Chapter 43

As cherry blossoms danced in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

---

Viscount Cesare, the envoy of His Majesty the King, strode into the room and chose a dais near the entrance where Cardinal de Mare was standing. As Cesare ascended the dais, Cardinal de Mare hastily stepped aside to make room for him.

Cesare, looking down at the ball guests who had all bowed to him, unfolded the royal decree from His Majesty the King. His voice conveyed the King's message.

"Listen, my people. Today, Ariadne de Mare, the second daughter of Cardinal de Mare, is holding her debutante ball. Ariadne de Mare, a loyal subject of San Carlo, is a deeply devout girl who serves as a role model for the people of the country and has previously made contributions to the nation. Therefore, I celebrate her coming of age and send Viscount Cesare de Como to escort her at her debutante ball. That is all."

All the audience in the ballroom treated him as if he were the King himself, showing the same respect they would show to His Majesty the King. He relished the thrill running up his spine and rolled the parchment back up, handing it to the attendant beside him. Only then did he meet the eyes of Cardinal de Mare on the dais and greet him.

"Your Eminence, Cardinal de Mare, it is an honor to meet you today."

Cardinal de Mare returned a nod.

"Viscount Cesare, it is a great honor for our humble household to have you here."

"I will take good care of your daughter today."

"We must thank His Majesty the King."

Cesare nodded slightly, accepting the greeting on behalf of the King. He then descended the dais where Cardinal de Mare was standing and began to walk towards the podium at the opposite end of the main hall, where Ariadne and Prince Alphonso were.

It was like a triumphal march. Cesare, receiving the attention of everyone, moved through the ballroom as if he were the star. Only the guests who had seen Prince Alphonso enter earlier were buzzing.

'...!'

Upon reaching the podium, Cesare finally noticed Prince Alphonso standing below. Seeing Alphonso's expression, posture, white attire, and the way he was escorting Ariadne, a dangerous smile crept onto Cesare's lips.

'What, is that it?'

Cesare exaggeratedly feigned surprise and greeted Prince Alphonso.

"Who is this, the little sun of the kingdom?"

A slight frown appeared on Alphonso's handsome forehead. Cesare taunted Alphonso with a sneer.

"Since I am here as the representative of His Majesty the King, I will skip the formalities, Your Highness."

It was a retort to the humiliation of bowing a few days ago.

"His Majesty King Leo III of Etrusca has decreed that I am to be the debutante partner of this young lady. You must step aside, Your Highness."

No one could defy the royal decree, not even Prince Alphonso, the heir to the throne. Cesare ignored the frozen Prince Alphonso and extended his hand to Ariadne. When she hesitated to take it, he added,

"It is a royal command, Miss de Mare."

Cesare's extended hand, as always, was clad in his trademark deer leather glove. Ariadne reluctantly extended her left hand to him. It was fortunate that their bare hands did not touch. She extended her hand to Cesare while observing Prince Alphonso's reaction. Alphonso looked shocked. Ariadne apologized to him with her eyes.

- "I'm sorry this happened because of me."

Cesare, noticing that Ariadne was not focused on him, exaggeratedly kissed Ariadne's left hand, a showy gesture aimed at Alphonso.

Alphonso smiled blankly and greeted Ariadne.

"My role for today ends here. I'll see you later, Ariadne."

- "I'm sorry, Alphonso."

Ariadne mouthed an apology to him. Cesare found the situation thrilling. He had come to the ball today, cursing his mother, Lady Rubina de Como, for all the complaints he had. He thought his mother had done something useless by going to King Leo III and using some sweet talk to secure the royal command, and he had reluctantly come to Cardinal de Mare's ball. He never imagined such an interesting event would happen here.

'I should show some filial piety to my mother.'

He revised his image of the girl standing before him. He had always thought she was plain, fierce, and had a terrible sense of fashion. But now, dressed up, Ariadne was very beautiful. Her skin was flawless and calm, and her features, which he had thought were fierce, were actually neat and elegant when emphasized by makeup. The dress she wore today accentuated her collarbone and décolletage, giving her a regal appearance.

Cesare escorted Ariadne to the podium as if handling a valuable porcelain. On the opposite dais, Cardinal de Mare was giving a speech to the guests about how excellent and virtuous his second daughter was, how deeply devout and gentle she was. Ariadne and Cesare stood on the podium like a picture-perfect pair, becoming the object of curious gazes. After Cardinal de Mare's short speech, the guests raised their glasses of fruit wine in a toast to celebrate. Ariadne and Cesare also took a sip from the glasses brought by the attendants, symbolizing their coming of age. Soon, the orchestra began to play. It was time for the first waltz. Since the debutante and her partner must dance the first waltz, Cesare escorted Ariadne to the center of the ballroom. He took one of her waists and held her other hand, leading the waltz with a tender greeting.

"It's been a few weeks since we last met, Ariadne."

Cesare's lips curved into his most charming smile, which he was most confident about.

"Since a promise is a promise, let's use informal language from today."

He seemed to remember his previous words about speaking informally to her as a child. Ariadne, stepping in time with the waltz, shot back without changing her expression.

