Chapter 142: Song of Stars and Starlight
Sue, standing in line in the hallway outside the ballroom, took a deep breath. Today was the day of the Imperial Ball.
The debutantes had to go through a certain ceremony before the start of the ball, so Sue and her classmates were all lined up in the hallway, trembling like aspen leaves.
Even the girls who had experience with small parties were clearly nervous today.
“…Phew.”
If even the girls with social experience were nervous, how much more so was Sue, who had only been to a handful of tea parties because no one had ever invited her to anything else?
“Byron, are you nervous?”
Noel, her partner, standing next to her, chuckled as he looked down at her. Everyone at the ball was dressed to the nines, but Noel was particularly dashing today.
His hair neatly combed back, his black uniform exuding an air of restraint, a navy blue epaulet adorning his shoulder, a dark blue cape billowing behind him.
She had been curious about what he would wear as her partner, and he had exceeded her expectations.
“Yes, I’m nervous.”
Sue gave him a strained smile. She checked her outfit one last time. A pink silk dress with simple pleats instead of frills, emerald drop earrings, a silver headband, and pure white shoes. Nothing was out of place.
Noel, watching her fidget, chuckled. He offered her his arm as a signal came from the front.
“Don’t be nervous, I’m here. And you look beautiful today.”
Sue, unable to accept his compliment, replied sarcastically,
“Yes, you look dashing.”
“Hahaha.”
The moment she took his arm, the large doors to the ballroom began to open.
***
Sue, stepping into the ballroom, squinted at the bright light.
It was her first time at the Imperial Palace. Her heart had been pounding since the carriage had passed through the gates.
The Imperial ballroom was, of course, many times larger than the Lopetrefer mansion’s small ballroom. And everything in the ballroom was covered in gold. Gold floors, gold walls, gold goblets, gold chandeliers, gold chairs… She thought Melaine would probably look like this if she were turned into a building. Though Melaine wasn’t attending the ball today.
Various jewels and statues were displayed throughout the ballroom, as if to flaunt the empire’s wealth and extravagance.
Sue felt dizzy at the overwhelming opulence. And then, she started to tremble. Her teeth even started to chatter.
“Byron, pull yourself together.”
Noel, who had been sensing her nervousness, whispered, unable to bear it any longer.
“So we have to come here once a year now.”
Sue felt a mix of emotions, both happy and unhappy.
“You don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”
Sue mumbled at his obvious statement, her voice miserable,
“I have to, Lady Enzhe will be here.”
The ballroom was already filled with prominent figures from society, leisurely enjoying the ball. As Sue and her classmates entered, curious gazes were directed at them.
Sue, observing their mature demeanor, realized that she and her classmates were the only ones who were nervous.
“…We have to do well, Noel.”
She took one last deep breath.
Sue tightened her grip on Noel’s arm. It was a silent encouragement, a promise to do their best. He squeezed her arm back, acknowledging it. Sue smiled faintly.
A throne was set up at the very end of the ballroom, for the Emperor and Empress. They weren’t here to participate in the ball, but rather, to give a speech and preside over the debutante ceremony.
As if on cue, the steward announced the arrival of the Emperor and Empress.
The debutantes, who had been lined up in the middle of the ballroom, immediately parted and knelt in a single line, forming a path for the Emperor and Empress.
The Emperor and Empress walked to the throne, the ballroom silent.
Sue stared at the Empress as she passed by, mesmerized. Her light brown hair was elegantly styled, and she was wearing a silver fur cloak that only royalty could wear. She was dazzling.
The Emperor, seated on the throne, scanned the faces of the kneeling citizens of Atlantis. After a while, he stood up and raised his empty golden goblet.
“To the eternal glory of the empire.”
He gave a short speech. And then, a ceremony was held to bestow silver rings on the young lords and ladies who were making their debut in society. The men received their rings from the Emperor, and the women received their rings from the Empress.
The ceremony began with the front row. The first to kneel before the Emperor and Empress were, of course, Fritz and Enzhe.
Enzhe was bowing her head respectfully, but she couldn’t hide her excitement. Fritz, fortunately, seemed to have pulled himself together since the academy.
“Fritz and Lopetrefer… They look good together.”
“Fritz, with Lopetrefer backing him, will become even more powerful… It will be interesting to watch the history of the empire unfold.”
Sue could hear the nobles murmuring their evaluations.
Next up was Woo Acrea. And the woman standing next to him was none other than Lady Azette of the Delondariwood duke family.
