The first thing that surprised them was the dress she wore.

“My, wearing a black dress to a ball……”

Unlike the young ladies dressed in every color imaginable, she wore a dress as dark as night. But what was even more striking was…

Her silver hair and pale skin.

Red eyes that shone like rubies.

“……”

People could not tear their eyes away from her beauty, cold yet dignified. Mariella’s gaze crumpled with displeasure as her attention was stolen in an instant.

“Who on earth is that young lady?”

The entrance buzzed with murmurs at the appearance of this beautiful, unidentifiable woman.

“Oh? That crest…… isn’t that the Windmore family?”

A man who recognized the emblem on the carriage muttered almost to himself.

“The Windmore family? Strange. There’s only one young lady from that house.”

“Who?”

Unable to contain their curiosity, people asked in a rush. Then,

“Alicia……”

“Alicia? You don’t mean the woman who spent beyond her means on luxuries, driving her own brother into an early grave?”

Rumors about Alicia were well known throughout the principality. But the Alicia they saw before them was nothing like those rumors.

Dressed simply in a black gown.

And that simplicity only doubled her beauty.

People could not close their mouths at Alicia’s dignified and striking appearance. The most shocked of all was Mariella.

The black dress, contrasted against Alicia’s skin, pale as snow, gave her an air of mystery and nobility.

Mariella had wanted so desperately to be the one everyone was looking at, yet every eye in the room was turned toward Alicia, not her.

“……”

Consumed by jealousy, Mariella bit down on her red-painted lips.

˗ˋˏ ♡ ˎˊ˗

A black dress fit for a funeral. The onlookers were struck with shock, but Alicia savored their stares.

The reason she had chosen the black dress.

It was not simply for mourning or revenge.

It’s the dress that will draw the most attention.

Among young ladies dressed in every color of the spectrum, she would stand out without question.

Alicia smiled and walked forward through the crowd with her head held high. People’s gazes followed her naturally.

First, bewilderment.

Then admiration.

And then, curiosity.

Alicia moved inside, leaving the stares of countless people behind her. Then, a woman stepped into her path with a venomous glare.

It was Mariella.

“My goodness…… a black dress to a ball…… for a moment I thought I had walked into a funeral. If you wanted to draw attention, it seems you have succeeded.”

Mariella, flanked by three or four other young ladies, began picking a fight. Perhaps because of the crowd watching, she used formal speech. But the tone was still sharp and cold.

“Do you have a problem with me wearing black?”

“Isn’t that obvious? Wearing a black dress to the principality’s greatest celebration shows you don’t even know basic etiquette.”

She raised her voice, playing the part of the refined noble. The surrounding gazes naturally gathered on the two of them.

Alicia nearly laughed at the sight of the young ladies banding together in the most predictable way to humiliate someone.

Even back then, petty behavior from noble ladies was nothing new.

Alicia swallowed her amusement and looked at Mariella.

“You could be forgiven for misunderstanding. But black carries more than one meaning.”

“What did you say?”

Unlike the bristling Mariella, Alicia lowered her voice. It only drew the attention of those around them more sharply.

“This ball is held to honor the memory of past grand dukes. Wearing black to a memorial gathering is hardly a breach of etiquette.”

“……”

Mariella faltered for a moment. Her gaze darted urgently to a thin young lady standing behind her. Then,

“However, it also carries the meaning of celebrating the health and long reign of His Highness the Grand Duke, who leads the Leonis family. That is why the ball follows the memorial. In that sense, is it not entirely the wrong attire?”

Mariella’s expression grew triumphant as the other young lady stepped in on her behalf.

“Exactly. Do you not even understand that much? You really have no refinement at all.”

“Perhaps she slept through etiquette lessons. The North is so dull, after all.”

“That would explain it. Ho ho ho.”

The surrounding young ladies nodded along and broke into laughter.

One against many. But Alicia did not flinch in the slightest.

“A celebration, you say. Well said.”

She stepped forward instead and met Mariella’s eyes directly.

“What is the proud symbol of the Leonis family, the one deserving of everyone’s celebration tonight?”

“That would be…… black hair and black eyes.”

“Yes. The noble black eyes and black hair are the symbol that proclaims the greatness of the Leonis family. That is why the former Grand Duke, during his lifetime, wore black on every important occasion.”

