Looking for My Fiancé's Lover

It had already been ten minutes since Nezar asked me to leave the hall with him. However, he was caught up by the nobles swamping around him like starving demons. I couldn’t stand it, so I took three or four steps away and silently picked up the salmon salad and ate it. It felt like my stomach was filling up a bit, but I had to chew it thoroughly to avoid indigestion.

I didn’t have the confidence to stand next to him as his fiancée. It was because I didn’t want to embarrass Nezar by saying thoughtless things. In between, Nezar turned his head to me and gave me an apologetic look. I snorted and turned away, pretending not to notice.

“And this is my second daughter, Medea. Medea, I would like you to greet His Highness.”

“It is an honour to meet you, Your Highness Nezar. My name is Medea Collanto. You can call me Medea.”

“I’m afraid I can’t be so disrespectful in our first meeting. Lady Collanto, nice to meet you. You are as beautiful as I have heard.”

Despite knowing it’s just empty flattery, I couldn’t help but strain my eyes. Nezar lightly kissed the back of her hand, turning the woman’s face red.

It’s okay. The more girls like Nezar, the easier it would be for me to find his lover. So there is no reason to be envious or jealous.

“Oh, next month the largest opera house in the Empire will open in Collanto. If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask you to attend the theatre opening ceremony…”

“Ah, I will pay a visit when the time is right. But with a hectic schedule, I can’t be sure.”

“Haha! Thank you very much for your words. Your Highness the Crown Prince must be very busy these days…”

Had that pot-bellied bald count left his wits in Collanto? No, he could have said something brazen and would still be playing dumb about it, he’s too thick-skinned.

The intention of having Nezar as the star of his party was something that even a fly would know. Though they didn’t notice my existence, many aristocrats around there were starting to get anxious and impatient while he continued holding onto Nezar until the end. He was indeed a spiteful man.

“Ah! Actually, today is Medea’s debutante. Isn’t that right, Medea?”

“Yes. It is an honour to be able to hold my debutante at such a meaningful banquet.”

The muttering woman’s eyes did not shift for even a second from Nezar’s face. It was literally the gaze of a woman in love.

It’s okay, it’s okay. If the two of them made eye contact, that would be even better.

Count Collanto looked at Nezar with a face full of anticipation, as if there was an answer he was waiting for. However, Nezar only chuckled softly and said nothing, and the Count, who also briefly laughed it off, spoke again.

“Your Highness Nezar, would you mind becoming Medea’s first dance partner?”

“…me?”

Sometimes instinct trumped reason. Coincidentally, that’s what applied to me now. In order to achieve the long-awaited goal, I must either stay here quietly, or turn my back coldly. But now, instead of thinking thoroughly, my thought circuit was at a standstill, as all of my attention was focused on only one thing.

Swallowing the salmon bite, I strode towards them.

“Fa-father! His Highness has a fiancée…”

My steps stopped beside Nezar while the woman covered her mouth and giggled. Simultaneously, all three gazes turned to me. Among them, Medea Collanto’s eyes widened.

“Who-, who are you…”

I smiled at the clueless woman.

“What did you eat to be this rude?”

Medea’s face hardened. Then, with a rather dazed look on her face, she slowly lowered the hand that was covering her mouth. I looked at the reactions of the old count and his daughter, then said with a broad smile.

“To think that some vulgar nouveau riche* would be flirting with His Highness Nezar, how rude and shameless.”

T/n: nouveau riche –  people who have recently acquired wealth, but want to show it off publicly by acting ostentatious

“The young lady is too much. What kind of nonsense is this when you were the one to barge in so suddenly? To think you would intervene in an adult conversation without hesitation…I’m really dumbfounded! What kind of family are you from?”

“I am the one who was promised to marry His Highness Nezar.”

When I raised my chin and spoke confidently, the Count’s mouth closed shut. It was natural that they didn’t know my face. The number of times I have attended grand parties could only be counted on two fingers, so most of the guests were strangers to me except for a few.

“Asking a man with his fiancée by his side to be your first dance partner?! What kind of culture are you from?”

