Chapter 262
But in the end, no one had been hurt by it.
Since it had been a deliberate attack on me, the worst she would face was being barred from social activities for a few years.
Of course, there was a way to make her suffer a harsher punishment.
‘If Astra presses charges, that is.’
But that would carve a rift between the Imperial Family and House Astra.
Why should we bear the risk when the one who caused the scandal was the former princess?
Humming lightly, I watched the imperial carriage roll away.
At that moment.
“Remarkable. Truly.”
Alexis’s voice rang out.
I turned, and there he was, with the entry bracelet now clasped around his wrist, staring at me.
“If someone dares strike, you repay them twice over.”
“Of course. That’s exactly what you would do, isn’t it?”
Alexis let out a quiet laugh.
I shrugged my shoulders and said,
“Shall we go now? To the banquet hall?”
“Yes.”
“You’ve practiced the etiquette well enough, haven’t you?”
“Naturally. You drilled it into me after all.”
Alexis extended his hand toward me.
I stepped back lightly with one foot, bent my knees slightly, and placed my index, middle, and ring fingers upon his hand.
At last, it was time to make our entrance.
* * *
Every gaze in the hall swung instantly to the door.
Golden hair, crimson eyes.
A girl with a beauty as dazzling as a rose made flesh entered the party on the arm of a striking boy.
Because of the earlier uproar, everyone already knew she was the Young Lady of House Astra.
Small groups of boys gasped, voices slipping out in awe.
“Wow…”
Erylotte Astra’s beauty was already famed.
Even among the dazzling bloodline of Astra, she was unmatched.
A doll-like child who had inherited the face of Daymond Astra, widely acknowledged as the most handsome man in the Empire.
Still, many had thought the rumors exaggerated.
‘But truly…’
‘It really is true…’
A boy whose eyes met hers blushed scarlet, fumbling so badly he dropped his juice glass.
Others forgot their conversations entirely, mouths falling open as they stared.
Even the girls who worshipped beauty breathed out sighs of delight.
Golden lashes fluttered with each blink, their graceful sway mesmerizing.
Beneath them, ruby eyes gleamed brighter than any jewel.
A face so exquisitely shaped it seemed crafted by the hands of a god, lips like a petal newly bitten.
Her still-small button nose, owing to her youth, only made her more endearing.
Despite this being her second entrance of the night, the sight of Erylotte left everyone dazed.
Seeing their reaction, Heidi swelled with pride inside.
‘But that boy… who is he?’
The boy standing beside Young Lady Astra was every bit her equal.
Hair black as gathered starlight.
Eyes blue as a dawn-lit citadel.
At her side, his looks lacked not a single thing.
‘Wow…’
‘Incredible…’
The girls gasped sharply for breath.
At that moment, Rumelisa Paanté approached.
“Milady, did you see the former princess off well?”
“Yes.”
Paanté seized Erylotte’s hand warmly.
“Thanks to you, I didn’t have to leave the hall unattended.”
Her eyes brimmed with goodwill.
“It was nothing.”
“Not at all. It was your kindness that mattered. And… this gentleman is?”
Erylotte hesitated. “Ah…” She turned to Alexis.
With a hand lightly resting over his chest, Alexis spoke.
“I am Alexis.”
At once, the girls edged closer to him.
“This is the first we’ve seen you in the capital. Which house might you be from…?”
Erylotte’s eyes gleamed subtly.
‘I knew this question would come.’
Out of sight, she jabbed him lightly in the ribs.
Though he frowned for a moment, Alexis quickly masked it and answered smoothly.
“In time, there will be an opportunity for introductions.”
“Oh my…”
Their eyes went round with curiosity.
Erylotte deftly steered the topic away.
“But truly, this is a marvelous party. It’s my first capital gathering, and I’m astonished.”
Lady Paanté’s lips curved in a sharp smile.
“You won’t find many like this. I poured my heart into its preparation.”
“Lady Gonalon once said that Marchioness Paanté’s parties are always splendid. It seems you’ve inherited your mother’s touch!”
Paanté’s expression brightened instantly.
“Do you really think so? Oh, I’m so pleased!”
The party buzzed with warmth.
Yet the gazes of the crowd never left Alexis.
Erylotte accepted a juice glass offered directly by Paanté, her lips curving in satisfaction.
‘There’s nothing as powerful a topic as beauty, after all.’
Her plan to draw all of the capital’s attention to Alexis was a resounding success.
* * *
Rumelisa Paanté returned home with a dreamy expression.
“Well? Did you enjoy the party?”
The Marchioness chuckled as she asked.
“So—very—much!”
“And Her Highness, the former princess, she came as well?”
“Don’t even mention it. It was awful!”
“What do you mean?”
“If not for Young Lady Astra, I’d have been utterly humiliated!”
It was at this moment that the children’s quarrel…
Began to grow into the quarrel of adults.
Discussion
1 CommentReactions
Muss