Chapter 28

Since Derek was chosen as the partner for the opening dance, Lady Rosa said,

"Well, I will immediately send a messenger to the noble one. I must inform them that Lord Burks is not here. If I only learned of Lord Burks's visit after sending the messenger, it is not my fault. It is merely a regrettable misunderstanding. ——Your Highness, please stay a little longer. No one else will intrude, so please relax."

And with that, she gracefully left the VIP room.

At this semi-ball, Lady Rosa had originally invited her brother and Sir Sil as a pair, under the title of the Earl of Readington. However, her brother had apparently declined the invitation early on.

She never expected Sir Sil to come alone. Naturally, she realized it late—by the time she received the news, he had not arrived—this would be her brother's response.

After sending the reply, Lady Rosa fulfilled the minimum duty to her brother without being rude. However, the content of the message was—well, that's the point.

Of course, Sir Sil's attendance would definitely be discovered by her brother later, but for now, as long as no strange interference occurred until the semi-ball ended, it would be fine!

Having Lady Rosa, the host, on her side was a significant advantage!

—And since then, I have been staring at a die on the table, with one face down, motionless.

Sir Sil and Derek were standing a little away, talking to each other. I suggested to Sir Sil that he should do so, taking advantage of Lady Rosa's considerate suggestion.

Derek was to talk about the carriage accident. It was one of the conditions I gave to Sir Sil.

A chance for a private conversation just before the semi-ball began. There was no way to miss this opportunity!

—But, it seemed better for Sir Sil to talk to Derek alone, so I did not join the conversation. I was at a loss for what to do.

After gathering around the table to ask "Sky," Clifford remained nearby, but the atmosphere was not conducive to chattering.

Actually, there was something I really wanted to try!

"…………"

Unable to resist the temptation, I finally picked up the three-sided die. I felt Clifford's gaze, but without saying anything, I decided to roll the die once more.

That's it! This is what I wanted to try!

This time, a three! Or a two!

……But, the face that came up on the bottom was, once again, a one. ……It's not time to panic yet. This kind of thing happens, right?

—One more time!

Again, a one. This means the die has shown a one three times in a row.

…A two? …A three?

I admit I got frustrated. I ended up rolling the die ten times in a row.

—What was the result? A one came up six times. A two, four times. A three, zero times.

Why? Isn't the probability just not working? It's too biased!

Hey, hey, Sky God? Isn't this a bit much?

Is it because I, who have no luck, am rolling it?

"——Not getting a three, perhaps I am disliked by the Sky God?"

I complained, holding the die, to Clifford, who was standing nearby.

"Your Highness is one of the royal family of Esphera, blessed by the Sky God. That is not the case."

A flawless response! But still…

"…Unfortunately, I have never felt blessed."

As Clifford said, the legend that the royal family of Esphera is blessed by the Sky God has been passed down to this day. The grand corridor of the castle is adorned with the creation myth for this reason. However, I have only ever seen it as a work of art…

The Sky God is widely worshipped in Esphera, but I have never felt its presence.

But, still.

"Alex might feel it. He seems to like the creation myth and things related to the Sky God."

"Yes, I have seen Prince Alexis in the grand corridor once."

"That's Alex's favorite place."

When we have free time and want to meet Alex, it's faster to go to the grand corridor.

"…That seems to be the case. He appeared to be very fond of it."

Huh? It sounded a bit sarcastic?

Curious, I turned to Clifford.

"——Perhaps it is not Your Highness but I who am disliked by the Sky God."

If taken at face value, it sounded like he was disappointed. But it didn't feel that way at all. Rather…?

"Clifford?"

"If that were the case, what would Your Highness do?"

What…?

I shook my head.

"I wouldn't do anything. I'm just a little frustrated that a three hasn't come up."

"…I see."

Clifford smiled faintly.

"——Anyway, regardless of what the Sky God thinks, I think it would be fine for a three to come up once in a while."

Logically, it's about luck and probability, not the Sky God!

Even so, getting zero threes out of ten rolls is impossible. I don't want to doubt Lady Rosa… but, could the die be rigged? In a way that a layman wouldn't notice! Lady Rosa, I'm sorry my heart is so tainted!

"Your Highness, may I borrow the die?"

Clifford also seemed suspicious of this die?

I placed the die I was holding in his outstretched large hand. But after holding it for just a few seconds, Clifford returned it to me.

"Here you go."

I stared at the die returned to me. Hmm. It is a finely crafted three-sided die, befitting the VIP room! And it is the color of a clear sky. Most three-sided dice themed after "Sky" are blue.

"…I'll roll it one more time."

Let's go! The eleventh time.

I focused and lightly threw the die onto the table.

