Despite growing up receiving plenty of attention and affection from her family, she felt a high wall at times like these. Rosia felt she could only remain in her position as the weak and kind daughter and sister. Would this bitterness disappear if she married a rich man, as Baron and Baroness Luther suggested? Could she be of help to her precious family……

“Miss, are you alright?”

The nanny’s warm voice woke Rosia from her thoughts. Rosia slowly lifted her lowered eyelids. It was a useless worry. Rosia quickly erased her impossible imagination and asked back.

“Where did Father go?”

“I heard he went to the bank.”

“The bank?”

“I suppose he’s trying to do something. Our poor Viscount……”

To think they had to take on more debt to pay off existing debt when they already had enough. Rosia let out a light sigh.

“Ah, and Lady Odor sent a letter.”

“Betty?”

Rosia received the small envelope the nanny handed her. She had a somewhat bad feeling, but she couldn’t ignore communication from a friend. She caressed the smoothly sealed envelope before slowly checking its contents. Chaotic sentences that seemed to carry Betty’s voice continued on. Rosia read through to the last sentence and the sender’s name before folding it back.

“Miss, what kind of letter is it to make your expression……”

The nanny looked at Rosia with worried eyes. Rosia turned to the dressing table mirror. Her eyebrows, which usually extended gently and kindly, were furrowed.

House of Palena, a party, a request to go together, an unnecessary addition that Crown Prince Gragford might attend. That was all.

Nigel’s face naturally came to mind. If His Highness the Crown Prince attended, then perhaps that person too…… Rosia wanted to meet and talk with Nigel. She had an obligation to let him know that everything that happened at the walking path was a misunderstanding. She turned back to the nanny.

“I need to attend a party in three days.”

“Oh my! We must choose a dress first.”

The nanny clapped her hands with a bright smile. Rosia nodded once in acknowledgment.

＊＊＊

The party had fewer guests than would befit the House of Palena. In other words, it meant only a select few who were invited could attend. Rosia had chosen a light jade-colored dress, while Betty wore a flashy red dress, making the two look completely mismatched. Nevertheless, the two young ladies had been especially close since childhood, so they entered the ballroom arm in arm.

“Lady Odor.”

Leo Palena approached with his characteristic haughty expression. Betty, who had been looking around searching for someone, looked up at him with a bright smile.

“Thank you for inviting us, Leo.”

“I should be more thankful to meet someone as beautiful as you again.”

Leo smiled as if grimacing. Rosia still didn’t like his cold gaze. However, since he was their host, she had to be polite and curtsied.

“Thank you for inviting us.”

“It’s been a while, Lady Berthe.”

Leo looked Rosia up and down before glancing behind him. There stood a man conversing with noble ladies. Rosia thought it was Nigel at first glance. However, looking more carefully, it was Crown Prince Davion. Did His Highness the Grand Duke not attend? Rosia turned her gaze away from Davion and slowly looked around.

Just then, the music changed and Leo and Betty disappeared toward the center. They seemed to be having their first dance. Rosia moved to a corner, ignoring the glancing gazes of noble young men. Such social gatherings were still uncomfortable and somewhat frightening.

After all, as Baron and Baroness Luther said, she didn’t have many other options.

“Lady Berthe.”

Rosia quickly turned around, interrupting her sigh. Davion, dressed in pure white formal wear, gazed steadily at Rosia. Rosia curtsied politely.

“……Ah, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

“Have you been well?”

Davion approached right in front of her with a benevolent smile. Rosia had to maintain an uncomfortable posture to look up at his tall stature. There was only a wall behind her, so her judgment to step back even one step couldn’t become reality. She smiled to avoid awkwardness.

“Thanks to Your Highness’s concern.”

“Let’s skip such formalities.”

Davion’s large, elegant hand waved once through the air. He seemed to have had a reason for approaching Rosia from the start. Rosia’s instincts sensed an ominous atmosphere and warned her to leave this place. However, before she could take action, Davion abruptly brought up the main point.

“I heard you’re secretly meeting my brother. Is the Grand Duke treating you well? How is it? That guy has never been in love before, so he must be quite clumsy at it.”

