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His eyes were so sharp. I was so surprised that a strange sound popped out of me. It was the first time ever since I came to the capital that someone actually managed to recognize that I wasn’t Young Lady Bright. I was deeply moved and saddened at the same time. At least there’s actually one person with functioning eyes.
“W-What?…”
The receptionist was visibly flustered and looked back and forth between me and the young man in front of me. It was understandable, she was about to arbitrarily identify me as Young Lady Bright and arrest me. Even the people surrounding us were equally surprised.
“I’m not the Young Lady Bright.”
“I see. Since she’s not the Young Lady Bright. Let her go.”
The man declared with a clear and confident voice, and as soon as he finished, the receptionist’s hand immediately loosened her grasp on me. She seemed so scared by the man’s momentum.
“I told you, I’m Iris Sabrina!”
‘What’s wrong with this person’s ears?’
I glared at the receptionist as I dusted off my crumpled clothes.
“Sabrina?”
I was trying to bore a hole on that receptionist’s face with my eyes, when a voice came out of nowhere and asked me, in a surprised tone.
“Wendy, Is that your mother’s name?”
‘Wow. This beauty has surprised me several times today.’
I really didn’t think I’d meet someone who actually knew my mother’s name other than the Marquis of Bright.
“Uh, how did you know?” I stuttered, and he let out a small gasp. His crystal clear golden eyes sparkled as if he had spotted a prey. “Her Excellency, Viscountess Sabrina. Right?”
“Yes.. Also your subordinate was rude. Seriously I–.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No Sir, Um, I mean—…”
The receptionist’s attitude suggests that he was someone of a higher rank, but I have no idea who he was. As I stammered, not knowing how to address him. As if sensing my distress the beautiful man smiled with a twinkle in his eye.
“Alas, I was quite late in introducing myself. I am Vasiliou Foreste, Crown Prince of the Empire.”
‘Oh, my God, The crown prince?’
“Ah?”
He was much more of a big shot than I thought. After the young man revealed his identity, a collective gasp immediately came out from our surroundings. The crown prince didn’t care. It seemed like he was quite familiar with the surprised reaction of everyone who saw him. His gaze was still fixed solely on me.
“I would like to offer you a cup of tea as an apology, how about it?”
“What? No. I’m…”
As if he wouldn’t take no for an answer, the crown prince smiled with a twinkle in the corner of his eye. His eyes were like ripe peaches, with a little tint of red drawn out on the corners of it.
“…I Guess… if it’s just for a moment…” I awkwardly nodded my head while the crown prince immediately beamed in satisfaction. I accepted the offer not because he was beautiful… Definitely not because he’s beautiful… Yeah…
“Bill, would you mind making a cup of tea for our guest?”
“All right.”
I followed him to a room next to the reception desk. The room, which only contained a few small potted plants, was filled with the fragrant smell of flowers.
“Have a seat.”
“Uh, okay.”
As soon as I sat down in an awkward motion, an aide immediately brought in tea. As the hot water was poured, I saw a cluster of yellow petals blooming on the tea in front of me.
“This is a temporary place, so we don’t have any decent tea to serve. I apologize if our hospitality was a little lacking.”
“No, it’s very fragrant!!!”
‘If it’s not good enough, then what kind of tea are we drinking at the estate?’
The crown prince smiled faintly as he looked up from his teacup.
‘How come everyone in the capital are so pretty and handsome? They seem to be of a different race than the men in our estate.’
Perhaps that’s why my gaze kept drifting to his face, as if I was captivated by a fox demon.
“Drink carefully so you don’t burn your tongue.”
“What? Ah, yes.”
I thought about it earlier, but his voice was really soothing. As he was blowing on his cup, I also fumbled and brought the other teacup to my mouth.
“The tea is very…”
‘It’s tasteless.’
It must be a lie to say that bread that looks good is also good to eat. I didn’t expect the pretty, fragrant flower tea to taste so bad. My face scrunched up at the mercurial flavor that immediately made my mouth dry.
“It must be bad.”
“Hmm, it tastes a little old.”
It wasn’t just bad, it was also the worst thing I’ve had recently. Surely they didn’t serve this on purpose, right? Or does the crown prince have no taste? I couldn’t think of anything else to say about the strange taste.
“I’m sure you were very surprised earlier.”
“It’s alright, it’s been like that with every person I’ve met since yesterday.”
“Since yesterday?”
“Yes, I just arrived in the capital yesterday, for the Imperial Knights recruitment selection.”
I didn’t expect that the first time I arrived at the capital city would be so messed up yesterday morning. I actually felt like I’ve aged ten years after everything that I experienced.
“Is this your first time in the capital?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Then you must have been very surprised yesterday.”
