Don't Come to Wendy's Flower House

Why did she overlap her memory with the princess? Wendy could not blame the princess, but it didn’t mean that she could tolerate the prince’s efforts to try to use her and Lard just because she didn’t blame him now.

The two sat silently for a while. Princess Marian stood up only when Asharon, who was asleep, trembled as if she had convulsions.

“In fact, it was really hard for me to come over here today. I couldn’t help but show myself here to celebrate my father’s birthday. As I was too anxious to leave Asharon to someone else at my mansion, I had no choice but to carry her in my arms here… I think you can go back now. Would you like to go back together?”

She left the women’s lounge and walked down the hallway back to the banquet hall. On her way back, she was lost in thought. She found herself involved in dangerous things even before she knew it. It was not easy even if she tried to understand the situation logically.

And it might not make sense to try to judge the absurd situation logically.

She had to come up with the best solution she could find. But was there such a thing?

Suddenly she recalled Lard’s face. His gray eyes and sparkling pupils clearly lingered in her mind. Like the wind blowing by the river, she was swayed by complicated thoughts.

What would he say to her right at this moment?

“I really want you and Sir Schroder to have a good relationship. Of course, the prince is of the same mind. After I talked with you today, I really hope so from the bottom of my heart.” Marian spoke, patting Asharon’s back. The baby twisted as if she was surprised by the noise of the banquet hall.

“In fact, my relationship with Sir Schroder…”

The moment Wendy was trying to clarify her relationship with Lard, she breathed in without finishing her words, as if she was stunned.

It was because she inadvertently saw some familiar faces.

Various thoughts that complicated her mind a little while ago disappeared at once. She was trembling with astonishment.

She saw several familiar faces in front of the table with champagne on one side of the banquet hall. She didn’t want to see their faces again. Their shadows overwhelmed her as if they were burning out all the lights of the gorgeous chandelier. Their red hair only filled the darkness.

Wendy moaned unconsciously. She felt some pain as if her fingertips were indiscriminately pierced by the thorns hidden between the bushes.

Mrs. Hazlet was introducing Francis to somebody with a feigned smile. Francis was smiling shyly, she looked more slender but more mature than Wendy saw her last time.

“Are you okay? You look a bit pale…” Marian asked Wendy, seeing her face turning white.

“Excuse me, please.”

Wendy stepped away, saying goodbye quickly. The moment she turned around, Francis turned her head towards Wendy. Wendy didn’t realize Francis’ red hair was waving toward her.

Her heart sank, ‘Did she recognize me?’

Wendy got so nervous while she was stepping out of the banquet hall. She felt the hem of her dress caught between her legs could not be more cumbersome.

While walking through the hallway in front of the banquet hall, she hurriedly hid behind a dim column. Her anxiety that Francis might follow made her crazy. She hoped it was groundless fear.

In the shade of the pillar, she breathed out nervously. The moment she was biting her lip in nervousness, she heard the sounds of somebody clicking heels through the hallway. She was in extreme anxiety now.

A little later Francis came into her view. Dressed in a colorful dress embroidered on a black fabric, she kept looking around the hallway. That black and red color of her dress disturbed Wendy’s eyes.

Wendy closed her eyes. What should she do if she were caught by Francis, and her identity revealed? Her dark future flashed through her mind.

Was it the right decision for her to remain in the capital? Wasn’t she struggling alone in a fate that she couldn’t escape? Boundless emotional and sober thoughts kept dominating her mind. “Francis!”

Right at that moment, a voice calling her name was heard in Wendy’s ears, who were lost in idle thoughts.

She could see Francis making an awkward expression, as if she was half laughing and half crying. After hesitating for a moment, he walked away. Francis quickly passed the column in the center and called his name with a trembling voice.

“Dylan!”

Wendy noticed her excitement in the quickening of her steps. Even though she couldn’t see Francis as she was hiding behind the column, she could imagine what kind of expression Francis was making now.

“It’s been a while. When I came to the capital, I thought I might meet you, but…” Francis said bashfully.

“…Yes, it’s been a while since we met last time.” Dylan replied at a distance from her.

“How have you been? I heard that you have become an imperial knight. I wanted to come, but you know… I have to be careful about my activities because of our family’s relationship with Marquis Bahar… ” Francis stuttered with difficulty.

It seemed she found it hard to say something as comfortably as she wanted.

Dylan was silent.

“Today’s prom is kind of a debut ball for me. I know everyone will laugh at my debut only now, but I was earnestly waiting for today because I might meet you, Dylan…”

“… ”

“Would you be with me if you could take time out? If you were with me, I think it would be a great leg up for me…” Her voice trembled.

“I see you are working now… If it’s your debut ball, you shouldn’t be away for a long time. Just go back now. ” Dylan said with a monotonous tone.

“I have a lot to speak with you about. Can I see you for a moment after work?”

“As you know, we…” Dylan said, cutting her off. “You know you and I are not close enough to exchange greetings informally.”

His voice was cold and relentless. Francis, who didn’t speak for a long time at his decisive refusal, quickly turned and ran down the hallway. Wendy looked at her running toward the banquet hall, holding her breath in the dark.

As she saw Francis disappearing, with her red hair swaying from side to side, she felt her heartbeat was slowing down gradually. A sigh of relief came out of her mouth.

“Wendy.”

At that moment, she heard Dylan’s low voice right behind her.

Wendy did not realize that her slow heart rate was too hasty. She thought momentarily she heard wrong. Although Dylan’s footsteps drew closer and closer, she couldn’t believe it was his voice that called Wendy.

“…! ”

Only when Dylan stepped into the narrow, dark space where she hid herself, Wendy realized that she was not wrong. Her slow heart beat pounded hard again.

“Wendy.”

At a very close distance, he called her name. She instinctively stepped back. She felt the tight texture of the cold column behind her back. He grabbed her arm tenderly when she was pulling it away from him. When she tried to shake off his hand, he held her shoulder with the other hand. They heard people’s footsteps in the distance.

“Why…! ”

“Shh, they are going to hear us.” He said, blocking her words.

“… What are you doing? ”

“That’s what I want to ask you… What are you up to here? Why are you here? Didn’t you think Francis or anyone else could recognize you easily? ” Dylan blamed her.

“… Thank you for getting Francis away from me. But it’s none of your business. ”

“Did you come here with Captain Schroder? ”

“… ”

Wendy looked up at his troubled face instead of replying. Reading her silence as affirmation, he said with a lower voice, ” I don’t know what kind of life you are longing for now. I guess you already know what it means to you if you have a relationship with the captain, right?”

Wendy sighed at his question.

“I know what you are worried about… But I don’t want to explain it to you. ”

Dylan shut his mouth at her reply and frowned as if he felt sorry.

“I tried to understand your situation and what you wanted. Even if I understand everything…I really cannot understand why you are with him,” he said in a dark tone.

“…Well, I don’t want to make you understand me. It’s not important to me whether you understand it or not.” She drew a clear line.

Hearing that, he suddenly became agitated. He shouted with wounded feelings, “Why! Why isn’t that important to you? ”

She looked embarrassed when he got upset suddenly.

“Even if I have ruined my relationship with you because of my stupidity, you shouldn’t say that. Do you know how I feel? Can you imagine how miserable I felt over the last two years? How can you try not to think about my wounded heart at all? ”

Dylan trembled with unexpected anger. She was speechless, when faced with his resentful eyes.