Reincarnated As My Husband's Mistress-Chapter 78: [] Can I help you?

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Their reunion was swift. During his time at the Royal Academy, Roardnes, who had immersed himself in sorrow and avoided interacting with anyone, often found himself in the library. Even though he was quietly reading in a corner, the general academy students who occasionally spotted him would startle. This was because he was a Royal Academy student wearing a mask. Although the academy was a single building, it was divided into a Royal Academy for princes and princesses of various countries, and a general academy for nobles. To prevent unexpected assassinations, all students at the Royal Academy were required to wear masks. The masks, made of mana stones, were valuable as they could temporarily alter even the color of one's eyes, in addition to one's hair, at the wearer's will. It was one of the few exceptions where the use of mana stones was permitted in Ronta. While Royal Academy students often found these masks stuffy and uncomfortable, Roardnes preferred them. His deep blue eyes were a symbol of the Ronta royal family, and he could hide his mutant-like appearance. Now, they were even more useful as they could hide the tears that constantly welled up in his eyes.

"Adrienne, what are you doing here?"

Just as Roardnes' heart sank at the thought of having to attend his mother's funeral again after class, he perked up his ears at the familiar name.

"I have a re-exam tomorrow."

"Haha, right. You failed the Elacon language exam again? How can you fail every time? Even if you got a D, you would have passed. You're really..."

"If you're not going to help, then go away, Sophia."

"I want to help, but I don't have time either. Everyone else is busy preparing for other exams. What are you going to do, Adrienne?"

Roardnes stood up abruptly and pulled out a neatly placed book, revealing his face. A girl with sparkling blonde hair was seen between the gaps of the book, struggling in agony. Elacon language textbooks were scattered haphazardly on the table, and there were red-marked test papers. His heart began to pound. Elacon was one of Roardnes' best subjects. He seriously pondered whether to talk to her or not, but time flew by before he knew it. Right before their eyes met, Roardnes quickly sat down. He instinctively clutched his mask. The image of his peers running away upon seeing his red eyes flashed through his mind, and his grip tightened. Unknowingly, he wanted to help her. At the same time, he wanted to ask her, 'Why were you crying so sadly that day?' Looking back, it was clear that she hadn't deliberately cried for him, and she probably didn't even know of his existence. The face behind the mask grew hot. He felt ashamed that he had almost tried to be friendly with her, indulging in his own vain fantasies. However, even after that, Roardnes couldn't stop wondering whether or not he should talk to Adrienne until the library closed.

****

The time for the annual New Year's Masked Ball had arrived. That day was also the last day of his mother, Queen Retinia's funeral. Bardeinaldo, who had always been by Roardnes' side to comfort the mourners, was pushed by the attendants to prepare for the ball. The funeral hall, which was always crowded, was empty. The huge funeral hall outside the palace was deserted as if the mourners had ebbed away like a tide after the morning. But Roardnes couldn't leave this place. Would this palace be emptied now? Or would someone else move in? The thought of someone else walking in the garden where his mother used to stroll made his heart ache. Did his father and brother not care at all? He resented the cheerful voices he could hear from afar. After seeing his mother's body buried in the cold ground and wandering around the palace like a lost child, Roardnes was forced to dress up by the attendants who had come to find him. As a prince, he couldn't miss the biggest event of the year. Roardnes, who was being dressed up like a doll, looked so gloomy that his nanny shook her head at the attendants handing him a fancy mask. She couldn't add fuel to his already gloomy mood.

"Your Highness, I understand you're feeling down, but... you have to attend."

Even the nanny, who was always strict, didn't seem to welcome the ball held on the last day of Queen Retinia's funeral. Instead of a fancy mask, the nanny put the familiar Royal Academy mask on Roardnes. Young nobles who had not yet made their debut proudly wore these masks. The nanny's escort ended at the entrance to the prince's palace.

****

Dismissing all his attendants, Roardnes headed towards the Atilchard Hall, but his feet turned back towards the palace. As darkness fell, the place of the dead felt like a different world. Unable to go to the empty palace or the noisy Atilchard Hall, he wandered at the end of the corridor. He sat down and hugged his knees in front of the portrait of Queen Retinia.

"Mother."

The mother, smiling softly, did not answer. He let out the sobs he had held back even in the imperial palace, right beneath her portrait. He had endured enough. He had only managed to shed tears in secret at the funeral and had rarely been able to focus in class at the academy. He didn't want to go to a place where everyone pretended nothing had happened and chatted happily, forgetting his dead mother. Perhaps it was fortunate. There was no better place to cry his heart out. No one would sneak in here in the dead of night. The cold winter wind felt like it was tearing his exposed skin to shreds, but Roardnes wept for a long time.

