Chapter 08…
I’m a Lady for the First Time, So I’m Going to Cause Some Trouble
“Is something wrong?”
When the Crown Prince, Jereon, asked nonchalantly, his aide, Dante, nearly jumped out of his skin.
“Of course something is wrong! Your Highness disappeared!”
“Is it really that unusual for me to disappear?”
“That’s exactly the problem! It’s not unusual at all!”
Dante snapped, glaring at Jereon.
“Do you even know what day it is today?”
“Correct answer: Tuesday.”
“I’m not asking what day of the week it is, and you know that!”
“Was that not what you meant?”
“Your Highness!”
“I know, I know. It’s the day of the Imperial Ball.”
At the prince’s utterly unconcerned attitude, Dante’s face turned as red as a shrimp that had been scalded in boiling water.
“If you know that, how can you just sit here doing nothing?”
“What difference would it make if I attended? Father and Mother are already there. Isn’t that enough?”
“Your Highness, honestly—”
“And the Crown Prince should be there, too. How many more people do they need?”
“……”
Jereon knew his place.
The position of Crown Prince had long ago been claimed by Arka, his half-brother, who was the son of the late Empress.
As the eldest son, his older brother had been showered with expectations as the Crown Prince and had received an excellent education from an early age.
Of course, Jereon, the second son and child of the current Empress, had received the same education from the same tutors. However, the Emperor didn’t seem to have any particular expectations of him.
If anything, illegitimate sons like Marquis Fenri, who had caused a sensation in the capital with a duel, received more attention.
Perhaps they don’t consider them a threat because they aren’t even recognized in the imperial registry.
More importantly, Crown Prince Arka was exceptionally capable.
Anyone with common sense knew that empowering another prince while such a promising heir was already in place would be dangerous. This was true not only among the members of the aristocratic council but also in high society.
As a result, hardly anyone ever mentioned the Second Prince. Aside from idle gossip, no one knew what he was thinking or what plans he might be making.
“If I went to the ball, I suppose I’d be welcomed. I’m not the Crown Prince, but I’m still a member of the imperial family, aren’t I? Until my brother has a child, I’m second in line to the throne.”
“Your Highness…”
“And once my brother becomes emperor, I’ll probably receive the title of Grand Duke. It may not be as prestigious as becoming Empress, but being a Grand Duchess isn’t a bad option, either.”
“That isn’t what’s important right now…”
“Oh, right. His Majesty will decide whom I marry, won’t he? So there’s a good chance I’ll be used as a pawn in a political marriage.”
At Jereon’s biting self-deprecation, Dante pressed his lips into a firm line.
As the prince’s aide, Dante understood better than anyone why Jereon had developed such a cynical attitude.
The Emperor’s indifference, the constant comparisons to his capable older brother, and…
Dante swallowed a sigh before gently trying to reason with him.
“Regardless of how the nobles judge you or what they think of you, Your Highness, you are still a prince of the Rodinia Empire.”
“Hmm.”
“And just imagine how proud His Majesty would have been if you had attended the ball.”
“But when you say ‘His Majesty,’ do you mean His Imperial Majesty the Emperor? Or Her Imperial Majesty the Empress?”
“B-both of them, of course!”
Caught off guard, Dante feigned indignation and made a fuss.
“Now that we’re discussing it, you should go to your room immediately and change your clothes. And what’s that bruise on your chin? Did you get into a fight with someone?”
“A bruise?”
Jereon instinctively touched his chin.
It was sore, and he had figured that a bruise would appear soon enough, but he hadn’t expected it to show up so quickly.
“Is it that noticeable?”
“If I were blind, I’d say no. But yes, it’s very noticeable.”
“This is a disaster…”
“First, please go to your room. I’ll call a healer, and afterward—”
“Too late.”
At the icy voice, Jereon and Dante froze on the spot.
The Empress stood before them, her cool expression contrasting sharply with her bright, lavish dress. She stared silently at the two men.
Under her gaze, which felt as though it could cut out their hearts, both men felt a chill run down their spines.
