IRTP 5

Chapter 5

Lunch, and the Uninvited Guest (2)

Blair didn’t know how to take this strange situation.

From the start, Prince Kalinz had shown little interest in the selection of princess consorts. He attended only official royal events, met the Florns solely through obligatory scheduled meetings, never saw them privately otherwise, and had often dodged even those with one excuse or another.

So for him to not only appear at a meal gathering of the Florns but to sit with them—it couldn’t help but feel unfamiliar. And what was even more incomprehensible was why he had chosen to sit directly across from her.

‘And staring at me so intently, too.’

Blair’s green eyes wavered slightly at Kalinz’s behavior, which felt less embarrassing than it was absurd. But he sat down in his chair with perfect composure, paying no mind to everyone’s stares.

“…Well, do as you please.”

The queen said, looking back and forth between Blair and Kalinz with a look of surprise. The other Florns felt the same bewilderment.

Selina, whose proposal had been rejected, seemed offended—her face flushed red and pale by turns. Olivia watched Blair intently, dessert fork in hand. Tilda’s mouth was hanging open in a look of sheer disbelief.

“It’s been a while, Lady Blair Merbis.”

Kalinz spoke casually, as if he couldn’t care less about the attention focused on him.

‘No, seriously, did he eat something wrong? “It’s been a while”? What does he mean, “a while”?’

The fact that he even remembered her name was astonishing enough—they had scarcely ever had anything resembling a conversation. Blair desperately suppressed the words threatening to burst out.

“Ah, haha. Is that… so? Yes. I suppose so.”

She managed to reply with a forced smile so strained her mouth twitched. At that, Kalinz let out a short, soft laugh. As the smile brushed across his perfectly arranged features, the Florns momentarily lost themselves gazing at him.

Blair, of course, was the exception.

‘Did he just mock me?’

At his laugh, which bordered on a sneer, Blair’s brow furrowed slightly.

“Seeing as you’re on dessert, it seems the meal is nearly over.”

Kalinz said, casting an indifferent glance at the custard pudding hastily set before him.

“What, did you find that a shame?”

King Rubens asked sarcastically. His tone carried the displeasure of a father who disapproved of a son who rarely showed his face at occasions like this.

Then, an unbelievable statement came out of Kalinz’s mouth.

“Yes, today I suppose I do.”

He said, still wearing a faint smile. Then he slowly turned his gaze from the king and looked at Blair once more.

“How should I put it… I feel a little… regretful.”

A piercing, sharp gaze poured out—exactly like a predator marking its prey.

Under his blatant stare, Blair’s mouth went completely dry. She wanted to demand right then and there why he kept looking at her like that, but doing so in the presence of the king and queen might get her thrown out of the castle.

Just as she was stewing in frustration, Queen Rea spoke up.

“Lady Blair, are you feeling unwell?”

The queen asked, her face half worried, half puzzled.

“Ah, well…”

“Your complexion doesn’t look good.”

Hearing that, a thought suddenly crossed Blair’s mind—she could use illness as an excuse to escape this situation.

“Could it be indigestion? Your face has gone pale.”

Selina, seizing the chance to send Blair away, chimed in eagerly. At her fox-like behavior, Blair put on a feigned look of discomfort.

“Blair, are you all right? You don’t look well at all…”

And Blair’s ally wasn’t Selina alone. Olivia joined in with an elegant voice.

Normally she would have scoffed at their transparent motives, but right now she couldn’t have been more grateful.

“I think I must have indigestion. I feel a little dizzy, too…”

Blair pressed one hand to her forehead and lowered her eyes as pitifully as she could to look pained. She caught a glimpse of Kalinz’s eyebrow twitching, but paid it no mind.

“Hmm, that’s a problem. Should I call the Mediang?”

King Rubens muttered. At the mention of summoning the royal physician, Blair startled.

“No, Your Majesty. Thank you for your concern, but I’ll be fine after resting a little.”

Blair declined politely, hiding her true feelings. She wanted to get out of this space as soon as possible—away from the queen who called her name so familiarly, and from the king’s attention that arbitrarily assigned meaning to her dress and praised it.

‘And above all…’

She turned her head slightly and glanced at Kalinz, who still had his eyes on her. He was resting his chin on his hand with the corner of his mouth slightly raised, as if watching something deeply amusing.

‘What on earth is wrong with that man all of a sudden!’

Escaping that peculiar gaze was the most urgent thing.

“Then you’d better go ahead, Blair. If you feel worse, send for the Mediang.”

