MCFLS 20

Chapter 20.

“I was worried I might be late.”

Reed, who had been working as an administrative officer in the Ministry of Finance since the beginning of the year, had been so busy that he had been working overtime since the start of the new year.

Although they had taken the same exam and entered the ministry, it seemed he couldn’t help but be conscious of the halo that came with being the eldest son of a high-ranking noble.

With so many people grabbing golden connections and starting from the top, his excessive worry was understandable, but Reed was incomparably kinder and more honest than any of them.

Being kind and honest wasn’t a crime, so there was no fault to find.

“Don’t worry, you’re not late. Catch your breath first. What’s so important anyway?”

“It’s your debutante ball…”

“You’ve always wanted to play the role of an older brother, haven’t you?”

Reed laughed awkwardly at those words. Seeing that he didn’t deny it, she figured it wasn’t entirely wrong.

Come to think of it, Reed, who had barely been able to hold a conversation with Cyril, had remained composed when talking about Adrienne. Looking back, that too might have been part of his “older brother role.”

“That dress suits you, Adriana.”

“Really?”

“Yes. You look beautiful. Though I wish it were a bit more splendid…”

Reed quickly added that it was just his personal opinion. He said that her eye for such things was far better than his, so she shouldn’t pay any mind to what he said.

He seemed to think it was pointless to complain, as the dress had already been decided.

They were twins who had always been equally timid and, as a result, considerate since childhood.

‘When it comes to taste, Reed is better than me.’

Adrienne actually agreed with Reed’s opinion. Since he went to the imperial palace every day for work, he was likely more familiar with the latest trends than she was.

For a debutante ball that only happens once, it would have been ideal to make every possible preparation, but it was already too late.

Instead of dwelling on regrets, Adrienne stood facing Reed, who was watching her carefully.

“You look fine. You chose your clothes well too.”

“Well, I came up to the capital earlier, so I had plenty of time to prepare. If I’d known this would happen, I would have brought you up with me back then.”

“This is enough for me. Aunt sees Laura as her hope, but for our family, we have you, Reed. You’re the important one.”

Adrienne roughly smoothed Reed’s hair, which had become disheveled from running.

Reed, quietly accepting his sister’s affectionate touch, muttered somewhat bitterly.

“What’s so important about a successor who can’t even use a sword?”

“It’s an era where gold is more important than swords. Your hands handle gold, so you’re no different from Father.”

Adrienne spoke decisively and took a step back. Her gaze swept over Reed as if to say, “This much is enough.”

The twins really did look perfectly fine.

In fact, “perfectly fine” didn’t quite do justice to their appearance, but she felt too embarrassed to say anything more about a face that resembled hers.

“You seem to have grown a bit, Reed, haven’t you?”

“Have I? Now that you mention it, Cyril seems even taller.”

“Have you seen Cyril recently?”

“Yes. The training grounds are nearby too. He seems busy these days, being called here and there for various reasons.”

Come to think of it, Cyril’s name had been mentioned countless times even during the victory celebration. Having become so famous, the gossip-loving nobles wouldn’t have left him alone.

“Before, I just looked down at him. Now my neck hurts from looking up at him.”

“He said he’s still growing. What was it? Something about being annoyed that he just keeps getting taller…”

“Must be nice to have such problems.”

If the men rooted to the ground heard that, they’d swarm him and throw stones.

Of course, Cyril would dodge them all and fire his gun…

Thinking about it, Cyril felt unfamiliar all over again. It was hard to believe that the little boy who once resembled a small doll had grown so much without anyone noticing.

“Shall we head out now?”

“That would be best.”

Well, it’s not something to worry about now anyway.

Adrienne pushed her distracting thoughts aside and followed Reed.

The Solarite Palace was a palace built less than twenty years ago and was praised as the most beautiful architectural structure in the history of the Fersen Empire.

True to the meaning of its name, “Palace of the Sun,” the entire palace was surrounded in gold. Connoisseurs often boasted, “Everyone will walk toward this institution just to see this palace.”

Some might call it an exaggeration, but Adrienne could affirm the beauty of the Solarite Palace many times over.

And it was in such a splendid palace that the ball was being held. No words could do justice to how dazzling the debutante’s scene would be.

“The House of Count Pegaz is entering!”

“Count and Countess Lorie are entering!”

At the entrance of the banquet hall, the attendants took turns announcing the arrivals without pause.

Following tradition, Adrienne stood beside the chaperone, the Countess of Blua, and quietly surveyed the banquet hall.

Under the high ceiling covered in beautiful murals, transparent chandeliers shone brightly. Their light reflected off the mirrors placed around the hall and the tall windows, illuminating the entire space brilliantly.

‘Cyril hasn’t arrived yet.’

That must have been why she unconsciously looked for her childhood friend. Everything was so splendid that it was almost overwhelming.

While Adrienne’s gaze was fixed on the entrance of the banquet hall on the opposite side, men who had been watching her began to approach one by one.

“Oh, Laura. The young gentleman is here.”

“Ah, Madame. I…”

The man’s eyes were directed toward Adrienne, who stood further inside, but the Countess of Blua used her daughter as a shield.

