“Oh my, it’s so beautiful!”
Tialen exclaimed excitedly, her voice full of delight. The maid standing next to her nodded her head vigorously in agreement.
Looking at myself in the mirror, I had to admit that I did look more glamorous than usual.
The dress, with slightly bare shoulders, followed the debutante tradition of being mostly white. Small, sparkling jewels were embedded like embroidery, and the skirt, which transitioned into a soft pink toward the bottom, was layered with several pieces of lace to make it flow elegantly.
Scattered throughout my long, flowing hair were tiny decorations of the same jewels from the dress, giving the illusion that my hair itself was shimmering.
Tialen spoke with a proud expression on her face.
“Since you’re already so cute, Lady, I made sure to keep the exposure minimal!”
“I see….”
“Still, to think you were working until the day before your debutante ball! Normally, it’s customary to prepare from your family estate….”
Tialen glanced around the room with a dissatisfied look. Now that I had moved to the imperial palace and even become the assistant to the deputy maid, my room was much larger and more luxurious compared to my old dormitory.
But it still couldn’t compare to the comfort of my family home, where the maids who had been with me for years were always around.
“Well, since the ball is being held in the imperial palace anyway, it’s more convenient this way,” I said.
The truth was, if I had gone back to the estate, my parents would’ve made a huge fuss. Even though it was just another party with some dancing and chatting, nothing that different from other social gatherings, they would have treated it like a monumental event.
‘Do they really think I’m going to find a husband at the debutante ball?’
Maybe it was because of memories from my past life, but the thought of getting married at just eighteen felt way too strange to me.
“Well then, it’s time….”
Tialen clapped her hands together, the sound sharp and clear.
“It’s time to become the star of the debutante ball!”
Her voice was more excited than mine, the actual debutante.
******
When I arrived at the entrance of the ballroom and stepped out of the carriage, I could hear murmurs coming from all around. The women were gathered, talking about men, while the men were clustered together, chatting about women. It truly felt like a marketplace for matchmaking.
‘I’ll have to choose a partner from among them, won’t I?’
At debutante balls, there were two types of people: those who came with a prearranged partner and those who picked someone on the spot. Naturally, I belonged to the second group.
As I glanced around to see if there was anyone suitable, one person stood out. It wasn’t hard to notice him, as many women were hovering around him.
I quickly realized who he was: Ian Bryden, the male protagonist of the original story, with his dazzling blond hair and stunningly handsome features.
‘So, he’s here too?’
I thought it was no big deal and turned to enter the ballroom. But at that moment, Ian’s eyes met mine. Then, to my surprise, he started walking directly toward me.
‘Why is he coming this way?’
I wanted to believe he had some other purpose, but there was no one else near me. For a brief moment, I remembered the way Ian had looked at me in the past—with an expression that wasn’t exactly friendly.
Now that I thought about it, Devit had once told me Ian was the same age as Caesar. That meant Ian wasn’t old enough to have his own debutante yet.
Of course, age wasn’t necessarily a barrier for royalty or high-ranking nobles to attend. They could still come to watch, even if they weren’t allowed to dance or be chosen as a partner. For instance, they might come to support a family member who was of debutante age.
‘Did Ian have any siblings?’
As I tried to recall the original story, Ian was suddenly right in front of me, speaking.
“Excuse me, are you—”
“Lady Evelyn!”
Before he could finish, a loud voice called out from behind me, and Alvin came running over.
“…Sir Alvin? Why are you here…?”
Alvin usually spent most of his time either at the training grounds or by Caesar’s side. Caesar, who was likely preparing in his room for the emperor’s congratulatory address scheduled for the end of the ball, shouldn’t have needed Alvin’s presence here.
A sudden feeling of unease washed over me.
Alvin, panting heavily, seemed ready to say something but fell silent when he noticed Ian standing beside me. Realizing it must be something he couldn’t say in front of others, I nodded slightly at Ian and said,
“Please excuse me for a moment.”
“…Of course.”
Ian gave a polite smile and stepped aside, though I could feel his gaze burning into my back as I hurried away with Alvin to a quiet corner.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
Alvin glanced around to make sure no one was listening and whispered in an urgent tone,
“His Majesty has collapsed.”
