NTWBR 09

Chapter 09

“Your Highness the Princess, would you care to dance with me?”

“Who…”

At a familiar voice, she turned around.

And there, she saw a man with a beaming, smiling face.

“Crown Prince Franz?”

“Then who did you think it was?”

“I didn’t think it would be you.”

“Well, anyway. Everyone’s watching. Would you dance with me?”

It was exactly as Franz Mestia had said.

The eyes of all the nobles and foreign dignitaries in the ballroom were fixed on Irene and Crown Prince Franz.

In any sense, it was a difficult situation to refuse this dance request.

*’This snake-like bastard.’*

With a reluctant feeling, Irene took Crown Prince Franz’s hand.

Crown Prince Franz, holding Irene’s hand, led her to the center of the ballroom.

His dancing skills were quite good, as befitting a crown prince of a nation.

*’He dances well, as expected. No wonder he seduced so many women.’*

Not only his dancing skills, but his attitude and manners were also neat and cultured.

However, contrary to appearances, Franz remained silent until the dance was half over.

Usually, at a ball, light conversation was considered good manners unless dancing with a very difficult person.

“Why are you so quiet?”

“Do you think there’s a need to speak?”

“Then let’s not say a word until the end.”

It was a different voice from his kindly smiling face.

Irene also maintained a smiling face.

Her intention was to make them appear to be on good terms outwardly.

Regardless of what people thought, the dance between the heirs to the thrones of both nations ended after two songs.

Having smiled throughout the two dances, Irene’s face was practically aching.

“Not bad, are you?”

“Don’t say that.”

“You seem to know quite a bit about me already.”

*’Of course I do, you good-for-nothing bastard.’*

*’How much does she know about me, this woman?’*

Outwardly, Irene and Franz both smiled, hiding their true feelings.

As far as was known publicly, Irene had only heard rumors about Franz.

So she judged that there was nothing more she could say to him.

With no more dance requests coming, she turned to go back to her seat.

“……!”

At that moment, Franz grabbed Irene’s hand as she turned away.

Irene looked at Franz, who was holding her hand.

Then, murmuring sounds began to be heard from around them.

The murmurs of the people, loud enough for Irene to hear, were burdensome to her.

“Talk to me for a moment.”

“Let go.”

“Just for a moment.”

“I have nothing to say to you.”

“I have something to say to you.”

“…Then say it here.”

“This isn’t something to say here.”

“Then you have nothing to say. Let go of this.”

They spoke quietly, their voices low enough for only each other to hear.

Thanks to that, people around could only tell that they were having a conversation.

Irene glared at Franz, who was gripping her wrist tightly.

“Staring like that won’t make me let go.”

“I said let go.”

“I said I have something to say.”

“I have nothing to say to you.”

“I have something to say. It’ll be beneficial for you too?”

“Say it here. I don’t want to start rumors.”

“…Let’s dance one more time. I’ll tell you then.”

“If you say something weird, it’s over right away.”

At Crown Prince Franz’s gesture, the musicians began to play again.

It was a slow dance.

Due to the nature of this slow dance, the man and woman had to stay close together.

As the two began to dance closely, other couples also came out to dance.

“What nonsense are you trying to say by doing this?”

“Marry me.”

“No.”

“It’ll be beneficial for you too?”

“In what way?”

“To become Empress.”

It was Franz repeating the words Irene had said in the audience room a week ago.

Watching him speak with a sly smile, Irene felt the urge to step on his foot.

“Wouldn’t marrying you make it impossible for me to become Empress?”

“Then how about just getting engaged to me?”

“That’s a ridiculous thing to say. You just want to marry me to solidify your position in Mestia.”

“I can’t deny that.”

Irene became curious about Franz’s intentions.

There was no hint of concealment in Franz’s eyes as he parried everything she threw at him.

If he were hiding something, he would have used his eloquent speech to deflect.

From his calm way of speaking, it seemed he too was hiding something from Irene.

“Why do you want to marry me, or even just get engaged?”

“Because I need you, and you’ll need me.”

“So why?”

“First, I need you. And you’ll need me too. Am I wrong?”

“Tell me the reason.”

She was tired of exchanging vague, ambiguous words with him.

“Because I’m sorry.”

“What?”

“Because I’m sorry. To you, and to the child. Both of you.”

“……!”

Irene suddenly felt goosebumps all over her body.

She wondered if Franz might know something.

For example, that she had regressed.

If not that, what on earth was his intention in saying such things?

“So I’m saying let’s at least get engaged.”

“No… way. I have no reason to do that with you.”

“If there isn’t one, can’t we just make one?”

With these words, the dance ended.

Irene and Franz exchanged greetings with each other.

Irene barely acknowledged the greeting and hurried back to her seat.

Ernst approached Irene and handed her a drink.

“Your Highness the Princess, you look unwell.”

“……”

“Your Highness the Princess?”

“…What… did you say?”

“You look unwell, Your Highness.”

“…I’m just tired.”

She took the drink Ernst offered and downed it in one go.

Still, the goosebumps on her back showed no sign of subsiding.

After drinking several glasses in succession, she finally came to her senses.

*’Does he… know that I came back from death?’*

She became uneasy. She wondered if Franz knew her true identity, which no one else knew.

