A welcome ball was held at the Royal Palace of Eimmel.

Thousands of candles lit up the ballroom. Fresh flowers the size of a fist, rather than crystals or jewels, adorned the hall splendidly.

All the attendees were adorned with splendor like the flowers of the South. Men were no exception.

Garnet was a little surprised.

It wasn’t long after the national mourning was over. The opening of the welcome ball itself was a bit surprising.

But she didn’t know that the dress could be so glamorous.

All the members of the delegation group were wearing plain clothes of achromatic colors.

This is because they were in the position of mourners.

The robes of Grand Duke Roygar were neither decorated nor embroidered. Even the buttons were only fitted with unglazed silver.

Garnet herself was dressed in a low-saturated purple dress. There were no ruffles, no jewelry, and no exposed parts. Although it was a luxury item, it was deliberately tailored separately by choosing a non-glamorous fabric.

She didn’t even wear a necklace around her neck.

‘If I had known this would happen, I would have worn that red dress like Skyla as well. That’s the prettiest.’

Garnet was sad.

She advised Skyla to only wear a bright dress.

“I can’t, Aunt. It’s a diplomatic mission. You look like a mourner, so no attendant can’t stand out.”

“A young lady without a fiance doesn’t have to worry about that. They already said that they’re holding a ball because they’re already finished the national mourning.”

“Aunt, you’re not serious about tying me up with the Prince, are you?”

As Skyla spoke with a serious face, Garnet laughed.

“Unbelievable. I have no intention of leaving the capital.”

“You don’t have to take it so seriously, do you? I’m not necessarily talking about His Highness Cadriol. Don’t you happen to know anyone? The faces you see all the time in the capital, where you’ll have a lot to worry about, but what if you meet a really cool guy here?”

“Aunt.”

“What if I regret that you didn’t decorate at that time?”

Garnet said sincerely.

“It’s something you can’t do when you get engaged and get married, so you should try dating a lot before that.”

“I am not interested in men.”

Skyla said so, but Garnet hung a pink sapphire around her neck.

Still, right here, she felt so plain that she would be buried.

“What are you thinking?”

Grand Duke Roygar asked in a low voice.

Garnet said with a smile.

“Everyone is gorgeous. I dressed up Skyla, I would have done it better if I had known the guests would be so glamorous.”

At that time, King Eimmel, the host of the banquet, appeared.

The King also wore a white robe adorned with gold and jewels. Compared to him, Cadriol, who can be seen from time to time, was dressed in a dark blue robe. He was following him.

Grand Duke Roygar politely bowed his head. Garnet also raised her curtsy gracefully with her knees half-bent.

The special envoys then bowed their heads in unison.

“I was going to welcome guests from afar, but I don’t know if I made them uncomfortable.”

“How can that be possible? Thank you for your hospitality.”

The King held out his hand. Garnet put her hand on it.

The King smiled at Grand Duke Roygar.

“You must be disappointed to lend me the hand of such a beautiful woman.”

“Actually it is. This is a special concession.”

Grand Duke Roygar replied with a brisk smile. Garnet covered her mouth with her hand and laughed.

“It would be nice if I had a daughter, and it’s a pity that there are only men like this.”

Even after receiving the King’s gaze, Cadriol did not budge, with a smile on his face.

The King took Garnet’s hand and headed down the stairs. The attendant cried out.

“His Majesty the King and Her Grace Grand Duchess Roygar enter!”

All the participants in the hall knelt and bowed in unison.

Cadriol and Grand Duke Roygar refused to go down first. The guest, Grand Duke Roygar, stepped first.

Cadriol was fiddling with his sleeve. A few of the attendants glanced at him.

It’s not the time yet. Cadriol shook his head.

***

Skyla, not interested in dancing, was touching the tea cozy by the table.

“His Majesty the King and Her Grace Grand Duchess Roygar enter!”

She turned her gaze to the sound of a cry.

Garnet was descending gracefully, holding King Eimmel’s hand.

Although her hem was long, there was no danger to her steps as she walked down the stairs. It was a light step, as if dancing a waltz, but there was nothing against the etiquette.

It was as if she had practiced it all her life. And to some extent it was true.

Not a few ladies practice walking lightly without stepping on the hem of their dress from a young age.

Skyla also practiced it. It was also due to the contradictory psychology of Marchioness Camellia.

She didn’t want Skyla to be the person she didn’t have to be.

At the same time, however, wanted her to learn everything that she had not learned at the same time.

Among them was the appearance of a lady of an eastern noble family.

‘Hoo…….’

Garnet also had such a contradiction.

Garnet sometimes said that she was envious of Skyla. Sometimes, it meant envy that she was the daughter of Marquisate Camellia, and other times it meant envy that she looked free.

Both were difficult for Skyla to understand.

If she is envious because she looks free, why is she so stubborn about wanting Skyla to dress up and dance with a man?

‘Because it encourages even Viscountess Weave.’

Of course, Viscountess Weave didn’t do it to make Skyla beautiful.

