Waiting For Your Reincarnation Chapter 148

A few days later, Ragnar’s birthday was celebrated. From dawn, the palace was bustling with preparations.

 

With the help of his servants, Zephyto dressed in a suit of dusky rose. Standing in front of the mirror, he turned slightly to examine himself. It was a rare color in the Empire, and he felt out of place.

 

He wondered who had procured this color.

 

He considered grabbing a servant and asking, but quickly dismissed the idea. It was more troublesome to take it off and change into something else. As he left the room, he asked the knight.

 

“Where is Iris?”

 

“She’s getting ready in the other room. Shall I take you there?”

 

“Let’s go there.”

 

He followed the knight’s lead to where she was. The doorway was tightly closed and he could feel the hustle and bustle within. She didn’t seem ready yet.

 

Standing at the door, Zephyto considered going down the hall first, but then he reached for the doorknob, pulled it toward him, and swung the door wide open.

 

“Prince?”

 

Her servants stared in surprise at Zephyto’s sudden appearance. As if time had stopped, they all stopped what they were doing and stared at him, but his gaze remained fixed on Iris, who sat at her dressing table.

 

As if she had just finished getting ready, she slowly rose from her seat. She was dressed in a V-neck dress with a plunging neckline.

 

‘Was this the one Iris picked out?’

 

She was wearing a dress the same color as Zephyto’s. The rose color blended well with her pale, almost transparent skin. Now that he looked at it, the suit seemed to be a matching set with her dress.

 

Blinking slowly, Iris ran her eyes slowly over Zephyto’s body. Her gaze was deliberate, as if she were admiring a work of art.

 

She took a step toward him, close enough that their breaths mingled.

 

“It’s beautiful.”

 

If anyone else had said it to him, he would have been offended. But it was Iris who said it, and her eyes were sincere; she really did think Zephyto was beautiful.

 

But does she realize that in this large room, she is the only one who stands out?

 

He wanted to reach out and touch her silky hair, but he held back the urge.

 

As if reading something in his golden eyes, Iris spoke quietly.

 

“It goes well with the color of your hair.”

 

“Hair color?”

 

His eyes widened slightly, as if he’d heard a question he’d never considered. She nodded once in response to his question.

 

“Yes, the kind of color you wish you had because it shines like the sun.”

 

At her words, Zephyto’s gaze fell on her black hair, which was neatly pinned up in a decorative bun. As if noticing his gaze, Iris tilted her head slightly to the side, the tips of her ears reddening.

 

“My hair is so dark, isn’t it? Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to have light hair like yours.”

 

Zephyto thought for a moment. Sure, Iris’s hair was a rare color in the Empire, but had it ever been unsightly?

 

It had never occurred to him. Looking down at her, Zephyto pursed his lips.

 

“Black is…”

 

“What?”

 

“Black is the color of all colors, so sometimes it draws the eye more than any other color. I think it has its own charm.”

 

Iris looked puzzled at Zephyto’s answer. Seeing her expression, he coughed dryly and cleared his throat. Then he held out his arm slightly toward her, as if to beckon her to take it.

 

The subtle change in his demeanor confused her, but she didn’t resist.

 

No words passed between them, but Zephyto sensed that they were more at ease with each other than they had been at the cottage.

 

He and Iris walked at a slow, wordless pace to Rinelt Hall, where the celebration was being held. Inside the hall, many nobles were present, and they could hear the commotion even before the doors were opened.

 

Seeing their faces, the knight threw the hall doors wide open on both sides. His brow furrowed slightly as the dazzling chandelier light enveloped his eyes. He pushed through the light and stepped inside ahead of Iris.

 

The room fell silent, and the eyes of the nobles focused on them. At the center of it all was Ragnar, a beaming smile on his face.

 

“Here is our guest of honor.”

 

Ragnar smiled like a child who had just discovered a fun toy. His smile was innocent, but there was a chill to it.

 

‘What else could he be up to?’

 

One by one, the nobles cleared out of the way as Zephyto’s steps moved toward the center of the hall. They greeted him politely, but kept their distance. Finally, Zephyto stood before Ragnar.

 

“Brother, congratulations.”

 

“Zephyto, it’s refreshing to have you congratulate me in person. Oh, and the princess is here, too.”

 

“It is an honor to be invited to such an important occasion.”

 

Iris replied with a graceful gesture of yes, and Ragnar’s lips curled upward in a satisfied smile. It was a sinister laugh, the meaning of which was unknown.

 

Zephyto took a step forward and stood in front of Ragnar, partially obscuring Iris’s body, which only made Ragnar stare at her more intently.

 

Eventually, she was forced to lift her head and look at him.

 

“Is your father well?”

 

Her body twitched slightly as he inquired about the Duke of Elter’s well-being. It was a fleeting moment, but no one noticed.

 

Ragnar’s smile deepened. Iris exhaled slowly, her platinum eyes as bright as if they had lost their color.

 

“Yes, he is well, very well.”

 

“Well, it’s none of my business, but you’d better keep in touch with your father, he’s very concerned about the princess.”

 

“I will keep that in mind.”

 

The corners of her mouth quivered at the slight upturn. Ragnar pushed past Zephyto and placed a hand lightly on Iris’s shoulder. Her body stiffened like stone.

 

Zephyto, watching the scene, wiped the smirk from his face and lightly squeezed Ragnar’s wrist. 

 

Ragnar stepped back, palms in the air, as if amused by the situation.

 

“Oh, Zephyto, don’t be angry. I introduced you to the princess in my honor, and I cannot ignore the concerns of my best friend, Duke Elter.”

 

“Please tell him for me that my wife is well.”

 

Iris stared at him in surprise at the way the word wife flowed so naturally from Zephyto’s mouth.

 

He felt Ragnar’s unpleasant gaze on him with every fiber of his being, but he did not retreat as before. Ragnar wiped the smile from his face with an odd grimace.

 

“I told him, but I was still concerned enough to give him the location of Telene’s villa. Did the princess meet the duke safely?”

 

Zephyto’s eyebrows arched slightly at Ragnar’s question. He hadn’t heard that before.

 

‘Had Iris really met with Duke Elter in Telene without his knowledge?’

 

‘And if so, why hadn’t she told him?’

 

He looked at Iris, demanding an explanation. She looked at Zephyto with restless eyes.

 

With that look alone, he realized that Iris had indeed been meeting with Duke Elter without his knowledge.

 

Zephyto took a step back, away from her. Normally, he would have taken two steps toward her to clear the misunderstanding, but Iris remained frozen in place.

 

Ragnar watched the situation with interest, then spoke up.

 

“Well, there’s plenty of time to talk, Princess, and I’ll save the details for another time. There are many other pleasant things to talk about today.”

 

Ragnar stepped back to be greeted by the other nobles. The hall was as chaotic and noisy as Zephyto’s complicated mind.

 

There seemed to be a long, solid line drawn between him and Iris. Zephyto didn’t dare to cross it.

 

Then someone came up behind him.

 

“Prince. May I speak with you for a moment?”

 

It was Elita, and she waited for his response with a look on her face that said she had something to report.

 

He turned his head back to stare at Iris. He felt sorry for her, the way her shoulders hunched and her head bowed as if the grass had died. She looked as if she were being swallowed up by the enormity of the hole.

 

She stared at the ground for a moment, gathering her thoughts, then lifted her head, her lips pursed, trying to catch Zephyto.

 

“Zephy–”

 

But he turned his back and followed Elita. He had a feeling that if he found out more, he wouldn’t be able to keep the beautifully wrapped package that was Iris.

 

Zephyto strode out of the hall without a second thought, and Iris was a stranger without him.