Chapter 166
Bridget Graham was first invited to the Duke of Clockford's estate when she was seven years old.
The second prince, Felix, who was the same age as Bridget, was staying at the Duke of Clockford's estate to recuperate from an illness. The duke's household had asked her to keep the sickly prince company.
Though young, Bridget was clever enough to understand that she had been invited as a candidate to become Felix's fiancée. And even after understanding that, she was still dissatisfied.
The Kingdom of Ridill already had a first prince who was nine years older than Felix.
The first prince, Lionel, was a lively boy skilled with both sword and horse. He had apparently even taken part in a dragon-slaying operation.
The second prince, on the other hand, was sickly, and aside from making the minimum required appearances at royal events, he spent nearly all his time recuperating at the Duke of Clockford's estate, his mother's family home.
How could a prince whose body could barely endure life at the royal palace ever become the next king?
Felix's maternal grandfather, the Duke of Clockford, was one of the most powerful men in the country, but the second prince himself had almost no presence at court. Some heartless people even spread rumors that he would not live to see adulthood.
Even if she was chosen as such a prince's fiancée, Bridget was not happy in the slightest. Honestly, she felt as though she had drawn the short straw.
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"How do you do, Your Highness. I am Bridget Graham of House Shailbury. It is a true honor to have been invited here."
When Bridget visited the Duke of Clockford's estate and performed a perfectly ladylike curtsy, the duke's servants watched her with admiration.
Even at only seven years old, Bridget was strikingly beautiful, and everything about her was flawless, from the way she wore her dress to her posture as she walked and the way she smiled. She was the perfect young lady.
By contrast, Felix stood with his head lowered bashfully, twisting his fingers and mumbling.
Felix's features bore a resemblance to those of his late mother, Princess Eileen, who had been renowned as a beautiful lady. His glossy honey-blond hair and clear, pale-blue eyes were as beautiful as though large aquamarines had been set into his face.
But his pale cheeks were bright red with nervousness, his gaze remained fixed on the floor, and above all, he seemed utterly helpless.
(How long am I supposed to wait for His Highness to answer?)
After the prince had fidgeted for what seemed like forever, Bridget heard the attendant boy standing behind him whisper, "Your Highness, remember your practice."
How pathetic! He needed practice for a greeting this simple?
As Bridget looked on in exasperation, Felix began introducing himself with his face still stiff from nerves.
"H-how do you do? I'm Felix Arc Ridill, h-hic..."
He stumbled over his words.
Prince Felix's face shifted rapidly from red to pale as he trembled with tears in his eyes.
Bridget could practically feel the disappointment radiating from the servants standing nearby and the Duke of Clockford, who was watching the scene.
Amid all this, the attendant boy standing behind Felix tentatively interjected.
"Your Highness, why don't we show Lady Bridget to the tea room? There are flowers there that Your Highness chose for Lady Bridget, so I am sure she will be delighted."
"Huh? But you were the one who chose those flowers..."
"...Your Highness."
The young prince, having completely ruined his attendant's attempt to smooth things over, suddenly covered his mouth with both hands.
The atmosphere of disappointment around them had reached its peak.
The thought that this obviously dim-witted prince might become her future husband gave Bridget nothing but a headache.
Bridget wondered whether Felix was nervous because the Duke of Clockford and so many servants were watching him. But even after they moved to the tea room, Felix kept his head lowered and twisted his fingers in his lap.
Apart from Bridget and Felix, only Bridget's maid and Felix's attendant were present in the tea room, one of each. Even so, Felix remained stiff with nervousness and showed no sign of opening his mouth.
With no choice, Bridget decided to start the conversation herself.
"My, what beautiful flowers. Did you choose these for me? I am so pleased. Roses with petals like lace have been very popular lately. Your Highness is quite up to date on current trends, aren't you?"
"...Oh, no..."
"The vase is lovely too. Is it from the Colminette Collection? My mother likes the Colminette Collection as well and collects it. Her favorite pieces are the teacups..."
"...The Colminette Collection?"
Apparently, this prince did not even understand what made the vase valuable. Seeing him repeat a word he had clearly never heard before, the attendant boy could no longer stand by silently and casually interjected.
"You prepared things that Lady Bridget likes, didn't you, Your Highness?"
"Ah, yes, that's right. That's... right."
That was all Felix said before lowering his head again. At this rate, the conversation would not continue at all.
Bridget put on a bright smile and said, "My, how lovely," while inwardly seething with irritation.
Perhaps the Duke of Clockford kept Felix away from the royal palace not because he was sickly, but because he was ashamed to show him to other people.
Thinking such spiteful thoughts, Bridget tried to fill the silence by asking Felix, "May I have some of the sweets?"
Felix nodded restlessly. Could he not at least say something as simple as "Go ahead"?
As Bridget grew thoroughly exasperated, Felix's attendant smoothly answered in his master's place.
"For today's tea, we have prepared scones, three kinds of jam, and clotted cream. The tea is from Florendia, just as Lady Bridget likes. Please enjoy it straight first."