‘Okay, Lady Delondariwood, let’s be partners.’
That day, Acrea, opening the art room door and meeting Sue’s gaze, had answered Azette without hesitation. Azette’s heartfelt request had apparently touched his heart.
Azette had burst into tears at his answer and had to excuse herself.
‘So many things are changing… Really…’
To think that Acrea’s partner would change to Azette.
The flow of “fate” had changed so much that she couldn’t even refer to the novel anymore. And there were no more external interferences, like the Holy Demon Religion incident.
Could she finally relax?
“Oh my, that child’s dress… Isn’t it lovely?”
“The yellow color isn’t tacky at all. And she even thought of layering tulle on top? Beautiful.”
Another noteworthy thing was that Azette’s “dress model” strategy had worked perfectly. She had been attracting attention from the nobles even before entering the ballroom. It was formal enough for the Imperial Ball, yet stylish and new. Even Sue was impressed.
Halo was also wearing a stunning dress, but her status as a “special recruit” meant that her name was rarely mentioned.
‘Today is Azette’s day.’
She had been partnered with the man she loved, and she was receiving praise from the capital’s nobles for her dress. Sue hoped she would be happy. She was a lovely girl, flawless in Sue’s eyes.
The ring bestowal ceremony continued, and soon, it was Sue and Noel’s turn.
Sue, slightly lifting the hem of her dress, walked gracefully to the throne where the Empress was seated.
“Sue of the Byron family greets Her Majesty the Empress. Blessings of the Empire.”
The Empress, despite having repeated the same task countless times, still smiled and placed the ring on Sue’s index finger.
“For the eternal glory of Atlantis.”
She whispered in Sue’s ear, her voice sweet and melodious.
Sue stared at the silver ring on her finger as she walked back to the ballroom. A white pearl was embedded in the center of the ring. It was beautiful.
After the ring bestowal ceremony, the partners had to dance together. That was the final part of the debutante ceremony.
Sue placed her hand on Noel’s shoulder, and he placed his hand on her back. It was their first dance together. Noel was a very good dancer, his movements smooth and flowing. He led her effortlessly, making up for her lack of skill.
As she danced with him, Sue thought of Noel’s swordsmanship, which she had seen at the swordsmanship competition. His movements were elegant and precise, like a dance.
Sue, while dancing, spotted Enzhe and Fritz, and Acrea and Azette. She couldn’t see their faces clearly because they were constantly moving, but they were dancing beautifully.
Noel, sensing her distraction, tapped her back with his finger.
“Byron, focus on the dance when you’re dancing.”
Sue chuckled at his familiar words. It was something the academy dance teacher always said.
After one dance, they were free to do whatever they wanted. They could dance until the end of the ball, or they could stop dancing and socialize with the capital’s nobles.
Sue and Noel were about to take a break when Shina Fritz suddenly grabbed Sue’s arm and pulled her back onto the dance floor.
“Let’s dance for a bit, Sue Byron Chiqmefriar.”
Noel looked at Fritz, bewildered, then smiled and waved at Sue, as if he was happy for her.
‘Hey, don’t leave me!’
He must have assumed that she wanted to dance. But Sue didn’t have the courage to yell at Master Fritz in the middle of the Imperial ballroom.
Sue quickly accepted the situation and started dancing with Fritz. She could feel piercing gazes on her back.
But it wasn’t the jealous glares of the “other women who wanted to dance with Fritz.” It was the oppressive gaze of Enzhe.
She was watching Fritz, dancing with another man, her eyes narrowed. Fritz, aware of it or not, continued dancing, his face expressionless.
He finally spoke, just as the dance was about to end,
“You said love is the feeling of wanting to be with someone forever.”
Had she said that?
She had. Definitely.
She had just buried the memory deep down because she didn’t want to think about it.
Fritz, who had been expressionless since arriving at the ballroom, finally smiled faintly.
“I think I understand now. Thank you.”
“What?”
Sue was more surprised by his words.
But before she could ask what he meant, Fritz left her standing alone in the middle of the dance floor and walked out of the ballroom. Enzhe quickly followed him.
Sue gulped, feeling uneasy.
‘Something doesn’t feel right.’
She was about to follow them, her newfound boldness taking over, when Enzhe turned around and met her gaze. Her black eyes were filled with annoyance, for the first time in a while.
Sue quickly waved her hand dismissively.
‘Have a good time, I hope nothing goes wrong,’ she prayed silently.
Well, Sue’s screwed now.