She couldn’t have the lady-in-waiting dressed more lavishly than her master. So, Viscountess Weave was keeping Skyla in check.

She had lost her chance, so it didn’t feel very comfortable.

It was a heavy task for her to induce Garnet to make a mistake.

However, Garnet did not move enough to provoke her in the slightest, so she was just nervous.

It was the same when she met the head of Felona.

“I understand that you were saying that Mrs. Lexen was not moved by the will of the Iantz Kingdom.”

After Garnet had listened to what she had to say, she replied calmly.

“But it’s not something I can do to determine the truth. I’d let you meet my husband.”

In this way, the head of Felona had the opportunity to secretly contact Grand Duke Roygar from Garnet’s side.

Skyla thought Garnet would be a little more agitated.

There was no way that the suspicion that it was Grand Duke Roygar who sent Terry Ford to the Kingdom of Iantz could have been dispelled.

Wasn’t that why she came all the way here?

But in the end she decided to press it and trust her husband. At least from the outside.

After that, Garnet spoke only once. At that time, she was lying on her bed and closing her eyes as if tired.

“Do I look stupid?”

“What?”

“You are a clever and smart kid. I will look boring and stupid. If my husband had an affair, I would have just divorced him.”

Skyla didn’t answer quickly.

“…… I know you can’t.”

There were too many things that were entangled in arranged marriages.

Fortunes, successors, and such things were intertwined. However, the union of the Roygar Grand Ducal couple was a bit different from an arranged marriage between the great nobles.

If the relationship between Marquisate Luden and Grand Duke Roygar is divided, the control Grand Duke Roygar had over the entire faction will decrease.

Then, he becomes the prey of the Emperor.

Even if victory was achieved, Grand Duke Roygar would become a scarecrow, and then it would be a war between the backers.

It was clear that Marquisate Luden would be the first to attack and tore him to pieces.

But that’s not what Garnet said with her eyes closed.

“My father is also a father, so there is nothing I can do about it. I know he’s my husband, and we have kids. There’s also my mother…….”

“Aunt…….”

“I just had to pretend that didn’t happen. Only believe that it’s not really an affair, so I’ll have to forgive him once and move on. Isn’t it better for me than before?”

Because she can’t continue living unhappily.

Garnet added in a very low voice.

But in Skyla’s eyes, Garnet already looked unhappy. In fact, it was the first time she had ever felt that way.

“But I feel sorry for that person.”

Skyla couldn’t understand Garnet’s apologies.

But she seemed to understand half the reason why Marchioness Camellia had killed Terry Ford’s sister.

Skyla thought Artizea had made the wrong plans.

Had it not been for the name Ford entangling in this work, it might have succeeded. Garnet could have forgotten the old days and she could have wanted something bigger.

But now Garnet recognized her misfortune. So she won’t do anything.

Because she fears that even what she is holding now will melt away like pieces of snow.

It is simply because she is anxious that she has followed this far. Even if she could become the Empress, that is not something Garnet desires.

When Grand Duke Roygar gave in to her insistence on going with him, Garnet’s purpose was accomplished.

To make sure that Grand Duke Roygar does her will, to prove to those around him that they are a couple by accompanying him in his important duty, and to feel respected.

The mission was a failure. What’s the point in encouraging her more?

With that thought in mind, Skyla raised her eyes.

A few ladies came closer with their fans open.

“Why are you so lonely all by yourself? Not even dancing.”

“This is what our gentlemen are doing wrong. We need to scold them a little. To keep a young pretty lady standing by the table like this.”

“I don’t really like dancing in the first place.”

Skyla said calmly.

Whether they were speaking favorably or trying to fight, she didn’t feel very worthy of dealing with them. She had no intention of doing reputation management.

It’s a foreign country anyway. Besides, she wasn’t in the marriage market.

The ladies’ faces turned red as if they had been reprimanded.

Skyla didn’t pay much attention to them, turned around and realized.

Several men are moving outside the ballroom. There were men in ambiguous attire who she couldn’t tell if they were a participant or not.

‘What is this?’

Skyla was startled.

She hurried to Garnet. Someone was blocking her way.

“Excuse me.”

“Your Highness Cadriol.”

Skyla hastily bent her knees and raised her curtsy.

Cadriol scratched the tip of his nose. He didn’t think he had done anything wrong. It was clear that blocking the way in the first place was unintentional.

“Well. It’s Lady of Marquisate Camellia.”

It didn’t seem that he knew who she was from the start and was unwittingly blocking her way.

Cadriol glanced around the ballroom without hiding his perplexed face.

Skyla was nervous. But Cadriol suddenly reached out.

“Would you like to dance for a song?”

“Sorry. I have to go to Her Grace.”

“I heard rumors that Lady is a talented woman, but I didn’t think there was a way that you could not have figured this out.”

Cadriol waved his outstretched hand.

Skyla looked up at him with a pale face.

She could guess what was going to happen. Cadriol must have been trying to hold her in a moderate manner until then.