Chapter 1 Part 5
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“My lady, there are so many invitations. Shall I burn them all as usual?”
The next day, I received numerous invitations early in the morning.
They were all letters requesting my companionship as a partner for the upcoming Flore Party.
“Burn everything except the red letters.”
“Yes!”
How ironic that despite fearing me for being a Laté, they still diligently send partner requests every year.
Most of them were letters from young nobles, who seemed to be trying to associate with House Laté somehow for a glamorous social debut.
“Oh! The stationery has such a lovely scent. His Highness must have taken special care for you.”
“Special care? Lynn, don’t say unnecessary things.”
“Yes, my lady.”
As always, everything except the imperial red letter from the Crown Prince was discarded.
“My lady, for selecting dresses for this party, which do you prefer – Madame Antoinette or Etrange? Though we’ll probably call both anyway.”
Lynn asked with a face lost in rapture, as if dresses were already displayed in her mind, smiling brightly at just the thought.
“…Dresses?”
“Yes! Since the Grand Temple’s Flore Party has spring as its theme, the dress should match accordingly.”
“Just pick anything suitable. All dresses are the same anyway.”
“My lady, you still don’t know the famous saying that no two dresses under heaven are alike!”
An overly passionate, burning gaze poured from Lynn.
The Flore Party was an annual event like a ball held by the Grand Temple every spring, but I had never attended even once.
Naturally, as a Laté who symbolized evil, it would be quite unfitting for me to attend a party hosted by the Grand Temple. It was also a bit funny.
…Though this time I had to go because of the Cardinal.
“Wait, that’s right. The Cardinal…!”
“Yes?”
I need to find the masked man anyway!
I need to ask him more detailed questions about my heart.
While the Cardinal appearing at the Flore Party is currently the most likely candidate for being the masked man, I couldn’t be certain yet.
Similarly, even if I go to the Grand Temple now, there’s no guarantee he’ll be there.
But I can’t just sit still for that reason.
“Lynn, I’m going out. Get ready.”
I’ll visit the Grand Temple while Lynn looks at dresses.
The capital and Grand Temple are close, so there should be enough time.
“Yes! …Pardon? Where are you going?”
“To buy dresses, of course.”
Just you alone, Lynn.
“What? But there are so many shops that would come running at House Laté’s call!”
“Just… I feel like I haven’t gone out in a while.”
“Ah, you want to take a walk! Then I’ll prepare the carriage.”
Recently, the imperial streets were quite heated with rumors about my discord with Abel.
The sudden news of engagement termination between the seemingly happy crown prince couple instantly became evening gossip among all imperial citizens, without time to verify its truth.
I headed to the capital wearing a low-saturation dress to avoid drawing attention, my distinctive pink hair hidden under a wide-brimmed hat.
Despite the early hour, the commercial district was bustling with crowds.
Seeing this, I… briefly regretted coming out in person.
Crowded places were too chaotic to make a good environment for finding someone.
“Then my lady, shall we start over there? There’s apparently a famous dress shop on the left side of the square.”
Lynn, seemingly excited about going out after a long time, suggested various destinations while calling out different places.
I nodded half heartedly and just followed Lynn’s lead.
I planned to go along with Lynn for now, then slip away when I got the chance… Wait? Just now.
A familiar silhouette flashed in my vision before quickly disappearing down an alley.
If my eyes weren’t mistaken, he was definitely wearing a silver mask.
“…Lynn, why don’t you go ahead and look first? I saw someone I know, I’ll go say hello.”
“Yes, I’ll do that!”
Having successfully separated from Lynn, I hurriedly followed the man.
Purple hair and a silver mask—it was definitely that mysterious man who had predicted my death in my first life.
This is a chance that won’t come again, I absolutely can’t let him get away.
But the man walked so fast that no matter how much I chased, the distance wouldn’t close.
When I entered the alley, I finally saw the back of the man in white robes.
