At the center of the rose garden, a massive marble fountain shot water high into the sky, as if piercing through the heavens. Musicians filled the air with cheerful melodies, and jesters performed dazzling tricks.

Noble ladies and gentlemen strolled in small groups through the garden, where red roses fluttered in the breeze.

“The party is wonderful.”

“I should thank you for gracing us with your presence.”

“Lady Rosé should find a suitable match soon. I hear His Highness the Crown Prince will be attending today?”

“She’s still such a child—it’s embarrassing to introduce her anywhere. Hohoho.”

Countess Audrey was in her element, like a fish in water.

As the mistress of House Etoile, she flawlessly orchestrated her daughter’s birthday ball with impeccable grace.

****

“My lady, the young ladies have arrived.”

Seated before the mirror, Rosé turned her head.

“Young ladies?”

When she asked as if she didn’t understand, the maid hesitated in confusion.

“Pardon? The young ladies… um… Lady Eliza and Lady Tre—”

“Oh, I see. Show them in.”

With a polite nod, the maid left the room, and Rosé recalled names she hadn’t thought of in a long time.

Eliza and Tracy.

They had been as close as sisters before she married and entered the imperial palace.

They had shared daily tea times, knew every little detail about each other, and had been her dearest companions—her solace in the lonely palace life.

Or at least, that’s what she had once believed.

That was before her family’s downfall.

After her father’s passing and her brother Hans’s disappearance at sea, they had completely cut ties with her.

Then, one day, Rosé had seen Eliza and Tracy again in the imperial garden.

By then, they had become Sasha’s companions, standing loyally behind her.

Now, giggling and chatting animatedly, Eliza and Tracy entered the room.

“Rosé, happy birthday!”

“My dear, happy birthday!”

They flanked Rosé and showered her cheeks with loud, affectionate kisses.

Rosé lowered her gaze slightly and endured their showy congratulations in silence.

The two women who had once been as close as sisters now seemed nothing more than hollow masks of fake friendship. A wave of nausea rose within her.

“Helen?”

Just then, Rosé’s eyes lit up as they landed on someone standing near the doorway.

Helen had entered quietly behind Eliza and Tracy, lingering in the background.

Observing Rosé’s gaze, Helen smiled shyly and spoke barely audibly.

“Happy birthday.”

Rosé gently extricated herself from Eliza and Tracy and walked toward Helen with a warm expression.

“Thank you for coming, Helen.”

When Rosé had lost everything—her family, her status—only Helen had come to visit her in the imperial palace.

While all the noble families avoided her, fearing the imperial court’s disapproval, Helen alone remained by her side.

She had prayed with Rosé on the day her father was executed. She had held her and wept when the news of Hans’s disappearance arrived.

And when the world thought Rosé had died, falling from the tower, Helen had probably been the only one to mourn her.

Though she always seemed timid, always a step behind everyone else, Helen was the bravest woman Rosé had ever known.

As Rosé wrapped an arm around her shoulders, Helen stiffened in embarrassment, unused to such open affection.

She had always been a shadow among the noble ladies—rarely acknowledged, never indeed seen.

“Oh, right! Hans brought back a pair of blue diamond earrings from Porportia. They don’t suit my red hair at all, but they’ll look stunning with your golden locks.”

Rosé lied.

The truth was, those earrings suited her perfectly. She had cherished them so much that she had only admired them from afar, afraid to even leave fingerprints on them.

Guiding Helen toward her vanity, Rosé ignored the displeased expressions on Eliza and Tracy’s faces.

“Oh my!”

“Wow…!”

As the white velvet box was opened, Eliza and Tracy’s eyes widened as they marveled at the teardrop-shaped earrings.

Though they were daughters of prestigious noble families and possessed many fine jewels, they had never seen diamonds that gleamed with such a brilliant blue.

That was understandable—Blue Diamonds were a rare gem, even in Porportia, a land renowned for producing high-quality jewels.

Moreover, Hans Etoile’s bringing these earrings back gave them an even greater significance.

Rosé had long known that all three of them harbored feelings for Hans.

Eliza and Tracy were always eager to ask about his well-being, while Helen would quietly blush at the mere mention of his name.

“See? I knew it would suit you.”

Rosé beamed at Helen, who hesitantly touched the earrings that Rosé had personally put on her.

“But… these are a precious gift from Sir Hans to you, Rosé… I can’t possibly wear them…”

“Nothing is too precious for you, Helen. I’m giving them to my dearest friend, after all. I just hope Hans sees how beautiful you look in them tonight.”

Helen’s face turned as red as a beet.

Meanwhile, Eliza and Tracy’s faces darkened for an entirely different reason.

“Next time, Hans should gift something to Helen himself. Who knows? Maybe one day, she’ll be my sister-in-law.”

Rosé smiled meaningfully at Helen, her gaze teasing. At the word “sister-in-law,” Helen nearly fainted.

Clap! Clap!

The sudden entrance of Natalie broke the tense atmosphere that had filled the room moments before.

“I knew it! Of course, our Lady Rosé is the only one who isn’t ready yet. Just look at the other young ladies—they’re particularly stunning today.”

Eliza and Tracy forced smiles onto their stiff faces as if donning polite masks once more. They took hold of Rosé and picked up a comb.

“That’s right, Rosé. You were so looking forward to Prince Kasiax coming today. We have to make you extra beautiful.”

“Indeed! Who knows? You might even receive a proposal from His Highness tonight. Hohoho.”

“Bastard.”

The word slipped from Rosé’s lips as she bit down hard, her voice full of venom.

Startled, Tracy dropped the comb in shock.

A heavy silence fell over the room.

“R-Rosé? What did you just say…?”

Tracy asked, her voice filled with disbelief.

Once again, Natalie stepped in.

“Alright, alright. Our Lady Rosé mustn’t lose confidence. Since we really need to get her ready now, ladies, please wait outside.”

As the maids entered the room, Eliza and Tracy reluctantly withdrew, still wearing forced smiles.

“Fine. We’ll find Lady Muriel in the meantime. She’s been so down lately that she looks dreadful.”

“My goodness. Who wouldn’t be? If someone told me to go to Hellavant, I’d have died of a heart attack already.”

“Stop it. Someone might hear you.”

“Oh, please. Everyone already knows. God, please have mercy on poor Lady Muriel.”

Tracy pretended to pray, making Eliza giggle as she pulled her out of the room. Helen quietly followed after them.

While the maids busily dressed and styled her, Rosé became lost in thought again.

How dangerous would it be to go north? Was she truly making the right decision? Her mind was a whirlwind of uncertainty.

“My goodness! I should have tipped the dressmakers more generously. How could anyone be this stunning?!”

At Natalie’s dramatic exclamation, Rosé turned to look at her reflection in the mirror.

The light lavender dress, as if made solely for her, exuded an air of purity and grace.

‘How foolish.’

She had gone to such lengths for a man like Kasiax—someone like him. She had dressed, styled her hair, and perfected the most enchanting smile.

Looking at herself now, she found it utterly ridiculous. A hollow laugh escaped her lips.

***

The setting sun painted the sky in layers of crimson, like an endless red carpet.

In front of the grand Etoile Count’s estate, where red roses climbed the walls, the noble carriages of the capital gathered in droves.

Amidst the escort of royal guards clad in pristine white uniforms, a gilded imperial carriage arrived, adding an air of solemn majesty to the lavish ball.

“His Highness, the Crown Prince has arrived!”