Episode 128
“Presenting His Imperial Majesty, Artius Antair Ravanta!”
“Presenting Her Imperial Highness, Princess Elonia Ainar Ravanta!”
With the herald’s booming announcement, Artius and Elonia entered the Great Hall, where the debutante ball was being held.
The music stopped, and the nobles, both the chaperones and the debutantes, quickly knelt, their faces a mixture of excitement and nervousness.
Artius and Elonia, their purple velvet cloaks trailing behind them, sat down on their respective thrones.
Artius gestured, and the music resumed.
The nobles slowly rose to their feet.
Elonia, removing her cloak, also stood up.
“I’ll be back.”
“If anyone tries anything funny—”
“I’ll break their fingers.”
“R-right.”
Artius was taken aback by her fierce and decisive response.
He still remembered Elonia’s first year at the academy, when she had been hurt by the other students’ cruel treatment, despite her attempts to be kind and forgiving.
He had been worried she would be mistreated at the debutante ball as well.
‘She won’t let anyone bully her anymore…’
Elonia had only been lenient towards the younger students because they were young.
Artius, oblivious to the fact that she had been equally lenient towards him, was relieved. It was a good thing.
Elonia, who could now read her father’s thoughts just by looking at his face, sighed inwardly.
‘He worries too much.’
Her two knights were discreetly watching her from a corner of the room.
And Lady Asta, Llewellyn, Alberich, Sarah, the former “mad dog,” now “flower,” of the social circles, and Artius himself were all present.
‘Who would dare to mess with me?’
And even without her guardians, no one would challenge her, the girl who could destroy buildings with a flick of her wrist.
She spotted Sarah.
‘Sarah looks beautiful today.’
She might not be young anymore, but her beauty hadn’t faded.
Sarah, noticing Elonia’s gaze, approached her, her hand on her chest as she curtsied.
“Congratulations on your social debut, Your Highness.”
“Thank you, Godmother.”
Elonia, suppressing her usual casual tone, replied politely.
Sarah seemed pleased by her formality.
“There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”
She introduced Elonia to a group of three nobles.
“This is Marquis Colon, Countess Logan, and Countess Herres.”
The three nobles, after Sarah stepped aside, greeted Elonia one by one.
Elonia recognized Countess Herres. She was the mother of her maid, Canaria Herres, or Cara for short.
Elonia smiled faintly and nodded.
“I look forward to working with you.”
“It’s an honor, Your Highness.”
Public opinion in social circles was important. But Elonia was the sole heir to the throne. She couldn’t focus on social circles as well.
‘Artius ruined his reputation by acting like a tyrant.’
Elonia didn’t want to be a tyrant, so she needed these three influential nobles on her side. That was why Sarah had introduced them to her.
After a brief conversation, Elonia moved on to her next destination.
She was planning to greet the Asta family, but Lady Asta, as if she had sensed her approach, appeared out of nowhere.
“Your Highness.”
“Aunt Rosalyne.”
Lady Asta, her eyes glistening with tears, said,
“Philemon would have been so happy to see you like this…”
It wasn’t intentional, but her words struck a nerve. Elonia quickly changed the subject.
“Where are Alberich and Llewellyn?”
“They’re over there, acting as your bodyguards.”
“Oh…?”
Elonia, confused, then spotted them. They were intercepting anyone who tried to approach her.
‘Seriously…’
She found their overprotectiveness annoying, but she was also grateful. She didn’t want to waste her energy on social pleasantries today.
She smiled faintly at them, though they probably didn’t see it.
Lady Asta, as if remembering something, said,
“Your Highness, I saw Lady Bereta earlier.”
“Ah, I was looking for her. Thank you, Aunt Rosalyne.”
“You’re welcome.”
Lady Asta, her eyes still glistening, smiled and moved aside.
Elonia scanned the crowd, looking for Garnethia. Her red hair made her easy to spot.
The crowd parted as Elonia approached.
“Garnethia.”
“Elonia!”
Garnethia was wearing a pink dress that matched her eyes, her usually braided hair styled in loose curls.
Elonia, without thinking, blurted out,
“You look beautiful today.”
“…!”
Garnethia, who adored Elonia’s beauty, blushed furiously at the compliment.
“Y-you look like a fairy, Elonia…!”
A fairy? Elonia chuckled. She was still the same.
“Where’s Olivia?”
“Ah, she’s…”
Garnethia hesitated, covering her mouth with her hand, as if reluctant to speak. Elonia leaned closer, and Garnethia whispered,
“She said she’s going to relax with Simon, since she doesn’t want to deal with annoying people… She said she wouldn’t be able to control her temper if anyone provoked her…”
“…I see.”
It was a typical Olivia response, but it also made Elonia feel slightly sad. She wasn’t a hostage anymore, so she could have attended the ball.
But it wasn’t easy, of course.
