“My goodness, Miss. How could you leave without me?”

The maid who belatedly found the carriage snapped in a sharp tone.

Shasha, who had been writhing alone with feelings of betrayal in the dark carriage, pushed her aside and stepped out.

“Miss!”

She heard the maid calling from behind, but ignored her and walked toward the banquet hall.

Upon returning to the banquet hall, Shasha looked around for Rose. She spotted her among the young lords and ladies gathered at one side of the hall and headed in that direction.

“……I don’t understand what misunderstanding Shasha had. She just got angry out of nowhere and raised her hand to slap my face……”

Sympathetic sighs flowed from those around. Because Rose had trailed off, people misunderstood that Shasha had actually slapped her.

“You must have been so shocked, Lady Albis.”

“She probably envied Lady Albis. Lady White is really quite jealous.”

People comforted Rose while each offering their own disparaging remarks about Shasha.

“Look, it’s Lady White!”

When someone pointed at Shasha, all eyes suddenly turned to her.

Startled, Shasha froze in place. Her palms quickly became drenched with sweat, making the hem of her dress damp where she clutched it.

“Shasha, you’re not still misunderstanding, are you? We’re…… friends.”

Rose, who had approached without notice, blinked tearfully with a pitiful expression. In front of her acting as the innocent victim, Shasha was cast in the role of the vicious aggressor.

“How……. Lady Albis is so generous.”

“Compared to her, Lady White is really……”

People who were completely fooled by Rose’s detestable hypocrisy directed reproachful glances at Shasha.

‘That’s not it! I saw Rose having s*x with my fiancé in my carriage……!’

However, her throat dried up from tension, making it difficult to speak. Just keeping strength in her trembling legs that seemed ready to collapse at any moment was already Shasha’s best effort.

Shasha stared intensely at Rose’s hateful face.

“You, you were in my carriage—”

“—I’ll be more careful, Shasha.”

The moment Shasha finally opened her mouth, Rose cut her off.

“I’m your only friend, after all.”

The gesture of brushing back Shasha’s hair seemed affectionate.

“I look forward to our continued friendship.”

It was an exceptionally charming smile, but Shasha saw it clearly—the red eyes gleaming with malice.

Sensing danger, she tried to step back, but it was already too late.

“Ugh……!”

Shasha’s head fell back helplessly as strong fingers grabbed her hair.

“Oh my, your hair seems caught in my bracelet. Wait a moment. I’ll untangle it right away.”

Rose fidgeted with her hands, claiming to untangle the hair, but the pain on Shasha’s scalp only intensified.

“Aaack……!”

People around burst into laughter at the sight of Shasha with her head tilted back in pain, then hastily covered their mouths with their sleeves.

“What should I do? It seems properly tangled. It’s not coming loose.”

After playing with her hair for quite some time under the pretense of untangling it, Rose made a troubled expression, to which Lady Rascal promptly replied.

“Why don’t you just cut it?”

She had previously been in a deep relationship with Pedro and was always eager to torment Shasha. Others agreed it was a good idea. Even though Shasha was known as ‘Lady Drum,’ this treatment was excessive, but intoxicated by alcohol and the atmosphere, they were unable to make rational judgments.

Rose stroked her cheek with a troubled expression, then nodded as if she had no choice. She called a servant and instructed him to bring scissors.

“D-don’t do this…… ugh!”

“It hurts more if you move like that, Shasha. Stay still.”

Having completely subdued Shasha, Rose took the scissors brought by the servant. The well-sharpened blades gleamed in the light of the magnificent chandelier.

Terrified, Shasha rolled her eyes around and happened to meet Pedro’s gaze as he emerged from the terrace.

‘Your Highness the Prince……!’

Pedro’s eyebrows twitched upon witnessing Shasha with her hair caught by Rose. When he spotted the scissors in Rose’s hand, his eyebrows arched even higher.

However, instead of rushing to save Shasha, Pedro merely scratched the bridge of his nose and mouthed something in their direction.

‘Take it easy.’

Take it easy? What?

Confused by the incomprehensible message, Shasha finally realized as Rose burst into laughter.

That Pedro’s message had been directed at Rose, not her.

Pedro then turned around and went back to the terrace. It was a clear expression of his intention not to get involved in the situation.

“It’s an entertaining spectacle, isn’t it? Right, Shasha?”

