“Would you tell us the story of your duel with the marquis?”
“Yes!”
“Uh… I don’t mind, but…”
I glanced at the viscount and viscountess, wondering if they might scold me for running my mouth carelessly in front of other noble ladies.
“What’s the harm? They all want to hear about it.”
“We’ll leave you ladies to it. Have a good time.”
Once their chaperones had disappeared, the ladies began firing questions at me with surprising enthusiasm.
“Is it true that Marquis Fenley insulted Viscount Nezer by calling him Count Bathory’s lackey?”
“Oh my goodness! Even if he’s a marquis, there are some things you should and shouldn’t say!”
“So that’s why you challenged him to a duel?”
“Weren’t you scared?”
I deliberately lowered my eyes and nodded with a pitiful expression.
“Of course I was scared. But hearing someone belittle the parents I respect so much right in front of me was even more painful. I simply couldn’t stand it.”
Should I shed a tear here for dramatic effect?
Oh, no, I can’t. The young lady has dry eyes.
As the story approached its climax, more and more people gathered to listen.
Some openly edged closer, while others kept their eyes fixed on the wall decorations near me as though they found the patterns fascinating, even though their attention was entirely focused on our conversation.
When I reached the part where the marquis had shouted, ‘Die!’ and aimed for my neck, everyone gasped in horror.
“My goodness, how dreadful!”
“To think he’d do such a thing to a lady instead of apologizing… I had no idea the marquis was so cruel.”
When I told them how I’d retaliated against the marquis with my revolver, several nobles looked at me with admiration.
“I had no idea Lady Ulpina was skilled with a gun.”
“Hehe, every lady has at least one mysterious secret, you know.”
I’d thought this morning’s incident would leave everyone with the impression that I was a violent person, but perhaps I’d worried for nothing.
‘If anything, I’m sensing a rather favorable attitude toward me.’
Judging by the nobles’ reactions, it seemed Marquis Fenley had earned quite a few enemies besides me. Perhaps they’d been unable to express their displeasure openly because of the emperor, and this incident had finally given them an excuse to let it all out.
Just as the nobles and I were bonding over our gossip about Marquis Fenley—
“His Majesty the Emperor, Her Majesty the Empress, and His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince have arrived.”
The enormous doors opened, and the emperor and empress entered the ballroom arm in arm. A tall, handsome crown prince followed behind them.
The emperor looked down arrogantly at the people bowing to greet him. He had the air of someone who believed himself to be above everyone else and considered it only natural that he should enjoy such a position.
As the imperial couple made their rounds, accepting greetings from the guests, they eventually approached us. I found myself swallowing nervously.
The duel had been fair, but I couldn’t shake the thought that the emperor might thunder at me for injuring his son.
He briefly looked at the viscount and viscountess, who were paying their respects, and then at me with indifferent eyes. After giving a short snort, he continued walking with the empress.
“So the rumors must be true after all. His Majesty has cast Marquis Fenley aside.”
“He used to act so arrogantly, believing he could get away with anything because he had His Majesty’s backing. I wonder if he’ll be sent off to some remote countryside.”
“High society and the imperial palace should be much more pleasant for a while.”
The nobles were impressive. They’d figured out the atmosphere within the imperial family from that brief interaction alone.
“Speaking of which, I wonder who His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince will dance with first?”
Although the emperor and empress were still dancing, the ladies, already captivated by the crown prince, excitedly whispered among themselves.
“Perhaps Lady Lehender, who danced with him last year?”
“It could be the Duke of Clarence’s daughter. You know, the one who just made her debut this year…”
“Isn’t she too young? She’s only fourteen.”
“Perhaps…”
When I spoke up, the ladies turned toward me with curious expressions.
“Perhaps it could be me. He might say, ‘You’ve defeated my half-brother? I’ve never met a woman like you before!’”
At my ridiculous joke, the ladies burst into giggles.
“What are you talking about that’s so amusing?”
A deep, resonant voice suddenly rang out, startling us all.
“Your Imperial Highness!”
The crown prince’s unexpected appearance sent the ladies into a fluster. They hurriedly straightened their postures, unsure what to do with themselves.
“I’m pleased to see that you’re enjoying the ball. As one of its hosts, it makes me happy.”
“It’s an honor, Your Imperial Highness.”
The ladies’ eyes sparkled with anticipation. It was adorable how plainly they seemed to be thinking, ‘Which one of us has he come to ask for the first dance?’
“Lady Ulpina, would you grant me the honor of dancing with you?”
“Pardon?”
As I struggled to make sense of the situation, the ladies surrounding me became even more excited and exclaimed in hushed voices.
“The crown prince has asked you to dance! This is an incredible opportunity!”
“Hurry, go!”
I couldn’t even think of refusing. Before I knew it, I’d taken his hand.
And soon enough, I began to feel rather proud of the fact that I’d attracted everyone’s attention.
See that? This is the kind of person I am.
Up close, the crown prince was so handsome that it almost hurt to look at him. No wonder the ladies had been squealing over him.
“Come to think of it, I heard something interesting happened between Lady Ulpina and Marquis Fenley this morning.”
‘I’m doomed. It’s a trap!’
Of course the imperial family wouldn’t let this go.
Since there were so many people watching, the emperor couldn’t openly berate me. So now he was trying to intimidate me through his son, the crown prince.
“Ahahaha…”
I could only laugh awkwardly.
Whether I said it had been an interesting incident or that it hadn’t been interesting at all, neither answer seemed like a particularly good choice.
“Oh, don’t misunderstand me. I’m not trying to blame you. In fact, I’d like to apologize.”
“Apologize?”
“My half-brother, Marquis Fenley, grew up doing whatever he pleased. His Majesty raised him without discriminating against him, even though he was born out of wedlock.”
Oh, I see.
“But that turned out to be a poison in itself. Someone should have guided him onto the right path, but everyone was so busy indulging him that they neglected to discipline him. That’s why things turned out the way they did today.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
“If he’d been taught properly, he wouldn’t have spoken so carelessly. On behalf of His Majesty, I apologize.”
“I accept your apology.”
“Thank you for accepting it.”
At the crown prince’s delighted smile, my heart gradually melted.
***
Exhausted by all the chatting and dancing, I excused myself from the ballroom on the pretext of getting some fresh air.
I opened the large glass doors and stepped onto the balcony. A cool breeze brushed against my heated cheeks, soothing them.
The music sounded distant. Unlike the ballroom, which had felt like a battlefield, the outside was peaceful.
A river of stars, as though diamonds had been scattered across the sky, stretched across the dark heavens. The golden full moon gazed down at the earth with a gentle expression. Leaves whispered in the breeze, and the fragrance of flowers drifted toward me from somewhere nearby.
I was wandering through this dreamlike feeling, gazing at the scenery wherever my eyes happened to fall, when—
A white hand suddenly shot out of the darkness and gripped the edge of the balcony.
Then a black shadow rose smoothly into view.
The tails of a long coat fluttered in the night breeze as a man landed on the railing with astonishing lightness.
His movements were so fluid that I almost had the illusion he’d been there all along.
Features that looked as though they’d been sculpted with exquisite precision, fiery red hair, and silver eyes that shone clearly even in the darkness.
His face was breathtakingly handsome.
But that was beside the point.
“Who the hell are you?”
Without hesitation, I threw a punch at the suspicious intruder.
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