Chapter 8 – Part 7

I planned to get up and wash my face after lying down for a bit, but having eaten so much and lying still made me drowsy.

I dozed off and woke up to find the cucumber slices on my face had already dried out.

I woke up feeling dazed and yawned as I tried to fall back asleep when the sound of birds chirping out of nowhere pierced my ears.

“Chirp, Chirp!”

As I turned my head toward the sound, a piece of cucumber fell off my face.

A lovebird with a white head and a blue body was right in front of me.

When did you escape from the cage again? You could be on Prison Break.

“Peep peep peep! Chirp chirp peep peep peep!”

The bird chirped for a while, tilting its head before crying out again. Then it started pecking at the cucumber pieces that had fallen off my face.

“Those are dried out and tasteless. I’ll cut some fresh ones for you.”

I said this as I brushed the remaining cucumbers off my face. I carefully coaxed the bird back into its cage and didn’t forget to give it some thinly sliced fresh cucumbers.

When I returned to my room, my parents and sister were still sound asleep.

“Mom, Dad, wake up. Sis, you too.”

“Just five more minutes…”

I placed the remaining cucumber from the bird into my sister’s mouth.

Even half-asleep, she eagerly ate the cucumber and soon woke up.

My parents continued to sleep until it was time for dinner.

I had a bland dinner, as usual, and returned to my room.

The sunset was glowing outside the window.

As I gazed at the deep crimson hues in the clear sky, I thought,

“It looks like the weather will be good again tomorrow.”

After admiring the sunset for a while, I took out my diary from my luggage.

It’s been a long time since it became a habit to open my diary every evening.

I flipped through the pages, but there was no new message from my diary friend.

Usually, by this time, they’d have written something.

“Maybe they’re busy preparing for the ball?”

I sat at my desk, dipped my pen in ink, and wrote a brief greeting in the diary.

[Hope you had a good day! I’ll be busy tomorrow with the ball, so I might not check the diary.]

Even after waiting for the ink to dry, there was no reply from my diary friend.

I closed the diary and set it aside, gazing at the sunset again.

“…”

Then I went back to the desk and opened the diary again, but still, no reply.

“Ugh, it’s so frustrating!”

If I stayed in my room, I’d probably check the diary every 30 seconds.

I went to my sister’s room next door and knocked.

Knock knock.

“Sis, it’s me.”

“Why are you here? Hungry? Want me to get some snacks?”

What does she think I am? But I won’t say no to snacks.

While sharing milk and cookies from the kitchen, my sister asked,

“Erica, when was the last time you practiced dancing?”

“It’s been a while. I haven’t had a chance to dance while working at the palace.”

“Then shouldn’t you practice now? You said you’d be dancing with the crown prince tomorrow.”

She had a point. We stood on the carpet in her room, assuming our positions.

“According to the dance card, the first dance is a waltz. I’ll take the lead.”

She said this, humming the melody of the dance.

We stepped in time with her singing, stepping on each other’s feet frequently.

My sister complained,

“Hey, you’re doing this on purpose because I stepped on your foot earlier.”

“No, it was an accident. But aren’t you supposed to step back here?”

“Oops, you’re right. I’m not used to leading.”

She scratched her head.

As we continued our lively dance, spinning around to “bam bam bam da-da-da bam bam,” our parents came to see what was going on.

With four people, we could dance something resembling a quadrille. This time, I took the lead.

“Erica, it’s right, not left!”

“Oh, right! Got it!”

Though simpler than a quadrille, leading the dance was still confusing.

We danced for a long time until it was bedtime and then returned to our rooms.

I lay on my bed, rolling around, and opened my diary again. Still no reply from my diary friend.

I sighed.

* * *

I woke up the next morning.

The day of the royal spring ball had finally arrived.

We got up much later than usual and had a leisurely lunch. My father’s and my meals still lacked any salt.

“Sis, shouldn’t we have some seasoning today? It’s the day of the ball.”

“Oh, I forgot to tell the kitchen. Just eat it as it is.”

“Pass the salt!”

I grabbed the salt shaker and sprinkled it over my eggs before passing it to my father.