"Call me Miss de Mare."

Her refusal to be swayed by a cheap smile and her strong character. Perfect. Bravo.

Until today, he had not cared about the plain younger sister of the beautiful Isabella, but now he was genuinely interested in Ariadne. He wanted to take everything Alphonso had, and now that it was a vibrant and beautiful girl, he felt like gouging out his own eyes for not noticing her before.

"I'll wait until we become friends, Miss de Mare."

Cesare maintained the best manners for his target as he led the waltz. Ariadne, though not the best dancer, danced skillfully.

"For a debutante, you dance very well. Did you practice a lot at home?"

Not really, but I've danced with you for 14 years. Repeatedly. Many times.

In his previous life, Cesare, who had not particularly enjoyed dancing with her, found it difficult to adapt to his newly sweet and honeyed attitude. Ariadne, trying to suppress her complex emotions, thought of the Cesare who had asked her if she would sell the 'Heart of the Blue Abyss' and the Cesare who had shouted at her, asking if she knew the humiliation she felt when her father pushed him towards her. Her heart sank like a cold autumn rain, and her eyes and voice grew cold.

"I don't dance well. I just do the basics."

As the climax of the waltz approached, Cesare held Ariadne's left hand and sent her partner away, then spun her back into his arms.

"This is the 'Heart of the Blue Abyss.' The gem is beautiful, but it can't match your beauty."

"Stop your nonsense."

Despite the cold words coming from her lips, the girl's body was very warm. Cesare focused on the warmth of the girl in his arms, contrary to the cold words falling from her lips. He was confident that he could melt the heart of a clumsy teenage girl if given enough time. Unbeknownst to him, he had already done this perfectly in his previous life. To the most popular man in San Carlo, a woman's heart was just a matter of time.

---

While Viscount Cesare de Como was throwing honeyed lines at the guarded Ariadne de Mare, Prince Alphonso stood against the wall in the main hall, looking at the center. The girls were whispering and looking at him, but no one approached him. Asking a lady to dance was a rule that the gentleman had to extend his hand first. There was no bold girl who would approach a prince leaning against the wall, sighing deeply, except for one.

Isabella, dressed in a pure white organza dress and adorned like a peacock, knew exactly what to do as soon as she saw the prince. She quietly approached the prince and, without hesitation, pushed the white bellflower vase that was placed as a decoration on the drawer next to the prince.

As the vase fell in front of her, Alphonso's eyes widened, and he instinctively reached out to catch it. But instead of the vase, Isabella was there, ready to take the fall.

- *Clang!*

The loud sound of the vase breaking drew everyone's attention to Prince Alphonso, who was already the focus of all the girls. Alphonso found himself holding Isabella. Flustered, Alphonso received a bright smile from Isabella, who offered a suggestion.

"Let's pretend you asked me to dance, Your Highness."

Many curious eyes were on him.

"Everyone is watching, come on."

Alphonso, fearing that he would be seen as a man who touched a woman without permission, reluctantly nodded. He was immediately led to the center of the main hall by Isabella. Isabella sweetly took Prince Alphonso's hand and placed it on her waist. Alphonso, with no choice, encircled Isabella's waist and began to step in time with the waltz. From the outside, they looked like a perfect couple. Isabella in a pure white organza dress and Alphonso, dressed as a debutante partner, looked like a debutante couple from a distance. Their combination of dark and light blonde hair made them look like the stars of the debutante ball. However, the chemistry between them was not so smooth. Isabella persistently talked to the prince throughout the dance.

"Do you like the ball tonight?"

"It's a wonderful ball."

And the conversation ended there.

"You dance very steadily, Your Highness. Who is your dance instructor at the palace?"

"I learned from Mr. Lorevald."

The prince's answer was short. But the persistent Isabella did not give up. She turned a large circle in time with the waltz and leaned into the prince's arms, throwing another topic.

"The interior decoration is quite unique and beautiful, isn't it? It was chosen by my sister, Ariadne."

The prince's eyes finally lit up. Isabella thought the physical contact had finally worked and smiled brightly. But the prince's interest was elsewhere. Alphonso's response quickened.

"Miss Ariadne, your sister, is truly remarkable. She is creative and intelligent, and I find her deeply inspiring."

Alphonso's positive reaction was not due to the physical contact. Isabella, who had planned to badmouth the bold Ariadne by talking about the traditional tapestry decorations, felt a strong intuition that the prince's reaction would be very negative if she continued. She had no choice but to join the prince's topic and praise her sister.

"Ariadne is indeed intelligent. She studies hard."

"What is her favorite subject? Is it theology?"

Isabella, who had little interest in her sister beyond a rivalry, began to struggle to answer. This was the first time, since she had grown hair, that she had talked about another woman while conversing with a man. The world-renowned Isabella de Mare had never received such treatment from a peer before. She clenched her teeth and began to anxiously observe Ariadne's direction. She had prepared an event to make the prince see Ariadne as a flawed product. Once it happened, the prince's interest in the newcomer would surely fade.

She had definitely set it up, but when would it happen?