I Reincarnated as the Daughter of a Runaway Sub Heroine - Chapter 45

“When I was six years old, I visited the palace with my parents, and I met you then, Your Highness.”

At this point, I thought he might recognize who I was, but he furrowed his brows and fell deep into thought.

“…So many people visit the palace that I can’t remember. I apologize.”

Then, as if something suddenly came to mind, he asked a question.

“But how did you get up here? The second floor is off-limits to common nobles.”

“I came here under the guidance of the Duchess of Acanthus.”

“The Duchess? Then you must be a guest of the Duke?”

Since it wasn’t incorrect, I nodded. He then smiled brightly.

“Oh, now I understand. You’re a relative of the Duke and Duchess. Did you receive an invitation for this debutante ball? But why didn’t Hyperion tell me that such a beautiful relative was coming?”

Wait a minute. Did he just misunderstand me as a relative of the Duke and Duchess? And beautiful? Just a moment ago, he was boldly insulting me!

“Will you forgive the rude remarks I made earlier? If I had known you were a relative of Hyperion, I wouldn’t have made such a mistake. He’s a good friend of mine.”

“Um…”

As I was about to explain my identity, he suddenly took my hand and pressed his lips against the back of it. A chill ran down my spine.

Ah! Why is he doing this to me? Let go right now!

“Since we’ve met like this, may I request your first dance?”

No. This is definitely not fate; it’s a misfortune!

I bit my lip.

“It would be an immense honor to dance my first dance with you, Your Highness, but unfortunately, I have already made arrangements with another partner.”

“Are you referring to Hyperion?”

Yes. If you know, then please just let go of me!

I quickly nodded.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“But Hyperion must dance his first dance with the Lady of Iskas. After that, it will be your turn. Wouldn’t it be much more beneficial for your reputation to dance your first dance with me instead?”

For an ordinary noble lady, simply being the first dance partner of a prince would attract significant attention. At this ball, the highest-ranking unmarried men were the prince and Hyperion.

Although Hyperion’s first partner was already decided, the prince’s first partner was still open, so all eyes would be on whoever that would be.

But the Lady of Iskas you just mentioned is me!

I let out a deep sigh. Since he didn’t know my identity, the conversation was veering into strange territory.

“I cannot break an already made promise. And Your Highness, I haven’t properly introduced myself yet.”

However, just as I was about to make my formal introduction, a servant approached.

“Your Highness, it’s time to enter.”

Persis nodded and smiled at me.

“Well then, I suppose I must reserve the second dance. I’ll see you later at the banquet hall.”

With that, the prince said what he needed to and disappeared.

I stood there dumbfounded, and soon someone came to me.

“Lady Iskas.”

It was the duchess’s maid.

“It’s time for you to get ready.”

“…Okay.”

I followed the maid, fervently praying that nothing unusual would happen at the banquet hall.

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

The young ladies and gentlemen making their debut in society are called one by one to greet the king. The order is in reverse of rank, starting from the lowest title.

And so, I was the last one called.

I heard the voices of nobles being summoned one by one from the room. Being alone like this made many past events come to mind, one by one.

In the original story, Arcadia ultimately did not receive formal recognition as a lady of Iskas and remained a child of illegitimate birth. After her parents’ death, her existence vanished without a trace. It wasn’t even recorded whether she had died or survived.

But here I am, having come this far. Not as a child of illegitimate birth, but as the heir of the Grand Duchy. With the highest and noblest status among the nobles.

“His Grace, Lord Hyperion of the Acanthus Duchy.”

At that moment, Hyperion’s name was called. It was my turn next. Just in time, a maid approached me.

“Milady, this way now.”

I followed the maid down the corridor. The banquet had already started, so all the nobles were inside, leaving only the attendants outside.

The doors to the banquet hall, adorned with gold, were wide open, and as I stood at the entrance, the lower-ranking nobles nearby noticed me and began to whisper.

“Which family does that young lady belong to? I’ve never seen such a face before; she stands out.”

“Indeed. She’s quite beautiful. The dress is splendid too.”

“Since no one seems to know her, perhaps she’s from the provinces…”

At that moment, a noble beside them nudged his arm.

“Considering she’s entering now, isn’t she the Lady of Iskas?”

Everyone turned to look at me with astonished eyes.

“What? But…”

“Oh my, she’s completely different from the rumors…”

“How could such an appearance be associated with such bizarre rumors…!”

Amid the quietly spreading shock, my name was called.

“Arcadia Iskas of the Iskas Grand Duchy.”

I took a step into the brightly lit space. As I walked along the long red carpet, countless gazes were directed toward me.

At the end of the red carpet sat the direct royal family.

The king looked much older than he did 12 years ago. His hair had turned white, and deep wrinkles had formed on his face. The queen, while not as aged as her husband, also showed signs of the passage of time.

On either side of them sat a prince and a princess. Persis’s face slightly contorted upon seeing me.

His sharp glare seemed to suggest that he thought I had deceived him just moments ago, leaving me momentarily dumbfounded. I hadn’t deceived him; he had simply thought what he wanted!

In contrast to Persis, the princess had a very calm expression. Her face was so pale it seemed almost white, with dark purple irises. Her hair was jet black, in stark contrast to Persis’s blonde locks. Despite being half-siblings, they bore no resemblance to each other at all.

The princess’s serene gaze landed on me. She was now observing me closely.

“It’s been a long time, Arcadia.”

Finally, with the king’s deep voice greeting me, I grasped the hem of my dress and bowed.

“It’s been a long time since I last saw you, Your Majesty.”

“Last time, you were dressed as a boy. I didn’t realize you were such a beautiful young lady.”

“That’s too kind of you to say.”

“No, it’s true. There’s no need to choose the most beautiful lady today. It’s obvious that you are the most beautiful here.”

The king burst into a hearty laugh.

To tell a woman she is beautiful is the highest compliment he could give.

And then I realized, just like when I was a child, he still saw me not as the heir to the Grand Duke, but as the Grand Duke’s daughter.

I slightly bent my knees and then straightened up.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“You met the prince once when you were little. Do you remember?”

I smiled at Persis, who still wore a sour expression.

“Yes, I still remember how welcoming you were back then.”

It was truly awkward; no matter how much of a childhood memory it was, I couldn’t say that I didn’t remember meeting the prince. That could easily be seen as rude. However, I also couldn’t state the facts of that time, as that would be even more impolite.

In any case, my answer, after much deliberation, clearly did not sit well with the prince. His expression had worsened.

He wouldn’t like whatever I said, so I might as well let it go.

I looked at the queen. She was wearing a graceful smile, almost as if it were painted on her face.

“Welcome, Lady Iskas. It’s truly a pleasure to see you again.”

“It is an honor to see you again as well, Your Majesty.”

“I wish the Grand Duke and Duchess could see you like this. It’s a pity they are not here.”

“Thanks to the Duke and Duchess, I have been quite comfortable without any inconvenience.”

At that, the queen fluttered her fan and smiled playfully.

“I will be sure to invite you later so we can chat in a quieter setting. Now that I think about it, the princess and you are of similar ages, so you could become good friends.”

The princess lowered her long eyebrows and slightly nodded her head in greeting, and I responded in kind.

And suddenly, I realized that I was standing in the midst of a subtle power struggle between the king and queen.

The king had deliberately introduced only the prince to me, while conversely, the queen had mentioned only the princess. And all of this was happening in such an official setting.