Chapter 8 – Part 8

“Erica, haven’t you heard anything?”

I recalled the small argument between the Emperor Consort and Empress at a recent dinner.

“Her Majesty wants to hold the coronation ceremony immediately, but Duke Oscar declined. He often does that.”

Father’s eyes sparkled.

“He did that twenty years ago too. He’s really consistent. How can someone be so humble…”

Mother looked perplexed.

“Isn’t Duke Oscar already effectively the Emperor? It wouldn’t make a difference even if the ceremony were held.”

“Why wouldn’t it? Titles are very important, and the Rose Palace would be referred to as the Emperor’s Palace again.”

Mother shrugged at that comment.

A brief silence fell in the carriage.

The sky outside the window was already darkening. As I watched the gray-tinged clouds, I suddenly remembered something I had been curious about these past few days and asked my parents.

“Mother, Father, may I ask, how much can you each drink?”

Is my cursed tolerance hereditary?

Mother was surprised when I brought up alcohol.

“Erica, who gave you alcohol?”

“I tried it while working at the palace. Her Majesty suggested that we should serve a mixed drink with a tea flavor at the ball. I had a few sips while making it…”

“You had a few sips?”

My sister urged me to continue. I hesitated for a moment before answering.

“I passed out right then and there.”

“Ahahaha!”

“Oh, sis! Don’t laugh.”

Despite my glare, my sister continued to laugh, filling the carriage with her amusement.

Father spoke up.

“Our family has always had a low tolerance for alcohol. Among us, I am particularly sensitive.”

Mother added.

“I’m the same. That’s why we have a tradition of serving fruit drinks instead of alcohol at our meals.”

My sister commented.

“What tradition? It’s only been less than thirty years.”

Mother, undeterred, continued.

“If I had known you would be drinking at the palace, I would have made you try some at home first. It’s good to know your own tolerance.”

My sister asked.

“So, how did you make that mixed drink for the ball? You could hardly have tasted it yourself.”

“The Crown Prince tasted it for me.”

Mother and Father’s eyes widened at my answer.

My sister remarked.

“Wow, that’s really surprising. You shouldn’t judge people by rumors.”

It seemed my sister was reassessing her opinion of the Crown Prince.

As we chatted, the carriage, moving like a snail, finally reached the entrance of the Rose Palace’s grand ballroom.

As we got out of the carriage, my sister and I followed our parents into the ballroom.

The grand ballroom, with its already lofty ceiling, was magnificently decorated by Duke Oscar. The splendor and sophistication were beyond description.

Tapestries depicting winged lions symbolizing the imperial family and paintings praising the achievements of past emperors were hung around the room.

Green climbing plants covered with white flowers added a fragrant touch.

Tables around the dance floor were decorated with spring flowers, and large and small decorations harmonized beautifully.

Passing the attendants and maids at the ballroom entrance, we saw Duke Oscar busily greeting guests from a distance.

Mother and Father joined a group that looked like a gathering of married couples.

My sister and I went around, greeting people. There were many familiar faces that I hadn’t seen in a while.

While exchanging letters during the off-season was enjoyable, nothing compared to meeting face-to-face.

Then, I ran into friends from the Rose Palace, Madeline and Camilla.

“Erica! Did you just arrive?”

“Yes, not long ago. When did you get here?”

“I just got here. Did you see the line of carriages out front? It was crazy!”

Madeline and Camilla, who I often saw while working at the palace, looked different in their full attire.

After exchanging greetings, I asked.

“Has Charlotte arrived yet?”

Camilla answered in her usual soft voice.

“Charlotte is over there with her fiancé.”

“They’re in their own little world! Just looking at them gives me goosebumps. I don’t understand what’s so great.”

Madeline finished her comment and took a big gulp of a bright red hibiscus cocktail.

“This is really delicious! Erica, did you make it?”

“Yes, I’ll make it for you again later. It’s easy to make if you have the ingredients.”

While I was chatting with Madeline, my sister took Camilla away, saying they had important things to discuss.

