”It’s been a while.”
At those words, I slowly turned around.
Standing there was a man in a crown prince’s formal attire, magnificent golden hair that seemed to gather sunlight, and emerald eyes that could outshine fresh green leaves. He was half a head taller than me – His Highness the Crown Prince.
A little over three years ago, when my engagement to Garrett was finalized, I finally had the chance to greet my betrothed, Garrett, and His Highness Crown Prince Ethan. Since then, I had never met Ethan privately. Naturally, being addressed by him was a first in three full years.
Crown Prince Ethan turns twenty-one this year. Even just entering the venue, his commanding presence drew everyone’s eyes – an authority he hadn’t possessed three years ago. I’d heard that despite his busy political duties, he never missed a day of training, as he served in the Magic Corps. Beneath his practical military uniform, rumor said, was a lean, honed physique; his will was like steel.
He maintained the bare minimum of royal appearance but apparently favored no ostentation. Carrying a sword, wielding magic, sometimes training, sometimes hunting monsters – Crown Prince Ethan was, by all accounts, the very picture of rugged integrity.
Well, of course he was. If he was the man I knew…
I caught myself and reined in my thoughts.
The man before me was the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Rendel. The radiant heir to the throne, known in the streets as the Sun Prince. I mustn’t think of him so familiarly.
”Your Highness…”
I tore my gaze away, gathered my skirt, and lowered myself into a curtsy.
Crown Prince Ethan was the one person among the royal family I had wanted to see – and yet, never wanted to see.
When I received the fan from Queen Margaretta and learned my partner would be “a man of the royal family,” I had already mentally crossed off all the currently engaged princes – including Ethan. Crown Prince Ethan was engaged to Princess Aliya of the Shium Kingdom. The Queen wouldn’t possibly introduce him as a “royal relative” for matchmaking.
Still, before I retreated to my territory, I wanted to see him just once – to confirm something. I had only met Crown Prince Ethan once before, three years ago. And at that time, he had said something to me – something I could never forget.
I simply had to know.
Was Crown Prince Ethan the reincarnation of my other half?
And if so… did he carry those past-life memories?
My past life and this one were separate. I understood that Saki’s life had ended, and Rebecca had her own life to live. But knowing it logically and longing for it in my heart were two very different things.
If this was just my imagination, I could live out this life in peace, with my love for him cradled quietly in my heart.
If it wasn’t just my imagination…
When I imagined that scenario too vividly, I realized exchanging words would only hurt us both.
Prince Ethan’s engagement was not like the ordinary betrothals within Rendel – it was a treaty between kingdoms, something that could never be dissolved. The duties placed upon a crown prince were heavy and merciless enough to swallow any personal desire whole.
In contrast, we had been intense – fierce, even. Our possessiveness ran deep; we tolerated no betrayal, but when we loved, we loved without limit. We would take everything, or we would cut out everything that did not belong to us.
If I knew we could never be together, I shouldn’t meet him. But now, such thoughts were too late.
We had already met again.
There was no mistaking it. Crown Prince Ethan was the one – the only one – I had ever loved.
As I remained in my curtsy, I found myself deeply troubled.
How long had he known? What did he know? And how much?
And how was Queen Margaretta involved in all of this?
Given the flow of events, nine times out of ten, the “man of the royal family” written on the back of the fan was indeed Ethan. Normally, partners’ names were written along the fan’s ribs, about eight or nine names in total. But here, the entire surface of the fan was covered in writing – meaning there was likely only one person intended.
If it meant I was supposed to become Ethan’s mistress…
I shook off the suspicion in an instant. I was overthinking it. In the first place, Queen Margaretta wasn’t the type to tolerate her close friend’s daughter becoming a mistress – nor her own son taking one. She was, in fact, a deeply compassionate woman who counseled mutual respect and the cultivation of love, even in political marriages.
It was more natural to think that the Queen had cooperated with someone – though the name was left unsaid – fully aware she’d be suspected of arranging a mistress.
