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The first night of the ball began.
Keira’s outfit today was a dress made of ivory fabric adorned with gold lace.
Zeke’s suit also matched Keira’s dress, the black cloth embroidered with gold thread.
Since Keira wore heels, she was at eye level with her brother. The appearance of the siblings standing side by side looked pretty cool.
Zeke: “Let’s go, Noonim.”
Keira: “Yeah.”
The two got into the prepared carriage. As they departed, Keira jokingly said.
Keira: “You know we’re a little late, right?”
Zeke: “Nobles like us can be a little late.”
He sounded just like a young master who lived his life enjoying the privileges of his status.
“Oh, by the way, has Your Grace gone already?”
“He’s already departed for the Imperial Palace this afternoon. I heard he had something to talk about with His Majesty.”
Cosette must be there by now, too.
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Three people with the same surname attended the same event but arrived separately. People would probably refer to their family as a mess[1].
While the siblings were having a conversation, the carriage arrived in front of the Imperial Palace main gate.
The two went straight to the hall where the ball was held. There was nowhere else to go.
The Imperial Ballroom was bright and sparkling, just like it was when she last saw it. It seemed like all the wealth of the world was gathered here.
When someone announced their arrival, the crowd’s eyes turned to them.
Zeke: “Ugh, I feel like my lunch wants to go back up.”
Keira: “You get used to it after a while.”
Zeke: “Are you okay, Noonim?”
Keira: “It’s already my third time at the National Founding Day ball.”
Moreover, she was often called to various events with Ludwig.
Getting the attention of many people was nothing.
‘Has His Grace not arrived yet?’
If that were the case, they would greet the Imperial family and then their grandfather.
Keira looked around, searching for Michael or Simon. Finding them was difficult because the hall was so spacious and so many people were in attendance.
Nevertheless, Keira soon found her grandfather Simon and Crown Prince Michael together.
However, she wouldn’t consider it ‘fortunate’ that she found them.
Crash–!
“Kyaaa!”
The sound of glass breaking and screams echoed.
“…?”
Keira turned to the sound.
‘What happened?’
Due to superstitions of wanting to escape bad omen, people tended to refrain from causing fights during National Founding Day.
And yet who was making such a big fuss?
She and Zeke headed towards the crowd and found out.
A circle of people surrounded two men grabbing each other by the collar.
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Keira: “Grandfather…”
And, of course, his opponent was none other than Count Weinberg.
Zeke: “Shouldn’t we stop them, Noonim?”
Keira: “Of course.”
She had already agreed with her grandfather that the Weinbergs shouldn’t be given an excuse to advance the trial.
There was no way Simon would have been the first to make a fuss. It was clear that her grandfather had been caught up in the machinations of Count Weinberg.
Keira strode into the circle and stood between the two of them.
Keira: “Count Weinberg, what are you doing?”
Isaac: “Oh, Lady Keira. Just in time. Aren’t you also a party to this?”
Keira: “I don’t know what it is, but today is the National Founding Day celebration. Your Majesty the Emperor will be offended if you make such a fuss. Talk about this later.”
Keira mentioned the Emperor because she thought he probably wouldn’t be able to ignore the Imperial family’s authority. Just in time, Prince Michael appeared.
Michael: “What’s going on?”
Marquis: “Your Highness!”
Simon’s expression brightened when he saw the Crown Prince. He had hoped Prince Michael would de-escalate the situation.
However, there was one fact he overlooked–if Isaac Weinberg had been willing to accept the Crown Prince’s intervention, he wouldn’t have quarreled like this today.
Michael: “What are you doing? Did you forget that this is the National Founding Day? Furthermore…”
Michael trailed off. But Keira could guess his train of thought. It’s probably to protest that they didn’t agree to make it public until after the National Day celebrations.
Count Weinberg answered.
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Isaac: “I’m sorry for breaking my promise, Your Highness. I am well aware that this is a place of camaraderie and harmony.”
Michael: “If you knew…!”
Isaac: “However!”
The Count’s voice rose as he cut off the Prince. Everyone started looking at him like he had gone insane.
So did Keira. Why on earth was he acting that way?
Isaac: “I wonder if the Marquis of Edinburgh will ever be able to become an object of camaraderie and harmony. The man who brutally murdered my innocent sister shamelessly showed his face here!”
