Chapter 22
Melina Sroon didn’t stop there. With one corner of her mouth turned up, she continued to sneer.
“I’m really curious. Where on earth did you get such a dress?”
“My mother designed it.”
“Oh, I was just asking because it’s so pretty!”
Melina Sroon quickly made an excuse, having nearly insulted Countess Herolds in front of everyone while trying to humiliate only Aveline.
“Ahem. And what’s with that strange shawl? Isn’t it terribly out of fashion? How tacky.”
“It was my father’s first birthday gift to my mother after they married.”
“I meant it doesn’t suit you! You!”
Melina Sroon exhaled sharply, having nearly stepped on another landmine.
But soon, as if she’d thought of something else to nitpick, she smiled wickedly.
“Earlier, when you were coming down the stairs, your shoes were gaping, weren’t they? My, don’t you even have a proper pair of shoes?”
“These were my mother’s shoes from before she married.”
“Argh!”
Melina Sroon cringed as every attempt to find fault backfired on her instead.
But Aveline didn’t stop there and continued speaking.
“And it’s also true that I don’t have suitable shoes because I haven’t gone out since my debut, thanks to someone.”
“…”
As the conversation continued, Melina Sroon was becoming an increasingly irredeemable mess.
“Enough. I’m not talking anymore!”
“But Miss Sroon was the one who kept speaking to me.”
“Argh!”
“O-Our daughter!”
Finally, Melina Sroon turned and fled. Countess Sroon, who had been quietly observing, followed her daughter and left.
Ares, who had been watching the retreating backs of the Sroon mother and daughter, furrowed his brow.
“Was that her?”
“What?”
“What you asked about earlier.”
“Yes.”
“Crazy.”
Ares ruffled his pink hair vigorously. Then he turned to look at Aveline standing beside him with a tired expression.
“Somehow, I feel sorry.”
“You don’t need to feel sorry about anything.”
Aveline shrugged as she replied. How could Ares have predicted that a lady who liked him would bully his twin sister?
“Being popular really is a troublesome thing.”
“Hm?”
However, the sentiment that flowed from Ares’ mouth was different from what she expected.
“Why does my popularity cause harm to others? I guess popularity is like the thorns of a rose.”
“What’s wrong with you…”
“My sister is suffering a lot because her brother is so outstanding.”
Aveline turned her head, pretending not to hear Ares’ ignited self-adoration, cringing inwardly.
If only Logan had been there, she could have changed the subject to something else. Coincidentally, Ares was the only person she knew in the ballroom.
“Miss Herolds.”
At that moment, someone approached Aveline and addressed her.
Feeling as if the person who spoke to her in this situation was a savior, Aveline quickly turned her head towards the source of the voice.
“Duke Nor.”
Ares, who recognized the other person before Aveline, greeted him.
The person who had spoken was Duke Nor, the right hand of the Emperor and the leader of the imperial faction. He was also the father of Viscount Berta, who had previously courted Aveline.
Aveline hurriedly followed with her own greeting, but Duke Nor raised his hand to stop her.
“That’s enough formality. You look like a different person dressed up like this.”
Duke Nor fixed his saffron yellow eyes on Aveline while stroking his grizzled beard that matched his hair color.
“I apologize for my son’s behavior the other day. I didn’t expect him to suddenly decide to enter a monastery, so unlike him.”
Fortunately, Duke Nor didn’t seem to know exactly what had happened that day. Although it painted a picture as if Aveline had been rejected, she was satisfied just by not having to face Viscount Berta anymore.
“It’s alright.”
“I’m glad you think so. But where is the Count?”
As Duke Nor looked around the twins, peering for their father, Ares immediately answered.
“Father wasn’t feeling well, so he couldn’t attend.”
“Oh dear. What’s wrong?”
“It’s not a serious illness, just simple overwork.”
“Hmm. The Count has been busy lately. I hope he recovers soon. Please convey my wishes to him.”
After Duke Nor left, Aveline exhaled the breath she had been holding. Although she had seen him from afar a few times when she was young, this was the first time she had conversed with him so closely.
“That’s fortunate,” Ares blurted out beside her.
“What is?”
“The Duke just deliberately spoke to you.”
“Deliberately?”
Was it possible to speak to someone by mistake? She wanted to ask this, but Ares looked quite serious. Judging by his sparkling eyes, he seemed slightly moved.
“Why do you think the Duke went out of his way to greet you first after all this commotion? It’s to imprint on everyone that you are an invited guest at today’s party.”
“Hmm?”
As Aveline tilted her head, unable to easily understand, Ares continued his explanation.
“You showed up for the first time in four years since your debut, and you ended up in another confrontation in front of people. While it might become an opportunity to clear up misunderstandings about you, it’s still a good setup for gossip behind your back.”