Even if it had been an invitation to become his mistress, my answer would still be no. I could never share the one I loved with anyone else.
Besides, if by some chance I were treated as a mistress, my father would be furious, and I knew my mother would support my decision to remain unmarried with all her heart.
Once I’d reasoned that far, I felt a little calmer.
I should be grateful that my matchmaking partner turned out to be just one person – even if the writing that filled the entire fan surface felt less like an invitation and more like an obsession that refused to let me go.
”Please, raise your head.”
Prince Ethan’s voice fell from above. I could stretch this out no further. I looked up.
”You haven’t changed at all, Rebecca. Or… perhaps you have? You’ve become more beautiful than you were three years ago.”
It was precisely the way such words slipped so easily from his lips that made him dangerous. It made me read too deeply into everything he said.
I decided to acknowledge only the surface compliment – and add a sharp little barb of my own.
”Surely you’re teasing me. Your fiancée, Princess Aliya, is far more beautiful – many times over. Teasing a newcomer like me – is this part of the debut season’s hazing? Perhaps I should retreat to my territory early, after all.”
I replied with a bright smile, and Prince Ethan’s eyes widened in surprise.
A man who already has a fiancée is not welcome here. I will run as far as I can.
That unspoken meaning must have reached him accurately. The man I knew would have understood it without question.
His eyes – so brilliant they could outshine even the finest emeralds – lit up with delight. The perfect prince, wearing his flawless Crown Prince’s mask, let a smile curve at the corner of his lips.
From all around, little gasps and squeals of excitement rose. These were all refined young ladies, but at this moment, they probably felt like fans who’d just caught an idol’s smile. If paparazzi existed in this world, that smile would have sold for a fortune.
”Even so,” he said, “as long as the ‘man of the royal family’ written on that fan is me, you cannot escape – nor will I let you.”
Now it was my turn to stare.
I was certain. The one behind that fan, the true mastermind, was none other than him.
For better or worse, his whispered threat – spoken so close to my ear – never reached the adoring crowd gathered around the Crown Prince.
Summary:
Rebecca reunites with Crown Prince Ethan at a formal event, confirming he is the “man of the royal family” from the Queen’s fan. She wrestles with her past-life memories and the painful recognition that he may remember her as well, even as his political engagement to Princess Aliya makes any connection impossible. His whispered threat reveals he orchestrated the entire matchmaking scheme, leaving Rebecca trapped between her love for him and the reality of their circumstances.
Trivia:
- Rebecca’s engagement to Garrett was finalized just over three years ago, which was also the last time she met Ethan before this chapter.
- Ethan is the only person among the royal family that Rebecca both desperately wanted to see and desperately wanted to avoid.
- The fan’s writing covered the entire surface rather than the usual 8-9 names along the ribs, indicating a single intended partner.
- Rebecca mentally excluded Ethan from her matchmaking list because he was already engaged to Princess Aliya.
- Ethan serves in the Magic Corps and maintains rigorous daily training despite his political duties.
- The phrase “nine times out of ten” appears as a localization of the Japanese idiom “十中八九” (jūchū hakku).
- Queen Margaretta is described as a deeply compassionate woman who would not tolerate her son taking a mistress, yet she cooperated with Ethan’s scheme.
- Ethan’s words to Rebecca three years ago left an impression she refuses to quote even in her internal monologue.
- The whispered threat at the end of the chapter is deliberately inaudible to the surrounding crowd, preserving Ethan’s public image while making his intentions clear to Rebecca.
Translation Notes:
1 ↩ In Japanese, “政略結婚” (seiryaku kekkon) refers to a marriage arranged for political or strategic reasons rather than love. The term “treaty between kingdoms” emphasizes that breaking such an engagement would have international consequences, unlike a private engagement between nobles. This nuance is critical to understanding why Rebecca believes Ethan’s engagement cannot be dissolved even if he remembers their past life.