After a slightly salty meal, I went to my room to start getting dressed with the help of the maids.

My sister, already dressed, burst into my room.

I was still in my chemise and stockings, wondering how she got ready so quickly.

My sister wore a cravat neatly tied above a stiff, white collar that reached her chin, adorned with a brooch bearing our family crest.

The deep blue jacket and black pants suited her perfectly.

Her hair was tied loosely in a single braid with a satin ribbon, adding a unique elegance.

She spun around once in place.

“Isn’t it great?”

“Wow, it looks amazing. It really suits you.”

Delighted by my honest compliment, my sister began to fuss at the maids attending to me.

“Hey, this isn’t meant to have anything bulky underneath. Look at the sheen of this gown. With such fabric, the skirt should be elegantly and neatly pleated without being too busy. Yes, like that. It looks pretty that way. The pleats fall naturally. That’s nice. Since the gown is green, let’s match the accessories too. You, go fetch all the jewelry we brought back from the palace the day before yesterday.”

My sister rummaged through the pile of jewelry the maid swiftly brought and picked out all the green gems, holding each one up to my ears.

“Your green eyes do suit the green gems, but with the green gown, green eyes, and green earrings, it’s a bit too much.”

“I have to wear this necklace.”

I pointed to the necklace with a sea-colored magic stone, enchanted with Noah’s protective magic.

My sister questioned me.

“Did the Crown Prince give you this too?”

“No.”

“I haven’t seen this gem before.”

“I got it as a gift.”

My sister was surprised.

“Who gave it to you?”

“A friend.”

“A friend? Is it a guy or a girl?”

“Oh, sis! It’s not like that.”

I waved my hand dismissively.

Don’t worry, sis. The friend who gave me this necklace is a man, but he’s at least 150 years older than me.

My sister looked at my necklace, then picked up a pair of earrings from the jewelry pile.

The Crown Prince had given them to match my necklace.

“Did that friend give you these earrings too?”

“No, those were from the Crown Prince.”

My sister was confused.

“Aren’t these earrings and the necklace a set?”

When I explained that the Crown Prince had the earrings made to match my necklace, her jaw dropped.

“Wow, I didn’t know the Crown Prince was like that. They say he’s extremely strict and exacting, but he did that for you?”

“He is picky and meticulous, but…”

Sometimes he isn’t.

As my sister and I chatted, my hair was skillfully braided on the sides and tied back into an intricately twisted half-up style.

“Wow, what is this?”

Even looking in the mirror, I couldn’t figure out how they managed to create such a look.

My sister rewarded the talented maid who styled my hair with a bonus.

After finishing my preparations, my sister and I went downstairs. Our parents had just finished getting ready and joined us on the first floor.

My father and sister wore shirts with cravats and jackets.

Mother was wearing her most elaborate dress of the year, but next to me, she looked quite modest.

That was because my dress was a gift made from repurposed royal curtains.

But Mother reassured me.

“It’s okay for a child to be more splendid than the parents at a ball.”

The servants had already been instructed to take turns going out, as today was the day of the spring ball at the royal palace, and outside the palace, there would be an outdoor dance party and festivities.

Our family boarded the best carriage on the count’s estate and headed to the palace.

Near the palace, it was already crowded with carriages.

Mother looked out the window and then leaned back against the carriage seat.

“It looks like we’ll have to wait for a while.”

Whenever there was an event at the palace, a line of carriages formed. The higher the status, like those from branches of the royal family or ducal houses, the later they arrived, entering leisurely and comfortably after the rest of us middle-ranked nobles had waited for an hour or two and heated up the atmosphere of the hall.

My sister speculated.

“The Emperor and the Crown Prince will probably be the last to enter this spring ball too.”

“Probably.”

Duke Oscar would likely be excluded from the direct royal entry line.

Although he was the Emperor Consort, he hadn’t officially ascended to the position of Emperor, and most importantly, as the host of the Rose Palace, where the spring ball was held, he would remain as the host greeting the guests.

It was always like that.

Perhaps my sister was thinking along the same lines, as she muttered to herself.

“Why isn’t Duke Oscar the Emperor yet?”

Then she asked me.

“Erica, haven’t you heard anything?”