Silent Witch

Side Story 17: Memories of the Blue Rose

Bridget Graham's first invitation to Duke Crockford's mansion came when she was just seven years old.

Prince Felix, the second prince, who happened to be the same age as Bridget, was residing at Duke Crockford's mansion to recover from an illness. The Duke's request was for Bridget to keep the prince company and engage in conversation.

Despite her young age, Bridget, being quite intelligent, correctly understood the underlying intention behind this invitation: she was being considered as a potential fiance for Felix. However, this realization only served to fuel her discontent.

The Ridill Kingdom already had a first prince, Lionel, who was nine years Felix's senior.

Prince Lionel was a lively and cheerful boy, skilled in both swordsmanship and horse riding. He had even participated in dragon slaying.

In stark contrast, the second prince, Felix, was plagued by ill health. Aside from the occasional royal event that demanded his presence, he spent most of his time recuperating at Duke Crockford's mansion, his mother's ancestral home.

Bridget couldn't help but question how a prince whose health was so fragile, barely able to endure the rigors of palace life, could ever be considered fit to become the next king.

Although Duke Crockford, Felix's maternal grandfather, held significant power and influence within the kingdom, the second prince himself lacked any substantial presence or recognition within the royal court. Whispers even circulated among some, devoid of compassion, suggesting that Felix might not even survive to adulthood.

Given these circumstances, Bridget felt far from delighted about being chosen as a potential fiance for such a prince. In fact, she couldn't shake the feeling that she had been dealt an unfortunate hand.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Prince Felix. I am Bridget Graham of the Marquis of Sheilbury. I am truly honored to have been invited here today."

Bridget performed the perfect curtsy as she entered the Duke of Crockford's mansion, and the duke's servants looked at her in admiration.

Despite being only seven years old, Bridget was exceptionally beautiful, and her dress, posture, and smile were flawless. She was the epitome of a perfect young lady. In contrast, Prince Felix hung his head in shyness, nervously fidgeting with his fingers and mumbling incoherently.

Felix's appearance bore a striking resemblance to his late mother, the beautiful Lady Eileen, and he was indeed quite handsome. His lustrous honey-blond hair and clear aquamarine eyes were as captivating as large aquamarine gemstones.

However, his pale cheeks were flushed red with nervousness, his gaze remained fixed on the floor, and he gave off an overall impression of unreliability.

How long am I supposed to wait for His Highness's response?

After a prolonged period of awkward silence, a young servant standing behind the prince whispered, "Your Highness, remember your practice."

To think that even such a simple greeting required practice! How pathetic!

As Bridget watched in astonishment, Felix began his self-introduction with a face stiff with tension.

"I-It's nice to meet you, I'm Felix Ark Ridill, anh"

He stuttered.

Prince Felix's face turned a flurry of colors, alternating between bright red and pale blue, as he trembled with tears in his eyes.

The servants standing nearby, as well as Crockford himself, who was observing the scene, all cast Felix disapproving glances.

Amidst this atmosphere of disappointment, the servant behind Felix timidly interjected.

"Your Highness, why don't we show Lady Bridget to the tearoom? I've decorated it with the flowers you chose for her, so I'm sure she'll be delighted."

"Huh? But you're the one who chose those flowers"

"Your Highness"

The young prince, who had just ruined his servant's attempt to save the situation, gasped and covered his mouth with both hands.

The air was now filled with an overwhelming sense of disappointment.

The thought of this seemingly dim-witted prince potentially becoming her future husband gave Bridget a headache.

She initially assumed that Felix's nervousness stemmed from being watched by Crockford and the numerous servants, but even after they moved to the tearoom, Felix remained hunched over, nervously fidgeting with his fingers.

Aside from Bridget and Felix, the only other people in the tearoom were Bridget's maid and Felix's servant. Despite this, Felix remained stiff with tension, utterly unwilling to open his mouth.

Left with no choice, Bridget decided to initiate the conversation herself.

"Oh my, these flowers are absolutely lovely. Did you choose these for me? I'm so pleased. This type of rose, with petals that resemble lace, is quite popular these days. You seem to be well-informed about the latest trends, Your Highness."

"Er, noI"

"And this vase is exquisite. Is it from the Corminette collection? My mother adores the Corminette collection and collects it as well. She's particularly fond of the teacups"

"Corminette collection?"

Apparently, the prince had no idea about the significance of the vase. Seeing his patron struggling, the servant tactfully intervened.

"You wanted to get something that Lady Bridget would like, didn't you, Your Highness?"

"Oh, yes, that's right. That'sexactly what I did."

After saying that, Felix hung his head again. At this rate, they would never make any progress in their conversation.

Bridget forced a bright smile, saying, "Well, I'm very happy with it," while inwardly feeling extremely irritated.

She began to suspect that the reason Crockford kept Felix away from the royal palace was not because of his ill health, but because he was too embarrassed to present him in public.

Entertaining such unkind thoughts, Bridget turned to Felix and asked, "May I have some of the sweets?" in an attempt to fill the awkward silence.

Felix nodded his head rapidly and nervously. Couldn't he at least say "Yes, please"?

