Date: 761 NE-07-26
Tonight was the party in the Palace.
Yesterday was the day I learned the truth about everything I had experienced, especially the Transmutation. I hadn't known I possessed that power for all these years. When I asked Adel and Lady Octavi about teaching me, they refused to become my mentors. Instead, they wanted me to learn it from my mother.
Yet, they offered to teach me how to hold a sword. Learning Transmutation from my mother would surely be a different challenge altogether.
Even though the party was still five hours away, Adel was already preparing me.
She drew a bath, something I usually did alone, but this time she insisted on attending to me personally. She scrubbed my back, her touch gentle but firm, washing away the doubts of the past few days.
After the bath, she brought me back to my room to choose a dress.
"Choose a dress where the color is the opposite of the Crown Prince's," I instructed, looking at the array of fabrics.
"Understood, My Lady."
Adel pulled out a stunning black dress. Since the Crown Prince always wore white, this would create a striking contrast. It was a statement.
This was my first time attending a party, as far as I could remember. Yet, someone told me that I had attended a debut party when I was twelve years old. The memory was lost to me. Because it felt like my first time, I asked Lady Octavi to accompany me inside the ballroom.
I was surprised when Octavi emerged from her room. She didn't wear a gown. Instead, she wore a tailored, military-style uniform that suited her perfectly.
Three hours before the party, she started to teach me about party etiquette.
"Let me become the lead of the dance, My Lady," she said, bowing and offering her hand.
We started the rehearsal. As she said, she took the lead, guiding me across the floor of my bedroom.
"Your dress actually makes you easy to move, My Lady," she commented, spinning me lightly.
We finished the rehearsal.
"The Crown Prince should be the lead of the dance," she reminded me, smoothing her cuffs. "So My Lady shouldn't worry about the steps. Just follow him."
A few moments later, a knock sounded at the front door.
The news arrived: The Crown Prince had arrived.
I descended the stairs.
Fabian was waiting at the bottom. When he saw me, his eyes lit up. He immediately grabbed my hand and kissed it, showing public affection.
I just let it happen, my face impassive. I scanned his entourage. There was no other woman present. Seven years ago, he had brought Lady Anna. Tonight, he was alone.
"Shall we go there now, Aurelia?" He offered his arm for me to hold.
"Sure."
I ignored his arm. I just walked past him toward the entrance.
In front of the house, the Royal Carriage waited. Six men wearing full plate armor surrounded it on horseback. Their blue capes fluttered in the wind—the Blue Order, just like Milo.
I climbed into the carriage. Fabian sat beside me. Milo and Lady Octavi took the seats opposite us.
The trip was silent. Not a single word was spoken inside the carriage.
The carriage stopped. A few seconds later, the door opened.
Milo and Lady Octavi exited first, followed by Fabian. Again, Fabian offered his hand to help me down, trying to show affection.
I ignored it again. I stepped down onto the pavement without help. My dress was not as voluminous as the one I wore at fifteen, so movement was easy.
I looked around. There were no other carriages in front of the main entrance. We walked inside the Palace.
Fabian walked beside me, followed by Milo and Lady Octavi. Four of the Blue Order guards escorted us inside, forming a protective square.
"Is this type of escort really that necessary?" I asked Fabian, raising an eyebrow.
"For safety," he answered simply.
"What about Milo? Is he not capable enough for you that you need additional guards?"
"Well, sometimes, you need to be prepared."
In the distance, I saw the main doors where other guests were entering. Instead of going there, we turned right.
"Why did we turn right? Not enter from that door?"
"That door is just for the normal guests," Fabian explained. "We will enter the room through another entrance."
"Another entrance?"
We arrived at a massive set of double doors, taller and more extravagant than the previous ones. The four Blue Order guards dispersed to secure the perimeter.
We stood there, waiting.
Again, Fabian offered his right arm to me. He wanted me to hold it for the grand entrance.
I ignored it. I stood with my hands clasped in front of me.
"Is there something on your mind?" Fabian asked, looking hurt. "That makes you ignore everything from me?"
I turned to look at him. "If Your Royal Highness wants to receive my affection, surely, Your Royal Highness needs to look to the past of yours."
"What pas—"
Creak.
The doors opened.
"The door is open, Your Royal Highness," I cut him off. "Surely, we don't want everyone waiting for us."
We stepped into the ballroom.
"His Royal Highness, The Crown Prince of Fotia, Fabian Julius, has arrived! With his partner, The Eldest Daughter of the Aurelius Family, Duke of Florence, Aurelia Aurelius!"
The announcer's voice boomed across the hall.
Immediately, all eyes were on us. The music stopped abruptly. The silence was deafening.
Fabian led me to the center of the ballroom—the dance floor. Milo and Lady Octavi stopped at the edge, standing guard.
All those eyes staring at me reminded me of my nightmare. The judgment. The whispers. But I swallowed the fear. I will overcome this.
