Chapter 78………………….
“Anyway, please remember this one thing. I would never have set foot in this sacred space of my own accord…”
Once again, I emphasized that fact to Duke Canel. He stayed silent for a moment before replying.
“I understand. We’ll discuss this later.”
Phew.
Only then did I feel relieved.
I had just exposed the dark ambitions of Eunice, who had held an unshakable position in the ducal household, and managed to escape without any backlash, keeping my place secure.
I had defeated the strongest enemy within the duke’s household.
‘I did it.’
Breathing a sigh of relief, I glanced around.
At the spot where Eunice had been dragged out, Prince Istan was still slumped on the ground, unable to regain his senses.
And then…
‘Ah, right.’
My gaze hurriedly turned toward the curtains.
“……”
It had been so quiet that I’d almost forgotten her presence, but Serene was standing there, wide-eyed, having witnessed the entire scene.
Even Duke Canel, who had just been glaring at Prince Istan as if he wanted to tear him apart, followed my gaze and noticed Serene.
“Ah.”
He quickly composed his expression.
“Come to think of it… Lady Serene pretended to play a prank just to follow my daughter and help her? I was the only fool here.”
“No, Duke. The Rosen household’s chief aide was famous for her competence—my parents admired her as well. Who could have imagined she harbored such intentions?”
Serene shook her head.
“To expose such a secret that no one would believe, this kind of ambush at the scene was the only way. As expected of Lady Aristina.”
She began by respectfully offering condolences for a household scandal, but slyly shifted into praising me.
Behind her, I could almost see a phantom puppy tail wagging furiously. I smiled warmly.
“Serene, you were incredible too. You only had to step out from behind the curtain, but you even cheekily handed me a ribbon. Thanks to you, it was twice as satisfying. I’ll never forget Eunice’s face in that moment! Truly, you have great talent.”
“You flatter me, Lady Aristina!”
Serene’s eyes sparkled as she stuck close to my side.
Despite the household chaos weighing on his mind, Duke Canel couldn’t help but watch us with interest.
That troublesome daughter… how did she manage to win over someone as exemplary as Serene of House Hyperion?
That look was obvious.
I straightened proudly.
“Anyway, we should head back now. The host has been absent too long. The guests must be getting curious.”
“You’re right. Let’s go.”
The Duke took the lead. Knights standing by immediately swung the doors wide.
Downstairs, the ballroom guests were already whispering while looking up at the central staircase and the still-empty seats of honor.
“What’s going on? Why hasn’t the first half of the ball ended yet?”
“The ship has arrived, so shouldn’t the qualification trials begin soon?”
“Why hasn’t the Duke appeared? Didn’t he go to fetch his daughter? Just what’s happening?”
The murmurs only grew louder—until a masked guest suddenly raised his voice.
“Did you hear? Lady Aristina and Prince Istan disappeared into a private room upstairs earlier—just the two of them.”
“What?!”
Another masked guest shouted.
“No wonder! Their atmosphere seemed strange before!”
“I heard something too! The Prince boasted earlier that Lady Aristina was so smitten with him that she would hand over her heirloom necklace the moment he asked.”
“Yes! People laughed it off, saying, ‘As if!’ But then he declared he would prove it!”
“What?! Then is that what this whole commotion is about?”
The ballroom was in an uproar. Guests stopped dancing, staring up at the second floor, chattering wildly.
Then—
One of the many doors along the hallway suddenly swung open. The hall fell deathly silent.
“……”
All eyes turned to see Duke Canel stride out, cold fury radiating from him.
Behind him, knights supported a staggering figure: a man with reddish-blond hair hanging low and his uniform jacket slipping crookedly off one shoulder—Prince Istan.
The room buzzed like a beehive struck with a stick.
“Look at that! Something really happened!”
“My word! Did she really fall for his charms and hand over the heirloom?”
“She’s finished now!”
But then, from beyond the open doorway, a dark-haired young lady suddenly stepped out.
Huh?
Everyone fell silent in surprise. It was none other than Lady Serene Hyperion.
“What a disgraceful thing to witness!”
