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Chapter 17
“Wow… Captain, you look absolutely beautiful today.”
“Thank you, Pell. My servant Jane would’ve loved to hear that.”
D-DAY.
At last, the day of the welcome party for the Fene delegation had arrived.
For today only, Iva wore not her usual work clothes but a dress.
It was a deep navy halter-neck dress reminiscent of the night sky, with the hem scattered with tiny jewels that made it look as though the Milky Way had been sewn into it.
Her red hair was braided up neatly for a composed look.
Although her outfit was meant to be understated—since the guests of honor were the Fene delegation—her beauty was such that she still stood out.
“Pell, is the whole prep team in position?”
“Yes, everyone’s on standby.”
The Fene delegation had already arrived at the imperial palace of the Begen Agei Empire a few hours ago. After greeting the emperor and imperial family and finishing dinner, they were scheduled to move to the west hall.
Before that, the nobles who had received invitations needed to be welcomed.
“Pell, the nobles will be here soon. Be sure to check their invitations.”
“Yes, and we’re giving different colored brooches based on their rank, right?”
“Correct. You remember well.”
“Of course—your orders, Captain!”
Pell grinned and jingled the brooches in his hand.
His adorable smile made Iva nod in satisfaction.
“Good evening.”
The first guests arrived, invitations in hand.
“Hello, knights.”
At Pell’s voice, Iva turned her head toward the entrance.
There stood Rai and four of his subordinates.
“Today he’s here not as the Knight Commander but as Duke Castro. Mind your words,” Vice Commander Hans, standing behind Rai, said with a light smile.
“Ah! My apologies, Your Grace! That was careless of me.”
“It’s fine. Just check us in.”
Rai himself didn’t seem to mind, handing over the invitation. Pell, intimidated by his stoic expression, quickly checked the list.
He marked circles next to Rai and his men’s names, then handed Rai a red crescent-moon brooch and the knights blue half-moon ones.
“Please wear them somewhere visible.”
The knights exchanged awkward looks as they held the tiny brooches.
These were men who had wielded swords all their lives—they had never pinned on such a delicate ornament themselves unless their servants did it for them.
Unable to figure it out, they all looked toward Rai.
“…Do it yourselves.”
Even Rai stared at the small brooch as if it were foreign to him.
While the large men fumbled with the little ornaments—
“Is something wrong?”
Iva, thinking something serious had happened, approached the knights.
“The brooches are so small, we’re not sure how to pin them on.”
“I see. I’ll help you.”
“You would? Thank you so much.”
Iva smiled warmly and held out her hand for the brooches.
Her dazzling smile made the knights rush to her for help.
“Please help me too!”
“Me as well!”
“Hey, I asked first.”
“No, I did.”
“Alright, line up. If you don’t, I won’t help you.”
With just one sentence, Iva had the towering men standing in a neat line like obedient soldiers.
“Where would you like it pinned?”
“On the shoulder, please.”
“Of course. Oh my, you have such broad shoulders.”
“Haha, thank you.”
With compliments like a sales clerk, she pinned the brooches, and the knights couldn’t stop smiling.
“Shoulder for me as well.”
“Same here.”
All eager to hear her praise, they proudly presented their broad shoulders.
“All done—”
“Me as well, please.”
Rai had somehow joined the line, holding the small brooch in his large hand and offering it to her.
Iva was a little startled—after pushing him away so often, she hadn’t expected him to approach so naturally.
Still, refusing him alone would have seemed strange to the others.
“…Where would you like it, Your Grace?”
“Over the left side of my chest, please.”
Careful not to touch his hand, Iva took the brooch and stepped closer.
She’d smiled for the knights, but with Rai, she kept her face neutral.
He gazed down at her intently.
“All done.”
“Beautiful.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Your dress is beautiful today as well.”
The sudden compliment—unrelated to the brooch—left her briefly flustered. She quickly glanced around to see if anyone had heard; fortunately, Pell and the knights were some distance away.
“I wanted to be sure to tell you this time.”
With that, Rai finally tore his gaze away and went to join his men.
Iva, watching him walk past, suddenly recalled their date.