We stepped onto the dance floor. The crowd parted like the Red Sea, leaving just Fabian and me in the spotlight.
The music started to play. A waltz.
Fabian offered his hand. I took it. He placed his other hand on my waist, and I placed mine on his shoulder.
He led the dance smoothly.
"I want to ask you about earlier," Fabian whispered as we spun. "What do you mean by looking at my past, Aurelia?"
"It is not my obligation to tell you about it, Your Royal Highness," I replied coolly.
"You can't cut the honorific with me... just call me by my name."
I ignored his request. We kept dancing.
"Is there anything from me to you, to make you open up to me?" he asked again.
"If Your Royal Highness wants my affection and my gratitude towards you, again, you need to look at your own past."
"You need to tell me about it, Aurelia."
"Sigh. Okay then. I am a little bit disappointed and angry with you."
The music swelled. He dipped me slightly.
"Disappointed and angry? Did I really do something to you?" he asked, looking genuinely confused.
I stared at him in disbelief. Why is he saying that?
"Is Your Royal Highness playing dumb? Please forgive my words, but..."
"Genuinely, I don't have any clue about it."
"Is Your Highness aware about the rumor circulating around you these past seven years?"
"A rumor about me?" He frowned.
For a second, I didn't know whether to believe him. Did he truly not know about the rumor with Lady Anna? Or was he a master actor playing with me?
The music stopped. We ended our dance with a formal bow.
Again, Fabian took my hand and kissed it. We left the dance floor.
Lady Octavi was waiting with two glasses of punch. She handed one to me. I drank it in one go.
Immediately, a swarm of nobles descended upon us.
They introduced themselves, praising our dancing, our matching outfits (the black and white contrast was a hit), and everything about us. Every five or ten seconds, another noble would come to do the same thing.
I just smiled and nodded until my cheeks hurt.
Eventually, Lady Hillaria and Lady Clara pushed through the crowd. They greeted us and praised the dance.
Then, Lady Clara leaned in.
"Lady Aurelia, can I have a favor from you?"
"Favor? What is that?"
She leaned her head toward my ear. "Can I shake hands with Lady Octavi?"
I blinked. "If it's just that… Sure."
I waved at Lady Octavi. "Lady Octavi, Lady Clara wishes to shake your hand."
Octavi raised an eyebrow but extended her hand. Clara shook it vigorously, her face beaming with pure joy.
Then it was Hillaria's turn.
"Can I have a favor from you too, Lady Aurelia?"
"What is that?"
"Can you let Lady Octavi have a spar with me?"
"NO," I answered immediately.
Hillaria's face fell, looking like a kicked puppy.
They moved away, melting back into the crowd.
After several more minutes of greeting nobles, I realized something. All the nobles here were Viscounts, Counts, and Marquises. There were no Dukes, no sons or daughters of Dukes.
It seemed I was the only person with the peerage rank of Duke in the entire ballroom.
Where were all the eight Dukes? I wondered. Is their absence deliberate? Or merely a coincidence?
Suddenly, the music stopped again. The atmosphere in the ballroom shifted.
An announcement rang out.
"Her Majesty, The Queen!"
She appeared on the balcony overlooking the ballroom. The King was still absent.
She looked down at the crowd. Our eyes met. She smiled at me—a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"Glory for our Kingdom," she began her speech. "In here, in this party, I want to share great news for our Kingdom. The news is about the Crown Prince..."
My stomach dropped. I know what she is going to say.
"As we can see right now, our Kingdom is built on trust between each other. So to make that trust better, we, the Royal Family, offer the Betrothal of the Crown Prince, Fabian Julius, to the Aurelius Family, its Eldest Daughter, Aurelia Aurelius!"
The room erupted. All eyes snapped back to me.
"Hope in this betrothal, our Kingdom's trust becomes more solid and stronger, making the Kingdom more prosperous than before. This union will not only strengthen the bond between our families but also ensure the stability and prosperity of our Kingdom for generations to come. Let us all embrace this betrothal with hope and excitement for a brighter future together!"
Applause thundered through the hall.
Our betrothal was made public just like that.
I leaned toward Lady Octavi, keeping my face smiling for the crowd.
"Can they make this betrothal public without any consent from my family?" I whispered.
"I believe not, My Lady," she whispered back.
"And why did the Queen easily make it public?"
"I believe it is her plan to start jealousy."
"Jealousy?"
"Remember the rumor about Lady Anna and the Crown Prince," Octavi murmured. "Maybe with that rumor still circulating, this betrothal will become an obstacle to them. The blame will be on the Aurelius Family for obstructing their 'true love'."
"I see. But the Crown Prince himself said he didn't know about the rumor around him."
"That is weird, My Lady."
"I found it weird too. Maybe he is playing with me right now."
"Surely, he is. My Lady needs to be careful right now. With the announcement of the betrothal, surely some factions will start targeting you—whether harassing you or trying to convince you to join their faction."
"Thanks for the advice."