Both the tea and the sweets before her were things Bridget liked, but surely Felix had not arranged them himself. The attendant, who looked as though he would be exceptionally thoughtful, must have prepared everything.
(...What a farce.)
Bridget suppressed her discomfort and covered it with a beautiful smile. But it seemed that her irritation had affected her handling of things just a little... truly, only a little.
A drop of wild-raspberry jam slipped from the spoon and stained the front of Bridget's dress.
"...!"
Bridget hastily pressed a napkin to her bodice and was ashamed of her own ineptitude. What a disgrace, letting her emotions throw off her hand!
"My lady, please excuse me."
Bridget's maid hurriedly wiped at the jam with a handkerchief, but the thin, runny jam had soaked into the white lace. The dress was mostly a pale blue, which made the red of the wild raspberry stand out even more.
As Bridget bitterly regretted her blunder, Felix suddenly pulled the scarf from his collar with a soft rustle. Surely he did not expect her to wipe the jam with that?
While Bridget stood bewildered, Felix folded the blue scarf into a narrow strip and began rolling it up. He then removed one cufflink and used it as a pin to secure the handkerchief, turning the whole thing into something like a blue rose corsage.
"Ah, ah, um..."
Felix's face turned bright red as he trembled bashfully and held out the blue rose corsage he had made from the scarf and cufflink.
"I-I think blue suits you, Lady Bridget... so... p-please accept this..."
He stumbled again.
And yet, Bridget could not bring herself to look down on the timid prince.
Bridget looked back and forth between the improvised corsage and Felix, then murmured,
"...I shall accept it gratefully."
With hands more careful than if she were touching a fresh flower, Bridget picked up the corsage and pinned it over the stained part of her bodice. The deep-blue corsage stood out beautifully against her pale-blue dress.
"Does it suit me?"
"Y-yes!"
"Oh, good."
For the first time that day, Bridget smiled from the heart.
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After leaving her seat to wash her hands, Bridget spotted Felix and the Duke of Clockford in the hallway on her way back to the tea room. The two appeared to be engaged in a private conversation.
A hallway conversation like this could only be about criticism of Bridget. As she hesitated over whether to eavesdrop or pretend not to notice and walk past, the Duke of Clockford's voice reached her ears.
"...What happened to your scarf and cufflink?"
"I-I spilled tea and stained my scarf. So I took it off... As for the cufflink... I'm sorry. I dropped it and lost it."
As Felix answered while fidgeting with his fingers, the Duke of Clockford looked down at him with displeasure and spat,
"...You are a disgrace to our household. Can't you even keep yourself properly dressed?"
Bridget's temper flared, and she was about to rush out into the hallway.
Felix had done nothing wrong. He had only tried to protect Bridget's honor out of kind consideration.
"Your Highness has done nothing wrong!" Bridget was about to exclaim when someone suddenly yanked hard on her arm from behind.
Bridget was about to say, "How dare you," when the attendant boy pressed his index finger against her lips.
"Don't let my master's kindness go to waste."
Bridget instinctively shook off the attendant's hand. In the process, her fingertips brushed aside his long bangs.
"...Ah."
Bridget gasped.
The boy before her had a handsome face, as one would expect of someone chosen to serve royalty. But from the right side of his forehead down to beneath his eye ran a scar that looked as though it had been made by a blade. His eye itself did not seem to be injured, but the vertical scar was deep enough that it would likely never fade.
She had thought his bangs strangely long despite his neat clothing, but apparently he had been using them to hide the scar.
The attendant boy smoothed his disheveled bangs with his fingertips, then looked down at Bridget coldly.
"Return to the tea room."
The cold look in his eyes spoke volumes.
If you slight my master's kindness, I will never forgive you.
Bridget fell silent for a moment, then turned her back on Felix and the Duke.
"I will return to the tea room. Lead the way."
"As you wish."
The attendant boy began walking ahead of Bridget with a perfectly calm expression, as though nothing had happened.
Was Felix still being reprimanded by the Duke of Clockford... because he had shielded Bridget?
Bridget placed a hand over the blue rose at her breast, painfully aware of her own powerlessness and immaturity.
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From that day on, Bridget was regularly invited to the duke's estate as Felix's companion.
Being his companion did not simply mean drinking tea and chatting. As the daughter of a diplomat, Bridget was fluent in several languages and had already mastered them. She taught them to Felix and sometimes acted as his partner while he practiced dancing.
Felix was never a quick learner, and he was so uncoordinated that he stepped on Bridget's feet repeatedly during dance practice. Even so, Bridget urged him on and patiently continued practicing with him.
"Come now, Your Highness! You're hunching again! Straighten your back! Tuck your chin in slightly!"
"Y-yes...!"
Felix looked helpless, his brows drooping, and fidgeted in confusion, but he still turned bright red and desperately worked at his dancing.
Felix Arc Ridill was a clumsier, more awkward, and less reliable prince than most.
Even so, he was diligent, hardworking... and, above all, kind.
As she instructed Felix in his clumsy dancing, Bridget murmured to herself,
(Please pull yourself together. You will be my future husband... my prince, after all.)