The place we arrived at was an annex palace with a beautiful red curved roof where the Imperial Ball was held. It sparkled under the light as it was surrounded by gold.

‘As expected, no one can match this splendor.’

Although the Lagrange family was far from frugal, it was also far from luxury and pleasure, and even the most beautifully decorated Nature was plain compared to the imperial palace.

“His Grace, Duke Lagrange is entering!”

The servant announced Dietrich’s appearance in a loud voice. It wasn’t officially approved yet but it seemed to be a small token of the Emperor’s sincerity.

“With Lady Anissa and Miss Charlotte of Vallandia.” [1]

Charlotte was one of the women who drew public attention. She smiled gracefully as if she was familiar with the crowd’s admiration and linked her arms with Dietrich’s other arm.

“Miss Charlotte, were you acquainted with His Grace, Duke Lagrange?”

“Yes. I have received an invitation as a royal guest and I owe him a great debt of gratitude.”

“Oh my! Royal quest!”

No matter how much I thought about it, it wouldn’t look good to see Charlotte and me clinging to Dietrich at the same time. I slipped back and observed the crowd forming around Charlotte.

“To think you’re a Lagrange royal guest! Then, doesn’t this mean that Charl is the first guest to receive an invitation from the North?”

“Yes.”

When Charlotte bashfully nodded her head, the women, with their fans spread wide, opened their mouths and exclaimed ‘oh my, oh my’ and the like.

‘Being a royal guest must have meant a lot more than I thought.’

“I can’t believe you’re invited into such a closed family. As expected of you, Charlotte.”

“I guess that rumor is true, too. I heard that there was a prophecy from the temple that you would become the savior of the North.”

‘What? People already know about the prophecy?’

I strained my ears to infer about their relationship through people’s conversations.

“Well, if you’re a man, you can’t refuse a young woman like Charlotte. The young Duke of Lagrange deserves to lose his reason.”

I was brought back to my senses by the strange smile of a middle-aged woman whose hair was tied up elegantly. She had a secretive aura as if Charlotte and Dietrich were connected in some kind of relationship and she was the only one who noticed that fact.

“I see that spring is finally coming to the North.”

I was finally certain at the woman’s next words. There was definitely a scene like this in ‘The Rose Wars of Men.’

Charlotte and Dietrich were treated as lovers by the people even before they fell in love.

‘Why did I forget about that?’

Because Charlotte was the first guest welcomed by the North that welcomed no one. Even the Northerners warmly embraced her.

There must have been fantasies of an innocent woman melting the frozen heart of the grand duke.

“Oh my. Who is the girl that Charlotte brought?”

It was then that the woman stopped talking when she saw me looking around a little farther away from Charlotte and approached me.

I grabbed the hem of the yellow dress that Marilyn worked hard to mend and greeted her as I have learned.

“Hello. I am Anissa Lagrange.”

“Hmm? What a surprise. The grand duke’s siblings have never appeared in the capital’s high society up until now.”

‘Well, that’s because, after the successor game, all of them are either dead or had become half-disabled.’

I didn’t want to explain Lagrange’s grim history, so I smiled beautifully as if I knew nothing.

“My name is Rosalind. The sister of Maquis Deus.”

‘If it’s Marquis Deus, isn’t that the person Charlotte told me to be careful of?’

Surprised by the woman’s introduction, I took a glance at her aura but I didn’t feel any malice.

“Yes. I’m quite nervous as this is my first ball.”

“Does the North not hold any banquets?”

Derek held banquets occasionally and Dietrich seemed to have been invited every time, but Lagrange’s banquets never felt like the imperial ball.

“Uhm…it does. But it’s unlike this imperial ball.”

Could we really call a banquet a banquet when every time one was held someone was either poisoned or have been stabbed by a knife?

‘Wouldn’t it be a bloody banquet?’

When I glanced awkwardly at the sides, Marquis Deus’ sister smiled as if she found me cute.

“His grace seemed to have gone up to greet Her Majesty, so why don’t you spend some time with us, young lady?”

“Would that be all right?”

“Of course.”

I approached the sofa on the right side of the hall, led by the madam.

As if she was to become the center of the social circle, Charlotte was already sitting in the center of the sofa and receiving a lot of attention from the people.

“–so,  in order to repay His Grace’s kindness, I plan to go down to the North and spread Hera’s teachings.”

“I heard that there are a lot of barbarians in the North. Will you be all right with that slender body?”

“Yes. His Grace is a kind person.”

“Charl is the one who will save the North after all. How can he not be kind to you.”

I laughed lightly because I was dumbfounded by their conversation.