“You just look so cute in anything… A-ah, forget it.”
Back then, he had blushed and trailed off. This time, his tone was calm and his words complete.
Is he… still thinking about that? No, surely not. And soon Julian would appear—the man he would supposedly fall for at first sight.
With so much else to worry about at the party, she didn’t want Rai in her thoughts and tried to shake off his compliment.
But from afar, Rai touched the brooch she had pinned, a tender expression on his face.
A little after 8:00 p.m., the west hall was full of nobles.
The crowd was so large that more prep team members had joined Pell in distributing brooches.
Iva stood a little apart, greeting nobles as they entered.
“I had no idea the Lady of Blanche had such skills. I’m looking forward to this party.”
“Haha, you should. But you’ll have to pay close attention—it’ll pass by in the blink of an eye.”
“Oh my, I can’t wait for it to start.”
With the imperial carriage picking her up every morning at the same time, gossip had been inevitable.
The daughter of the Blanche family—previously unconnected to the palace—was now the one responsible for a party hosted by Prince Claude. Though the third prince had little political power, nobles still sought even the thinnest thread of connection to the imperial family.
“So you’re Lady Iva Blanche?”
“Yes, I am. Pleased to meet you.”
“I hear people making a big fuss about how grand this party will be. Well… I won’t get my hopes up. Someone needs to help lighten your heavy burden.”
Of course, not everyone was friendly.
Some had come just to watch how much effort Claude had put into impressing the emperor, or to spy on behalf of the first and second princes. Others were curious about the usually invisible third prince’s actions.
At the snide tone of the young nobleman, Iva felt keenly the weight of the empire’s attention.
She calmly met his gaze and replied, “How kind of you to be concerned. But my shoulders are broader and sturdier than you think—they don’t feel heavy at all.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. So don’t worry about me, and just enjoy the party.”
This was nothing. She’d met far worse in her previous two lives.
She continued greeting guests without trouble.
“Count Evera Lawrence of House Lawrence, correct?”
Then came a name that made her heart skip before her ears fully registered it.
“…They’re here.”
At the entrance of Count and Countess Lawrence, Iva’s relaxed expression tightened.
This was it—Julian Lawrence’s entrance, and the moment Rai would supposedly fall for her at first sight.
Not wanting to see it, Iva frowned and turned her head away.
“Count Evera Lawrence, Lady Rage Lawrence. You may wear the white full-moon brooches.”
But in Pell’s voice, there was no mention of Julian.
Confused, Iva looked back and saw only the count and countess receiving brooches.
Julian was nowhere to be seen.
She should have been with them—but she wasn’t.
“Um, excuse me.”
Iva hurried toward the couple.
“Yes, Lady Iva?” the countess asked kindly.
“Why didn’t your daughter come with you?”
The countess’s smile froze.
“You must be mistaken, my lady. We have no children.”
“…Pardon? You have no adopted daughter?”
When Iva pressed, baffled, Count Evera stepped forward with a stern face.
“How rude.”
“…What?”
“We’ve never had children. Not once. Are you mocking us on purpose?”
What on earth?
Julian Lawrence was supposed to be their adopted daughter. Was she not adopted yet?
No—it was supposed to be now, the very first scene of the original story!
Though she couldn’t understand it, Iva bowed her head in apology.
“I’m truly sorry. I was mistaken. Please forgive me.”
“See that it doesn’t happen again. We are very sensitive about the matter of children.”
“My deepest apologies.”
With the incident smoothed over, her mind was still in chaos.
In her previous two lives, Julian had always appeared.
So why was she missing this time?
“Captain, I’ve checked the guest list. Everyone’s here.”
“Everyone? No one’s missing?”
“Yes, all accounted for.”
Pell handed her the list with a cheerful smile.
Iva scanned it—Julian Lawrence’s name was nowhere to be found.
The heroine had vanished. From her very first appearance.
Why? Was it because her own participation in the party had thrown the story off track?
Still reeling, Iva checked the list again and again—
“Oh my! Your Highness the Princess!”
—when suddenly, a figure who hadn’t been in the original story appeared.