“Yes, I was locked up inside the detention hall and… You’re actually the first person to recognize that I’m not that Young Lady Bright so…”
I looked at the crown prince like a person who had just met a hero, and he just smiled awkwardly as if the look in my eyes was overwhelming him.
“Well, you see, I have a good sense of smell.”
“?”
‘What does he mean? Was his nose like a dog’s? He was actually able to distinguish me from the Young Lady Bright because of my smell? Wait, what do I even smell?’
I was unnecessarily bothered, so I cautiously raised my arm and tried to sniff around. Seeing my behavior, the crown prince hastily added, “I don’t know. It’s not that you smell strange or anything like that. It’s just that everyone has their own body scent. They have had it ever since they were born. I just learned to distinguish them I guess.”
“So you distinguish people by their smell, not their faces…”
How can he distinguish people based on their scent? Does he really have a dog’s nose? Like the one from the legends?
“Are you disappointed?”
“No, it’s not like that.” I said, unwittingly revealing my embarrassment, and quickly waved my hand in the air.
“Why should I be disappointed? I mean… Your Highness has helped me get away from that situation so…” I was actually a little disappointed. I didn’t think you could tell a person apart by their body scent so… Does that mean the fresh floral fragrance that I’m smelling on the crown prince right now is his own body scent? I wrinkled my nose, but the crown prince put down his teacup and leaned in toward me.
“I didn’t tell you earlier, but apart from the scent, it’s also because your face is quite different from Young Lady Bright too.”
My eyes widened in surprise at the sudden proximity of his face. My breathing instantly halted.
“Up close like this, I can see it’s different enough.”
“Your eyes are a little more upturned than Young Lady Bright’s, your nose is a little more prominent, your lips are fuller, and your skin is less pale and more lively.”
“Uh, uh.. so.” I twitched my fingers, not wanting to push him away because he smelled so good and dangerous.
“If Young Lady Bright is a puppy, then you’re more like a cat, only cuter.”
When he finished, the crown prince leaned back in a satisfied frenzy, and it wasn’t until he was back in his seat that I could finally catch the breath I’d been holding.
“Anyway, you must have had a lot on your plate recently, so have you seen the Marquis of Bright?”
“Yes. He came by yesterday after being called over by the Guards. I also heard a bit of a story I didn’t know. It doesn’t really feel real yet.”
“Doesn’t feel real? I suppose you didn’t know about your parents?”
“No, I didn’t.”
I found out for the first time yesterday, and learned that I have a twin sister. Maybe if I hadn’t come to the capital, I wouldn’t have known about it all my life, but somehow I did. Knowing my mother’s personality she probably won’t tell me anything… And with the Butler and the Nanny’s loyalty towards her, it was obvious that they would choose to hide it from me as well.
“…Is that so?….”
“What? What did you say?”
“No nothing. I was just talking to myself.”
He must have thought I didn’t hear him, but I did, and I heard him say “That’s weird.”
‘What’s weird?’
I swallowed the question in my throat. I didn’t think he would answer if I asked. I decided to ask something else instead. “…There’s one thing I’d like to ask you.”
“What is it?”
“Do you think that… I’d still be able to take the selection test, even though I looked like Young Lady Bright?”
“If there are no other problems then you should be able to take the test, but..” The crown prince trailed off, then continued,
“…Something like today could happen again in the future.”
“Ah.”
“If you stay in the capital, you’ll be in a lot of trouble for a while. After all, Young Lady Bright had a lot of enemies.”
The crown prince’s words reminded me about the reactions I received from every person who saw me yesterday, and even today.
Their eyes, expressions, actions, and voices showed clear rejection and disdain.
“People’s emotions often take precedence over reason, so even if they know you’re not the same person as Young Lady Bright… They might still show you hostility.”
“That’s true.” I said, my voice rising with a hint of impatience, “So I think, it might be better for you to go back to your estate and live comfortably. If you stay in the capital, things won’t be easy…”
I knew what the crown prince was trying to say, but I couldn’t give up on my long-held dream. That dream of becoming a knight was what made living inside that barren mountain estate bearable. “I will definitely become a knight,” I said, after pushing away the loneliness that sometimes enveloped me. I cleared my throat to keep my voice from becoming hoarse and looked him in the eye.
“Well, if Young Miss’ will is firm then… I will have to relent.”
The crown prince looked at my stubbornness and laughed softly, making a piercing, wind-deflating sound.
“I’m sorry for being too blunt earlier.” He apologized meekly.
“No, you said that because you were worried about me.”
“I was more selfish than worried. His Majesty has entrusted this selection test to me, and I want it to finish without a heap.”
“I understand.”
After all, weeds must be uprooted before they can grow. If I recall correctly, the crown prince was currently in the midst of a close and precarious power struggle even though he was already hailed as the next owner of the empire. From his point of view, my appearance could be troublesome enough.