“Wh, what?”

“I wore this to honor his spirit. Surely you are not displeased by my devotion to the former Grand Duke?”

“Th, that……”

Mariella stumbled over her words.

She looked behind her again, but this time even the thin young lady could not come to her aid.

At a gathering held to honor past Grand Dukes, there was no way to deny the traditions of the former Grand Duke.

But Alicia’s attack did not stop there.

“Or perhaps you attended this ball without even that level of knowledge? Rather like a certain lowly family that purchased its title with money.”

“……”

Mariella’s face flushed crimson in an instant.

There was no one present who did not understand that the lowly family in question referred to her.

The sound of whispering nobles carried through the room.

Mariella glared at Alicia, her face red enough to draw blood.

A burning gaze mixed with fury and shame.

Alicia smiled in return and slowly turned away.

“Then, if you will excuse me.”

A perfect victory.

˗ˋˏ ♡ ˎˊ˗

Walking down the long corridor toward the banquet hall where the ball was being held. Once they were away from Mariella and her group, Rina spoke with a worried expression.

“……Will this be all right? The Wagner comital household is the wealthiest family in the capital and quite a powerful one too.”

“If I had any intention of being cowed by something like this, I wouldn’t have come this far. So don’t be surprised. There will be far more startling things ahead.”

Rina looked at the changed Alicia and nodded. Then came a natural question.

“But, Miss…… how did you know that? About the former Grand Duke wearing black at ceremonies.”

“It’s basic knowledge any noble should have.”

It was not a lie. It was the standard etiquette any member of the principality’s household was expected to know. And ironically, the one who had drilled that etiquette into her was Helena herself.

‘If you cannot memorize every law and protocol of the principality, do not even think of leaving this room.’

Helena had locked Seraphiel, who had been so weakened by the poison that even daily life was a struggle, inside the imperial library. On the surface it looked like consideration for Helena, but in reality it was a seat of humiliation.

‘Seraphiel, why are you so slow to learn? You must uphold the dignity befitting the Crown Princess of the Empire!’

Whenever sharp questions came without warning, Seraphiel would turn the pages of her book with trembling hands and answer.

‘I, I am doing my best to memorize everything, Mother……’

‘Then explain the protocols regarding His Majesty the Emperor’s meals. Tell me the order of the silver dishes used during His Majesty’s dining and their significance.’

Content so intricate and frequently changed that even the most experienced ministers struggled to keep it straight. Helena’s intent was unmistakable.

Seraphiel drew a deep breath.

She had memorized it all, but the knowledge slipped away like sand through her fingers.

‘His Majesty the Emperor…… the silver dish…… first…… no, second……’

Watching Seraphiel hesitate, Helena unleashed her prepared fury.

‘You cannot even master the basic protocols expected of a Crown Princess. How can you call yourself a member of the imperial family?’

She gestured to the other attendants and gave her orders.

‘Help the Crown Princess study the imperial protocols thoroughly. In the meantime, restrict her meals and forbid her from going outside.’

Years of terrible suffering as a daughter-in-law flashed through her mind.

The countless cruelties of a mother-in-law that only those who had endured them could understand. The memory of those days, when she had hugged her knees and sobbed every single night, was vivid.

Time that had been so terrifying and suffocating.

She slowly closed her eyes and steadied her breathing.

‘Back then, I used to wonder why I couldn’t memorize anything……’

The cause had been the poison.

All of it had been Helena’s scheme.

Alicia clenched her teeth and gripped the hem of her dress.

And then, at that moment,

Creak.

A great door swung open and a woman entered.

Step. Step.

A figure walking with serene eyes, drawing the gaze of everyone in the room.

“Her Highness Helena has arrived!”

The face she had wanted so desperately to see.

Empress Helena no, Helena.

˗ˋˏ ♡ ˎˊ˗

Helena had arrived.

Every eye in the room turned at once.

Young as she was, Helena radiated an undeniable grace and charisma before everyone present.

“They say a beautiful flower blooms on the continent, and the rumors were right.”

“She possesses a beauty that even the rumors could not fully capture. Look at that exquisite face, as noble as her bloodline.”