As Bridget was growing increasingly exasperated, Felix's servant, speaking on his master's behalf, smoothly replied,

"Today's teacakes are scones with three types of jam and clotted cream. We have also prepared your preferred tea from Florendia, Lady Bridget. Please enjoy it straight first."

The tea and sweets that had been prepared were all to Bridget's liking, but she suspected that Felix had not personally arranged any of it. It was more likely the work of this seemingly thoughtful servant.

This is all just a charade.

Bridget suppressed her discomfort and plastered a beautiful smile on her face. However, her irritation must have affected her actions, as a drop of raspberry jam fell from her spoon and stained the bodice of her dress.

"Oh, no!"

Bridget quickly covered her chest with a napkin, inwardly berating herself for her clumsiness. How could she let her emotions get the better of her and make such a blunder?

"My lady, pardon me."

Bridget's maid rushed forward and attempted to wipe the jam stain with a handkerchief, but the thin, runny jam had already seeped into the delicate white lace. The stain stood out starkly against the pale blue of her dress.

As Bridget was lamenting her mishap, Felix, for some inexplicable reason, suddenly yanked off the scarf from around his neck. Was he suggesting that she use it to clean the jam stain?

Just as Bridget was about to express her confusion, Felix began to fold the blue scarf into a thin strip and roll it up tightly. Then, he removed one of his cufflinks and used it as a pin to secure a handkerchief, transforming it into a makeshift blue rose corsage.

"Ah, um, that is I"

Felix's face was bright red, and he was trembling with embarrassment as he held out a blue rose corsage made of a scarf and cufflinks.

"I-I thoughtyou might look nice in blue, Lady Bridget, so Ih-here you gouh," he stammered, his face flushed red and his body trembling with shyness.

He stuttered again.

Despite his awkwardness, Bridget couldn't bring herself to look down on this timid prince.

She glanced between the impromptu corsage and Felix before quietly saying, "Thank you, I'll gladly accept it."

With hands more careful than if she were handling a fresh flower, Bridget took the corsage and pinned it over the stained area of her bodice. The deep blue corsage stood out beautifully against the light blue dress.

"Does it look alright?" she asked.

"Y-Yes, of course!"

"Good," she replied, a genuine smile gracing her face for the first time that day.

As Bridget excused herself to wash her hands, she happened to see Felix and Crockford engaged in a conversation in the hallway on her way back to the tearoom. It seemed like they were having a serious discussion.

Bridget hesitated, torn between eavesdropping and pretending not to notice. Just then, she caught a snippet of Crockford's voice.

"What happened to your scarf and cufflink?"

"I, um, I spilled some tea and got my scarf dirty. So I took it off And the cufflink I'm sorry, I lost it."

As Felix fidgeted with his fingers and replied, Crockford glared at him with contempt and spat out,

"You're an embarrassment to our family. Can't you even manage to dress yourself properly?"

Bridget felt a surge of anger and was about to storm out of the hallway.

Felix had done nothing wrong. He was merely trying to protect Bridget's reputation with a kind gesture.

Bridget almost blurted out, "Your Highness has done nothing wrong!"  but before she could say it, someone grabbed her arm from behind.

It was Felix's servant who pressed an index finger against Bridget's lips as she was about to call the person rude.

"Please don't let my master's kindness go to waste."

Bridget instinctively shook off the servant's hand. In the process, her fingertips brushed against the servant's long bangs.

"Oh"

Bridget gasped involuntarily.

The young boy in front of her had a handsome face, as expected of a royal servant. However, there was a scar on his face, running from his right temple down to below his eye, as if it had been made by a sharp object. His eyes seemed unharmed, but the vertical scar was deep enough that it would likely remain for the rest of his life.

His hair was unusually long for someone who dressed so neatly, but it seemed that he had been using it to hide the scar.

The servant boy adjusted his disheveled bangs with his fingers and looked down at Bridget with cold eyes.

"Please return to the tearoom."

His cold gaze conveyed a silent message: If you belittle my master's kindness, I will never forgive you

Bridget fell silent for a moment before turning away from Felix and the others.

"I'll go back to the tearoom. Lead the way."

"As you wish."

The servant boy, as if nothing had happened, began to lead Bridget, walking ahead of her.

Bridget wondered if Felix was still being scolded by Crockford all because he had tried to defend her. She placed a hand over the blue rose adorning her chest, feeling a deep sense of her own helplessness and inadequacy.

From that day on, Bridget began to be invited to the duke's mansion as Felix's conversation partner.

Being a conversation partner didn't just mean chatting over tea. As the daughter of a diplomat and fluent in several languages, Bridget taught Felix the languages she had already mastered. Sometimes, she would also be his dance practice partner.

Felix was by no means a quick learner, and his poor coordination often resulted in him stepping on Bridget's feet during dance practice. Despite this, Bridget patiently guided him through the steps, encouraging him all the while.

"Come on, Your Highness! You're slouching again! Straighten your back! And keep your chin up!"

"Y-Yes, ma'am"

With a helpless frown and a beet-red face, Felix would do his best to follow Bridget's instructions.

Felix Ark Liddell was clumsier, slower, and less reliable than most people.

Yet, he was also diligent, hardworking and above all, kind.

As she guided Felix through his awkward dance moves, Bridget thought to herself,

Please try harder. You are to be my future partner my prince.