Rose whispered with an amused voice, but Shasha heard nothing. Her empty eyes remained fixed on the terrace door.

But her departed fiancé did not return.

“I’ll cut it nicely for you, Shasha.”

Rose gripped the scissors firmly and positioned Shasha’s hair between the blades that gaped like a predator’s mouth ready to devour its prey.

Just as she was about to apply pressure—

“Need some help?”

Rose hesitated at the unfamiliar voice from behind.

As she turned to identify the speaker, she screamed in pain as her wrist was twisted, causing her to drop the scissors.

“Aagh!”

Struggling to escape the pain, Rose eventually collapsed ungracefully on the floor. This drew the attention of everyone in the hall, even those who had been uninterested in the young nobles’ quarrel.

“What do you think you’re doing……!”

Rose began to snap angrily at whoever had caused her such humiliation but suddenly stopped.

Because the person was…… handsome. Extremely so.

A sharp jawline that looked like it could cut at the slightest touch, a nose bridge that seemed crafted by a potter with all their skill, and deep eyes one could drown in—everything about him was perfect.

Even Pedro, considered one of the capital’s most handsome men, would look like a mere pebble next to this man. The surrounding ladies also stared at the man’s face in a daze.

“It seemed like a troublesome situation, so I tried to help, but I appear to have misjudged my strength.”

A sigh-like exclamation erupted from the ladies at his deep, resonant voice. Now even his voice was handsome.

The man looked down at Rose with an indifferent face, then slightly bent his waist and extended his hand.

Even this simple action exuded restrained elegance. Rose felt smug under the envious gazes of the other ladies.

‘Yes, he must have made a mistake while trying to help me.’

Just looking at the man’s face naturally calmed her anger. However, Rose outwardly placed her hand primly on his palm with feigned coolness.

“But, my lady.”

“Yes?”

“Didn’t you say her hair was caught in your bracelet?”

“……!”

Dismay filled Rose’s eyes.

She tried to quickly withdraw her hand, but the man firmly grasped it and raised it high, fully exposing Rose’s bare wrist.

“L-let go of me! How dare such a ruffian……”

“Your Grace the Grand Duke, it’s been a long time.”

A noble who recognized the man belatedly greeted him. The unexpected title caused a stir in the hall.

“Grand Duke? Is that ‘the’ Kaien Hildred?”

The young head of the Empire’s only grand ducal family rarely left his northern territory, making him little known in the capital’s social circles.

However, rumors about him were abundant.

“They say his personality is so cruel? That not a day passes without him seeing blood……”

“Even his obsession with hunting monsters is said to be a way to satisfy his murderous instincts……”

“The previous Grand Duchess died young because the current Grand Duke……”

All the stories were ominous. Though they were merely baseless rumors of unknown origin, their influence was considerable.

The ladies who had been hovering around him, enchanted by his handsome appearance, had long since fled. Even Rose, who had been full of venom earlier, now only looked around nervously with a frightened expression.

“The capital has become quite entertaining in my absence.”

Grand Duke Kaien released Rose’s hand as if tossing it away. This caused Rose to fall on her backside again, but she couldn’t even show her displeasure.

“Laughing and enjoying something even children wouldn’t do as entertainment—truly a telling level of character, isn’t it?”

“Ahem, ahem……!”

Though his rebuke was directed at no one in particular, the young nobles who felt guilty cleared their throats and lowered their heads. After looking at them with contemptuous eyes, Kaien left the banquet hall.

Once he disappeared, people instinctively released the breath they had been holding.

“What on earth just happened?”

“I wonder the same.”

The gazes of people speculating about the cause of the ruined banquet atmosphere naturally turned toward Rose.

Still sitting on the floor, Rose covered her face with both hands and pretended to cry, but no one comforted or helped her up.

“I should be heading back now.”

“Me too.”

Though it was still early for the banquet to end, everyone prepared to leave as if their energy had been drained.

Shasha, who had frozen in confusion at the sudden situation, finally came to her senses.

‘I didn’t even thank him……!’

Shasha made a distressed face. Since Kaien rarely appeared in the capital’s social circles, it would be difficult to arrange another meeting.

‘No, it might not be too late yet.’

She couldn’t give up like this. She had to somehow express her gratitude to Kaien, who had taken her side for the first time.

Shasha belatedly followed after him.

※※※