Chapter 9 Part 1

“Harten Endeavor, Prince of Endeavor, and Rose Knight, Daughter of the Marquis, are entering!”

The murmurs in the ballroom died down, and many nobles quickly turned to look at me. Amid their gazes, I kept a calm, composed expression and followed Harten’s escort. As we walked toward the hostess of the ball, Roxana, all the nobles around us watched us with astonished expressions.

“I see the star of Endeavor. I am Roxana Kerlan of the Kerlan family, greeting you.”

“Nice to meet you, Lady. I am delighted to be invited to such a grand ball.”

In response to Harten’s compliment, Roxana added a modest remark. Listening to their conversation, I suddenly became aware again of Harten’s position. Since he always presented himself as ‘Ten’ in front of me, I hadn’t fully grasped the reality of his status.

“You’ve become even more beautiful in the past few days, Rose. That dress looks perfect on you!”

“Thank you. Garnet really worked hard on it.”

As Roxana examined my dress, she took my hand and showered me with compliments without pause. It seems the ‘masterpiece chosen by Garnet’ was truly a success. I was a bit stunned, as it was the first time Roxana, known for her fine taste, had praised something so highly.

“By the way, how did you and His Highness the Prince of Endeavor meet?”

Since Harten and I were the last to enter, Roxana’s task of greeting the guests was now over. Normally, Roxana would have sneaked around, using me and Lady Rowina as shields to gather various snacks, but since this was the first time I had attended a ball with a partner, she seemed quite curious.

“Not long ago, Rose visited the Dorothea Palace for business with the guild. We struck up a friendship during that time.”

“Oh my, not long ago?”

Hmm, with a narrowed gaze, Roxana seemed to have come up with some mischievous idea. Her playful eyes turned toward me.

“It seems I should leave you two young ladies to have a proper chat.”

Perhaps noticing the meaningful glance from Roxana, Harten took the initiative and excused himself first. I was about to stop him, feeling flustered by the situation, but Roxana took it a step further.

“His Highness should also interact with the other guests, Rose.”

Well, that’s true… But as I hesitated, Harten flashed me a kind smile and disappeared into the crowd of nobles. As I watched his retreating figure with a worried expression, Roxana called out to me.

“My goodness, Rose. When did you two become so close?”

 “…What do you mean, ‘such a relationship’?”

“Oh, trying to fool me? No chance, Rose. Don’t underestimate the sharp instincts I’ve honed at the noble meetings.”

Roxana winked playfully at me, her eyes full of curiosity, with a subtle gesture urging me to confess while she still had the chance.

In truth, what I should have been worried about wasn’t the gaze of the other nobles but Roxana’s probing questions. Even when the seat I sat in became increasingly uncomfortable, Roxana’s relentless questioning didn’t stop. It continued until Lady Rowina, who had been spending time elsewhere, joined in.

But did Lady Rowina stop Roxana from prying? No, not at all. Lady Rowina appeared, her face marked with curiosity, and naturally took the seat next to me.

Though she clearly had many questions, she likely stepped back, knowing that Roxana would eventually get me to talk. So, what followed was a combination of Roxana’s relentless interrogation and Lady Rowina’s subtle hints. The atmosphere was set in such a way that it was clear I wouldn’t be able to leave easily unless I opened up.

“I know what you’re trying to ask, but there’s nothing to say. I visited Dorothea Palace for business with the guild, and somehow ended up being asked to be his partner.”

“I’m curious about that ‘somehow.’ There’s no way he’d ask you to be his partner if there wasn’t more to it!”

“Well, speaking of that, something did happen at the palace ball, didn’t it?”

At Lady Rowina’s casual remark, Roxana reacted with surprise, though there was a clear intent to tease, mixed with a bit of exaggeration.

“Exactly! I said it as a joke, but it seems like it’s not something that can just end with a laugh, huh?”

“That’s right. He might have really been watching Lady Rose.”

As I watched the two of them, clearly enjoying teasing me, a small smile formed at the corner of my lips. I didn’t dislike the fact that we had grown so comfortable with each other to joke around like this. There was certainly some confusion about how to handle the situation, but moments like these, where we could show our closeness, made me happy.

“Alright, let’s end this conversation here and talk about something more important.”

“Something more important?”

Lady Rowina caught our attention. Roxana and I naturally leaned toward her, intrigued by the unusual situation.

“I was invited to a tea party not long ago and heard something.”

“A tea party?”

“That’s unusual, Lady. You don’t usually attend such events.”

When we responded with interest, Lady Rowina sighed dramatically and shook her head. Her exaggerated gesture briefly hid her expression, but there was a sense of resignation in her demeanor.

“Of course. It was on a day when the academy was closed, so I was resting at the mansion and decided to attend. It was a tea party my mother had hosted. I came down to greet the guests, but… I got caught.”

Imagining Lady Rowina’s sour expression, I couldn’t help but smile with sympathy. If you asked who among the three of us was the worst at hiding their emotions, without a doubt, it would be Lady Rowina.

She was someone who quickly gave up on things she couldn’t do. If something didn’t work out after trying, she would handle it in her own way. That was why she had essentially given up on managing her expressions.

“It must have been an uncomfortable time for you, Lady. I understand.”

“I always feel like, how do our mothers place so much importance on social gatherings? Sometimes, they even tell me to go to a tea party instead of dealing with government matters!”

Trying to comfort Lady Rowina, both Roxana and I quickly chimed in. Lady Rowina relaxed her stiffened expression a little and smiled faintly before continuing.

“Thank you, both of you. The reason I’m bringing this up is because I wanted to share some interesting news from that tea party. The noblewomen were talking about how the selection for the Crown Princess is coming up soon.”

“The Crown Princess… selection?”

I nodded in understanding, but Roxana’s voice rose with surprise, clearly caught off guard. It was an unexpected turn of events, indeed. Her reaction was the most typical one. The selection of the Crown Princess was one of the most closely watched events for any noble lady. Anyone would be shocked to suddenly find themselves facing it so directly.

As for me, I wasn’t one of those “anyones,” probably because I vaguely remembered the flow of the original story. I distinctly remember that during this time, when Halo Cart and Daisy Quennie were consistently appearing together as partners in the social scene, the selection of the Crown Princess was clearly a significant event.

“There’s been no discussion about the Crown Princess in the noble meetings yet. While His Highness the Crown Prince is of the right age, no one knows how the marriage will unfold, especially with the recent dispatch of Endeavor’s ambassador.”

“That’s right. This hasn’t been brought up in the noble meetings yet. What I heard was actually part of a conversation between Her Majesty the Empress’s ladies-in-waiting.”

The “ladies-in-waiting” of Her Majesty the Empress were the noblewomen who had spent the longest time with her in the imperial palace. They were the matriarchs of powerful noble families, ruling over the social scene. Since they spent so much time in the palace, they were quick to catch rumors and sensitive to trends, often leading the high society and admired by other noblewomen. To think that such important conversations were being held at Count Merian’s party…

This wasn’t about Lady Rowina belittling Count Merian’s family. Rather, it was a reflection of her curiosity about the refined conduct of these experienced noblewomen.

The ladies-in-waiting of Her Majesty the Empress are well aware of their position as the highest echelon of high society and the responsibilities that come with it. Therefore, they never gather in groups of more than three unless it’s a large event like the imperial ball or a duke’s banquet. If they do gather, their mere presence often signals that ‘the Empress’s patronage’ is attending that party.