Elonia’s head drooped slightly, and Garnethia, flustered, added,
“D-don’t feel bad, Elonia. She said she’s tired of social circles anyway…!”
“…Okay.”
Elonia chuckled at her attempt to comfort her and nodded.
They chatted for a while, changing the subject, and then they started discussing the person Sarah and the Asta brothers had warned her about.
“Elonia, have you seen Young Master Luneus?”
“No, why?”
Elonia, wondering if she was about to receive another warning, looked at Garnethia, who blushed and covered her mouth with her hand.
“He’s really handsome. Everyone’s talking about him. I saw him earlier, and he really is handsome.”
Elonia’s ears perked up.
Garnethia had high standards. The fact that she was so enamored with Elonia’s beauty was proof of that. And if even she thought he was handsome, then he must be truly stunning.
“He’s over there.”
Garnethia, reading her mind, subtly gestured towards a certain direction.
Elonia saw a tall young man with white hair, his back to them.
“…Is he really a commoner?”
He had been adopted three years ago, and he was twenty-two now, so he must have been adopted as an adult.
Etiquette was something you learned from a young age, but judging by his posture, he seemed quite refined.
In fact, he almost rivaled Artius in his elegance.
“I can’t see his face.”
Elonia murmured, slightly disappointed. But she wasn’t that curious, and they quickly changed the subject.
The nearby nobles, overhearing their conversation, whispered amongst themselves.
“The princess…”
The young debutantes, having witnessed Elonia’s casual conversation with Garnethia, mistakenly assumed she was approachable.
“She’s not as…”
“Right…? The rumors were exaggerated.”
Unlike Artius, the tyrant who always seemed to be frowning and scolding their parents, Elonia smiled easily.
They whispered amongst themselves for a few more moments, then, emboldened by their misconception, started approaching Elonia.
But just then, the music changed, signaling the start of the debutante dance.
It was Artius’s doing, of course.
He was watching from his throne, his sharp eyes preventing anyone from approaching Elonia.
Elonia, who knew him all too well, scoffed inwardly.
‘Seriously…’
He was being overprotective, as always.
She had been fully prepared to “break their fingers” if anyone dared to approach her.
The debutante dance began, the young nobles pairing up and taking to the dance floor.
Elonia offered her hand to Garnethia.
“Shall we dance, Garnethia?”
“Yes…!”
Garnethia, her face beaming, took Elonia’s hand.
Elonia moved gracefully, while Garnethia, flustered, almost stepped on her feet several times.
“S-sorry…!”
Elonia smiled reassuringly. Ballroom dancing had been a mandatory course at the academy, and Garnethia had always been her partner.
‘This is familiar.’
Elonia twirled Garnethia around.
The partners changed frequently during the debutante dance. After a few more changes,
It was time for another partner change.
Elonia reached out and took a hand from the crowd.
The hand felt familiar.
“…?”
It was soft and smooth, unlike her own calloused hands.
And then she realized,
‘…I’ve held this hand before.’
It was larger now, the bones more prominent, but she was certain. She had a good memory for these things.
Half a turn until she could see her partner’s face.
It felt like an eternity.
A figure in a white suit entered her field of vision.
‘A man.’
It was definitely a man, judging by his build.
His hand gently encircled her waist, and her hand rested on his shoulder.
As the white suit filled her vision, Elonia looked up.
He was taller than her, even with her heels, so she had to tilt her head back further than usual.
“…!”
And then she saw his face, and her heart sank.
White hair, pale blue-green eyes, a mask covering the right side of his face, pale lips, even with the rouge.
‘Young Master Luneus.’
It wasn’t Lucius. It was Cielun Luneus.
Cielun Luneus, sensing her disappointment, apologized softly,
“I apologize for my unworthy presence, Your Highness. Please bear with me for a moment.”
His voice was deeper than she had imagined. But Lucius would probably have a similar voice now, as an adult.
Elonia’s gaze fell upon his hand.
Her disappointment was quickly replaced by curiosity.
Cielun Luneus had been a commoner for twenty years. His hands shouldn’t be so soft and smooth.
‘Only nobles have hands like these.’
Even nobles who wrote frequently had calluses. Llewellyn was a prime example.
Only a few professions allowed for such pristine hands.
‘And his impeccable manners… This is strange.’
Elonia’s eyes narrowed. Cielun Luneus, despite her intense scrutiny, didn’t flinch, his steps precise and graceful.
Elonia stared at the eye patch covering his right eye.
His expression remained calm and serene.
His left eye was a pale blue-green.
‘…His right eye must be the same color.’
Heterochromia was rare.
But the eye patch, combined with the mask, was unsettling. It was as if he was deliberately hiding his right eye.
And his face…
‘Why does he look so much like Lucius?’
Even with half his face covered, the resemblance was uncanny.
“Lucius.”
The name slipped out before she could stop herself.
Cielun Luneus’s body stiffened.