“Damn it… What a pointless thing to do.”

Unfolding the paper, Ian cursed under his breath before tossing it aside. Across the page, alongside his own fingerprint and another’s, the words compensation and promise stood out in bold, unmistakable script. He frowned, wondering how he’d ended up writing such a thing in the first place.

[The people here are witnesses. Not all of them, but some will have to watch the bet play out at the banquet.]

Sitting back in the jostling carriage, Ian brooded over the irrevocable bet, his irritation mounting until he rapped the carriage wall in annoyance. His stomach churned, the discomfort growing unbearable.

“Joseph, slow down. My head hurts.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll keep the pace easy.”

Joseph, knowing nothing of what had transpired, simply adjusted the reins, wondering idly what had possessed his master to drink so much tonight. But even as the carriage slowed and the jolts softened, Ian’s headache refused to ease.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

As the moon lingered in the evening sky, guests began to arrive at the grand ballroom of the imperial palace. This was an event that attracted all the most prominent figures in the nobility, so most of the attendees were not particularly noteworthy. However, the Duke of Levantus — leader of the Old Nobility faction — and his entourage were the centre of attention wherever they went.

“It seems the rumour that the Duke favours the Marquis of Lloyd is true.”

“Few families can rival the prestige of House Lloyd. Nevertheless, seeing them together so openly… Perhaps the Lloyds and the Pardens—”

“Signs have been there for years. True, he spent part of his youth at the Pardens’ estate, but their paths have never truly aligned.”

Standing beside the duke, Ian wore a jet-black evening coat and a plain blue cravat. Under the glow of the chandelier, his clean-cut features and perfectly coiffed blonde hair shone with dazzling brilliance.

From the moment he entered, people stole glances at him as though bewitched. Having grown accustomed to such attention, he ignored it, moving in step with his partner and greeting the duke’s circle with a face that betrayed nothing but boredom.

‘Aisha.’

Some distance away, Aisha stood in a gown of pale lavender, her light brown hair braided and draped over one shoulder. Between the strands, she stole occasional glances at Ian. She had sworn to herself in the days before the banquet that she wouldn’t pay him any mind—but the resolve slipped away like sand the instant her eyes found him.

Just seeing that handsome profile again stirred a flood of emotions: relief and grief, sorrow and joy, all tangled together. She gripped the sleeve of her dress and lowered her head slightly, struggling to rein in the urge to cross the floor toward him.

‘If he catches me looking, he’ll only dislike it.’

Swallowing her feelings, she raised her gaze again and found that Ian, whom she had assumed wouldn’t even notice her, was looking straight at her. Not only that, but he was also smiling and giving her a small, familiar wave.

Her pale blue eyes widened at this unexpected sight. She glanced around, half convinced that he must be greeting someone nearby. But no one around her was looking his way.

If he had noticed her confusion, Ian only smiled more warmly. Aisha blinked, studying him closely. Then, raising his index finger to his lips before lowering it again, he silently mouthed her name.

“Aisha.”

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

A regular imperial banquet, hosted by the crown itself, was grander in scale than any other. The vast hall could easily hold several hundred guests, and from the swathes of fabric draping the walls to the smallest bloom in each vase, every detail was made of the finest materials—enough to draw admiration even from nobles accustomed to wealth.

“My word! I hate to put it this way, but how much do you think all of this costs? It’s dazzling enough to blind a person.”

“They say the taxes brought in from trade last year were so great that the imperial treasury is overflowing.”

Beneath the glittering lights, the hall was alive with well-dressed, chattering guests. Yet even in the crush of people—crowded like swarming ants—there were some who stood out. The Parden family was among them.

Count and Countess Parden, along with their four grown children—all blessed with striking looks—entered together, making the six of them even more conspicuous. Onlookers murmured as they watched the family.

“How can the Pardens come without a single partner for any of their children? It’s not a good look.”

“Indeed. They’re all of marriageable age, and yet there hasn’t been a single engagement announcement.”

“Well, it’s not unheard of, is it? And a family like the Pardens surely receives more than enough marriage proposals. They’ll make good choices when the time comes.”

“Exactly. People should mind their own affairs before meddling in someone else’s.”

Unlike at the earlier charity event, the larger crowd meant there were plenty of people who spoke favorably of the Pardens as well. With polite laughter and pleasant smiles, some defended their side, while others offered subtle barbs at their opponents.

