“Is that Lady Parma Gareth?”

Prince Robert answered in a stiff tone, “You’re quick. Yes, that’s Parma Gareth. If it weren’t for Prince Frederick, she probably wouldn’t have come.”

“And now that Prince Frederick won’t leave Isabelle’s side, I’m guessing she isn’t too happy about that,” Sophia added.

“Exactly. That’s why the people around Lady Parma keep glancing at us and gossiping. They’re busy trying to lighten her mood.”

“Ah! If her mood improves from just that, I’d be disappointed in Lady Gareth.”

“They have to do something. Clinging to her like that, the only thing they can do is cater to her feelings.”

“Soon Isabelle will have to lead her own group like that and compete with Lady Gareth, right?”

“Probably. She’ll need to find a better crowd than Gareth’s. That’s exactly why Isabelle has delayed stepping into society. You can’t completely ignore groups like that. If you’re from Wiscombe or Gareth, you don’t just ignore those people—you have to lead them.”

Seeing Robert’s concern for Isabelle, despite his own disheartenment, stirred Sophia’s sympathy.

“It won’t be easy, but I think Isabelle will do well. Soon, everyone will be talking about Prince Frederick and Isabelle, and many people will flock to her.”

Robert let out a bitter laugh.

“Yes. That’s exactly what will happen.”

Sophia wondered if this was where Wiscombe’s plans for her and Robert ended.

Isabelle was shyly greeting people, and Prince Frederick was beaming beside her, smiling as wide as possible. Anyone could see that Prince Frederick was pleased with his place beside Isabelle.

In contrast, Prince Robert stood next to Sophia, glaring intently at Isabelle and Frederick. When Philip appeared in the ballroom, Robert turned to Sophia and said, “I’ll be right back.”

Sophia could already guess what Robert wanted to say to Philip.

‘Robert was probably supposed to escort Isabelle. But now that he’s here, he sees Frederick standing beside her. What will Philip say to that?’

Sophia didn’t realize yet that her misfortune for the night wasn’t over.

Music began to play, and the center of the ballroom cleared. Prince Frederick approached Isabelle, knelt down, and took her hand.

Sophia thought, ‘Is he really making such a dramatic gesture just to ask her to dance?’

The first dance at a debutante was important as it marked the debut into society, but even so, Prince Frederick’s actions were excessive.

Isabelle blushed and shyly took his hand.

‘She’s a different person now. Not the same girl from the dining table that day.’

To Sophia, both Isabelle and Prince Frederick looked like they were acting out a play. But the others seemed to see things differently, as admiring whispers rose from various corners of the ballroom.

‘It’s a good thing I didn’t pick a fight with Wiscombe’s relatives. They’re doing their part in all of this.’

The atmosphere felt more like an engagement party for Isabelle and Prince Frederick. Their dance began, and soon Sophia would have to join in as well. After all, this was her debutante, too, even if only in name.

She was supposed to have her first dance in society, but no matter how long she waited, her partner never appeared. Neither Robert nor Philip, who was supposed to take his place, was anywhere to be seen. Sophia scanned the ballroom and the entrance, looking for her partner.

‘If neither of them is coming, at least send someone else.’

She searched for the Duchess of Wiscombe, but the Duchess was surrounded by ladies, focused entirely on Isabelle and Prince Frederick.

A moment later, Robert returned, his face dark and stern, and spoke to Sophia from behind.

“I’m not in the mood to dance tonight. Please excuse me.”

With that, Robert left the ballroom entirely. For a while, murmurs filled the room as people whispered about Robert’s sudden departure and Sophia’s abandonment.

‘A formal rejection and escape… That’s worse. He should’ve just left without saying anything.’

Sophia stared blankly at Robert as he walked away. She then slowly regained her composure and sat down on a sofa in the corner.

She could feel the stares of those who were now more focused on her than on Isabelle and Prince Frederick, but she made an effort to ignore them.

With a bitter feeling, Sophia thought, ‘What will spread faster tomorrow? News of Isabelle and Prince Frederick, or the story of my humiliating debutante? Bad news travels faster. Maybe they’ll spin it as a fight between the two princes over a woman? But what’s the point of all this? My disgrace has nothing to do with the two princes.’

Sophia didn’t know much about the capital’s aristocrats. But she remembered hearing from Helen that a branch of the Gareth family ran a publishing house.

After that person made a fortune by publishing gossip magazines and romance novels, publishers, magazine companies, and newspapers started springing up like mushrooms after the rain.

So, if today’s events were reported, it was more likely that the story of Prince Robert and Sophia would make headlines rather than that of Prince Frederick and Isabelle. The branch family of the Gareth Dukedom probably wouldn’t bother to write about Isabelle Wiscombe.

‘The Wiscombe must have planned this too. If Robert is the target and I’m the bait, it’s possible the articles are already prepared.’

Sophia sat in a corner, surrounded by people stealing glances at her and whispering, while she tried to make it through her debutante. Even as she did, her mind was preoccupied with worries about what would follow after the event.

‘So, Wiscombe needed to publicly humiliate Prince Robert and make him leave. Was it because of rumors about Robert and Isabelle being close?’

Judging by what happened today, the Wiscombe family had clearly chosen Prince Frederick over Robert. And they made it obvious by publicly abandoning Robert.

‘They didn’t hesitate because Frederick is the better choice.’

Technically speaking, Robert wasn’t a bastard. He was a legitimate prince, bearing the surname Uranos. It was rare for the bastards of the former Emperor Uranos to receive the family name, but there was one occasion where it happened—when an heir was needed because there were no legitimate children.

“But the current Emperor has a son. Even though Robert isn’t the Empress’s son, he is still the Emperor’s. His legitimacy might be weak, but he’s not a bastard.”

She only heard rumors about Robert’s birth—something about the Emperor’s lover dying after giving birth, unable to recover. That was merely a rumor; there had never been an official statement about it.

Sophia had only learned of Robert’s origins after arriving in the capital.

‘It’s something everyone knows but no one talks about out loud.’

Meanwhile, what Sophia had heard from the Finega household was simple. The princes had reached marriageable age, and a power struggle between two ducal families had begun.

‘So, Prince Frederick appeared at Isabelle Wiscombe’s debutante to personally block Robert from marrying into such a powerful family.’

The issue lay in Wiscombe’s stance.

‘Wiscombe has decided that there’s no way Robert will ever become the Crown Prince. And if Isabelle ends up with Frederick, even better.’

Sophia didn’t rise from her seat until the ball was over. Even though she wanted to, the whispers around her about Robert and herself sapped her courage to move through the crowd.

But the gossip had only just begun.

‘I should at least get some compensation. This could become a bigger problem than I expected, so I have to make sure I’m properly rewarded.’

Sophia deeply regretted the past month she had spent trying not to burden the Duchess. After all the guests had left, and even Wiscombe’s supporters had returned to their rooms, Sophia finally stood up.

Back in her room, she endlessly berated herself.

“I was too soft. I should’ve known. Isabelle never has trouble getting along with people, so she didn’t need me as a companion. But how could I have known this would lead to a power struggle between the princes and Wiscombe aligning with Frederick? All I wanted was a free debutante, that’s it! Just that one thing!”

Sophia didn’t change out of her dress. She thought the Duchess or Philip might come to check on her, even if it was late. But no one came to see her, not until morning.

When sunlight filtered into her room, Sophia let out a bitter laugh.

“I’m not even worth explaining anything to, am I?”

TL NOTE: Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories