Translator and Editor: Effe and Nabi

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Chapter 21 – Blooming (4)

Sienna, Dandelion, and the young ladies who had been secretly listening were all speechless.

“…What did you say?”

Sienna was so surprised that she inadvertently let her words go.

“You must have been very upset that I didn’t sign up for your first dance. I’m sorry, Princess.”

It was a sarcastic tone for anyone to see.

Jad was firmly misunderstood.

That was not it, where does she need to start explaining? No, is this an issue that needs to be addressed right now?

It wasn’t funny, she wanted to laugh because she was dumbfounded. But, it was no laughing matter. The noise around her was getting louder and louder.

‘Jad! Please shut your mouth!’

She looked at him eagerly, though it was a gentle smile that returned.

“Stop holding that hand.”

Jad looked at Sienna and Dandelion, who were holding hands tightly and made an uncomfortably soft voice.

“Because I came to ask the Princess to dance.”

Then, he took her other hand.

In an instant, a scene often seen in a banal melodrama unfolded.

‘Shall I twist my wrist? No. Let’s step on his foot.’

Just as Sienna was thinking as she stared at her caught hand, Dandelion stepped out. “Do not misunderstand. It was me who asked the princess to dance.”

“What? You?”

Only then did Jad’s gaze shift from Siena to Dandelion.

“Why?”

“Do I need a reason?”

“It’s because you’re doing something you don’t do.”

“The reason…”

Dan, who was muttering, spit out indifferently. “She’s very good at dancing.”

“….”

“I hope that answers.”

He tapped Jad’s stiff shoulder and naturally led Siena.

The two quickly made their way to the center of the stage. Moments later, the sound of music filled the subtly disjointed air.

Jad stared blankly at the two men who were taking their positions.

“When did you two get close?”

Sienna and Dandelion also had faces he had never seen before.

‘I didn’t mean to say this.’

He wanted to say congratulations to Sienna, and that her dress suits her pretty well. Although he has no intention of marrying her, the two have also been friends for twelve years.

For the second dance, he had already decided to dance with Sienna.

‘But, why…’

Jad nervously polished his painstakingly groomed hair.

***

“Isn’t that an illusion?”

“Perhaps it was.”

“I was unintentionally noticed.”

It looked like the bomb Jad threw had already circled the hall.

Even as they danced in the corner as much as possible, the subtle gazes were directed at the two of them.

“I wonder if I did something wrong.”

Dandelion’s pretty face lit up with concern.

“If the princess is misunderstood…”

“I’m so used to that kind of thing. Besides, I’m not the type to care about every single thing.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. So, for this moment, just look at me. Rumors tend to cool down quickly anyway.”

Instead of answering, he smiled a little. They’ve only tried it a few times, but they went very well together.

Thanks to this, Sienna was able to afford to observe his face up close.

Of course, that observation was a series of admiration.

‘How can his jaw be like this?’

The slightly angled jawline gave off a feeling of loveliness and masculinity at the same time. Her gaze did not seem to fall on the line of his face.

‘Our Dandelion is a genius. Face genius…’

It was around the middle of the music.

She then asked in a very serious voice.

“Dan. Do you know that? One of the statues from the Royal Museum disappeared.”

“Is that really true?”

He asked, really surprised.

“What kind of statue…”

“It’s right in front of me.”

“Yes?”

Two beats later, his face warmed as he understood her words. “Are you kidding me now?”

Siena answered firmly.

“No. Seriously.”

“Princess!”

“Today, you are really, really, really, super cool.”

Today, it wasn’t rough.

She wanted to put aside her worries about the future for a moment and savor the present moment to its fullest.

They ended their happy dance together.

She really didn’t know.

The crazy story of the century that will be brought about by the small words that come and go today…

***

Dandelion told Sienna that he wanted to go back soon after the dance was over.

They talked as usual, and he smiled faintly. However, the air flowing between the two was clearly different from before. Sienna didn’t want to be separated from him like this.

She didn’t want him to be wary of being the fiancee of his friend. However, she had no reason to hold him.

She didn’t know what to do.

Except for saying ‘see you tomorrow’ and trying to smile.

The banquet hall where Dan disappeared was boring.

After about three more glasses of the apricot juice that had slipped into her mouth, she left her seat without hesitation.

She was unfamiliar with the outside of the building.

Except for a few knights guarding the entrance, everyone would have filled the banquet hall. Arthur asked as she was walking down the needlessly long hallway.

“Where are you going?”

“Give it a try.”

“If I guess right, is there any prize?”

“Ahh… you’ve changed.”

“Are you going to the library again?”

“The party is boring. Besides, it’s so noisy there that it gives me a headache.”

“I agree with that, but isn’t it a shame? Still, it’s your debutante.”

“What. There are still two days left.”

