n

n

n

n***

nLast of the sponsored chapters by Sanji! Thanking everyone for their patience during my midterm week.

n***

n

nTime passed by peacefully, but Rosaline knew better than be complacent. She knew what a calm before a storm looked like.

n

nThe noble ladies were all holed up in their rooms, busy preparing for the evening battle. A battle where one had to wield the sword in one’s mouth and subdue the opponent with beauty.

n

n“Hui, that’s a bit much…”

n

nHer friend was currently pinning a large rose corsage on her shoulder, which she felt was excessive.

n

nRosaline’s pale pink dress accentuated her slender waist, its puffy skirt fluttering out from her hips. She looked uncomfortably close to a bell.

n

n“I can’t make any concessions. Today, Miss Rosaline’s dance card must be filled with names.

n

nIn Hui’s eyes, while Rosaline was indeed the most beautiful and elegant candidate even without makeup, there was nothing wrong with dressing for the occasion. It wasn’t even excessive, to be honest, since her hair was still simply braided on one side and her only pieces of jewelry were her pink diamond necklace and earrings.

n

nShe was, in a word, the personification of a pink rose. The corsage was the perfect finishing touch so that even her fragrance would fill the hall.

n

n“Hui, can’t you really?”

n

n“No!”

n

nRosaline sighed and lowered her hand.

n

nHui finished pinning the rose on the left shoulder, and the plain-looking dress bloomed splendidly. She stepped back and smiled contetedly. “His Majesty will be amazed when he sees it.”

n

n“He’ll probably make fun of me.”

n

n“Would you like to bet on that?”

n

nRosaline’s eyes sparkled. “I’m done with bets.”

n

n“Are you not confident?”

n

nShe shrugged. These days, Cahir was being a little strange to her. He had climbed up a rope to the fifth floor, started speaking honeyed words to her…

n

n‘I might lose that bet if I make it.’

n

n“‘Your skirt ripples like the waves of the sea, and those waves come crashing in my heart like the tides, planting your beauty before leaving.’ You’ll hear at least that, I think.”

n

n“Hui! Where did you get such strange ideas? Maybe from Sir Derek?’ Rosaline scrunched her nose in horror.

n

n“It’s from a romance novel.”

n

n“Stop reading things like that.”

n

n“You should try it.”

n

n‘Back in the day, I used to read a lot of romance novels, which was why I became Rosaline in the first place, wasn’t it?’

n

nRosaline swallowed what she wanted to say and left herself in Hui’s hands, who did one last inspection before clapping.

n

n“Perfect!” She opened the door to the sight of the other ladies passing by the hallway.

n

nEveryone seemed brighter this evening, more beautiful than usual.

n

nRosaline moved slowly before stopping.

n

n“Why, did you forget something?”

n

n“Also, Hui, that bet would have been meaningless.”

n

n“What do you mean?”

n

n“His Majesty cannot attend the ball.” Rosaline smiled.

n

nHui wagged her finger. “I’m betting on this, Miss Rosaline. His Majesty will surely attend today. Also, another thing…”

n

n“Yes?”

n

n“Perhaps the first person to put their name on your card will be him.”

n

nRosaline sucked in air through her teeth. Everyone in the palace was busy right now, so the idea of Cahir showing up at the ball? And being the first to write his name on her dance card? That didn’t make any sense.

n

nShe shook her head. Hui was acting suspicious, and there was the fact that Derek was now Cahir’s right-hand man.

n

n“Shall we bet on it, Miss Rosaline?”

n

n“I’ll decline that. But out of curiosity, why do you want to bet on this?”

n

n“I want to see His Majesty’s panicked expression.”

n

n“I’m sorry, but that’s impossible.”

n

nPanic was a result of things not going as planned. Cahir adapted his plans to the situation and his mind was always predicting what would happen next so that he could quickly come up with alternatives rather than losing his cool.

n

n“Agree to the bet, then. Do you think you will lose?”

n

n“Not at all.”

n

n“So, panic, right?”

n

n“Yes, I’ll teach you how to do it.”

n

n“I’ll win anyway, so you won’t get me in trouble.”

n

nHui just smiled and didn’t answer.

n

n“If I win…” Rosaline trailed off, pondering. She didn’t want to see Hui in trouble, so she didn’t want to ask for anything weird…

n

n“If you can’t think of anything now, you can just tell me later. I’m going to win anyway.” Hui walked a little further ahead, her confident attitude making Rosaline pause.

n

n