What if Franz knew her true identity?

At this thought, the goosebumps returned.

Ernst’s eyes, watching the anxious Irene, were also filled with unease.

With this memory, the first party celebrating her sixteenth birthday came to an end.

To be precise, she wondered how she had managed to stay until the end of the ball.

It was only when Irene lay down on her bed that it felt real.

“What is it? What on earth is his intention?”

There was no Franz Mestia to answer.

*’No… no, he can’t have regressed like me. It’s just a feeler.’*

Irene tried to wash away the strange anxiety by wiping her face with her hands.

Still, a lingering unease remained in one corner of her chest.

What if Franz had also regressed?

Just thinking about it made the goosebumps stay.

“……”

Irene stayed up all night, mulling over this and that thought, troubled.

Seeing the sun rise beyond the window, Irene shook her head.

No matter how much she racked her brain, it didn’t seem like a problem that would be decided immediately.

“Princess?”

“Oh?”

“Didn’t you sleep?”

“Huh? Oh. I couldn’t sleep.”

There was no need to elaborate on what happened next.

She simply received the attention of her maids and had her morning makeup done.

Someone came looking for Irene.

“Princess.”

“Why.”

“A guest has arrived! It’s Crown Prince Franz!”

“What?”

It was exactly as the maids had said.

Franz Mestia had come to visit.

Irene looked at the excited maids.

She wondered if this was really a time to be happy about this situation.

“Bring me a simple dress. I don’t need to get all dressed up.”

“Why not? Such a handsome man like Crown Prince Franz has come!”

“Yes! You should dress up!”

“Are you saying I’m ugly?”

“Th, that’s not it…”

“If you’re going to talk like that, leave.”

“……”

She was tired.

It was probably just a simple visit, nothing special, so she didn’t understand why she needed to dress up.

So she simply changed into a plain dress, tied her hair up, and went out to the reception room where Crown Prince Franz was said to be.

Upon entering, she saw Crown Prince Franz chatting with the maids.

“Getting along well with my maids?”

“Ah, I was just having a little chat. Why? Jealous already?”

Franz spoke as if it were nothing, and the maids looked disappointed.

Irene was dumbfounded by this sight.

She wanted to ask him what on earth he was thinking.

Suppressing these thoughts, Irene sat down across from Crown Prince Franz.

“Is that so? What brings you here so early in the morning?”

“No tea?”

She was flabbergasted.

So flabbergasted that she wondered just how far his audacity would go.

But these thoughts were short-lived.

“…Did you hear? Go and bring some tea.”

“Princess…”

“Just bring the tea and leave. Don’t even think about eavesdropping.”

At Irene’s cold reaction, the maids pouted their lips, then quickly brought refreshments and left.

Irene watched the maids leave the reception room, then took a sip of tea.

The two remained silent until more than half the tea was gone.

“The fragrance is nice.”

“What did you come here to say?”

“Marry me.”

It was the same words as the night before.

*’Did you come at this hour just to say that?’*

Irene suppressed her rising irritation and opened her mouth.

“For what reason?”

“As I said last night? I need you. And you will need me too.”

“Why do you think I would need you, Your Highness?”

“Shall I say… for the sake of the throne, as you mentioned?”

Crown Prince Franz’s words sounded like pure coercion to Irene.

So she ignored his words, raised her teacup, and took a sip.

Crown Prince Franz, visible beyond the teacup, seemed to have more to say.

“Go on. I’ll listen and decide.”

“If I say more, will you at least get engaged to me?”

“I’m the one who decides, so just tell me first.”

Suppressing the rising irritation, she answered Franz.

“…Fine.”

For about thirty minutes after that, Crown Prince Franz’s explanation continued.

The content of his explanation was this:

One month ago, he had woken up to find himself back at eighteen years old.

And that he remembered having been married, and that he had kicked Irene’s belly, causing a miscarriage.

The memories had flooded in like a wave.

Additionally, he added that his position as Crown Prince was in jeopardy.

After listening to Franz’s long explanation, Irene understood what Franz had said the night before.

Whether his apology last night was sincere or not.

One thing was certain: he, like Irene, remembered the previous life.

That didn’t change the fact that he had killed Irene’s child.

*’I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I have no intention of following your plans.’*

Irene smiled at Franz.

Then Franz also smiled brightly at Irene.

It was such a bright smile that one wondered what he meant by it.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying right now, Your Highness. How could a person possibly do such a thing?”

“Look at me. I am the proof.”

“If such things existed in the world, there would be no one unjustly accused, wouldn’t there?”

“What nonsense is that! It’s true! Believe me!”

“If you came all this way at this early hour just to say that, I’d rather you left.”

At Irene’s words, Crown Prince Franz jumped up from his seat and came to her side.

Then he immediately knelt down.

Irene was startled and stood up.

“What are you doing?”

“I need you. So help me.”

“How can I possibly help you?”

“Marry me, no, at least get engaged to me.”

“That’s the same thing in the end. No.”

“Help me, Irene de Ištana. Please.”

*’There’s definitely a reason. I need to find out that reason!’*

Irene bent down and whispered in Franz’s ear.

“Tell me the reason. The real reason I should help you.”