Sienna stretched out and loosened her stiff body. When she arrived at the library, Alpen was surprisingly awake.

“Princess?”

He asked surprised. “Why are you here…?”

“Just.”

This was the general reaction.

She smiled awkwardly and asked with a bit of anticipation.

“Well, who has come, by any chance?”

“Yes, who came here on a day like today…?”

“Of course. They must be busy drinking and enjoying the night in the banquet hall.”

“Haha. That’s right…”

Sienna told Arthur to rest for a while, then she trudged towards the far end of the shelf.

She doesn’t know if he’ll ever find this place again, though she wanted to put the hard-worked letter from last night in their own green mailbox.

“Huh?”

But, there was something stuck between the books. It came with a white velvet box about the size of the palm of her hand.

“No way…”

She never thought Dandelion would open this mailbox. At that, she hurriedly checked her letter. The paper folded in half was full of neat letters resembling him.

“Sienna.

I’m writing this because I don’t think you’ll come today.It’s a weird feeling.In the end, we didn’t meet, but it’s not as sad as I thought.Tomorrow, maybe the day after tomorrow, you will find this letter. Like you said, coincidence is really fun. It’s like the feeling before opening a gift.Tomorrow, the friendship that we just met by chance at the library will be over.Because you and I will know who each other is.However, like you said, I’m just me, and you’re just you, so I hope it doesn’t change too much. Because we are the only ones in this relationship.

Ah, I forgot the purpose of writing this letter for a moment.The amulet you gave as a gift really worked.Thanks to you, I was able to sleep well. It’s not a big deal to have it next to you, but it’s a return gift.I picked it because I thought it would suit you well, but honestly, I’m not sure.If you don’t like it, don’t force it, I’m fine.

I have no writing skills, but the writing has become long.It’s strange.When I think of you, the words I want to say keep increasing. I’ll cut down on this uninteresting stuff, and I’ll see you tomorrow.

Dan.”

His letter ended with the name she called him affectionately.

“Our Dandelion has beautiful handwriting.”

He had written this letter while waiting for him, and she smiled uncontrollably as she imagined him.

Carefully, Sienna folded his letter again and opened the box next to it.

Rose gold-colored rose earrings were in it.

“…Beautiful.”

The color also matched her skin very well.

She could feel at once how much he must have been troubled. Sienna took off the earring she was wearing and immediately replaced it with the gift from Dandelion.

She then ran to Arthur, clutching the letter and the box in her hand.

“Arthur!”

Arthur, who had been dozing off against the wall of the entrance, said in a loud voice, startled.

“I didn’t fall asleep, never.”

“I know. How about that? Does it fit well?”

“Hh….”

“Huh?”

Arthur didn’t know what Sienna was talking about, but he nodded his head involuntarily at her sharply lit face.

“Yes. You look good.”

Trot. trot. trot.

Sienna’s feet lightly rolled on the floor.

***

The party was going on until dawn, though Dandelion had been back since sunset.

The provincial nobles would usually set up luxurious villas in the capital, but he did not. Maintaining the villa was quite time-consuming and costly. It would cost a lot just for a few days of the year.

And, in the end, it was paid for by the civilian taxes.

Moreover, this year, the Royal Family provided accommodation for him, who made a mark in battle, which coincided with the period of his debutante.

A historic five-story hotel located at the beginning of the road to the castle. It was an impressive room with red bricks and a large terrace facing the castle.

He stayed here, attending dinners prepared by the King and often demonstrating swordsmanship.

“Haa.”

A heavy sigh resounded in the quiet space.

The sky quickly darkened, and the exceptionally white moonlight illuminated the terrace.

Dandelion turned his body and reached his hand. The topaz on the dream catcher was twinkling in the moonlight.

As she handed this to him, her face with a friendly smile came to mind.

“Sienna Stern…”

The surname behind her name was too heavy.

“…She’s a princess.”

Unbelievable, but it was real.

He remembered Sienna and the days he spent with her.

She was a strangely caring person.

He did it at first because he was caught up in moments when he didn’t want to be seen, and then he was concerned with countless scars that didn’t match her beautiful appearance.

Old scars and new ones on top.

He was worried that maybe something bad was going on.

Judging from the way she dresses and the language she speaks, it is clear that she was a noblewoman.

He was hesitant to ask how many times she might be being abused by her father or brother. Of course, for a person with such a painful story, Sienna was very bright, so there was some relief.

She looked just like a curious baby rabbit…

Small, white, her eyes twinkled as she talked about what to eat.

More than anything else, he couldn’t have guessed what kind of reverberation her words had on him.

‘Take off everything that comes after your name, it’s just me. Wouldn’t it be okay to have at least one of these relationships?’

There are moments when everyone gets tired of the things behind their names and feels cumbersome.

It was the same for him on that day.

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