Chapter 15 – Side Story ③ An Unfortunate Incident Involving a Certain Craftsman
“Mother, may I speak to you for a moment?”
“I am busy. Leave me.”
Dale was coldly dismissed and practically pushed out of his mother’s office.
Until now, she had been a kind mother who, despite being busy, always made time for him.
But now, her voice, her gaze, her expression—everything felt cold. It made Dale feel as if he had done something wrong, though he couldn’t think of anything he might have done. Not to him, anyway.
A month had passed since that day, and he hadn’t realized that the Queen had seen him comforting Manna.
During that time, there were no bad rumors about Lunaria whatsoever.
She didn’t try to involve herself with Manna, and it’s rare to even see her on campus.
Even if they happened to meet, Lunaria showed absolutely no interest in either Manna or Dale.
She was simply there.
In the past, whenever she spotted Dale, she would rush over, eager to share her schedule or recount her achievements, but that had completely stopped.
Perhaps Lunaria noticed Dale’s change in attitude toward her, but the only thing she did wrong was that one incident on the day she returned to the academy.
Other than that, she hasn’t even approached him, so he believed there’s no way he could have done something wrong.
In just two months, graduation will come, followed by the ceremony to make Lunaria his official consort, which he hates with a passion. At the very least, he wants to ask his mother to somehow make Manna a second consort instead of a mere mistress, but he has no way of getting through to his mother in the first place.
“What should I do…”
At this point, he even considered swallowing his pride and asking Lunaria for help, so he wrote her a letter.
Her reply was just one phrase.
“As His Royal Highness the Crown Prince pleases.”
Not a word of support, just that simple sentence.
In the past, he would have received a different response, but no matter how hard he tried to figure out why this happened, he couldn’t come up with an answer.
Even while having his measurements taken for the graduation ball formal attire, Dale remained deep in thought. Then, as if suddenly struck by an idea, the tailor spoke up.
“Your Highness, what about a dress for your partner?”
“Partner…?”
“Yes. It’s an academy tradition. Attendees bring a partner to the graduation ball. And the partner’s dress is often gifted by the other party.”
“I see… Then I will give you a document with the name of the woman whose measurements you should take later. Go immediately and have the finest dresses made for her.”
“Certainly.”
The tailor thought.
“Ah, I must be heading to the Duke of Solfege’s residence.”
However, when he saw the family name written on the paper he was given, his eyes widened slightly.
“This… is…”
The name written was House Primera.
There was no mention of Solfege anywhere.
“Is this… okay…?”
The assistant frowned as he asked, but refusing a request from the Crown Prince was simply impossible.
“We have no choice but to do the job as written…! Otherwise, we’ll lose our heads! But……”
This was going to be disastrous.
With pale faces, the tailor and his assistant headed to the Primera family.
While taking measurements, Manna was in an exceptionally good mood, but the tailors were on edge.
They did the work as the Crown Prince desired, but never before had a job felt so heavy and so unwelcome.
“Thanks! Finish it up soon!”
Unaware of this, Manna waved her hand.
When she requested a pure white dress, like a wedding gown, they did object.
After all, it was a graduation party for the Royal Academy.
With all its various traditions, even a custom order couldn’t be made into anything and everything she fancied.
Somehow, they managed to placate her, settling on a flashy design that still adhered to the rules.
“That young lady… she’s the Saintess, right?”
“Ah, yes… Despite having the Crown Prince’s undivided affection, her reputation is surprisingly bad.”
Seeing her remarks during the measurements and her attitude as she left, it was easy to understand why.
“What about the Duchess of Solfege’s dress…?”
“I don’t know…. maybe someone else will prepare it… but we’ll do our work regardless. Understood?”
“Yes, I understand!”
“And never speak of this matter to anyone, understood?”
“Of course.”
Needless to say, even without these clothing artisans saying anything, word that the Crown Prince hadn’t gifted a dress to his fiancée had already spread far and wide.
It all started when Lunaria herself, during a conversation about the graduation party at the academy, casually remarked, “Well, I suppose I must prepare my dress too.”.
A young lady from the advanced class’s close-knit group overheard this and consulted her parents. Her parents then discreetly mentioned it to acquaintances, causing the rumor to spread with astonishing speed. When Lunaria heard the rumor, she shrugged it off, saying, “Well, it’s the truth, so what can you do?”.
You must have known it would get out, so why didn’t you just send it to your fiancée, stupid Crown Prince?
Sads Translates 