As Laura stepped forward shyly, the man hid his awkward expression and asked Laura for a dance.

Naturally, the pair made their way to the dance floor.

Only then did the Countess of Blua step in front of Adrienne again. Her expression was one of relief, as if she had accomplished a task.

‘She must have liked him.’

Adrienne watched the two move away, thinking.

Among the many men milling about, he was the only one who had managed to get past the countess’s barrier.

He had introduced himself as Viscount Lesquille, the next Count Lesquille.

The House of Count Lesquille was one of the representative court nobles, making him a suitable match for the Blua family, who dreamed of entering the imperial palace’s social circles.

‘I wonder if Reed is doing okay.’

Adrienne, unconcerned with such matters, scanned the banquet hall in search of her twin.

Far off in the diagonal distance, behind men with eyes gleaming like hyenas, Reed stood like a pillar.

With such an outstanding appearance, his lack of courage was almost a talent in itself.

Seeing a few chaperones nearby glancing at Reed, it was clear that if he took even a step forward, young ladies would swarm him like bees. Yet Reed merely stared straight ahead with his impeccably polite expression.

‘Well… Nice to see you, nice to see you.’

Then, suddenly, his eyes met Adrienne’s, and he waved.

Suppressing a sigh, Adrienne waved back briefly.

Several heads that had turned simultaneously to see who had captured Reed’s attention turned back upon confirming it was Adrienne. To anyone watching, they were clearly siblings.

Meanwhile, the ball continued.

Each time the orchestra hidden behind the curtains played a dance tune, dresses of all colors fluttered and adorned the floor.

Just as a lively dance tune ended, the attendant announcing the arrivals rang a bell to draw everyone’s attention.

It was a signal that someone of high status was entering, most likely a member of the imperial family.

“His Highness Prince Lionel and Her Highness Princess Désirée have arrived! Everyone, please show your respects!”

As the booming voice announced their arrival, the noisy hall fell silent in an instant.

All the nobles lowered their postures in a bow toward the two imperial family members who had just appeared.

The two imperial family members stood at the center of attention for different reasons.

Prince Lionel had been engaged to the Second Princess of the Boia Kingdom years ago, but after her sudden death from lung disease, everyone’s attention was focused on who he would choose as his new fiancée.

Meanwhile, Princess Désirée had been frail since birth and rarely appeared in public.

Even when she did, she would often stay for only a short while before disappearing, making this her first full-fledged appearance.

“Seeing Her Highness the Princess show her face here like this, it seems the rumors are true.”

“Rumors?”

“You didn’t hear? There’s talk that she’s engaged to Sir Cyril.”

As an elegant melody once again filled the ballroom, someone eagerly brought up the rumors, as if they had been waiting for this moment.

Adrienne watched the princess’s close associates, who were enthusiastically discussing the rumors while half-hiding their mouths behind fans.

Spreading rumors themselves and then adding weight to them on the spot… It seemed the role of a close associate to the princess was quite a difficult one.

“Look over there! Sir Cyril has arrived!”

“Oh my, it looks like he’s going to ask the princess for a dance.”

Just as Adrienne was about to stop paying attention to other people’s social lives, another comment caught her ear.

Amid the clamor of voices gathering in the center, Cyril appeared.

Looking even more splendid than he had a few days ago, Cyril seemed to be asking the princess for a dance, just as they had said.

The princess, a pale beauty, smiled more brightly than ever before, took Cyril’s hand, and stepped forward.

Adrienne watched the scene blankly for a moment before turning her eyes away.

“You all saw it, right? Who Sir Cyril asked for the first dance?”

“Mademoiselle Tiror was right. I’ve never seen Her Highness smile so brightly before.”

The direction of the gossip was clear.

Under the subtly condescending glances, Adrienne gave a bitter smile.

‘It’s not my fault we’ve known each other since childhood…’

If something had actually happened between them, it might have been different. But being misunderstood over a one-sided affection that had long since ended was rather pitiful.

Moreover, Adrienne had no intention of jumping into the competition among them now. The time she had spent sorting things out alone had been too long.

“How unexpected. I thought he would come to you first.”

Just when her mind was already uneasy, the Countess of Blua added her own remark.

“Cyril must have been just as harassed. It’s better for everyone if he doesn’t.”

Adrienne replied nonchalantly.

She had always denied having any relationship with him. If she had dared to dance with him now, she could only imagine what people would say. The thought alone was dreadful.

Thinking it might be time to join Reed, Adrienne checked the countess’s expression and noticed the atmosphere had suddenly changed.

The murmuring from not far away was growing louder.

‘What’s going on?’

Adrienne wondered if the emperor himself had arrived and turned her head slightly, only to freeze in place.

Under the shimmering light of the chandeliers, a handsome blond man was walking in her direction.

Step by step. As the distance closed, the man’s destination became clear.

The man who had now drawn near was someone even the Countess of Blua could not bring herself to block.

“Mademoiselle Cassinel, it’s been a while.”

Lionel Bertrand de Montagne.

It was the prince’s arrival.