Chapter 21
“Mm, it’s fine. You can call me Kitty.”
There wasn’t the slightest trace of displeasure on the princess’s face as she nodded so matter-of-factly.
Patrick stole several cautious glances at his fiancée before finally voicing the question that had been bothering him.
“…Have you always worn those glasses?”
“Yes. Without them I get dizzy and uncomfortable. Mom always told me to wear them. I only took them off before because I wanted you to think well of me.”
Kitty answered just as calmly as before, leaving Patrick opening and closing his mouth several times.
How can she say something like that so casually?
She had given up something so important just to make a good impression on him.
She really was a strange girl.
Feeling his face heating up again, he hurriedly shut his mouth.
Then Kitty suddenly turned toward him.
“Do I look weird?”
Afraid she might misunderstand, Patrick immediately shook his head.
“No, not at all. It’s just… I’m surprised how much a single pair of glasses changes your impression.”
“They’re really thick and really big.”
After saying that, Kitty proudly slid the glasses slightly down her nose to show off just how thick they were.
For an instant, the jet-black eyes hidden behind them revealed themselves again—those lonely, sorrowful eyes—before disappearing behind the lenses once more.
“Amazing, right?”
“Yes… truly…”
It really was.
Patrick wanted to say something—anything—to shake off the strange sensation creeping through him, like someone was lightly tickling the soles of his feet.
But before he could, the chamberlain announced their arrival.
“Her Imperial Highness Princess Katrina, the Empire’s Most Exalted Star, and her fiancé, Young Lord Patrick Roengreen, eldest son of Marquis Roengreen, now enter!”
The magnificent doors blocking their path slowly swung open.
Beyond them lay the grand banquet hall, illuminated by glittering chandeliers, filled with the gentle melodies of an orchestra and the murmur of countless conversations.
“So that must be…”
“…I see.”
“How unfortunate.”
Under the countless gazes directed at them, Kitty and Patrick walked inside.
Now and then, faint whispers reached their ears.
Patrick discreetly surveyed the room, trying not to show any concern over the peculiar atmosphere surrounding his fiancée.
Are any of the imperial family here already?
At moments like this, even that viper of a prince—Evan—would have been useful.
But the Second Prince was nowhere to be seen.
Then again, if he had already been standing in the ballroom, no one would have dared gossip so freely.
With little choice, Patrick guided Kitty toward the area reserved for children.
Princess Amelia was already there.
Whether they liked it or not, they had to greet the First Princess.
“Hi, Sis.”
The moment Kitty greeted her so casually, Patrick visibly flinched.
Giggles immediately erupted from Amelia’s attendants and the young noble girls surrounding her.
“Have Father and my brothers not arrived yet?”
Completely unfazed by the laughter, Kitty simply asked what she wanted to know.
Still hiding her smile behind a fan, Amelia lifted her chin arrogantly.
“No. Brother Dimitrius is already here. He toured the ballroom with Lady Shunoa for a while before heading to the lounge.”
Since Kitty had spoken informally first, Amelia deliberately answered in the same familiar tone.
But Katrina, who had only recently returned to the Imperial Palace, seemed completely oblivious to the hidden jab.
“I see. Thanks for telling me.”
Kitty gave a small nod.
Then, as though she had finished all her business, she quietly wandered over toward the banquet table.
Fresh strawberries, oranges, and countless other fruits and pastries were neatly displayed there.
At its center flowed a magnificent chocolate fountain.
She started the conversation herself, and now she’s leaving the moment she’s done?
Her behavior wasn’t merely rude—it was almost comical.
Unable to contain herself, Amelia burst into laughter.
The funniest part, however, was Patrick Roengreen, who looked utterly lost trying to deal with his childlike fiancée.
Leading her followers, Amelia briskly approached them and spoke loudly enough for everyone nearby to hear.
“By the way, Young Lord Roengreen, you said Katrina was beautiful, didn’t you?”
“My, really?”
“It seems Young Lord Patrick has quite… unusual tastes.”
The noble girls instantly picked up on Amelia’s mocking tone and eagerly joined in.
Looking immensely satisfied, Amelia turned toward Patrick with an expression that practically said,
Well? Embarrassed yet?
“Thank you so very much for speaking so highly of my lovely little sister. Why, you even praised Katrina’s beauty without the slightest embarrassment in front of Brother Evan.”
“How… unique.”
For some reason, Amelia seemed especially irritated that Patrick had called Katrina beautiful that day.
She had never openly admitted it, but it was painfully obvious she wanted to make fun of him over it.
It was petty, childish jealousy.
Patrick, flustered by the girls’ blatant hostility, gradually tightened his lips into a straight line.
“Here. Use this to spear whichever fruit you want and dip it in the chocolate, Kitty.”
Patrick decided to join his fiancée in acting as though Amelia and her followers simply did not exist.
“Mm. Thanks.”
Using the long fork Patrick handed her, Kitty speared a bite-sized piece of orange.
She dipped the juicy fruit generously into the flowing chocolate before taking a big bite.
“Mmm.”
The sweet-and-tart citrus, paired with the rich bitterness of the chocolate, complemented one another perfectly, making every flavor even more intense.
“Did you hear that? He called her Kitty.”
“Oh my. I thought Young Lord Roengreen was such a mature and dignified young gentleman…”
“The next time there’s a social gathering, maybe I’ll borrow my grandmother’s glasses. If I want Young Lord Patrick to notice me, I suppose I’ll need giant round spectacles too.”
With the chocolate fountain in front of her, the girls’ ridicule became nothing more than harmless background noise.
Besides, it wasn’t particularly serious mockery.
Patrick, however, didn’t seem nearly as capable of ignoring it as Kitty was.
Seeing her fiancé blush more and more, Princess Katrina graciously picked up another fork herself, speared a piece of orange, and held it out to him.
“Here, Patrick. You should have some too.”
Fortunately, instead of rising to Amelia’s childish provocation, Patrick quietly accepted the fork and dipped the orange into the chocolate.
No matter how much they mocked them, neither child reacted.
The girls quickly grew bored.
“Hmph. They’re so embarrassing.”
“They’ve only just met, yet they’re already acting like they’re so close.”
“Come, everyone. I’ve completely lost interest in Young Lord Roengreen now. My birthday party will feature an absolutely astonishing announcement, so be sure to look forward to it.”
“Oh, Your Highness… could it be that you’ll finally be officially proclaimed the Holy Saint?”
“What an honor that you’ve invited us to such an occasion.”
With that, they drifted away from Kitty and Patrick as though they no longer had any reason to stay.
Kitty glanced after them.
One of the young noble girls caught her eye—and, quite irreverently, stuck out her tongue at her before turning away.
Still, with those girls gone, Kitty now had the chocolate fountain all to herself.
That wasn’t a bad outcome at all.
Only after the girls had completely disappeared did Patrick quietly speak.
“If they ever saw who Your Highness truly is… they would never dare mock you like that.”
Who I truly am?
But Kitty hadn’t been hiding anything about herself.
She wanted to ask Patrick what he meant.
She never got the chance.
A triumphant fanfare echoed throughout the ballroom, announcing the Emperor’s arrival.
“His Imperial Majesty Theodore Paolina Noa Ortosia, Eternal Sun of the Continent of Imaltria and the one and only ruler of the Theros Empire, and His Imperial Highness Prince Evan Sophiana Ortosia, the noble moon beside His Majesty, now enter!”