Only two kinds of people were entirely excluded from such petty tug-of-wars: those so inconsequential that they weren’t worth the trouble—and the hosts of the banquet themselves…

“Your attention, please.”

The imperial family.

“His Imperial Majesty the Emperor and Her Imperial Majesty the Empress are entering.”

Unlike the entrance of the nobles, the imperial arrival began with the blare of trumpets, followed by the master of ceremonies reciting their exalted names in one breathless string. The Emperor and Empress were named first, then the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, followed by the princes and princesses in turn, each with their lengthy titles.

“All present, show your respect.”

Once the names had been announced, the chamberlain tapped his staff on the floor three times — thump, thump, thump — prompting the occupants of the hall to bend low in the prescribed manner.

Established during the reign of Nicholas I, this protocol was one of the clearest displays of the imperial family’s authority. Regardless of rank, no one in the hall could straighten their back or legs until every member of the imperial family had taken their seat. Thankfully, the current emperor only had three children; the previous emperor had eleven legitimate heirs, and on more than one occasion, frail old nobles had collapsed from holding the bow for so long.

The Emperor and Empress walked first between the rows of bowing nobles, the rest of the family following at measured intervals. Heads held high, they moved down the red carpet with an air of haughty composure — far from being unpleasant, this seemed an appropriate sight.

Nevertheless, until the imperial family drew near, many guests risked casting subtle glances upwards, hoping to catch a glimpse of the royals through lowered lashes. The capital’s central nobles, who saw the royals more frequently, showed little curiosity. For most guests, however, who rarely saw the royals outside such events, curiosity was impossible to suppress. In response, the emperor, empress and their children presented themselves with impeccable dignity.

“Their Majesties still seem to be as close as ever.”

“Not surprising, since they’re one of the rare couples who married for love. You can still see the sweetness in their eyes when they look at each other.”

“By contrast, it seems His Highness the Crown Prince and Her Highness the Crown Princess remain distant.”

“Well, unlike Their Majesties, they married without ever having seen each other’s faces—a true political match.”

“Still, it appears Her Highness is settling into the country now. Last year she looked far more nervous.”

The entrance music drowned it out, but here and there, soft whispers escaped — quiet enough to be lost in the melody, yet still audible to those nearby. Most of the idle chatter came from young, inexperienced nobles who were new to society and quick to let their curiosity get the better of them. Unsurprisingly, their gossip centred on the princes and princesses.

“Princess Catherine’s hair is as beautiful as ever. No matter how much care I take, mine never shines like that.”

“Her Highness may be a woman, but even Prince Jared—who is not—looks just as striking…”

Renowned for their fine appearances, the Emperor and Empress had passed those looks down to their children. Of them, the second son and second prince, Jared, was especially remarkable—a delicate beauty with vivid red hair, eyes the green of midsummer leaves, and a small beauty mark beneath one eye that only enhanced his charm.

“He’s looking this way!”

“Shh! Unless you want to be dragged off for lèse-majesté, keep your voice down.”

“Oh, what does it matter? The crown prince may be married, but the prince is still single, so it’s only natural that young ladies would be interested in him.”

When Prince Jared turned his head to scan the hall, several young women who had been stealing glances at him quickly flushed red. But unlike her peers, Aisha paid the imperial family little attention. Her mind was far too full of Ian to spare a thought for anyone else.

‘Why…?’

Ever since they last met, Ian’s behaviour had changed completely, leaving her confused. Even as her family escorted her to the imperial entrance to exchange greetings, her thoughts kept circling back to him. Meanwhile, Ian continued to send her gentle smiles and meaningful glances from a distance.

What did that smile mean? That gesture? Why now?

Although part of her suspected that there was something strange about his sudden warmth, she couldn’t help wavering. As she bowed to show her respects, Aisha risked lifting her gaze just enough to find him. Across the space reserved for the imperial procession, Ian was standing directly opposite her, as if he were expecting her to look at him. The moment their eyes met, he smiled again, his eyes curving playfully.

She had just begun to shape his name with her lips when a passing shadow startled her. The imperial family were making their way along the red carpet and were already close by. Although they would only be passing by, the thought of attracting the wrong kind of attention made her quickly lower her gaze.

‘Ah?’

Just as she began to bow her head, she found herself unexpectedly and unavoidably locking eyes with someone else. Behind the Crown Prince, she saw that Prince Jared was staring straight at her.