The day of the long-awaited ball arrived.

As soon as Rosana woke up in the morning, she bathed and received a massage with perfumed oils, had her hair done, and put on her dress. 

Even from Rosana’s palace, which was far from the main palace, she could feel the commotion outside. Splendid carriages lined up in the distance, entering the imperial capital.

Jade leaned languidly against the door, waiting for Rosana’s preparations to finish. He couldn’t enter the room. When told he could only see her once all preparations were complete, Jade decided to wait patiently.

When Rosana said this much should be enough since Jade was waiting, it didn’t work at all. Rather, they stopped her from speaking, saying talking would mess up her makeup.

The maids attacked with fire in their eyes. They spared no effort to make Rosana the most beautiful of all the women appearing at the ball. Rosana was already exhausted in a different sense.

“We’re finished.”

At the same time, the door opened.

“Finally done?”

Jade threw open the door, seemingly waiting for those words to fall.

Jade’s outfit was also exceptional. His hair, which usually fell naturally tousled, was neatly swept back, and above all, the perfectly fitted suit revealed his solid muscles well. The agonizing choice had been worth it.

“You look wonderful.”

“The clothes you chose couldn’t possibly not suit me. You’re beautiful too. So much I don’t want to show you to others.”

Jade gently took Rosana’s sparkling golden hair in his hand. The hair reflecting the sunlight was beautiful. 

Perhaps because she had generously applied perfumed oils, her hair seemed to melt in his hand. A subtle lavender scent swirled around them. He smiled with his eyes, unable to take them off Rosana’s appearance.

“Then there’d be no point in getting dressed up from morning.”

“I don’t like that you got dressed up from morning for those bastards either.”

Rosana smiled gently at his disgruntled muttering.

“You dressed up nicely too.”

“I’m different. I didn’t dress up to show others—I dressed up to show you.”

“Are you still dissatisfied?”

Jade’s lips were set in a straight line. Rosana laughed softly, saying it couldn’t be helped. She knew why he was reacting this way. When Rosana showed signs of backing down slightly, Jade’s eyes sparkled and he immediately complained.

“I wanted to enjoy the ball with you. But you’re going to leave me alone and lonely—how could I say anything good about that?”

Jade clicked his tongue, showing his displeasure. He had agreed, swept up in the atmosphere, but his unwillingness showed. However, Rosana had made up her mind. She knew he’d be lonely, but what couldn’t be done couldn’t be done.

“You agreed to listen to my opinion. We can’t have what happened last time happen again.”

“What happened?”

“What happened when we went out.”

Rosana smiled sweetly while threatening him. Jade ignored his pricked conscience. It had been for Rosana’s sake, and it had concluded well in the end, but he had deceived Rosana.

“If you do that again, I won’t see you for a while.”

“…Won’t see me?”

“Yes.”

“How long is a while…”

“A while is a while. Ah, you know you’re forbidden from approaching within a certain distance, right?”

“…How heartless.”

The nobles would certainly obey Jade’s words. Then the meaning would be diluted. She wanted to be proudly recognized by the nobles and tell them that the seat beside him was hers.

Jade grumbled that this wasn’t the ball he had imagined. However, Rosana firmly said there would be no reversal. Jade sighed softly but bowed his head, saying he would respect her opinion.

“But when there’s danger, I’ll step in.”

At his words that he could concede no further, Rosana also nodded. Then Jade politely proposed an escort.

“Will you be my partner?”

“…Of course.”

Jade put strength into the hand he carefully extended. Rosana, who let out a small laugh, gently placed her hand on top. Jade, holding on like he wouldn’t let go, said:

“Well then, shall we go?”

Rosana slowly raised her gaze. This moment of walking with Jade felt like her steps were floating. Her shoulders, which had been crushed by weight, felt light. Like she might drift wherever the wind blew.

* * *

The entire imperial capital bustled due to the ball. It was the first ball held in the imperial capital since becoming an empire. Naturally, people’s attention was hyper-focused.

Above all, it was the day Rosana would officially appear before the nobles’ eyes.

Inside the imperial capital, there was no one who didn’t know that Rosana had already hosted a banquet to welcome the delegation and substituted for the emperor’s position. 

Like water seeping into paper, her achievements were slowly becoming known. The way people looked at her was also gradually changing.

Most nobles whose residences were adjacent to the capital and who were politically astute attended the ball. Many carriages flooded in from outside the imperial capital. After presenting their respective invitations and entering the hall, the nobles bloomed with stories about Rosana.

“Honestly speaking, even Duke Helpe’s words are questionable.”

“Isn’t it just pulling the wool over our eyes…? We’ve heard plenty about Lady Arcadi, haven’t we? It’s even harder to believe.”

“But if you look at His Majesty’s attitude and… that seat…”

“It makes me sigh. He wasn’t originally like that… A ruler bewitched by a woman is bound to fall later.”

“It’s too early to judge. Isn’t that why we’re attending this ball?”

