Prestigious magic academies, including Stella Academy, respected the personal time of noble students.
Even though they were attending school, nobles needed to participate in many gatherings from a young age to receive aristocratic education or build connections.
For this reason, nobles could be marked as present even when absent from school, provided they had a sufficient reason. Occasionally, this privilege also extended to commoners.
Commoners were sometimes invited to noble gatherings, which could elevate their social status. Stella Academy actively promoted such opportunities.
Stella's unique policy of allowing commoners to be absent without penalties was one of its strengths, attracting many talented commoners to apply.
"Skipping class is nice."
"Indeed."
Inside the carriage heading to Adolevit, Eisel looked uneasy.
At first, she hadn't given much thought to the invitation. But upon reflection, the ball at Adolevit was likely to be attended by influential figures from all over the world.
Moreover, Adolevit was tied to her father, Isaac Morph's mortal enemy. … Hong Bi-Yeon was aware of this fact.
'She's not my enemy.'
No matter what her bloodline might have done, it wasn't Hong Bi-Yeon's fault. Therefore, Eisel didn't resent her.
However, the rest of the Adolevit royal family was a different story. They were Eisel's sworn enemies.
Perhaps that's why… Hong Bi-Yeon hadn't invited Eisel here without purpose.
'Here they are, the enemies you must kill. And the trash I need to clean up. Watch carefully, remember them, and analyze them.'
Though Hong Bi-Yeon hadn't said it aloud, Eisel felt as though she could hear those words vividly. Knowing her, it was highly likely she harbored such intentions.
With consideration for her friend, Hong Bi-Yeon subtly paved the way to ensure her own goals were served as well.
Thus, at this ball…
"You'll stay quiet, right?"
At Flame's question, Eisel nodded silently.
She was still not strong enough.
Drawing attention to herself might hinder her future plans. So, for now, she decided to stay as inconspicuous as possible, quietly following Hong Bi-Yeon and observing... analyzing them.
'I don't even know their faces properly yet.'
The incident wasn't something Hong Si-Hwa had carried out alone. It was a conspiracy involving many of her followers.
Eisel intended to punish every single one of them without exception.
Clatter!
A while later, the carriage came to a halt, and the driver approached, opening the door to the carriage.
"We've arrived. From here on, you'll need to board a private carriage."
'Must be for security reasons...'
Eisel nodded and stepped out of the carriage. Before her stretched an enormous forest. The sheer size of it left her astonished… this was just the front yard of the Adolevit royal palace. She took a deep breath, and composed herself.
Her father had owned a forest of this magnitude in her childhood.
'Don't let it intimidate you.'
"Wow! Is that the castle...?"
But in the next moment, Flame's words startled her.
The capital of Adolevit, Tehalan.
At its center stood the Frost Palace, towering and majestic.
Unlike the fiery atmosphere symbolic of Adolevit, this massive, frozen palace gave off an icy, otherworldly grandeur. It was far larger and more magnificent than her own family's estate.
The Frost Palace, with its solemn, cold presence, seemed designed to overwhelm anyone who gazed upon it. Standing tall and proud, it exuded both majesty and loneliness, causing Eisel's heart to race.
Carefully, she grasped the hem of her dress and began walking.
Perhaps word had been sent ahead that she was a guest of Princess Hong Bi-Yeon. Knights lined up on both sides, standing at attention to welcome her.
"Seems like Hong Bi-Yeon's influence has grown quite a bit..."
In the novel, Hong Bi-Yeon hadn't possessed enough influence to freely command knights of this caliber within the royal family. On the contrary, they might have laughed if she had tried to give them orders.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Flame shook her head and then smirked, nudging Eisel's arm playfully with her elbow.
"You, that dress suits you well."
"…I've worn one a few times as a child, so…"
"Oh, come on, stop being modest. Why don't you confidently say, 'It looks good because I'm beautiful'?"
"D-Do you always say such embarrassing things so casually?"
"Huh? But it's true. I look great in dresses because I'm pretty."
"You really are shameless…"
Eisel let out a deep sigh and looked down at her dress.
Neither Flame nor Eisel was particularly wealthy. Though they had saved a decent amount of money from dungeon and monster-hunting missions during their break, it was nothing compared to the vast fortunes nobles possessed.
So, their dresses were provided by Hong Bi-Yeon.
Eisel's dress was a blend of sky blue and white, clinging slightly to her body and subtly accentuating her figure. When Flame first saw it, she burst into laughter, calling her a 'queen from the kingdom of winter.' Eisel didn't understand the reference but paid it no mind.
Regardless of Flame's teasing, Eisel genuinely liked the design. It suited her attributes and her hair color perfectly.
And Flame's dress was equally remarkable. With a black base embroidered with golden light, it resembled a starry night sky. It was a piece so exquisite that countless noble ladies would envy it at first glance.
The price was likely unimaginable.
'Why on earth did that bothersome princess give us such expensive dresses…?'
Flame was unable to even fathom the dress's cost and seemed carefree, but Eisel, who could make a rough estimate, felt burdened even moving in it.
"This way, please."