When Charlotte found me, she waved her white hand and beckoned to me.

“Anissa, please come here.”

“Hm? Who is it?”

“Everyone, this is Lady Anissa. Duke Lagrange’s one and only younger sister.”

There were a little over ten people gathered on the sofa. I was a little terrified being among men and women with insanely inflated hair as if reaching the ceiling was their only goal.

‘It’s hard to breathe…’

Desire.

Rather than the desire for power that Derek used to reveal transparently, this was a little more furtive, a sticky lump of ambitions overflowing in front of me like wastewater.

“Is this the child that Charl is taking care of?”

Among them, the woman with the deepest aura of desire suddenly approached me.

“He–Hello.”

“Ha? Did you just look at me and frowned as if I smell? What kind of disrespect is this?”

As the woman stepped back as if avoiding me, she looked at me like she found me unpleasant and twisted her red lips and laughed. Soon, she snorted and turned around.

“Ha! You don’t even get a single crop and would have starved to death without the help of the South yet you dare ignore me?”

However, Lagrange was leading the shadow demons of the entire continent in return. I was offended by her words that my eyebrows knitted.

“It’s not that–”

“Ahem. Charl too, really, what is she going to do to save the North, which is filled with ill-mannered children like this?”

“What did you say?”

At the sudden commotion, Charlotte got up from her seat with a puzzled expression.

“Anissa, what’s going on?”

She bowed her head with an embarrassed face as if my actions were her responsibility.

“Everyone, I apologize. Anissa has just come from the North so she’s not familiar with the social world. She didn’t mean anything bad. I ask for your understanding.”

However, it was me who endured the woman’s insulting remarks.

‘Northern bastard here and there.’

I struggled to contain my dizziness and bit my lips tightly.

“Anissa, you have to say your greetings.”

“Hello. I am Anissa Lagrange.”

I tried my best to say my greetings at Charlotte’s prompt, but I was so distracted that I forgot to greet by hand, which was one of the imperial court’s etiquette.

I heard a crowd of people sneering at my greetings.

‘Ah, I should have studied a bit more.’

If Veronica had come instead of me, she would have made a spectacular appearance.

“Since Charlotte had asked us, we’ll have to be understanding, I guess.”

“Yes. The lady is still young and unfamiliar with the social world, so it seems she made an immature mistake.”

In response to Charlotte’s words, the people suddenly faked a benevolent smile. However, the aura filled with desire was still there so I faltered back to get away as far as possible from Charlotte’s party.

“As expected of Lady Charlotte, she even apologizes for the mistake of a young lady she doesn’t know well.” [2]

“Charl is really the savior of the North.”

‘I’m not thankful at all, you know.’

I was dumbfounded by the words of the woman wearing pearl earrings and snorted inwardly.

“Will Charl be called Lady Lagrange one day?”

“Oh my! Right now the position of Lady Lagrange belongs to Anissa! Please don’t say that.”

Charlotte blushed as she waved her hand at the words of a man who looked like a peacock dressed in a colorful costume. I moistened my dry lips at the sight.

“Heavens. What do you mean lady? A lady, unlike someone, would not forget the hand greeting.”

I didn’t want to hear the nobles snickering anymore. I kept getting nauseous so I stepped back without responding properly.

Madam Deus placed her hand on my staggering shoulder.

“Are you okay? I think you’re unwell.”

“How do I get outside?”

“I’ll take you.”

Vallandia was a sanctuary located at the southern end of the continent, so it was only natural that Charlotte’s acquaintances were southerners.

I became a little sad because the social circle of the capital seemed to be centered on them.

‘I’d rather be a northern child who uses the word southerner as an insult.’

How could you slander someone just for saying hello the wrong way?

Some gave a reproachful glance at the nobles who spoke rudely at me, but no one stood up to stop them. I left my seat almost hanging on Rosalind’s shoulder.

As I passed through the brightly opened glass door and went out to the balcony, my mind was cleared by the wind that still embraced the chill of winter.

“Sister, where were you?”

Rosalind, who took me to the balcony, was about to turn and leave when someone entered and closed the door.

“Ah. You had company.”

It was a face I’d never seen before but it was definitely a familiar aura. I pointed my fingers at him, who was a complete stranger and opened my mouth, puzzled.

“Damon?”

────── 〔✿〕──────

T/N: [1] Anissa is called Lady in English written in Korean but Charlotte is addressed as Young-ae or Lady/Miss in Korean. So I chose Miss as her title since she’s not really of noble blood. (Correct me if I’m wrong.)

[2] Charlotte is suddenly addressed as Lady in English here.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep