“From the House of Duke Brecht and the House of Marquis Hübener! Dorian Eberhardt von Brecht, Duke, and Miss Rohela Lisbeth von Hübener!”
With the steward’s announcement, I stepped into the hall, holding Dorian’s hand.
Following the rule that higher-ranking nobles enter later, quite a number of people were already inside the hall.
Though they were at a distance and not directly visible, I could feel their gazes sweeping over me.
The walls, the ceiling, even the clothes people wore—all shimmered so brightly it hurt my eyes.
I tried not to frown and spoke to Dorian.
“Will His Majesty the Emperor also attend the imperial ball?”
I whispered, audible only to Dorian. He nodded.
“Of course, he’s the host. But as soon as the first dance begins, he’ll leave immediately.”
His gaze was fixed on the entrance. The doors were wide enough for six tall men to pass through at once, yet they were tightly closed.
I knew who he was waiting for.
“You’re waiting for the Grand Duke?”
“Yes. He should arrive any moment now.”
I had also heard rumors that he was reclusive. Some said he had a heart condition; others said he just hid out of pride.
They said he was an extremely strict and eccentric old man. What would he even look like?
What kind of person would make a child younger than his own grandson…
At that moment, the firmly shut doors began to slowly open. The steward standing nearby cleared his throat and loudly announced:
“From the Grand Duchy of Ostalgoy! Miss Blanche Irene de Ostalgoy!”
My eyes met Dorian’s.
The Grand Duke had no heirs to pass on his name.
“I’ve never heard the name Blanche…” Dorian muttered, furrowing his brow. I turned my gaze back to the now fully opened door.
Beyond the steward in uniform, I saw waves of pale lavender hair. And…
A red dress with a design reminiscent of a rose bush.
“Uh…”
My neck stiffened. I couldn’t look away. The woman called Blanche, with pale lavender curls flowing down, looked around as if searching for someone.
The color drained from her face completely. The fear I had felt when the scalpel approached me—the fear I thought I had forgotten—slowly coiled in my stomach and lifted its head.
I needed to run.
I stepped back. But then our eyes met.
A sly smile. Her navy eyes curved like a crescent moon.
“…Why?”
A low voice came from beside me. Only then did I remember that Dorian was standing next to me.
When I looked at him, I noticed his eyes were slightly wide.
Scarlet is from the Grand Duke’s family?
That wasn’t the only surprising thing. As she stepped from the shadows into the light, the rose bush pattern on her dress became even more vivid.
The red silk with bright green accents looked almost like it was meant to match my outfit.
She nodded at me casually. Then, turning to Dorian, she lifted the hem of her dress in greeting.
“What on earth is going on…”
I muttered to myself as more people began to gather around her.
Watching Scarlet being partially hidden by the crowd, I turned my body.
As the fear gradually subsided, a tremendous anger filled the void.
“Did the Grand Duke have children?”
“No, I can say for certain he did not.”
“Then why is she there?”
At that moment, a familiar voice came from behind.
“Well… the dress design looks familiar, though.”
In a light tone. I turned to see Hartmann, who had entered the hall before us. He tilted his head and said to me:
“But why does the atmosphere feel like this? Both of you seem upset.”
I realized my voice had been sharp and lowered it. Then I asked again.
“An illegitimate child?”
“There’s quite an age difference.”
“Then a child of the illegitimate child?”
“That seems more likely.”
“What about the dress? How did she know I would wear a rose bush dress—no, how did the Grand Duchess know?”
“I can answer that, my lady. To signal that you are under our protection, we orchestrated a bit of behind-the-scenes maneuvering…”
“…I didn’t expect it to turn out this way.”
We whispered so that others wouldn’t hear. Meanwhile, a steward blew a trumpet.
“His Majesty the Emperor approaches!”
All eyes in the hall turned toward the massive staircase at the front.
At the top of the stairs appeared the Emperor.
His steps were slow, and the crown on his head gleamed brilliantly under hundreds of glowing stones. Two stewards followed closely behind, holding his red cape to prevent it from dragging.
The Emperor surveyed the nobles in the hall. From afar, it was hard to see clearly, but his white eyebrows were furrowed tightly.
From the distance, the red-dressed woman walked lightly forward. Scarlet approached the Emperor and bowed.