The nobles shook their heads, saying it was puzzling. Then they felt a chill down their spines. Knights stood in every corner of the hall. 

Their movements were leisurely, like they were enjoying the banquet, but they wore First Imperial Knights uniforms. They looked around sharply with fierce eyes.

They glared with blazing eyes at the nobles who had just made unnecessary remarks about Rosana. The nobles who had gathered in groups were intimidated by that momentum and spared their words. The knights looked satisfied.

However, there were definitely those who took Rosana’s side.

“Would His Grace the Duke carelessly cover for someone? Isn’t he a true loyal subject who tells His Majesty when something is wrong? And don’t we all know His Majesty’s eye for people?”

“That’s right. Hearing from nobles who witnessed Lady Arcadi directly, there are puzzling aspects.”

“Are you talking about Marquis Liberi?”

“Yes. There’s talk that Lady Arcadi is the reason the marquis’s punishment ended with house arrest.”

Among the murmuring nobles, someone appeared with a clearing of the throat—ahem.

“Lady Rosana showed magnanimity.”

Duke Helpe’s appearance caused another stir. He wore a pleased expression as he listened to the nobles’ words.

“Isn’t that right?”

When he asked another noble who was there, he nodded reluctantly. Though he didn’t want to acknowledge it, it was the truth, so he had no choice but to nod.

“Is that really true?”

The hall buzzed. Yet the protagonists, Rosana and Jade, still hadn’t appeared. The nobles gathered in clusters sipped wine and kept glancing at the door, waiting for them to come.

How long had they waited?

“His Majesty the Emperor and the one who will become the future empress, Lady Rosana Arcadi, have arrived!”

Among the many people gathered in the banquet hall, only a very few had seen Rosana’s face. They had only heard rumors floating around saying this and that.

“We’ll finally see her face.”

One noble spoke in an expectant voice. Then the doors opened wide. Rosana appeared alongside Jade in his splendid outfit, adorned in red more intense than blazing flames.

Her gait was elegant, and her head was held high. She looked confident. And most surprising of all was the affectionate atmosphere between the two. They had heard rumors, but witnessing it with their own eyes delivered a fresh shock.

Satisfaction oozed from Jade’s unusually slow steps. He was uninhibited in expressing his emotions. They could see him treating the small hand resting on his own as preciously as a sacred object.

“Rosana, be careful.”

“Thank you.”

Even while climbing the round circular stairs, he showed concern that Rosana might stumble due to her long dress. Jade supported her body with one hand, considering her high heels.

He was originally the person most distant from the word consideration. Especially not someone who would take a woman’s hand when she fell. Of course, seeing him with a woman at all was itself a rare occurrence.

“See? You’re so beautiful that everyone’s eyes won’t leave you.”

“…”

Even the smile on her lips was awkward. Those who saw Jade spreading laughter while saying embarrassing words barely swallowed their shock. Some even rubbed their eyes roughly, wondering if they were seeing correctly.

Rosana was the same. She looked at Jade with a coquettish smile, chattering like a bird. A smile and vitality rippled across her entire face. Their gazes were captured by her brightly shining blue eyes. They weren’t eyes shining viciously.

The nobles kept their heads lowered, though their eyes constantly darted toward Rosana. Their persistent gazes clung to her, as if determined not to miss a single detail—her voice, her laughter, her every step.  

And in that moment, they realized anew.  

She was beautiful. They had heard countless tales of Amy Arcadi’s beauty—praise for her looks and kindness so abundant it felt tiresome. 

In stark contrast, Rosana’s reputation had always been the opposite. Yet now, it was a moment when her charm was being completely reexamined.

“Unexpectedly, ahem… She’s a beautiful person.”

“Now that you mention it, she was twins with Lady Amy Arcadi…”

Identical twins are bound to look very similar to each other. If Amy’s appearance was beautiful, it meant Rosana was sufficiently beautiful too. But they hadn’t thought Rosana would be this beautiful. 

To them, she was the cruel and vicious ‘Rosana Arcadi.’

Rosana’s brilliant golden hair sparkled even more due to the chandelier shining from above. Each strand of hair seemed to hold its own light. People stared entranced at the vivid gold.

The fluttering hair and red dress suited her well. Walking while gazing straight ahead with a confident and self-assured expression, Rosana was like an elegant rose.

Rosana smiled with her eyes at those whose gazes occasionally met hers. They lowered their gazes at her eye smile. Despite giving her looks and hints, Rosana countered with a smile.

At parties hosted by the imperial family, the seat where the emperor would sit was predetermined. It was the highest seat with a full view of the banquet hall—the seat of honor. 

Two chairs existed on the platform. They climbed the circular stairs one step at a time to the top of the platform. Rosana also calmly sat in the seat he guided her to. It was right next to him.

The nobles swallowed hard and glanced around nervously. It was as if Jade had openly declared his intentions, leaving no room for doubt. 

He had officially validated the rumors that had been circulating through whispers and word of mouth—at this imperial ball, in front of all the gathered nobles.