Chapter 27

To refer to the Crown Prince that way was extremely disrespectful, but I could understand exactly how my sister felt.

After all, in her previous life, even after she had lost everything and was left completely alone—right up until the moment she resolved to take revenge—he had never once extended a hand of salvation to House Rosena. He was one of those who simply buried the matter and moved on.

When I first learned that fact, I couldn’t describe how far Vincent fell in my estimation.

I had thought he was merely somewhat weak-willed, but to think he was this cowardly.

My death was one thing, but the fact that he had abandoned my sister like that was something I simply couldn’t forgive.

However, if the owner of the sword I saw in that dream was truly Vincent, then perhaps the story might be different.

“Come on, at least try to endure it.”

“And whenever I speak with someone one-on-one, they always ask whether there’s a man I’m seeing or whether a marriage has already been arranged. Sometimes they even ask the same questions about you, Tie. And when that happens, it becomes really difficult not to get angry.”

Apparently, that was why she wasn’t speaking to anyone at all despite the effort that had gone into arranging this opportunity.

Looking around, I saw that Hayley had already seated herself among a group of young ladies and was skillfully leading the conversation. They seemed to be people she already knew.

Just as I was about to suggest that my sister at least join them and pretend to listen quietly if necessary, everyone’s attention suddenly focused in our direction.

Why?

We hadn’t even done anything.

“Would it be alright if I asked for a dance?”

A calm voice.

I didn’t even need to turn around to know who it belonged to.

I had already been miserable all day, and now another factor had appeared to drag my mood down even further.

I quietly offered my respects toward Vincent.

I had worried my sister might stand there with a crooked expression, but fortunately she understood at least the minimum etiquette required. Her greeting was completely flawless.

More importantly, he was asking my sister to dance?

Did he even realize that my sister was the future Duke of Rosena?

Until now, I hadn’t fully understood why my sister had become so angry every time people questioned her about me.

But seeing Vincent’s attitude, I finally understood.

Just who did he think my sister was, targeting her as a potential Crown Princess?

Did he not know that everyone bearing titles such as Empress, Imperial Consort, Crown Princess, or Prince’s wife within the Imperial Family had been dying one after another ever since the current Emperor’s days as Crown Prince?

“My lady.”

Only after Vincent looked directly at me and addressed me once more did I realize my misunderstanding.

The person he had asked to dance wasn’t my sister.

It was me.

“Ah… My apologies. I thought Your Highness was speaking to my sister.”

“I couldn’t possibly take the first dance of the Young Duke of Rosena. She is the one who will become a Duke, after all.”

The implication behind those words was obvious.

He was looking for a woman who would not inherit a ducal title.

Right. So he really had come here to find a Crown Princess candidate.

I didn’t know how many ladies he had danced with before this, but considering we had arrived not long after the ball began, this was probably one of his first dances as well.

Me?

A Crown Princess candidate?

“Would I truly be acceptable?”

If Hayley had been standing beside me, Vincent might never have approached me at all.

After all, she was one of the people openly supporting Lucian.

But Hayley was elsewhere, and I effectively had no choice.

Before my sister’s anger could cause her to say something she shouldn’t, I quickly took Vincent’s hand.

“Tie.”

“I’ll be back. It’s a slow song, so I’ll be fine.”

If it was something that had to be done anyway, perhaps it was better to finish it quickly.

Will Flotie Rosena choose the already-established Crown Prince? Or will she support the rising Third Prince instead?

At this rate, I was going to earn a reputation as some lady who toyed with multiple princes.

Still, all I had to do was avoid this side of things for a while afterward.

“I hope Your Highness will forgive me. My health isn’t particularly strong, so I cannot dance through several songs in succession.”

“I’ve also been ordered to dance with at least five ladies tonight. I won’t be able to spend much time with you either.”

At the very least, that meant Vincent hadn’t attended this ball of his own free will, nor because he actually wished to marry.

