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“Lady Rubetria Diollus has arrived!”
The grand doors of the imperial ballroom swung open in the middle of the debutante ball — the big event where young nobles make their society debut.
Bright chandeliers sparkled overhead, gold and jewel-covered windows glittered, and a luxurious red carpet stretched across the floor.
I stepped in confidently, and every eye turned toward me.
“Gasp…”
“Who’s that?”
As expected, everyone looked shocked.
“There are two ladies in House Diollus. Which one do they mean?”
“Lillia Diollus is already here, so it must be Rubetria Diollus.”
“No way, the servants must’ve gotten it wrong. Rubetria is that super-fat redhead.”
“Well… the hair’s red, but…”
“Come on, that gorgeous woman can’t be her.”
I could hear the whispers — no one could recognize me.
When I smiled at a few young noblemen staring openly, they instantly started bickering over whether I’d smiled at them.
I felt amazing.
Scanning the room, I spotted a few familiar faces who did recognize me — their expressions were priceless.
There was my “perfect swan” cousin, Lillia, and her group, frozen with their eyes wide. Among them, her good-for-nothing friend Ricky Diollus looked like he’d swallowed a bug. Even Fifth Princess Lizbet raised her wine glass to me with an amused smile.
The way they all stared at me like time had stopped… I loved it.
This was the life of a celebrity!
“Lillia… is that really Rubetria?”
“I-It can’t be… right?”
I deliberately walked straight toward them, the sharp clicks of my high heels ringing through the hall. Back when I was overweight, I never even dared try on shoes like these.
“Hello, Lillia.”
Her body trembled as I gave her my brightest smile.
Oh, you must be fuming inside right now.
The ugly duckling they loved to bully had returned, completely transformed into a swan. No way they weren’t seething.
I tilted my chin proudly and snapped open my fan, covering my mouth while smiling with my eyes.
“Are you… Really, Lady Rubetria?”
“Yes, Lady Pelcan. That’s me. The last time we met was two years ago. I was at the dessert shop buying macarons… and you said something to me, didn’t you?”
Her face flushed — she remembered. Back then, she’d stood next to Lillia and said:
“Oh my, I always see you at dessert shops. No wonder you’re so fat — you’re stuffing sweets into your cheeks every chance you get.”
The old Rubetria hadn’t said a word.
But I’m different now.
The me inside this body had lived her whole life in the spotlight. Everyone admired me. No one had ever dared look down on me. Sure, I could be a little arrogant… but I had earned it.
“I don’t really remember what you said — it was so long ago. But it’s nice to see you again. Let’s have tea sometime.”
“Uh… y-yes. Th-thank you.”
I generously let her past insult slide, and the girls — barely fifteen or sixteen — looked at me with open admiration.
“Lady Rubetria… that dress you’re wearing…”
“Yes, you recognize it? When I mentioned I’d be having a late debut, Madame Becky made this dress for me herself.”
“Really?”
“Oh my gosh…”
The noble girls gasped with envy. Lillia, meanwhile, froze in shock.
I was wearing a black evening gown by Madame Becky, the most famous dressmaker in the capital. Even imperial princesses had to wait a year to get one of their dresses.
And I know exactly how badly Lillia wanted one… and how she got rejected.
Seeing me in it must be tearing her apart.
“You… you’ve lost so much weight, Rubetria.”
“Not really. I’m just healthy now. Thanks to you, Lillia. I appreciate it.”
Thanks to you and your mother for making my life hell. I worked hard to change.
“Oh, it’s nothing… You look… much better now.”
Inside my head, my contracted spirit Wishit chuckled.
Humans are scary. How can they smile and say such fake things?
Just enjoy the show. This is the moment Rubetria always dreamed of.
Wish it laughed in my mind.
“So, Rubetria, couldn’t find a partner? Surely you didn’t come alone to your debut ball?”
Of course, she’d try to poke at me.
A tall, handsome man with dark brown hair and blue eyes walked up — Cedric Reiser, the guy Rubetria had chased after since she was eight years old.
“Oh, Lord Cedric. How have you been?”
“…It’s been a while.”
He stared at me, clearly stunned by my transformation. Lillia grabbed his arm possessively and pressed her cheek to his shoulder.
“If you were alone, you could’ve asked Ricky to be your partner.”
Ricky Diollus — Lillia’s twin brother.
As if I’d ever stand next to that idiot.
I laughed. “Ricky? Please. He’s not even close to partner material. That’d just make me look bad.”
“W-What did you say?”
“Don’t worry, Lillia. I’m not alone. My partner couldn’t enter through this door because of his position, so we agreed to come in separately.”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, the host of the party can’t enter through the same doors as the guests.”
Confusion spread across their faces. Lillia’s eyes narrowed — and then…
“His Imperial Highness, Crown Prince Larc von Rashmah Decard, has arrived!”
The ornate royal doors — reserved only for the imperial family — opened.
Larc, the empire’s crown prince and most powerful man, entered. He brushed off greetings from the nobles, scanning the room until his gaze landed on me.
He smiled and strode straight toward me.
The crowd parted like the Red Sea, and soon he was standing right in front of me. The young ladies nearby could barely breathe at the sight of him.
Now this is the kind of man worthy of standing beside me.
Tall, silver-haired, with a strong jawline and sharp eyes, every feature of his face was flawless — and those molten gold eyes were locked entirely on me.
He reached out his hand. “Sorry for making my partner enter alone.”
“It’s fine. I understand.”
I placed my hand on his, and he kissed the back of it.
Gasps echoed around us.
I glanced at Lillia, Cedric, and every other person who had ever looked down on me — the jealousy, the awe, the longing in their eyes was delicious.
At this moment… I was the star of the entire empire.
The beautiful swan had returned — Rubetria Diollus, the celebrity of the Decard Empire.
And I smiled brightly at the stunned fools.
It feels amazing.
