“Hahaha! That Sir Droinel is a fine young man. He came running after me because he was worried about me.. Maybe I am a well-respected man after all!” said Uncle.

“Father, that’s.. He’s worried about Marina..,” Lumi mumbled.

“Of course! Marina is my niece, so he would’ve been worried about her too! Anyway, a fine young man he is! I hope my sons learn a thing or two from him!”

I almost sighed at this sight. Can a person be so oblivious to others like that? I was thinking about that until I realized that I, who thought Rian’s show of interest was a mere show of friendship, had really been oblivious to his feelings.

‘..Yeah, I guess I AM slow on catching onto people. I didn’t agree when mother or others used to tell me that.. but they were right.’

After thinking of that, I was reminded of what the Crown Prince had done. All of his doings. I think he was a little different from me. Was it perhaps, because he likes me? Such thoughts popped up in my head, only to turn into a bitter smile at the impossibility that it could be true. He even refused that lovely, angel-like Elise. Why would he take an interest in me? Rian had been kind to me since the beginning, but the Crown Prince.. He always insisted on me.

Yes. At first, I was his target to unleash his anger. Then I turned into a doll maker. Only recently, he then moved on to treating me as a useful officer.

‘It’s better not to have false hope. Then I won’t need to be disappointed.’?I was suddenly drawn to the handkerchief tied to my left hand. I tried many times to take it off my hand before I eventually failed.

“You all must be tired. Go and get some rest.”

At Uncle’s words, everyone returned to their rooms to rest. My cousins would have clung to me, following me into my room, but today was an exception. We were all tired from not being able to sleep and were also mentally exhausted.

As soon as I returned to my room, I immediately laid down on my bed from fatigue. Right away, I felt drowsy as my eyelids closed. I wanted to run away from all these problems, so I closed my eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

***

A faint figure of a boy was smiling at me. That boy had no color and was faint in a grayish color. It was my first love that I completely had forgotten about because of all these events.

‘Just for once. Please.. Let me know who you are.’

At my plea, the faint figure began to scatter away into dust. I reached out, trying to catch it before it disappeared when someone grabbed my left wrist. When I turned to see who it was, I was so shocked that I tried to break myself free from that grasp. But the hand, which felt so real, did not let go.

“You’re so foolish. Why are you denying your feelings?”

My feelings? I don’t know what he’s talking about. In the midst of such thoughts, he, as if he had perceived them, made a mesmerizing smile and continued. “You can’t even take the handkerchief that I tied to your hand off, and you still insist you don’t know your feelings? You are so foolish, Marina von Harrant.”

At that moment, his head began closing in on me. My heart began pounding rapidly as his head approached closer. Bump. Bump. Bump. When I realized the rhythmic sounds began speeding up, he whispered to my ears, “How long do you think you can deny your feelings?”