“You should have known that the ball was being held today, shouldn’t you?”
“……I’m sorry. I confused the dates.”
Jereon answered in a stiff voice.
Seeing the Empress’s expression grow even colder, Dante hurriedly spoke up.
“Your Imperial Majesty, this is my fault. I gave His Highness the wrong date—”
“Enough.”
At her command, Dante immediately fell silent.
The Empress’s gaze swept over Jereon before stopping at his chin.
“Have you been fighting?”
“……We had a minor difference of opinion.”
In reality, he had simply been beaten up. But if he admitted that, she would undoubtedly scold him for being so pathetic that he couldn’t even hold his own in a fight despite being a prince.
“A prince should know better than to throw punches without regard for his dignity! Do you even understand your own status? Sneaking out of the palace wasn’t enough for you, so now you’re getting into fights, too?”
Not that he had expected her to let the matter of the fight slide.
Facing the Empress, who seemed to have draped herself in anger on the verge of exploding like a bridal veil, Jereon tried to change the subject in a pleasant, easygoing voice.
“Speaking of which, Mother, why are you here? Shouldn’t you be in the ballroom? Especially since my brother is there.”
Ah, I shouldn’t have added that last part.
The Empress’s face, which had been cold but composed, instantly turned fierce.
“If you know that, how dare you skip the ball? You know perfectly well how important imperial events are! Are you trying to bring shame upon the mother who gave birth to you and upon your father?”
“But, Mother…”
“I don’t want to hear it!”
The Empress completely lost her restraint and snarled at him.
“How can you be so selfish and thoughtless? What is it that you lack?!”
“……I’m sorry.”
She took a moment to steady her breathing. Her violet eyes, brimming with anger, disappeared behind her lowered eyelids.
“……I’ll explain things to His Majesty myself, so stay in your room and get that face of yours treated.”
“Thank you, Mother.”
The Empress turned away from Jereon as he bowed his head.
For the briefest instant, an unbearable anguish flickered in her eyes before disappearing.
Dante glanced sideways at Jereon as he watched the Empress walk back toward the ballroom.
Although he had deliberately chosen the most aggravating things to say, Dante could still sense a faint trace of pain and sorrow in him.
To dispel the gloomy atmosphere, Dante deliberately brought up something unexpected.
“So, did you get an apology?”
“An apology? From whom?”
Jereon asked in confusion, unable to follow the abrupt question.
“Who else? The scoundrel who injured Your Highness’s face. Since the two of you fought, I’m sure the other person nearly died. Even so, you should demand an apology for daring to hit a prince in the face.”
“Ah!”
Only then did Jereon realize.
He had never received an apology from that woman!
“Good grief, I’m dying.”
After returning to the viscount’s residence, I collapsed onto the floor with a groan.
When I carefully pulled off my swollen shoes, I revealed silk stockings that were completely blackened with dirt and dust.
The maids in the laundry room are definitely going to have a fit when they see these. Silk is such a pain to handle.
But this was all the fault of that guy—the Court Count, or was it Sandbag or whatever his name was.
If that man had simply handed over my shoes without a fuss, I wouldn’t have had to cross the lawn wearing nothing but my stockings.
On top of that, I had to walk on tiptoe inside the building to pretend I was wearing shoes.
I’m not a ballerina, so why did I have to go through all that trouble? If anyone had seen me, I might have ended up the subject of rumors about some eccentric woman who went around behaving strangely.
Let’s kill the Court Count. The Court Count is my sworn enemy.
Grumbling under my breath, I washed up quickly and began getting ready for bed. Just then, Bessie flung open the door and barged in without knocking.
“My lady, there’s a huge problem!”
“Good grief! You scared me! Will it kill you to knock?”
“That’s not the problem!”
“It sounds like a problem to me.”
If you keep throwing open doors and shouting like that without any manners, you’ll get kicked out someday without even receiving a letter of recommendation.
But Bessie, who was practically bursting with excitement, didn’t seem concerned about that at all.
“Someone has come from the Imperial Palace!”
