Chapter 6
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Chapter 6
As dusk descended upon the Augusta Mansion, my room brimmed with unbridled joy and exhilaration.
"Good heavens! Your Highness Leopold, you're absolutely brilliant, aren't you?"
Despite the formal address that escaped my lips, I was already bouncing about, kicking off my shoes. Leopold, seated in the deep green chair by the window with his long legs crossed, regarded me with an expression of utter bewilderment.
"I was genuinely on the verge of believing I'd lost my mind—acting against the Count's wishes based merely on a ghost's words. But the moment the study door opened and I saw that enormous oil painting hanging behind Count Oslo, I realized your words might actually work."
I chattered away as I set my hastily removed shoes in the corner of the room. Gone was the moment of prayer and talk of ghosts; now my voice overflowed with joy and gratitude.
Leopold rested his chin on one hand, regarding my endless prattle with evident interest before responding.
"Count Oslo is not as complicated a man as all that."
His grayish-green eyes regarded me with gentle warmth. I noticed he wore the green cravat of Holland Kingdom, draped diagonally at his neck.
"Truly, it's the most extraordinary feeling I've ever experienced. In that moment, I was no longer the Augusta family's tomboy—I became the wise Charlotte who rescued our household from financial ruin. And that's not all!"
I bounded onto the bed, flinging myself across it as I continued.
"Not only did Count Oslo refuse compensation, but the Royal Nobleman beside him recommended us for an invitation to the Royal Ball next week. He even promised to introduce us personally to the guests."
My voice trembled with happiness. According to society's conventions, even the most beautiful lady could not converse or dance with gentlemen to whom she had not been properly introduced. Thus, for unmarried ladies of marriageable age, finding a well-connected sponsor was nearly as crucial as finding a husband.
'To have a Count serve as my sponsor! I'll meet all of London's most distinguished and wealthy suitors!'
I giggled at the image of myself being introduced by someone of Count Oslo's stature, and dancing with some magnificent gentleman who would astound my parents and sisters all over again. Lost in these blissful reveries, I rolled across the bed once more.
"Are you truly so pleased?"
A grown lady bouncing about like this was entirely foreign to Leopold, who had spent his entire life in court. He tilted one eye corner upward, watching me with evident amusement.
"Of course! It's wonderf—"
I lay in bed, about to answer, when I faltered. In that instant, my eyes met Leopold's.
In the dusky evening light, Leopold's face, tilted slightly to one side, appeared breathtakingly beautiful. His softly luminous sage-green eyes, the hair brushing his features, his dignified bearing, his broad shoulders—I suddenly realized he had witnessed my every foolish thought, and my cheeks flushed crimson.
Leopold raised one dark eyebrow toward me—a silent question as to why I had stopped mid-sentence. I stirred slightly upright and continued what I had been about to say.
"W-well, yes, that is to say, it is wonderful! Perhaps at this ball, I too might have a dance partner!"
I steadied my voice to match Leopold's composed demeanor. Yet the vitality in my expression refused to fade.
Leopold gazed at my flushed cheeks for a moment, then rose from where he sat.
"Very well. Since I have fulfilled the lady's purpose, it is now my turn to ask a favor of you."
With his tall, commanding frame, he seemed far more suited to a magnificent palace than to my modest chamber. Leopold approached the bed where I sat, his movements graceful and assured.
"That ball to which Count Oslo extended an invitation—it is in fact a royal ball held in my honor."
"Ah! Now that you mention it..."
I had been entranced by Leopold's elegant movements, but now I lifted my gaze. Helena had mentioned it before as well—a ball welcoming the prince of Holland Kingdom, the season's grandest social event, jointly hosted by Count Oslo and the Royal Court.
I hesitated before speaking.
"But Your Highness, you are not visible to anyone at present. How can you possibly attend the ball..."
Indeed, how could the ball proceed when it remained uncertain whether its guest of honor would even appear? As I tilted my head in confusion, Leopold's gentle voice reached my ears.
"The fact that preparations for the welcome reception continue means they do not yet know of my disappearance."
Leopold had drawn close and now sat beside me. Perhaps it was mere fancy, but I seemed to catch the scent of something sweet and sensual—sandalwood—emanating from him.
"But surely it is strange that people have not discovered you missing for several days, when you are the godson of the King of England and a prince of a realm?"
I whispered, breathing in the alluring fragrance that surrounded Leopold. He responded with a mysterious smile.
