This was a secret known only to Patrick himself, the Emperor, and the Empress. Ah, maybe the sharp-witted Logan and Aaron might know. But according to reports, only those three knew this significant secret. How could the Master know such a critical secret that even nobles weren’t aware of? Moreover, this wasn’t just some sordid noble life scandal.

It was an imperial secret. If this fact became known, it could shake the entire empire. That the First Prince is not the Emperor’s biological son. This was deceiving everyone in some sense. Immediately, there would be an uproar calling for the Second Prince to be made Crown Prince.

“Me, the First Prince’s sister?”

“You wouldn’t be so bold otherwise.”

He thinks she must be from some secret birth because he’s the same. Amelia couldn’t stop laughing at such absurdity. Clearly, he knows one thing but not two. Maybe it’s because he’s still young.

If she really were the Emperor’s daughter, that is, a hidden princess, Raphael wouldn’t have married Amelia. His disdain for the imperial family was immense. A meticulous Raphael wouldn’t have accepted her without any investigation.

“But as the empire’s First Prince… I didn’t think you’d be swayed by such ridiculous rumors.”

“…”

“Especially by mere nobles gossiping.”

Amelia hid her face behind her fan. That’s what fans are for. If it weren’t for the fan, her expression mocking Patrick would have been clear. Just speaking was dangerous enough.

“If I really were part of the imperial family… would Grand Duke Siegfried have married me?”

This was an undeniable fact. But Raphael’s first love had silver hair… Despite hating the imperial family so much, could he have fallen for someone with similar traits? Was her eye color also purple? The original story only mentioned they had the same hair color.

“That’s…”

“You can’t even deny it yourself.”

As she fluttered her fan, she started hearing people’s voices approaching. It seemed like they were lovers attempting to have a secret rendezvous. Of course, she and Patrick weren’t doing anything improper, but being seen like this could lead to gossip.

“I don’t have a secret birth like someone here.”

Amelia quickly returned to the party room through the crowd of people coming their way. She didn’t care how Patrick would react behind her. She didn’t intend to provoke him this much… Even though he was younger than her, he was quite annoying.

They say you can see one’s true nature from childhood; it was exactly like that. This is why he caused so many problems in the original story.

“Grand Duchess?”

“Ah… Emila.”

Seeing a familiar face calmed her frayed nerves. From the Emperor to Patrick and then Raphael, she had become too sensitive.

“Is something wrong? You look hurried…”

“No, it’s nothing. I just got lost outside for a moment.”

It wasn’t entirely a lie. If Patrick hadn’t told her midway, she would have gone in the completely opposite direction.

“I want to see Leonel… Is it okay for me to go where the children are?”

“The party is winding down, so it should be fine.”

She glanced back to see if Patrick was following her, but it didn’t seem like it. Could it really be true that Patrick isn’t the Emperor’s son? She wasn’t doubting the Master, but the secret was enormous. Plus, this was something even she didn’t know from reading the original story.

How could the Master know such a secret that even she didn’t know? And that too, with the Master being a foreign merchant and not even a noble. She wasn’t doubting the Master’s abilities. The imperial family entrusts everything to him. Considering that, he might well have been able to find out…

“Yeah, it’s not like I’m the only client.”

However, she still wondered why this part didn’t appear in the original work. Or did she forget it? Because it wasn’t that important? The story was narrated around Leonel. Aaron’s origin was mentioned, but… perhaps Patrick, who was unrelated, wasn’t included.

“Thank you for guiding me this far.”

“Not at all. The Grand Duke asked me to take special care of Your Highness.”

“Ah…”

Every time she heard that Raphael had asked the Marchioness for her, she didn’t know what expression to make. Should she be purely happy? But she knew that he didn’t ask for her sake.

“You did very well today.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Emila.”

Although she hadn’t done anything in particular, Emila’s compliment was reassuring. It was proof that she had successfully made her debut in society.

“Now, I’m just a powerless old woman.”

That wasn’t quite true, given the significant standing Emila held in society. Thanks to Emila’s support, except for a few high-ranking noble ladies, she was smoothly accepted.

“Ah, Your Highness is already coming to look. You must hate being apart, even for a moment.”

From afar, the sight of golden hair made her turn around and run away without realizing it. She didn’t want to meet Raphael again. She was right to be afraid of what he might say to tear at her heart.

Bang.

Although she heard Emila’s voice catching up from behind, she had already entered the room.

“Mother…?”

Amelia smiled awkwardly at the low gazes of all the children looking at her at once. Despite their youth, the nobles were still nobles, and the stares pouring over her face were sharp. She thought it would feel like a playground with only children around, but it wasn’t at all.

A miniature version of adults. It was like a small society. The girls elegantly tilted their teacups, and the boys played games on the table. It was fascinating how the children acted like adults, knowing what they do. Naturally, she thought the princes would be putting on airs at the head of the table…

“Leonel?”

“You’ve arrived?”

Yet, it was Leonel who was being revered at the most prominent seat. Even if Patrick, the First Prince, wasn’t there, Logan, the Second Prince, was older than Leonel. So why was Leonel getting all the attention? Because it was his first party?

No, it wasn’t for such a simple reason. Just like in the adult society, the world of children doesn’t treat newcomers kindly. If anything, they were more likely to bite.

“I missed you.”

Amelia was momentarily taken aback by the sight of Leonel running up and clinging to her leg. This was indeed the Leonel she knew. But what about the regal demeanor he had among the children just before? It almost resembled Raphael. The way he looked down on people with such haughtiness overlapped.

“What were you doing?”

“Just… sitting by myself.”

Had she not seen Leonel earlier, she would have believed him completely. His attitude looked as if it was natural for him to be above others. The Leonel she knew was a pure child. That’s why she came looking for Leonel — for peace of mind. Just seeing his angelic face made her feel better.

“It’s my first time here, so no one included me.”

As soon as Leonel finished speaking, Amelia noticed the children’s flinching reaction and realized it was a lie. From what she could see, Leonel was preventing anyone from approaching him. Proudly standing and looking down on people just like Raphael did. Making himself unapproachable.

“Master, I’ve been trying to talk to you all this time?”

The sweet voice made her wonder if there was a girl who liked Leonel. Given Leonel’s appearance, he was bound to be popular.

“…”

“Third Prince?”

However, noticing Leonel’s face stiffen significantly, she sensed something odd and then realized who owned the voice. The delicate voice she mistook for a girl’s belonged to Aaron.

With clean silver hair and clear, deep purple eyes. Unlike other imperials with relatively dull purple hues, his appearance was crisp.

“I formally greet you, Grand Duchess.”

Even from a brief encounter, Aaron and Amelia looked astonishingly alike. As if they were one family. Seeing him with Leonel made it even more apparent. It wouldn’t have been strange if Aaron were her son instead of Leonel.

It made sense why Leonel wished to have silver hair and purple eyes at the moment of her death.