“I, Blanche Irene de Ostalgoy, pay my respects to the Scion of the Sun.”
Hearing her voice made me feel nauseous. The Emperor seemed similarly displeased, judging from his expression.
He spoke.
“Welcome once again, subjects of the Empire. I am always satisfied with your loyalty and love for the Empire. Miss Blanche, please rise.”
Scarlet straightened. The Emperor continued speaking without taking his eyes off her.
“This ball was to begin with Miss Blanche and my son dancing together. However, he did not attend.”
I was surprised at the bluntness of his words and glanced at Dorian and Hartmann. Yet both remained completely composed.
I was the only one startled in the ballroom.
But wasn’t the Crown Prince at the Academy? In the original story, he had never left the academy once.
As I pondered this, the Emperor scanned the crowd. Honestly, he looked less like a majestic ruler and more like a local gangster.
“This is an oversight on the part of the royal household. I would like to grant you the right to designate a new partner.”
I leaned forward. From our position behind Scarlet, her face was not visible.
Scarlet’s voice echoed through the hall.
“I gratefully accept. Then I shall…”
Hartmann and I exchanged glances toward Dorian. With the Crown Prince absent, the only high-ranking nobleman capable of opening the imperial ball was Dorian.
“What should we do?” I whispered.
At that moment:
“…I would like to dance with Miss Rohela Hübener.”
A man requesting to dance with a woman? Completely unexpected. At the same time, all eyes turned toward me. I forced a smile.
“Insane…”
But I couldn’t hide my true feelings entirely. Hartmann’s eyes widened at the sincerity spilling from my lips.
“You have quite the mouth,” he said.
“…That’s not the problem.”
Dorian growled softly. As if pleased that all eyes were on me, Scarlet smiled brightly and spoke.
“I was so curious when I heard that a lady from House Hübener would attend after so long. And she’s wearing a rose bush dress! I even wore this dress to match and get closer to you.”
Then, bashfully, she covered her cheek with her hand.
“What do you think? Don’t we look like sisters?”
From that remark, it became clear why Scarlet had drawn attention.
Just like the previously unacknowledged child of the Grand Duke, suddenly appearing was a lady from House Hübener.
For those who doubted me, she naturally sowed doubt about me as well…
Sure enough, I saw people narrowing their eyes at Scarlet and me.
“Did the Grand Duke have children?”
“I’ve never heard of any… but since His Majesty called her, she must indeed be ‘Ostalgoy’.”
“Has anyone here heard of House Hübener?”
“The southern naval family, right? Not really… they’re very remote.”
“How do two isolated houses even know each other? Both have been reclusive.”
“Besides, I heard the Duke Lucas had no children.”
“Oh… now that I think about it, that young lady…”
“Why, do you know her?”
“Well, it’s not certain…”
A voice, whispering nuances but certainly not soft, lingered in my ear. My mind went blank.
I’d been caught.
There was a reason Scarlet had drawn attention: I was from the academy.
It meant a few people at this ball could recognize me as an orphan.
‘A quiet student with no friends due to my disposition.’
Thus, disguising myself as a marquis’s daughter was risky but feasible.
Wearing the Duchess’s dress was also for this reason.
The Duke protects me; what could lower-ranking nobles do if they doubted me?
Yet when Scarlet, the Grand Duke’s heir, spoke, the suspicion was fully justified.
Sure enough, a few already narrowed their eyes at me, checking if I really was the “Rohela” from Rembrandt Academy.
I was on the verge of panic.
Dorian, standing to my right, stepped forward.
“Would you dance with me?”
His soft voice brought an instant silence to the hall. Cutting through it, he spoke gently:
“I am Duke Brecht. The waltz you two would dance may be beautiful, but please grant me a chance as well. The moment I saw you, I could not look away.”
“…Because you hate it so much?”
Hartmann, now at my left, whispered with a hint of amusement. Despite the danger, I couldn’t help smiling.
My mind eased slightly. Dorian approached Scarlet slowly and continued.
“Moreover, with my rank, it would not be inappropriate at the imperial ball. Will you dance one song with me?”
At Dorian’s words, the noblewomen covered their mouths in surprise. Their eyes sparkled with curiosity.
Scarlet maintained a gentle smile, though I noticed the corners of her mouth twitch slightly.