“Count!”
Isaac: “So, I hereby accuse Simon Edinburgh of murder!”
Shock swept through the crowd. All of a sudden, the ballroom became so quiet that one could even hear the needle falling.
But a moment later, whispers started in every corner.
“What do you mean, you’re accusing the Marquis of Edinburgh?”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden? Are you going to hold a trial in the middle of the banquet?”
They sounded skeptical. It is worth noting that, now, they were at the place where the National Founding Day Imperial Palace Ball was held.
It was a place where the people had to laugh and have fun for the sake of superstition and to avoid the ire of the Imperial family. But now, he was accusing another nobleman here?
The man wasn’t thinking about the consequences.
‘Or he couldn’t think of anything but revenge.’
Keira gulped. Count Weinberg seemed intent on ignoring even the Imperial family.
It seems he accepted the Crown Prince’s intervention a few days ago to stab them in the back today.
Furious, Michael said.
Michael: “Count, didn’t we decide to discuss this after National Founding Day? Give the time and place.”
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Isaac: “Yes, I tried to be patient. But I couldn’t stand it when I saw that devilish man brazenly pretending to be a good person.”
Isaac Weinberg pointed his index finger at the Marquis of Edinburgh.
Isaac: “Nobles with the ranking Count and above have the right to hold emergency trials. Your Highness, please hold a trial.”
Michael: “…if you know you have the right to do that, you also know you are also responsible for it.”
Isaac: “Yes, of course.”
If it turned out that his claims were false, he would have to pay dearly for his defeat.
Isaac: “I understand that His Majesty, the Emperor, will be present on the last day of the ball. Therefore, the highest person in this position will be His Highness, the Crown Prince. Your Highness, would you please take the lead?”
“…”
Michael hesitated to answer, but not because he was trying to come up with an excuse not to hold a hearing.
Although he was still only the Crown Prince, he could not dismiss his own authority.
He delayed answering for a moment to contain his anger.
According to the Emperor’s will, Michael had mediated between the two, and they had reached an amicable agreement in his presence. Nevertheless, this person dared to take advantage of the crowd and used the opportunity to do this!
He did what his instincts told him to do. Otherwise, he would have cut off the limbs of this cheeky and disrespectful servant.
Zeke, who went to Keira’s side, whispered softly.
Zeke: “Noonim, does it sound like there was an agreement behind the scenes between the Crown Prince and the Count?”
Keira: “You heard right.”
Zeke: “What? Did you know?”
Keira nodded slightly, her gaze still fixed in front of her.
Michael’s face twitched with anger.
Michael: “Okay.”
Finally, Michael spoke, his voice filled with anger.
Michael: “Do what you want. To do that, we have to move.”
Hearings couldn’t be held in the ballroom. But since they were at the Imperial Palace, there were plenty of rooms for a hearing.
‘I’ll have to leave for now.’
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It was when Keira was about to step towards the exit.
‘Cosette…?’
Cosette, who watched the scene from a distance, came into view.
She was biting her now red lips. Her face looked so white, and it was probably not because of make up.
Keira wasn’t the only one who noticed Cosette’s surprised expression.
Zeke: “Look at that woman’s face.”
Zeke said.
Zeke: “It doesn’t seem like she knew what was going on today, did she? They didn’t seem to have discussed it beforehand.”
Had the trust between the two of them been shaken? Cosette stared at Count Weinberg as if he was a thorn in her side.
And at that moment, one question that had been bewildering Keira’s mind was resolved.
Even if it was revealed that the Marquis of Edinburgh killed Rowena, it wasn’t direct evidence that she’s not Ludwig’s biological daughter.
But for Count Weinberg, that wouldn’t matter at all.
‘Because he only has a grudge against grandfather, not me.’
Therefore, her guess that Cosette did this to secure the position of the elementalist by accusing Keira of being fake might not be accurate.
‘Maybe the two of them had a feud.’
Keira felt a little relieved that Ragibach, one of the Great Demons, had not intervened.
She moved, trying not to let go of her tension until the end.
[1] ‘콩가루’, which literally means ‘bean/soy flour’, is an idiom describing a broken/messy family.