I held my breath and watched its path.

The die stopped. The faces visible on the top and sides were one and two.

So, the bottom face must be—.

I lifted the die with trembling hands and confirmed the bottom face with my own eyes.

The number carved there was three.

Finally, a three!

I almost jumped for joy but restrained myself. I am a princess, I am a princess. I opened my fan with a flourish.

"…Clifford, a three came up."

"Yes."

"…Did you do something?"

I'm happy a three came up, but my tainted heart is still alive and well! Maybe the die was rigged, and Clifford did something in those few seconds!

"——I only wished for it. For a three to come up."

The loyal knight bowed his head.

"Everyone, welcome to my semi-ball—"

The chandeliers are beautiful. As expected, one of the highlights of the "Heavenly Paradise."

The beautiful chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling are impressive. Each one holds hundreds of candles of various sizes. Some of them are already lit. However, it's still daytime. The semi-ball is scheduled to start at 3 PM and end at 11 PM. The chandeliers will truly shine in their ethereal glory once the sun sets.

Incidentally, only balls are allowed to be held at night!

From midnight to dawn. Balls began as a form of night entertainment and to display power. However, in the early days of balls, the cost of candles was prohibitively high…! Only the king had the wealth to consume high-quality candles and dance all night.

Of course, the nobility also wanted to hold balls. To reduce costs, they started the balls in the afternoon and reduced the time for candle consumption at night. Over time, balls hosted by nobles that started while the sun was still high became known as semi-balls. Even as the cost of candles became less of an issue and venues like "Heavenly Paradise" became available, the distinction between balls and semi-balls and the difference in start times have continued to this day.

Admiring the chandeliers, I slowly raised my face with my "Black Fan"—but I couldn't. I was about to entrust it to a server for the opening dance, but they seemed to flinch for a moment, so I had Clifford hold it instead. I think it's best to entrust it to someone calm!

Since I don't have it in my hands, I gave up on raising it and listened to Lady Rosa's greeting in the grand hall of "Heavenly Paradise," which is uniformly styled in pure Esphera fashion, most similar to the grand corridor of the royal castle.

When the guests gather and the start time arrives, the host's greeting marks the beginning of the semi-ball.

Depending on the scale, thousands of guests may attend. In such cases, the host cannot greet everyone individually. This greeting also serves as a way to excuse those who don't speak to anyone at all.

During the greeting, the positions and groupings of the guests in the hall already reveal a lot about their ranks, factions, and relationships.

Generally, the closer one is to Lady Rosa, who is giving the greeting, the higher their rank, power, and importance among the guests. The farther one is from her, the more they are at the periphery.

Understanding each other's positions, the guests observe the overall composition from their respective territories and target who they will approach first once the semi-ball begins. Conversely, before the host's greeting, they stick to casual conversations with their own group and avoid approaching their main targets.

Networking, building connections. Probing the movements of enemies. Confirming factions. Gathering information. Seeking marriage partners or one-night stands.

With various purposes, it is a battlefield without bloodshed…! That is the semi-ball!

The center of the hall is already cleared in preparation for the opening dance.

I am in the designated seat for the royal family, the highest position.

And beside me is Derek Knightfellow. According to the original plan, even if I was escorted, I was supposed to separate from Sir Sil after arriving in the hall, but now, let's just go with it! So, Sir Sil is also in the royal seat.

Even if it's just an escort, being together in this setting has led to various speculations among the guests!

Additionally, the news that Derek and I will perform the opening dance has also become a topic of conversation.

Derek is beside me because he is my partner for the opening dance. After Lady Rosa's greeting, the dance between Derek and me will begin.

"——Today, I have tried to make this semi-ball as interesting as possible. Let's end the formalities and start with the opening dance!"

Wearing a simple long dress in a fresh green, Lady Rosa announced loudly. The orchestra began to play.

—Uh!

For a moment, my body stiffened. This song is…!

The day of my disastrous first ball. The dance music that played when I realized my own foolishness! A somewhat obscure court dance, "The Sublime Dance"! Of all the songs, why this one, Lady Rosa?

I had managed to learn to dance, but I had been avoiding this song!

However, it seemed that Derek was also tense when this song started. …Actually, the entire hall? The atmosphere among the guests revealed this.

"Really…"

I muttered with a bitter expression, and Derek sighed.

"It seems that the Earl of Readington intends to recreate that day."

Recreate that day… I understand.

"The day of my first ball?"

That's the only possibility.

"Yes. It seems he wishes for my downfall. Or… perhaps he is just curious. …To see which way it will go."

But, I don't understand what Derek means!

"——Shall we, Lady Octavia?"

Derek said, as if regaining his composure, and we stepped out into the center of the hall.