Flower of Steel

“Look here, son of Viscount Pail.
You and I are already strangers, and we have nothing to say.
If you don’t want to leave, then I’ll see myself out.”

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As I was about to pass him, who was still kneeling, Kyles’s hand grabbed my wrist so hard that I couldn’t move forward.

“This is a misunderstanding, Marina! I couldn’t say it because there was a disturbance before, but I’ll say it now!”

Is that disturbance, you mean the Crown Prince? How arrogant.
Even though he isn’t here, isn’t that blasphemy?

“Let me go,” I snapped at him.

“I’m not done with you yet.
You are mine.
So don’t keep dancing like a b**ch with other men!” shouted Kyles.

Crazy a*sh*le.
I was thinking about how I should deal with him, when Kyles pulled me in and tried to get up and hug me.
I was about to strike his shin with the base of my heel when someone hit him first.

“You are being ugly.”

The person that spoke with a cold voice while looking down at the now-collapsed Kyles was the disturbance that Kyles talked about.
In my own words, this person was also the nutjob, the Crown Prince.
But why is this man here?

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“I thought this place was empty, but the conversation was interesting,” commented the Crown Prince.

“Did you overhear us?”

“No.
You two spoke in front of me, and I just heard it.”

The nutjob spoke of nonsense fitting of his nickname.
Then I asked, “Your highness, what about your fiancée…”

I frowned at Kyles, who looked confused while talking about Lady Schuteiner, who he used to like.
For a man who just spoke about testing me and such nonsense, he seems to have feelings for her.

“That should do it as usual,” said the Crown Prince.

“Damn it…!”

I clicked my tongue at Kyles, who swore and left, which was another blasphemy to do in front of the Crown Prince.
Foolish douche.
It wouldn’t be weird if you got hung for disrespecting a royal.

“Are you enjoying the situation? You always speak so well in front of me, but you were silent with him.
Perhaps you still have feelings for your ex-fiancé?” asked the Crown Prince.

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“No, Your Highness.
I was figuring out where I should hit him to be effective, Your Highness.”

I was just considering which weak spot, the pit of the stomach or his shin, to hit to give him more pain.
That is an unpleasant misunderstanding.
The Crown Prince’s expression turned distorted because of my honest answer.

“Do you always calculate everything?” asked the Crown Prince.

“Yes, because it’s efficient.”

The prince’s expression became more serious because of my straightforward answer.
I looked at him and bowed, “Anyway, thanks for your help, Your Highness.”

“Do you even know how to be thankful?”

“Of course, I do.
I’m human too.”

Does he think I’m going to calculate even such small things? Well, to be honest, he was the Crown Prince of the empire, so it was right to show politeness.
I didn’t want him getting back at me because I didn’t thank him.

“We should go back,” said the Crown Prince.

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When the Crown Prince suddenly reached out his hand, I almost flinched.
However, I kept my expression emotionless and placed my hand on top of his.
Then, I just had a bright idea.

***

When the Crown Prince and I came out of the terrace together, Lady Schuteiner, who was acting lovely, surrounded by people, hardened her face.
Until now, she must have been the main character of this party.
With Sir Hillain, Rave’s brother, who didn’t look like Rave at all, and the second son of Duke Harsen by her side, she had many ladies and gentlemen from prestigious families around her.

I almost laughed at the circumstance that had turned upside down.
If it were me from earlier, who was sheepish and mundane, I would have been alone listening to their smug comments.

“Your Highness, may I make a suggestion?” I asked the Crown Prince.

“What is it?”

I made a deep smile and whispered to him in a sweet voice, looking at me with suspicious eyes, “If you dance with me, I will give you a handmade doll that you have never seen or heard of.”

“What?”

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I smiled even wider at the Crown Prince, who was taken aback by my proposal.
Then I proudly added, “I told you before that my other hobby is making dolls, right? I assure you that you won’t regret it.
I’m confident that it will be better than any of the policy proposals I devise.”

Yes, I’m the noble lady of will who even made dolls as a side job to finance the estate.
For reference, the dolls I made were delicate and perfectly finished, so they were sold at a fairly high price on the black market.
It was to the point where dolls embroidered with “Doll Master M” on them were so popular that people bought them for a hefty price.
That is the reputation of the trustworthy Doll Master!

In fact, I was almost astonished to find three of my dolls at the Crown Prince’s secret room, where I found him doing that crazy act with them.
I sincerely apologized to the dolls as I lamented my extraordinary talent for making the crazy Crown Prince collect them.

‘Why do you have to go through such hardships, because you met such a madman rather than a lovely and cute owner? I’m sorry that I made you guys so perfect.’

“You really are a strange woman,” commented the Crown Prince.

I looked at him with a smile, pushing down the word, “Not as much as you,” down my throat.

“Marina von Harrant, I give you the honor to dance with me.”

The Crown Prince said with a smile on his beautiful face.
The smile I saw for the first time made me forget what I was doing without realizing it.
Gosh, that’s right.
This man is messed up, but his face is no less handsome than that of Adrian’s.
Guess they sure are cousins.

“It would be an honor.
Your Highness.”