******
The debutante, Ian—none of it mattered anymore. I immediately got back into the carriage and rushed to the imperial palace. Alvin tried to calm me down along the way, but it didn’t help much.
‘I had a bad feeling about this….’
I should have noticed something was wrong a month ago when he returned from the southern continent, saying he felt unwell.
As soon as I arrived at the imperial palace, I ran straight to Caesar’s chambers and threw open the door without even knocking.
“Your Majesty!”
There he was, lying on the bed. A servant was nervously tending to him with a worried expression.
“Lady Deputy!”
The servant looked startled to see me still in my dress, but quickly stepped aside.
“What happened?” I demanded.
“He has a very high fever and seems to have fainted because of it. But he keeps calling for you, Lady Evelyn….”
I nodded at the servant, who looked troubled.
“I’ll stay here. You can leave now.”
After hesitating for a moment, the servant left.
“Sir Alvin, you too. I’ll call you if anything happens.”
“… Yes. I’ll be right outside the door.”
Once Alvin had left, I hurried to Caesar’s bedside.
If he was calling for me, it had to be something related to his rampage.
‘But he didn’t get sick like this the last time he rampaged….’
I sat by the bed, looking down at him with concern. Unlike the mysterious, chaotic storm of the previous rampage, this time it just looked like he had the flu. His bangs were damp with sweat, and his cheeks were flushed.
Maybe his condition had changed because of my influence.
‘Could it be that he’s come into contact with me but hasn’t fully awakened yet?’
I decided to ask Katana to look into similar cases later. For now, I carefully placed my hand on Caesar’s forehead. His fever was blazing, and his breathing was shallow and rapid.
I quickly grabbed a cool cloth left by the servant and placed it on his forehead. His eyelashes fluttered slightly, and then his eyes slowly opened.
“Evelyn? Is that you?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. It’s me. Are you feeling a bit better?”
His blue eyes focused on me gradually, his gaze dreamy as if he were still in a half-sleeping state.
“Do you recognize me?”
“That outfit…”
It seemed his fevered mind was confused because I didn’t look the way I usually did.
“Oh, this is the dress the tailor made. I was at the ball but came back.”
“…..”
He stared at me intently without saying a word, his gaze heavier than usual, likely because of his weakened state. After a long pause, he murmured,
“You look beautiful.”
I knew he was talking about the dress, but my face still flushed. Clearing my throat awkwardly, I replied,
“They’re a famous tailor. Of course it’s pretty. Anyway, how are you feeling? Is it just the fever, or are there other symptoms?”
“Other symptoms?”
“Last time, you… floated in the air and all that.”
For a brief moment, his expression hardened before he started coughing violently, as though something were stuck in his throat.
“Are you okay?! Should I call someone?”
I panicked, but after a few moments, he caught his breath and managed to speak.
“Just… hold my hand.”
“But…”
What if touching me too much caused his condition to worsen or created more issues with his awakening? I hesitated, but Caesar grabbed my hand firmly.
“Ha… This is better.”
“Does it help? Are you feeling calmer?”
Could this be a rampage? Maybe there were different types of rampages. Since the original story only mentioned one awakened individual, unexpected scenarios like this weren’t documented.
Still catching his breath, Caesar asked,
“So… you didn’t get to attend the debutante after all?”
“Well, I mean…”
“Sorry. It’s because of me.”
He was always so considerate. Even in his current state, he was worried about my debutante ball.
“Forget about it. Just focus on getting better. I can always go next year. It’s not like I was that eager to attend anyway.”
“…Next year?”
“Yes, it’s fine to attend the following year. Some people do that.”
I was trying to reassure him, but his face suddenly grew cold. Was it just my imagination?
“Right. There’s still a year left… If only I’d been born a few months earlier…”
“What?”
I couldn’t quite catch his muttering and asked again, but he shook his head. Then, pulling my hand to his chest, he whispered,
“…I’m so tired. I need to rest now.”
Caesar quickly closed his eyes, his face worn and exhausted.
Comments (0)