"Officially, I have not yet arrived in England. I was scheduled to arrive on the day of Count Oslo's party."
His deep sage-green eyes gleamed beneath the candlelight. His gaze was endlessly sharp and cold, yet in the next moment it seemed to shimmer like the soft shadows of dawn.
Leopold continued in his soft, deep voice.
"But I came to England in secret, concealing my identity, and have been living here for some time. I had matters to attend to for the independence of Holland Kingdom... So there are very few people who would know that I've gone missing."
Charlotte blinked and opened her mouth.
"Very few... Then the person who has reduced you to this phantom existence must have known that you were already in England!"
At Charlotte's words, Leopold's lips curved into a faint smile.
"Precisely, my lady."
Encouraged by his gentle agreement, Charlotte continued.
"Then people will only learn of the Holland Kingdom prince's disappearance on the day of the reception..."
Charlotte's words trailed off. Leopold seized the pause to speak.
"Or they will learn that I am already dead."
Charlotte flinched at Leopold's measured yet piercing tone. Dead. This man before her—so beautiful, so vividly alive, exuding such a sensual fragrance—might already have ceased to exist in this world.
'Of course, I called him a ghost from the beginning, but perhaps I never truly contemplated the reality of what has befallen His Highness Leopold's body.'
Charlotte gazed at Leopold with an expression of shock. As if reading her heart, Leopold offered her a composed smile. Yet his serene beauty, his youth, and the clarity of his gaze only deepened her sense of sorrow.
Then Leopold slowly spoke.
"Whether it is disappearance or death, neither matters to me. For Holland Kingdom, for the purpose I came to England, I still need to find the culprit. And my lady, I need your help."
As Leopold tilted his head at an angle, soft strands of hair fell across his forehead. And beneath the gaps of his dress shirt, the firm line of his neck was revealed.
"It is difficult for a prince of a nation to come to England in disguise. So I sought the aid of an old friend who lives in London. A trustworthy friend, but perhaps information about my whereabouts has leaked without even his knowledge. That is why I would like you to meet with him."
When Leopold finished speaking, Charlotte nodded emphatically. Regardless of their transaction, she felt a genuine desire to be of help to him.
"Of course, Your Highness Leopold. Who is this person I must meet?"
At Charlotte's passionate response, Leopold smiled knowingly.
"It won't be easy for an unmarried lady to spend private time alone with a gentleman. Especially not one with such a scandalous reputation."
Charlotte's shoulders sagged. She understood perfectly well—an unmarried woman without a chaperone was as invisible to society as a ghost, her opportunities for private conversation nearly nonexistent. As she sank into melancholy contemplation, Leopold's voice continued.
"However, things change considerably at a ball where society mingles freely. Particularly for a young lady introduced by someone as well-connected as Count Oslo."
Charlotte's head snapped up, her dejection vanishing in an instant.
"Oh! He'll be attending Your Highness's reception ball as well? Then I can speak with him there. What a perfectly extraordinary coincidence! Without Count Oslo's invitation today, my sisters and I would never have been able to attend the Royal Ball at all...."
In that moment of joy at being able to help Leopold, a shadow of doubt flickered across Charlotte's mind. Her eyes narrowed, her round pupils sharpening with sudden suspicion.
"Wait a moment, Your Highness Leopold. Did you perhaps help me make a good impression on Count Oslo precisely so that I could attend the Royal Ball? And conveniently in front of the Royal Nobleman, no less?"
She had believed he was merely showing her how to win Count Oslo's favor for their transaction. But if she needed to attend Count Oslo's ball in order to help him, then his proposal had been calculated several moves ahead from the start.
Leopold let out a soft laugh at Charlotte's more intricate deduction than he had anticipated. It was a quiet affirmation.
Did royalty practice smiling beautifully as a discipline? Charlotte found herself thinking that Leopold's low laughter sounded as pleasant as music played softly. Yet she voiced her complaint with deliberately petulant indignation.
"Good heavens! So I haven't made a deal with Your Highness at all—I've simply been dancing to your tune from the very beginning!"
To Charlotte's protest, Leopold added in a gentle voice.
"Don't worry, my lady. You won't come out behind in this. By helping me, you'll eventually meet all of England's most distinguished and eligible suitors."
His face, touched with amusement, shone with a nobility more radiant than ever before. Charlotte had to gather her composure once more, feeling her wits scatter in his presence.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org