Medea’s complexion turned pale. People of the empire were recognised as adults from the age of eighteen, and female aristocrats made their debut as soon as they became adults. To her, now an adult, being criticised by my prickly tone of voice was beyond embarrassing. The Count, who looked back and forth with a confused face, replied in a small voice.

“Fir-first of all, I would like to apologise, my lady. I’ve never heard that His Highness has a fiancée…”

There’s no way he did not know. More like he was pretending to not know, he must have been trying to use Nezar. What an obvious lie! I let out a contemptuous sneer.

“You’re very bold to say that you were not at all aware. If you didn’t know, you should have asked, Count. It’s already been five years since I signed the engagement pledges with His Highness Nezar. Five years. Did you go on an overseas trip for such a long time?”

The pot-bellied count began to utter gibberish in front of me, then took his daughter and disappeared. I couldn’t even remember the terrible excuse he left behind. Stunned at how impertinent those people were, I gulped down the remaining champagne and put it on a nearby table.

I guess I did the right thing. Nezar doesn’t need a family like that.

It was at that moment that a small laugh was heard above my head.

“You spoke well. I thought you have become a little more gentle, but I guess your short temper hasn’t gone away after all.”

“Short temper? That old count treated me as if I was invisible. Of course it makes me angry!”

When I turned around, Nezar was looking at me with a soft, gentle smile on his face, just like the one he used to treat the noblemen. It was such a gorgeous expression that not only Medea, but countless noblewomen of the empire were completely mesmerised by it.

“Right. You’re right a hundred times, Kate. I thought I would have to talk to you later. But thanks to you, I think I’ve done enough troublesome things, so let’s run away now.”

His last words were like romantic sentences that came out of a fairy tale. I nodded eagerly and followed Nezar out of Cassandra Hall. The night of the imperial palace with alcohol and dancing was beautiful. The dazzlingly bright interior and the pitch-black exterior were all in stark contrast.

Unlike before, when I strode forward, Nezar calmly waited for my slow steps. It seemed that even though I grew taller in proportion to the passage of time, the gap between Nezar and mine hadn’t narrowed in the slightest. Nezar turned and entered the garden that connected Cassandra Hall and Victoria Castle. The intense scent of flowers filled the silent air in all directions.

What kind of flower is this?

No matter how much I looked at it, it was the first time I had seen it, but its fragrance was quite familiar.

“Come here, Nezar. I have never seen such pretty flowers in my life. Is it of an exotic kind? The petals are gorgeous like peony, but the fragrance is similar to musk.”

I stopped in front of a flower bush and took a closer look at the leaves. It was a large and splendid musk rose that could be used for interior decoration.

“Ah, they’re musk roses. It is something that sir Pancion received from the Kingdom of Camaudra. Instead of taking it back to Entera, it was offered to the Imperial Castle and so was planted here.”

“It was given to him?”

Nezar nodded briefly.

“The King of Camaudra gave up on the war against the Empire for the sake of his country’s subjects. As soon as we advanced, Camaudra accepted that it was a subject country of the Caval Empire and offered Princess Theresia. The musk roses were a present the princess gave to Lord Pancion.”

If it was the Kingdom of Camaudra, I also remembered it. The news that four princesses from each dominated country, including Princess Theresia, made as sacrifices, had already spread at the end of the previous year.

“Why is Princess Theresia giving presents to Lord Pancion? The princess is His Majesty’s person now.”

Not exactly ‘person’, but rather a tribute. Nezar stretched out his hand and plucked the most blooming musk rose. The petals were so heavy that the stem, which could not bear the weight, tilted to the side.

“Well, that’s not a very pleasant story to tell casually. What is certain though, is that roses were planted here, not in Entera.”

He drew it close to his nose until he smelled its scent then tossed the flower over the bush.

“Is there anything else you’re curious about?”

The sky was dark, but Nezar’s face was bright. The moonlight that fell indistinctly like the mist of dawn shone on his forehead. The trembling of my heart could not have felt any clearer. For some reason, I felt unbearably hot, and eventually, I cleared my throat in an awkward manner and looked away.