At Queen Rea’s permission, Blair felt a great surge of relief inside.

“I’m sorry to have caused both Your Majesties concern.”

Blair rose from her chair and bowed her head to the king and queen in courtesy.

“Then, I shall take my leave—”

“I believe you’ve caused me some concern as well.”

Before she could even finish speaking, a crooked voice cut in.

Blair doubted her ears and raised her head to look at the owner of the voice. Kalinz was still gazing at her, his golden eyes gleaming.

“…Of course, I am sorry to Your Highness as well.”

Blair replied, barely managing to keep her expression in check.

“It somehow sounds like you’re gritting your teeth—or is that my imagination?”

He murmured lowly.

“What do you mean… How could I possibly. I wouldn’t dare.”

She was beginning to feel the limits of her patience. A serious question crossed her mind—had he really eaten something wrong today and lost his mind?

“Oh, Your Highness, really. Let the sick person go and try this pudding. It melts right in your mouth.”

Whether displeased that Kalinz’s attention kept drifting to Blair, Selina wedged herself into the conversation with a voice dripping with nasality.

“Selina is right, Kalinz. Picking at trifles like this isn’t like you.”

Queen Rea added. Mentally crying out her thanks for the two women’s cooperation, Blair gave a light nod and slipped out of the dining room.

She felt someone’s gaze pricking sharply at the back of her head, but she deliberately didn’t turn around.

Blair walked toward her room almost at a run. She simply couldn’t make sense of what had just happened there.

As Blair flung the door open and strode in, the maid who had been cleaning let out a small shriek of surprise.

“Oh, I’m sorry for startling you. Um, could you do the cleaning a little later? I’d like to be alone.”

“O-of course, my lady. Then please call me later.”

Blair had rarely ever shown agitation, so the maid left the room flustered and scurrying.

“Haah… What on earth was that?”

The bewildered feeling wouldn’t easily fade. Blair paced around the room, biting her nails.

Kalinz Ainhardt.

The way he had acted today was completely different from usual. No—there wasn’t even a “usual” to speak of, since she had never once sat face to face with him and exchanged more than a few words.

Unlike the other Florns who tried so hard to catch his eye, Blair was closer to the type who avoided him.

‘And what? He’s caused concern too? Is he insane?’

Blair recalled what he’d said moments ago and let out a scoff of disbelief. He and she were in no kind of relationship where such childish provocation made any sense.

“Obnoxious bastard. So I wasn’t wrong about him back then after all.”

She sat down at the tea table, propped her chin on her hand, and recalled the day she first saw him.

That day was the day Blair and four other Florns first entered the royal castle to be presented to the king, queen, and prince. Kalinz sat beside the throne, looking down at the girls with nothing but a dry, emotionless gaze.

Neatly groomed dark black hair, and golden eyes holding a mysterious light. He looked like a star floating alone in a pitch-black night sky.

‘I used to watch the stars with Allen a lot, back in the day. There was definitely a dark golden star like that—what did we name it again…’

Caught up in old memories that suddenly surfaced, Blair sank into a daze. As she dug through the distant past, absorbed in thought, a woman’s whisper suddenly reached her ear.

“Keep that up and you’ll bore a hole right through the prince’s face.”

Turning her head, she saw a woman with brown hair and striking features smiling as if amused. When Blair gave her a look of confusion, the woman gestured toward Prince Kalinz with her eyes and said,

“Honestly, I was a bit surprised too. I didn’t expect his face to be that incredible.”

Only then did Blair realize she had been staring at the prince’s face while lost in thought, and she gave a belated, awkward smile.

“Ah… yes, you’re right about that.”

She didn’t bother making excuses. She had no good excuse to offer anyway, and the prince’s outstanding looks were an objective fact no one could deny.

Golden eyes contrasting with his dark hair. Neatly arched brows, a perfectly straight nose bridge, lips neither too thin nor too full. And past the sharp jawline, a subtly protruding Adam’s apple. The firm upper body and long legs suggested beneath his impeccably worn uniform.

He was like a statue sculpted by a god—possessing perfect looks.

‘He really is incredible-looking, literally.’

Even the other Florns—especially that formidable Anais Brienne—were blushing and stealing glances at the prince.

But Kalinz himself looked utterly unmoved. Every small gesture of his was as flawless as if it had come straight out of a book of etiquette, befitting a prince—yet there was no emotion in any of it.

It was just as a vague sense of repulsion crept over her at that attitude—