“Hey, my sister was supposed to stick with me today!”

“Children should play with children. We have things to discuss.”

Madeline then said to me.

“Don’t worry, I’ll stay with you! I can drink your share too, right?”

Madeline seemed confident in her drinking abilities. I was envious.

We played with the dance cards we received with the ball invitations, folding and unfolding them.

The intricately decorated dance cards had a small pencil attached, making them look cute as they wobbled.

Madeline’s dance card was already filled with names for every dance.

“Wow, your card is almost full.”

“Erica, why does your dance card only have one name?”

Madeline looked at my card and continued.

“Ah, your first dance partner is the Crown Prince. Everyone guessed that. So, there shouldn’t be anyone bold enough to ask you for a second dance today…”

At that moment, Archibald appeared.

“Erica, Lady Madeline! Hello!”

As always, he was lively and cheerful.

Archibald surprisingly bowed at an angle that seemed straight out of an etiquette manual. With a bright smile, he asked me to dance.

“Lady Erica, may I have the honor of dancing with you?”

No matter how textbook-perfect his angle and phrasing were, it was pointless if he kept calling me “Lady” at the ball.

Who taught him his manners?

But Archibald was cute, so it was okay.

“Sure.”

I gladly accepted and wrote Archibald’s name in the second slot on my dance card.

Archibald smiled with an innocent face. This caused a stir among the men around us.

They had expected me to dance only with the Crown Prince, so the fact that I was accepting a dance with someone like Archibald, a count’s third son, made them hopeful that I might dance with them as well.

‘Should I dance with them too?’

How would my sister handle this?

If my sister were in my place, she would likely pick out about five of those men and dance with them in turn to gauge their character and qualities.

Thinking about it, it didn’t seem like a bad idea.

If I turned down too many men besides the Crown Prince today, it might spread that I am already close to His Highness.

‘So I should mix things up a bit.’

Moreover, there might be a cute and kind friend among that group of men.

As I was leaning towards accepting the dance requests from the men approaching me, an announcement signaling the arrival of the royals came from the entrance of the ballroom.

The orchestra’s soft music immediately stopped, and the majestic sound of brass instruments filled the entire ballroom, marking the true start of the Spring Ball.

Everyone in the ballroom, to avoid turning their backs on the royals, stood facing the entrance and bowed.

Madeline crouched down in the meantime and whispered to me.

“Erica, why are you here?”

I whispered back while bowing.

“Why would I not be here? Of course, I should be.”

“I thought the Crown Prince would ask you to be his partner. Shouldn’t you be entering with him?”

“I decided not to be his partner. If I entered with him, I’d probably feel sick from breakfast this morning.”

“That makes sense.”

While we whispered secretly, the Emperor and the Crown Prince reached the most honored seats at the far end of the ballroom.

The Empress spoke.

“Raise your heads.”

Everyone in the ballroom lifted their heads and looked up at the honored seats.

“Before we discuss anything else, let’s first acknowledge that Duke Oscar has made significant contributions to this year’s Spring Ball.”

The Empress slightly tilted her wine glass toward Duke Oscar in a gesture of toast.

“I am very pleased to see everyone gathered here without any issues. Perhaps it is because I am growing older, but I find comfort in this yearly recurring scene…”

Just as it seemed that a principal’s speech might start.

The Empress leisurely looked over the ballroom and said.

“I won’t speak long. Enjoy yourselves.”

With that, the Empress raised his wine glass high as if toasting the air.

The nobles in the ballroom responded by raising their glasses or applauding.

Duke Oscar signaled the orchestra, and the music for the first dance of the evening began.

It seemed the Emperor had no plans to dance today. He remained seated in the highest spot on the stage, next to Duke Oscar.

So, it was up to the Crown Prince to open the first dance of the evening.

Realizing this, everyone’s gaze focused on the Crown Prince.

The soft music from the orchestra created a background for the ballroom as the Crown Prince walked straight towards me.

~To be continued in Volume 3~