Chapter 74: Chapter 74

Wendy seemed to have a slight pain in her stomach. Obviously it was abdominal pain due to her hypersensitivity. It seemed that he would hear her stomach growling. Lard said, looking straight at her, “I want you to stay beside me just a little bit…If you want me to tell the truth, that’s how I feel toward you. I will do as you wish, but don’t try to stop me from being in the place where I want to be. ”

“… ”

The silence between them continued for a while. She didn’t know what to say.

Sighing, he opened his mouth first, looking at her confused expression.

“I have paid Benfork’s parents enough for this house. I also promised to be the boy’s guardian. As I can’t leave the little boy alone here yet, I feel like I am going to visit this place often…You’re going to be my neighbor.”

She frowned at him. Benfork’s grinning at her a moment ago flashed through her mind.

“…Don’t you think about others around this place? Don’t you remember the reason why I told you not to come to this place? I have no idea what kind of bad trick the Earl Scholters family will play on me.”

“If they can’t overcome my anger, they won’t be able to do anything against you. If they do, that means they’re going to turn their back on the Schroder family. I’m saying this because I’ve already taken precautions to protect you. So, there is nothing to worry about, ” he said in a resolute tone.

“I think time is up. I think we need to hurry up to get to the palace on time. ”

After checking his pocket watch, he stood up first, “Will you give me your hand?”

He reached out to Wendy as he stood up. She looked at his extended hand with a complex expression. She felt she should not hold his hand, but she could not easily take his eyes off of his hand.

She opened her eyes in surprise and stiffened. He grabbed her hand silently after approaching her, who was standing still. His grip on her hand was so strong that she could not pull her hand away.

Then, he walked as if to ignore her refusal.

Walking, led by the man holding her hand tight, Wendy had to quicken her step to avoid stepping on her dress. She was upset, but she couldn’t tell if she was angry at the man or herself. Looking at his hand, she decided to forget grumbling for now.

Lard and Wendy soon arrived at the imperial palace, which was crowded with people. The two stood out among them, though. As soon as they got out of the wagon, the crowds immediately paid attention to Wendy and Lard.

Wendy covered her bare face unconsciously with her hands because she didn’t put on the veiled hat because she left the house in a hurry, shocked by Lard’s sudden appearance in Benfork’s house.

She belatedly discovered she had it with her, so she agonized over whether to go back to pick up the veiled hat, but she couldn’t because she would have been late if she had.

So, she lowered her head.

While they were moving to the place where the ceremony was held, the crowd were watching them carefully. She looked up at his face and held his hand firmly, as if she was not conscious of their attention. He soon met her eyes. Although his eyes seemed indifferent, she could feel his grip tightening, which made her feel relaxed somehow.

The ceremony place in the rose garden on the east side of the palace was already crowded with people. Aristocratic women in dresses more colorful than roses looked at the two with great interest. It was clear that they were whispering about the two, given that they covered their mouths with fans and leaned toward each other.

“Captain!”

Right at the moment one of the knights, with golden hair, noticed them, walking toward the two.

He was Jean, dressed up nicely in the dark blue uniform. His hair shining brightly in the sunshine sparkled more today. He gladly greeted Wendy with a nod.

He thought of showing due manners by kissing on the back of her hand but gave up because he found it hard to do so in front of his boss who was holding hand tightly as if to protect her.

He said with a smile, “I thought you weren’t coming because you were late, Miss Wendy. You are beautiful today.”

“Oh, Melissa is right there under that shade. It looks like she is very nervous,” he said with a laugh, as if he felt she was looking for Melissa.

“I think you should be by her side. There are so many people here that she definitely feels nervous. ”

“Sure, will do. I hope you have a good time.” He playfully saluted Lard.

“Hope you can have a nice ceremony.”

When Lard said that, Jean had a complicated and subtle expression and hurried back to Melissa.

It seemed he didn’t feel uncomfortable because he knew he was claiming the baron title which should have been Wendy’s. Looking at him with a pitiful expression, she turned her eyes to the attendant’s roaring voice announcing the crown prince’s arrival.

“Crown Prince Isaac von Benyahan has arrived!”

The prince climbed on the marble platform and looked over the crowd with a smile. As if he noticed Lard and Wendy among the crowd, there was a satisfied smile on his face.

The ceremony began. Jean and Melissa came forward in front of the Prince when their names were called, and they knelt in order. Unlike the sword used for bestowing knighthood, a short dagger was used for the noble title awarding ceremony. It was a dagger used by the first emperor Nicholas Benyahan engraved with a colorful pattern on the blade.

Jean put his forehead on the dagger and pledged allegiance to the imperial family. Melissa, who received the dagger with trembling hands, swore, too. Soon the prince came near them and put a red ruby-embedded badge on their chests, a symbol of the Benyahan imperial family. The prince smiled at Melissa while putting the badge on a ruffle on the bodice of her dress, feeling as if her hardened face was cute. Her face turned as red as the ruby on the ruffle.

After the ceremony was over, there was a reception to congratulate the two.

In the rose garden, where beautiful melodies began to play, people enjoyed chatting and laughing, holding glasses of champagne in their hands.

After exchanging pleasantries with some, the prince walked towards Wendy and Lard, laughing brightly as if he had been waiting for this moment.

“Oh! I’m so happy to see you again, though I saw you only a few days ago. ”

Wendy reluctantly smiled at him, because she couldn’t harden her expression in front of the happy prince.

“You guys are in the limelight in social circles these days. They are calling you the couple of the century!” The prince spoke with a surprised tone.

Looking at the prince’s sly expression, she thought that his curly hair seemed to be more curly today and she was upset that he embarrassed her so much. Some of the crowd wandering around the two listened to their conversation. Everybody was now paying their attention to the prince’s conversation with them.

Prince Isaac leaned over to them and whispered, “Look at their gazes, straining their ears over there. Don’t you think they are looking at you as if you’re the protagonists in this place today?”

“Oh, today’s protagonists are coming over here. It looks like they know you’re talking about them,” said Lard blankly, watching Jean and Melissa walking toward them. The prince smiled and looked at them, but he didn’t seem to have been offended by Lard’s joking.

After congratulating them, the prince soon left the place, but he did not forget to give a meaningful smile to Wendy before leaving. She couldn’t figure out what the hell he meant by it.

Watching his actions carefully, Wendy could only breathe a sigh of relief when he left.

Melissa felt the same way. When the prince disappeared, Melissa grumbled freely as if she was relaxed now.

“Oh, I was so nervous while the ceremony was going on that I couldn’t breathe!”

With an excited face, Melissa leaned over to Wendy. Wendy was embarrassed by her informal actions but had no choice but to stand still, surprised by her reaction.

Jean and Melissa carried on the conversation skillfully with Wendy and Lard who were silent with blank expressions.

Hearing the people whispering about her here and there, Wendy casually stared at their faces briefly, as if she was pretending to look outside the window.

‘Is it right for me to stand here?’

Wendy sighed when she felt she couldn’t share the same feelings with the people gathered for this ceremony today.

She really felt awkward at the moment. Wendy, deliberately pretending to grab a glass of champagne, gently pushed Melissa to the side. Melissa’s champagne glass tilted slightly. Wendy’s hem got wet with the transparent champagne flowing from Melissa’s glass.