Adrien changed out of the clothes he had worn for the day and into something slightly more refined. Classes were done for the week and it was now close to the time he had promised to meet Lady Aefre.
He checked his appearance for the final time. Sending up a silent prayer for there to not be too many people at this banquet, he opened the door. Amelia, one of the two maids who worked on this floor, had her hand raised as if she were in the process of knocking.
"Lord Adrien," she greeted him with her usual cheerful smile. "A letter has arrived for you."
Adrien took the letter Amelia handed him. "Thank you, Amelia."
Re-entering the room, Adrien placed the letter down on the table, planning to read it later. He was just turning around to leave when the writing on the front of the envelope caught his eye.
That's not Nadeline's writing. Nor is it the Count's. Adrien had caught sight of the Count's handwriting during that time he had been called to the man's study. He had watched as the Count signed document after document while being lectured and ridiculed.
Is it mother's? No. The Original Adrien has memories of watching his mother scratch notes along the sides of music sheets, so it isn't hers.
Curious, Adrien picked the letter back up. The wax sealing the envelope had the image of a dragon holding a star pressed into it. Only the members of the royal family had seals with dragons on them.
Adrien opened the letter, having a feeling of who sent it.
[My Dear Kitten,
I hope this letter finds you well. It is with a heavy heart that I must write to you. With much regret, I ask that our date be rescheduled to another time. Something has come up which is forbidding me from leaving my palace. I hope that by the time I see you again that you will not have a change of heart.
On another note, I do have some ideas about where we could have our first date. Next Saturday, the play, Moonlight Travels, is being held in the grand theater. If you are not up for a play, Lord Mallon is holding a reading themed event in his salon on the same day. Both men and women are allowed to attend. I know how much you enjoy reading which is why I am making this suggestion even though I loathe to do so. I hope you do not wish to go so that I may have you all to myself.]
If Adrien had anything in his mouth, he would have spit it out. He was starting to see why others had dubbed him the 'Mischievous Prince'. Prince Mikyle made absolutely no attempt to hide his intentions with his playful and blunt remarks.
Maybe I should just choose the play. At least there will be others there. And besides, neither I nor the Original have ever been to one.
[I was thinking that later on, we could go somewhere for lunch. I know of a bistro that sells sweets that are absolutely divine. If you want something a little heavier, I know a restaurant that is widely known for their seafood dishes. I seem to recall that you had greatly enjoyed the seafood set lunch that the Academy provides.
I cannot wait to hear your reply.
Yours truly, Prince Mikyle Williams de Velron.]
Adrien put his arms up on the desk and laid his head on them. His face had gone through various shades of red while reading Mikyle's letter. He had felt embarrassed over imagining how he must have looked to Mikyle while he had been eating to earn such a nickname, then he flushed with heat over Mikyle's blatant intentions.
After a while, Adrien turned his head to the side, glancing at himself in the mirror that was in the room. At least now he finally knew why he had gained the pet name of 'kitten'.
He carefully folded the letter before placing it in the drawer next to the diary. After refixing his hair, he left for the stables.
* * * *
Lady Aisley was the one waiting on guests when he arrived at the Ceciles' capital manor.
"Lord Adrien, thank you for coming." Lady Aisley's smile was as warm as her sister's. "I hope you don't mind that I invited a few others."
"I don't mind. I'm merely a guest." Adrien was starting to feel awkward, finding himself in a new kind of situation. He had a feeling that this event won't be like any of the events he had attended during his high school and college days.
Lady Aisley led him inside. She led him to Lady Aefre who was surrounded by a small group that included Lord James and two other first-years.
"Lord Adrien! I'm delighted to see that you could make it today," Lady Aefre greeted him warmly.
"I am honored to be here. Thank you for inviting me," Adrien returned politely.
"I don't know if you've had the pleasure of meeting yet. This is Lady Mari Bell." Lady Aafre indicated a girl with long, silky green hair and light blue eyes. "She's the daughter of a Viscount who had settled in our kingdom three years ago from the Shigaron Kingdom." She then indicated a girl with dark, ocean-blue hair that was cut unusually short for a girl in this world. "This is Lady Evelyn. Her father is Count Elsie."
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Bell and Lady Elsie. I'm Adrien Mallorne."
Lady Bell smiled gently while returning his greeting. Lady Elsie had also returned his greeting, though she was less refined than Lady Bell. Not that it mattered to Adrien since all he wanted was to make it through the night without making himself look like a bumbling fool. He finally had friends in this world and he didn't want to scare them off by displaying just how much of an unrefined idiot he was.
How were the people in Manhwas able to adapt to the rules of etiquette so quickly?
Lady Aisley soon returned from where she had been greeting guests. She looked around the room with a forlorn expression. "Three people were unable to attend tonight. It's a shame that that attack had happened yesterday. Because of it, Lord Oliver, Lord Noah, and his highness, Prince Mikyle were unable to attend."
An attack? What attack? Wait. . .was that why Mikyle had to reschedule our date to next week? Adrien felt sweat bead on the back of his neck as he listened to the girls share the news that he was unaware of.
Lady Aefre shot a concerned glance at Adrien. "My sister always told me stories of how fun his highness can be during these things, and because he is your friend, I asked my sister to invite him along," she explained. Lady Aafre then turned to look at her sister. "Is there any news on how he and Lady Lianna are doing?"
"I wrote to father and asked him this morning. Both his highness and the Crown Princess are unharmed but as of now, they still have no idea as to who was behind the attack," Lady Aisley explained, a perfectly manicured hand placed under her chin as she wore a vexing look.
"I hope they find the perpetrators soon," Lady Bell stated with a forlorn sigh.
"I agree," Lady Elsie stated, a fierce look in her eye. "Because of that, Marquess Jameson is keeping Oliver home.
"He and Lady Evelyn are engaged," Lady Aafre explained to him, keeping her voice low so as to not disturb the others' conversation.
"Hmm," Adrien hummed. Lady Elsie was the same age as his current physical body, making her seventeen. He was finding it strange that so many teenagers in this world were already engaged.
Huh? I wonder why none of us Mallorbe siblings are engaged? You would think that the Count would have already found a political marriage for Adrien-I mean me. As the third son I'm useless to the Mallorne household since I have two brothers above me. Is it up to Count Ratcliff to find my partner since I'm his heir?
Adrien shook away all the pesky thoughts that were swarming around in his head. Instead, he refocused on the conversation before him.