“So you’re saying the Duke was considerate enough to ensure I wouldn’t be criticized again?”
Ares nodded in response to Aveline’s question.
“Who are the most powerful and close to the Emperor in the Empire right now? Except for Duke Ribes, it’s only Duke Nor. The fact that Duke Nor came to speak to you in front of everyone is a kind of declaration. It shows that he’s paying attention to you, enough to personally inquire about your well-being.”
“Ah…”
“From today, you’re officially a member of high society.”
If everything Ares said was true, Duke Nor had shown her tremendous kindness.
‘But is it common to extend such kindness even to a young lady who didn’t work out with his son?’
In the novels she had read so far, people usually harassed or interfered at every turn in such situations.
‘Is it a matter of character after all?’
Well, not everyone would hold a grudge just because things didn’t work out with their son.
Although she didn’t know much about Duke Nor, he might turn out to be a person of incredible character. After all, he was someone both her father and Ares respected and followed.
“Excuse me…”
As if to prove Ares’ words, someone cautiously approached Aveline.
“I overheard your conversation with Miss Sroon earlier. Is it true that Countess Herolds designed this dress?”
“Ah, yes…”
At Aveline’s answer, not only the lady who had asked but also the ladies around her all sparkled their eyes.
“I thought the dress was too elegant.”
“Liliana’s eye for fashion is truly unmatched!”
Everyone examined Aveline’s dress with interested eyes and offered a comment.
“I’d like to use this dress design as a reference for my daughter’s debut next year, if that’s alright?”
One lady even made such a request.
“Um… Well…”
“Haha. You’re Viscountess Smithson, aren’t you? I’ll ask our mother and get back to you.”
Ares smoothly interjected while Aveline was at a loss for words.
“My, what a good memory. That’s right. Then, I’ll be counting on you.”
“Could I also make a request?”
“Oh! Me too!”
All the gathered ladies raised their hands and spoke in unison.
Ares dealt with the ladies with a friendly smile.
Only after all the ladies had left did Ares finally catch his breath.
“That’s unexpected.”
“What is?”
Ares tilted his head at Aveline’s words.
“You’re quite adept at handling people.”
It was quite different from how he usually behaved when with her.
“Did you think my reputation just appeared out of thin air?”
Ares smirked at Aveline’s words, as if to say she was being silly.
He meant it was know-how gained from directly interacting with people.
In contrast, Aveline still found it awkward and difficult to deal with people.
The difference between the two, which she hadn’t noticed at home, suddenly loomed large, slightly dampening Aveline’s mood.
“You’ll get better at it too, sis. After all, you’re the daughter of our mother, who’s still going strong even after 20 years away from high society.”
Ares encouraged her, seeming to have noticed Aveline’s feelings.
“His Majesty the Emperor, the one and only sun of the Listoria Empire, enters!”
As the sound of the orchestra’s performance abruptly stopped, the doors connected to the platform of the ballroom opened with a heavy sound.
At the attendant’s cry, the noisy ballroom fell silent in an instant.
“His Highness the Crown Prince, the future light of the Listoria Empire, enters! And… ahem, Duke Ribes enters!”
Then came the announcement of the Crown Prince and Theron’s entrance.
‘It seemed like they mumbled through announcing Ribes Duke, didn’t they?’
Having descriptive titles attached was a privilege of the imperial family.
Although Theron was the Emperor’s nephew, strictly speaking, he was from the Empress’s family, so it was ambiguous whether to attach an imperial title to him.
Normally, he wouldn’t have been able to enter together with them, but the Emperor stubbornly brought Theron along.
The Emperor’s behavior of keeping his nephew-in-law, who was at the forefront of the opposition, by his side was highly unusual, leading to various speculations.
It was not rational enough to simply say that the Emperor pitied his nephew-in-law who had lost his aunt, the Empress, and then his parents in an accident.
Theron’s aunt, who was also the Crown Prince’s mother and the Empress, met a sudden death 20 years ago.
The cause of death was poison in the Empress’s tea, but the culprit was never caught.
Despite the crime occurring openly in the imperial palace, when the culprit couldn’t be caught, some whispered that the Emperor had deliberately loosened the investigation.
However, such doubts soon subsided.
Although it was a political marriage, the Emperor and Empress were genuinely close, and after the Empress’s death, the Emperor neither took a new empress nor any concubines.
For this reason, people speculated that the Emperor, still unable to forget the Empress, was particularly weak towards Duke Ribes, who closely resembled his aunt, the Empress.
“Everyone, raise your heads.”
The Emperor opened his mouth.
His vivid red eyes, contrasting with his grizzled golden hair, overwhelmed the audience in an instant.