The irritation I had secretly been feeling toward him for leaving Elian behind while pursuing his own happiness eased somewhat.

As the slow melody flowed through the ballroom, we began dancing.

People glanced at us wherever we passed.

Whether they were dancing themselves or occupied with other conversations, they all stared as if witnessing something extraordinary.

A Crown Prince dancing with a daughter of House Rosena.

It’s a rare sight, so enjoy it while you can.

You’ll never see it again.

It didn’t take long for me to notice that Vincent was deliberately guiding us toward the more spacious, less crowded sections of the ballroom.

It seemed he had something he wanted to tell me privately.

If that was the case, there were easier ways to communicate than making me dance.

By now, merely circling the ballroom had already pushed my stamina close to its limit.

Had songs always been this endlessly long?

Maybe I should just pretend to faint.

While I was entertaining such cowardly thoughts, Vincent finally spoke.

“I’ve heard that you’ve been visiting Lucian’s palace quite frequently these days.”

“Yes. We are ordinary friends.”

“Friends, hm.”

There it was.

I had been wondering when this topic would come up.

There were no eternal secrets inside the Imperial Palace.

Especially not after rumors had already spread that Flotie Rosena and Lucian Edvain were involved in some sort of relationship.

Still, asking me to dance first?

At this point, it could only be considered deliberate.

“Friends of Rosena?”

Whether Lucian was a friend of Rosena or a friend of Flotie was an extremely important distinction.

Some might dismiss it as insignificant, but depending on the answer, it could symbolize which side House Rosena intended to support.

Someone like Vincent couldn’t possibly be unaware of that.

Yet I didn’t sense any malice from him.

And knowing my sister was standing nearby, he didn’t seem foolish enough to say something truly dangerous.

If he were that stupid, he would have been assassinated long ago.

Nor was he naïve enough to think that creating a little distance meant no one could hear us.

Smiling gently, I answered:

“He is Flotie’s friend.”

“The Young Duke seems to treasure you greatly.”

So he was implying that my opinion represented my sister’s opinion, and my sister’s opinion represented House Rosena’s position?

For a Crown Prince, it was an astonishingly direct probe.

Even if we were standing away from the crowd, it wasn’t as though nobody could hear us.

It was strange that he would choose such an obvious approach.

Most people already knew that an unspoken rivalry existed among the princes, but this kind of open hostility would only backfire on Vincent.

And a man who constantly walked a tightrope between political factions should know that better than anyone.

“The affection between sisters and the intentions of a noble house are separate matters. Besides, the greater the weight carried by one’s words, the more carefully those words should be chosen, wouldn’t you agree?”

I phrased it as though I were merely discussing proper noble conduct.

What you’re saying now could easily drag you into a swamp of your own making.

I wasn’t trying to save Vincent or show concern for him.

I simply had enough problems already and didn’t want additional variables complicating things further.

“You seem to understand very well what virtues a person in your position should uphold, my lady.”

“If my words have caused any discomfort, then I sincerely apologize.”

“No. I simply dislike being surrounded by crowds and ended up asking unnecessary questions. Let us leave the matter there.”

He withdrew surprisingly easily.

Apparently, he found this ballroom just as unpleasant as I did.

As someone whose stamina drained away every second spent socializing, I felt an unexpected sense of kinship.

At last, the song came to an end.

“I was told you might cause me some difficulty, so I had rather high expectations. But your dancing isn’t bad at all.”

“How could I dare embarrass the Empire’s brightest star? This may well have been the most cautious moment of my short life.”

I even ended with a joke, hoping we could part on pleasant terms.

So please, just go away already.

My sister was staring at us with blazing eyes, and I needed to escape this situation as quickly as possible.

I really didn’t want to witness a sword fight breaking out in the middle of a ballroom.

“However, I’m not particularly familiar with the next song. I was thinking perhaps we could continue our conversation until it ends.”

Damn it!