'Lien! What did I tell you? The body was already...'

'Didn't you say I was too rude that day, brother? I just wanted to pay my respects one more time!'

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'How can you do that when the body's not here?'

'I saw Her Majesty's portrait here last time. I was going to offer a silent prayer there.'

'Just pretend you did. Go offer a silent prayer in front of the empress's palace. Your father will be furious since you've been out this late, saying you were just taking a short walk.'

'I can just say I got lost. You led me astray, so I wasted a lot of time.'

'I thought that was the way! Oh, me... Anyway, I heard someone crying earlier. Is it a ghost?'

'Don't say such scary things!'

He could hear voices nearby. But the sobs that shook his chest couldn't be stopped as easily as a sneeze. As he trembled, trying to get up, a sudden thought struck him. In this state, he couldn't go back to the imperial palace or even to the Attilchard Hall. The thought of people staring at him made him feel like he was suffocating. Even with a mask, he always felt naked. A royal freak. Retinal Empress's blemish. His head spun. He should have eaten a little when the nanny offered him food. He had barely eaten anything during the mourning period, and he could feel himself wasting away. He had to get up. It was humiliating, the sight of a royal prince weeping like this.

'Someone, please...'

As he desperately wished someone would take his hand and help him up, a distant sound stopped abruptly. A brother and sister, relying on a small lantern, were looking down at him. And...

'Are you alright?'

Closer than the rest, a small, white-skinned girl's hand reached out to him.

'It can't be.'

It was Adrienn. Half of her face was covered with a dainty mask, but he recognized her immediately.

'The ballroom is that way.'

'Adrienn, let's just go.'

'What's wrong?'

Unlike her brother's cold gaze, Adrienn's voice was clear and kind. Roardnes' mind went blank. He had been caught in his most vulnerable state by the last person he wanted to see.

'...Are you okay?'

No, he wasn't. Overwhelmed with shame, he wanted to burst into tears again at those simple words. The person he loved most in the world had died. And he had endured 100 days without being able to mourn properly. The only people who would offer him comfort and a warm embrace were now Bardenal and his father. The feeling of losing his most precious person, and the despair of not being able to share that feeling with anyone, was a reality too heavy for a boy just over ten years old.

"Can I help you?"

It was a simple question, nothing special. Yet, it was a phrase that no one had uttered to him while he was still struggling to accept his mother's death. The girl's small, white hand fluttered in front of his nose, as if tempting him. With a single word and gesture, Roardnes felt as if the entire world had brightened and his shrunken heart had been comforted. This sudden emotional shift plunged him into a strange confusion. Beneath her ordinary facade, her emerald green eyes shone with worry, but the deeper he got to know this girl who wasn't even family, the more he was terrified that she would run away in fear. Roardnes got up and ran with all his might.

"Help me. Help me, please. Someone..."

It was an action that was completely opposite to the cry in his heart.

***

In the end, Roardnes fell ill that day. Feeling Bardenal's cold hand touch his forehead and then retreat as he kept vigil by his side all night, Roardnes blinked his eyes open. The morning sunlight gathered on his small face. He had been tossing and turning all night, feeling exhausted, but his mind was clear.

"Your Highness, you don't have to go to the academy today..."

"I want to go."

The nursemaid's eyes widened as the boy who had insisted on staying away from the academy for a hundred days to watch over his mother's body now showed enthusiasm, despite being unwell. Roardnes, who had even managed to eat his entire breakfast, which he usually skipped, urged the nursemaid.

"Give me my mask. Quickly."

The boy's solemn expression was instantly hidden behind a black mask.

***

Roardnes continued to wait for Adrienne in a corner of the library.

Recalling the girl with hands as delicate as white flower petals who had offered to help him, he felt a pang of embarrassment. He was the prince, a man who would eventually grow taller than her, and it was he who had been on the receiving end of her help twice. Even though he knew it was absurd, Roardnes had been waiting for Adrienne in the library every morning for several days. After a week of not seeing her at all, Adrienne finally appeared around the time the sun began to set. As soon as she sat down and sighed, pulling out her Elaconian language textbook as usual, Roardnes quickly approached her. Thud. A note he had written long ago landed on top of her Elaconian textbook. She looked up at him with a surprised expression. Roardnes checked to make sure his mask was firmly in place. Ordinary black hair. Ordinary black eyes. That was how he must appear.

Adrienne blinked her large eyes slowly a few times, but without any further surprise, she quietly unfolded the note. As her small hand moved, rustling the paper, his heart felt like it would burst. [Elaconian, shall I help you?]

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