the dress shop Rona went to is.”
He shouldn’t have let her go alone yesterday when she hesitated. He should have followed her and had clothes made for all four seasons. But since Rona and the butler insisted he return first, he couldn’t insist on going with her.
“I don’t know exactly. She asked for a hired carriage to Luton Street, so I arranged that.”
“Find out what dress shops are nearby. I’ll go myself.”
Ireon unconsciously clenched his fist.
“This concerns the dignity of the Grand Duke’s house. Hurry.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Bernard rushed out of the room as if chased.
“Is that so?”
A matter of the Grand Duke family’s dignity, he said.
Thinking about it, all the noble ladies in the park yesterday wore bright dresses made of light muslin fabrics. Even their attendants wore proper outfits. Meanwhile, Rona had worn a slightly oversized coat over a single dress that looked borrowed. And that was the same outfit she had worn when she first came to this house.
“To think His Highness cares this much…”
Bernard felt gloomy, thinking he had failed to understand his master’s consideration.
“This is no time for that.”
He quickly called a servant to prepare the carriage.
“Still, His Highness going outside three days in a row…”
Happy about his master’s change, Bernard hurried the preparations.
Thirty minutes later, Ireon was waiting inside the carriage.
Is she still choosing something?
He wished he could choose something that suited Rona himself. But Bernard said the shop interior was narrow and asked him to wait outside. Since childhood, Ireon had always summoned boutiques to his home, so this situation never occurred to him.
“Your Highness.”
Bernard’s voice came from outside.
“The shop owner wishes to see you.”
“I permit it.”
Click.
The door opened and a strong perfume scent drifted in.
“I greet Your Excellency.”
“Where is Rona?”
“Both you and the butler asked, but we cannot disclose customer information.”
“You asked to see me just to say that?”
“Well… that is the proper response, but she is not our customer.”
“What?”
“There is no one named Rona Harapellis among our recent orders.”
His fingertips felt cold.
“Then are there any other dress shops nearby?”
“No. Luton Street is a business district, not a shopping area. Ours is the only dress shop here.”
Even after finishing, the owner waited for dismissal. But Ireon’s thoughts had frozen.
She lied?
Rona returned very late yesterday. Then where did she go today?
Finally he spoke:
“We’re returning to the mansion.”
The Harrington Count’s household treated Rona generously. Expensive imported tea and elaborate desserts were placed before her.
“You said I once helped you?”
“Yes, Lady Karina.”
“But why don’t I remember? If you said you came to repay a favor, I should remember something.”
Karina studied her carefully while setting down her teacup.
“Do you remember the fortune-telling old woman in the town square?”
Karina’s eyes widened.
“How do you know her?”
“She was my adoptive grandmother.”
“Ah…”
In the original story, after her parents’ funeral, Karina met an old fortune teller in the town square. She only had three silver coins. When the old woman said she was hungry and sick, Karina gave her nearly all her money and asked for a reading.
The old woman told her future:
“You will soon begin a new life. A strong fate awaits you. You will have a passionate and destined love. The man is tall with black hair. His eyes are… cough cough…”
Remembering this, Karina smiled brightly.
“Yes, that happened. I often thought of her. What she predicted came true.”
Her cheeks turned peach-pink.
“How is she doing?”
“She passed away.”
“Oh no.”
Rona lowered her head slightly. She felt uneasy using someone unrelated to her story, but she had no choice. In the original story, after Karina left, the old woman smiled happily and passed away peacefully. Only readers knew this — Karina could not.
“My grandmother had dementia and often wandered. People avoided her. Even if we brought her home, she would disappear again.”
Karina’s father also had dementia. And her mother died in a carriage accident while searching for him. Remembering this familiar story, Karina’s expression darkened briefly.
“Thanks to your kindness, she passed peacefully with a happy face. She was holding the three silver coins you gave her. So I came to show my gratitude by telling your fortune again.”
Rona hoped Karina would meet Ireon. Even as a fake fortune teller, she planned to tell her they would be happy just like in the original story. She planned to pour out unforgettable blessings.
“Really?”
“But I have one request.”
“What is it?”
Rona felt her mouth go dry.
“Please meet someone I introduce to you. Just once. It’s very important. Someone’s life depends on it.”
She pleaded earnestly.
“You have the power to change someone’s life. Just like when you helped my grandmother.”
Karina hesitated instead of answering.
“The person you want me to meet… is he a man?”
“Yes.”
What could be the problem? Rona was confused.
“I’m sorry, but I cannot meet him.”
Rona was shocked.
“Why?”
Karina’s expression was gentle but firm.
“There is someone who would not like me meeting another man. He is quite jealous.”
Rona froze.
“That means… perhaps…”
Karina answered quickly, as if waiting for that question. Her beautiful green eyes sparkled.
“That’s right. I am seeing someone. Our families are even discussing marriage.”
Rona practically jumped.
What? Marriage talks with Sabiel?
That made no sense. Sabiel was supposed to be the rival male lead meant to provoke Ireon’s jealousy. How could the female lead Karina become serious with him before even meeting Ireon?
“You… really have marriage talks going on?”
If it was with Crown Prince Sabiel, that meant a royal marriage.
Karina smiled softly.
“Yes. I haven’t had my debut yet, but I am of marriageable age. I once worried I might miss my chance to meet someone good. I still don’t know how I met someone like him.”
She looked dreamy with happiness.
“The fortune teller said a good fate awaited me. Thanks to that, I think I was able to receive love from someone so precious. She even described my destined partner — a handsome man with black hair. He really was like that, so I often thought about her words.”
Karina looked apologetic.
“I do want to help you. But marriage discussions aren’t mine alone. I cannot do something that might cause problems. I’m sorry I cannot help. If I may enter the imperial family, I must be careful.”
Rona looked at her.
“The imperial family?”
It felt like confirmation that the original story had gone off the rails.
“Oh my, that was supposed to be secret. Yes… the person I’m seeing is the Crown Prince.”
Rona felt darkness fall over her vision.
If the original story collapsed, she might never return to her original world. But strangely, she was more worried about Ireon, who might live blind forever.
“Do you… love him?”
Karina blushed and nodded.
“Yes. With all my heart.”
This was not political marriage talks. She was clearly in love.
“I tried to ask something unreasonable without knowing the situation.”
Rona closed her eyes seriously.
“I will tell your fortune once more.”
Karina looked expectantly.
At that moment, a carriage decorated with golden lion emblems stopped in front of the Harrington residence. It was a luxurious carriage used by the imperial family.
As Karina lifted her dress to board, she exclaimed:
“Oh! Your Highness the Crown Prince, what brings you here?”
Sabiel smiled sweetly and extended his hand.
“I could hardly wait for you to arrive.”
Her heart raced as she took his hand and boarded. The door closed and the rhythmic sound of hooves followed.
Yet even beside her handsome lover, Karina’s thoughts lingered on what she had just heard.
Two men?