With a prim face, Serene chattered as she pulled someone forward by the arm.
“Come on, hurry!”
Before the astonished crowd appeared Aristina herself.
As always, her golden hair shimmered brilliantly, the red jewel at her throat scattering dazzling light from the chandeliers straight into people’s eyes.
The Heart of the Rose they had all glimpsed earlier.
Serene, making sure everyone was watching, boldly linked arms with me and declared loudly:
“Imagine my shock! I only asked Lady Aristina to show me around the villa for a while, but that rude Prince barged in uninvited!”
Huh?
The crowd was bewildered.
If that were true, then what about the rumors that Aristina had slipped away alone with Prince Istan?
And wasn’t the heirloom necklace still gleaming brilliantly around her neck, untouched by any misfortune?
‘So it was all nonsense!’
The dazed crowd turned back to Serene.
“He’s utterly shameless!”
Having recently endured an attempted poisoning, then breaking off her engagement to the Crown Prince, and only just reappearing in society, poor Serene now stood trembling with fury.
“Lady Aristina was merely being polite because that man had connections with the household’s aide! But he mistook it as affection for him!”
She peeked out from behind me, rattling on in outrage.
“I warned him kindly that it was inappropriate, but he insisted on forcing Lady Aristina into a private talk! When I was frightened, Lady Aristina struck him down on the spot. We’ll be sending a formal letter to the King and Queen of Neiflicia about this disgrace!”
The guests began frowning one by one.
“That does cross the line. You can’t explain that away as a cultural difference.”
“I thought his eyes looked unsavory from the start!”
“So it wasn’t just me? He’s the typical playboy type. Why do people even like him?”
Their gazes turned toward Prince Istan.
Perhaps hearing the whispers of his name, the dazed Prince lifted his head abruptly as he was being supported.
“Humiliated all the way here in the Empire?”
Seeing fingers pointed at him, he paled in horror.
“……No.”
He muttered under his breath—and in the next instant, tore himself free and bolted.
“After him!”
Gathering my skirts, I ran.
Prince Istan, like someone well-practiced, found an escape route in the chaotic ballroom.
Through the wide-open windows—left ajar to give the hall a sense of openness—he leapt into the garden in a flash.
“He’s done this before.”
Duke Canel’s voice was icy.
“But it’s foolish. This is the Rosen family’s heir qualification ground. Our household’s power protects this place. Once inside, no one leaves without my permission.”
Ah, so going home mid-event is impossible—everyone is forced to spectate.
But then… really no one can leave?
‘Then what about Ruelian earlier?’
Just as I thought that—
Beyond the knights searching the grounds, a massive tree suddenly crashed to the ground.
“Huh?”
Everyone gasped, staring at the spot.
Through the cascading leaves, someone vaulted out lightly.
A golden-haired young man with a shining white sword. It was Aldencis.
All eyes widened.
“The Crown Prince?!”
“My apologies, Duke.”
He gestured toward the fallen tree.
“I was in pursuit of a suspicious individual.”
“Prince Istan? He caused a scene at the ball just now and fled.”
“So it was him! He even donned a wig to deceive me! I had been tailing him for some time—when did he cause such a ruckus?”
“So Your Highness had him under watch? No wonder you were absent from the ballroom.”
Wait.
I was taken aback.
Duke Canel and Aldencis’s words flowed naturally, but they weren’t talking about the same thing at all.
Because the one Aldencis had been chasing all along was Ruelian—not Prince Istan.
‘So after we crossed paths, he kept chasing Ruelian, mistaking him for Istan? He completely abandoned the ball?’
At that moment—
“What’s going on? What happened?”
A booming voice announced the arrival of Zikren, with Lady Peres of House Peres beside him.
‘At least Zikren seems to have been enjoying the ball.’
I thought absently, until—
“Prince Istan insulted Lady Aristina and was seized by the ducal knights, but then escaped.”
As soon as someone reported that—
“Knew it!”
Lady Peres suddenly cried, tearing off her mask—and with it, her long brown hair.
“……?”
I stared in shock at the face revealed beneath.