My heart started beating wildly.
“Excuse…!”
Just as I was about to call out to him with an outstretched hand.
“Rosiel?”
A third party’s voice suddenly interrupted. The voice was irritatingly similar to someone I knew.
When I turned my head irritably, sure enough, there stood Abel.
After our eyes met briefly in surprise at this unexpected encounter, Abel dismounted from his horse and approached me.
“Lady Laté. What are you doing here alone without guards?”
Ah, this absolutely tactless male lead, really… You’re supposed to be uninterested in me in the original setting! Why are you being so clingy in this life!
I hurriedly looked back toward the alley. But the man I had been chasing was already gone without a trace.
At this point, the chances of finding someone who had disappeared into the maze of alleys were naturally zero.
Various curse words rose to my throat in frustration.
Unfortunately, though, we were in public, and eyes were watching us from all directions.
“…I greet the empire’s noble young sun.”
After briefly calming myself with a short breath, I barely twisted my stiff lips to offer the proper courtesy to the imperial crown prince.
“Let me protect Rosiel.”
Abel sent no less than four of his guards to my side.
Watching this scene, I couldn’t help but laugh.
Even if all the knights here, not just these guards, attacked me with all their might, I could easily defeat them without lifting a finger.
So who’s protecting whom here?
“Your Highness, I merely came out to look at dresses. Such overprotection is unnecessary.”
That line implicitly meant ‘So get lost right now’—I wonder if Abel would catch that?
“I was just returning to the palace after finishing some business. I would be honored if you would allow me to join your outing.”
Like me, he showed proper etiquette with his public smile and formalities, then placed a light kiss on the back of my hand.
Sigh… Of course. What could I expect after losing the masked man too.
In the end, I joined up with Lynn, who had gone ahead to look at dresses, with Abel in tow.
Lynn was startled by the unexpected appearance of the Crown Prince and clung tightly to my side.
“My lady…? Could the ‘someone you know’ you went to greet have been His Highness…?”
“It wasn’t like that, so be quiet.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Time passed like a storm, truly uselessly.
We visited several shops, and when Abel and I appeared together at the dress shops, countless curious, heated gazes poured down on us.
‘There were rumors of discord between them recently, but I guess they were all false.’
‘I hear His Highness is buying out all the dresses from every notable shop for Lady Laté.’
‘I heard divorce papers were submitted to the Grand Temple, but it must have all been baseless rumors….’
The burning whispers reaching my ears seemed laughably stupid.
We had merely visited a few shops together, yet somehow Abel and I had become the couple of the century again.
“Who knew quieting rumors would be this easy? Rather entertaining, isn’t it, Rosi?”
I wasn’t the only one who found it amusing—Abel occasionally bent down to whisper casual jokes in my ear.
“I wonder.”
“It’s fun, isn’t it? These ‘rumors’ spread by people who know nothing.”
No one was curious about the truth behind the rumors circulating in the streets. Because that wouldn’t be entertaining.
The last place we visited was Madame Antoinette’s shop, unanimously ranked top both within and outside the empire.
“Our Madame Antoinette’s ambitiously prepared new spring aqua dress will match perfectly with the Lady’s lovely peach-colored eyes.”
Madame Antoinette’s dolphin-like voice, seemingly excited by the appearance of the Crown Prince and me, kept assaulting my eardrums.
But dresses are hardly important to me right now…
I nodded absently while looking out the window with bored eyes.
Outside on the street, a woman who seemed to have bumped into someone was picking up items that had fallen to the ground.
But that woman… why does her back view look so familiar? Where have I seen her?
“…Huh?”
[Her golden hair, falling down to her waist, shone brilliantly in the sunlight. Below her elegant eyelashes, her bright sky-blue eyes shining clearly made Hertiana’s pure appearance even more delicate and lovely. – From “For Hertiana” Part 1, The Saint’s Appearance]
“Why is she there…!”