Rosia almost opened her mouth wide. She hadn’t expected him to tell his family about their mere month-long relationship. She stared at Davion with an expression that clearly showed her surprise. She couldn’t rashly confirm it here, but she also couldn’t brazenly lie in front of someone who knew the truth. Rosia was unfamiliar with this kind of encounter. Naturally, the social skills she had only read about and learned from books didn’t perfectly match reality.

“Besides, to leave such a beautiful lover alone… I wouldn’t have done that.”

Davion softened his gaze and looked behind Rosia. A large shadow fell over her.

“I’ve been looking for you for a while.”

Nigel’s low voice shook Rosia. Before she could turn around, he walked up beside her and looked down at her with his characteristically emotionless eyes. Rosia felt her heart sink. While she had been disappointed that Nigel hadn’t attended the party, she had also felt relieved. Though she wanted to meet and talk with him, this wasn’t the kind of encounter she wanted at all. Rosia took and released a breath so shallow that neither of them would notice.

“Your Highness the Grand Duke.”

“To keep such a beautiful lady waiting. It seems I’ve forgotten basic courtesy.”

Davion let out a snicker. Rosia couldn’t feel even a handful of brotherly affection or joy in that laugh. Though the Crown Prince and Grand Duke were clearly blood brothers, they didn’t seem to get along. Rosia found this rather strange. Perhaps it was because she had lived as such close siblings with her brothers. Their relationship was difficult to understand. Moreover, Nigel and Davion weren’t simply bickering. Their eyes held contempt as they looked at each other.

“I don’t believe Your Highness the Crown Prince is in any position to lecture me about courtesy.”

Nigel shot back. Rosia just kept looking down at the floor. The bright lights were crawling chaotically across the floor. At this rate, forget talking to Nigel — she felt she needed to disappear from this ballroom immediately.

“Davion?”

Just then, an unfamiliar woman slowly approached and called out to Davion. Rosia and Nigel’s gazes turned to her simultaneously. A woman with a pale, thin face blinked her large eyes. Davion let out a shallow breath and turned to her with a smile.

“I’ve kept you waiting again, Greta.”

Greta Leblanc. According to Baroness Luther, she was one of the important figures that one must know about before making their social debut. Crown Prince Davion Gragford’s fiancée and longtime friend. The future Crown Princess, perhaps even the future Queen.

Rosia tried to show proper courtesy to her. However, as Davion naturally wrapped his arm around her shoulder and turned away, she could only manage a slight curtsy. Before she could say anything, the two disappeared into the crowd. Rosia stared after them, feeling bewildered.

Davion’s behavior seemed almost overprotective of his fiancée. No, perhaps he wanted to hide her very existence. It wasn’t a particularly good feeling. What was this unsettling, ambiguous sensation?

“Did you come out to find a suitable man to marry? Ah, that’s what you did last time too.”

Thanks to Davion who disappeared without even a greeting, Nigel’s criticism was directed at Rosia. At the same time, the thoughts swirling in Rosia’s mind were cut off. Rosia turned her body slightly to look at Nigel. Only then could she see how splendid this angel-like man looked today.

Dressed in pure white formal wear, Nigel looked even more divine than usual. His hair, neatly swept back, highlighted his smooth and perfect forehead, and his long, naturally extended eyelashes were beautiful enough to make one fail to notice the indifferent emotions in his downcast eyes.

But Rosia had already grown accustomed to his appearance. She was calmer than the surface of a lake stirring in a gentle spring breeze.

“Please don’t speak so carelessly. I don’t particularly want to realize that His Highness the Crown Prince wasn’t wrong.”

Rosia pointed out Nigel’s discourteous behavior by deliberately mentioning Davion, with whom she didn’t even have any friendship. But Nigel’s face showed little concern. He took a sip of wine before responding indifferently.

“You don’t need to be angry with me. I’m not the one who threw you into the marriage market — your family did. Baron and Baroness Luther have been running around quite busily trying to find you a match.”

“They’re just……”

Rosia felt embarrassed that Nigel had even learned about Baron and Baroness Luther’s actions. Perhaps not just Nigel, but everyone in this ballroom might view her the same way.

A woman looking for a wealthy man to pay off her family’s debts. Isn’t that exactly what Baron and Baroness Luther wanted her to be?

In truth, such things were frequent in high society. Love wasn’t very important in noble marriages. As long as their interests aligned, loveless vows were easy enough. Even so. Rosia Berthe had already rejected Nigel several times.