Guided by a knight, they boarded an automatic carriage, finally making their way into the Frost Palace's interior.
Hong Bi-Yeon was likely waiting elsewhere by now. The royal family would already be present in the ballroom, meaning Eisel and Flame would have to enter this unfamiliar place on their own.
… Or so they thought.
"Oh, you're finally here?"
"What? You're here too?"
"Why are you here…?"
As they reached the entrance of the ballroom, they were greeted by the sight of countless nobles stepping out of Adolevit's private carriages and ascending the grand staircase.
As nobles hurried toward the ballroom, a young man - or rather, a boy - waited by one of the pillars along the staircase.
It was Baek Yu-Seol.
Dressed in an expensive tuxedo, he was quite well-groomed. Unlike the other nobles, he wore no accessories, save for his glasses.
Some of the nobles who recognized him glanced his way as they passed toward the ballroom.
'The Honorary Grand Mage, Baek Yu-Seol.'
'The traitor Morph's… child, Eisel.'
Eisel's recent image had shifted considerably. Due to the Azure Spring Moon incident, some had started to view her more positively. Unfortunately, such sentiments were almost nonexistent in Adolevit.
After all, the first princess of Adolevit, Hong Si-Hwa, had been present at the scene of Isaac Morph's betrayal. It was said that she had personally tried to subdue him, resulting in catastrophic casualties.
Many nobles believed that the incident had inflicted great losses upon Adolevit.
In other words, as absurd as it might seem, just as Eisel viewed them as her enemies, the ignorant nobles considered the Morph family their sworn foe.
By bringing a member of the Morph family to Adolevit's ballroom, it was impossible to predict how much this would tarnish Hong Bi-Yeon's reputation.
Baek Yu-Seol, whether he was aware of this or not, greeted them with a bright smile.
"It's a relief that you're here. I was worried you might not come."
"Huh? Why's that?"
"Why, you ask… well…"
Baek Yu-Seol was about to say, 'Because I was scared to attend this ball alone,' but quickly shut his mouth.
His male pride wouldn't allow such a pathetic excuse!
"Hmm. Let's just say I had my reasons."
However, Eisel interpreted his words differently.
Baek Yu-Seol had experienced countless regressions, and he had likely faced this situation numerous times. He knew the future where he attended Adolevit's ball and the future where he didn't. He was aware of them all.
The fact that Baek Yu-Seol said he was relieved they came…
… Meant that something good will happen… not just for the princess, but for her as well. No doubt about it.
Eisel clenched her fist. She was convinced of this.
"Let's go. I'm curious to see how impressive this so-called grand Adolevit ballroom really is."
"I was thinking the same thing."
With a sly grin, Baek Yu-Seol took the lead into the ballroom. A few nobles hesitated and stepped aside, giving way.
This subtle gesture made it evident how much his influence had grown in recent months. However, the two girls following him paid it no mind.
Their thoughts were solely focused on what they should do in the ballroom.
***
Meanwhile, at the back of the ballroom—
A place even nobles couldn't easily access unless they were directly associated with the palace… Hong Bi-Yeon faced an all-too-familiar and unwelcome face.
"Oh my, little sister…"
Hong Si-Hwa Adolevit.
Her expression was so annoying that Hong Bi-Yeon wanted nothing more than to wipe it away. Yet strangely enough…
She wasn't smiling.
"Why…"
"Hm?"
"Why… Do you look like that?"
"What are you talking about? It's been a while since we've seen each other."
No, that wasn't it. Hong Si-Hwa was smiling… on the surface, at least. She was wearing the same sly, fox-like smile as before.
But Hong Bi-Yeon could tell.
That smile wasn't the same as it used to be.
All the countless masks Hong Si-Hwa had worn seemed stripped away, leaving her struggling to maintain a forced facade. It was as though she was acting out a mask she no longer believed in.
"… It's fine. I just wanted to see your face once before the ball began."
Hong Bi-Yeon no longer reacted like a frightened child or with uncontrollable rage when facing Hong Si-Hwa. She had learned that lashing out impulsively would only bring harm to herself.
Of course, even if she acted calmly, Hong Si-Hwa would inevitably add a comment to irritate her.
Something like how she was shameless despite being unworthy of the throne, or whether she still missed her sister.
"Really!? My little sister wanted to see my face? This big sister is sooo delighted!"
Regardless of Hong Si-Hwa's exaggerated reaction, Hong Bi-Yeon ignored her, turned her back, and walked away. Surprisingly, this time, Hong Si-Hwa didn't say anything deliberately hurtful.
Instead, she only muttered a series of foolish comments until the very end, leaving Hong Bi-Yeon bewildered about what she was trying to accomplish.
What is going on?
Once she was out of Hong Si-Hwa's sight, Hong Bi-Yeon cautiously turned around.
But Hong Si-Hwa was already gone, seemingly heading in the opposite direction.
Something's off.
Today, Hong Si-Hwa's demeanor felt strange. Hong Bi-Yeon could sense it, but she was unsure of what to do, leaving her deeply unsettled.
In moments like this, the one person she could turn to for advice…
'… He must have arrived at the ballroom by now.'
She felt relieved that he was here.
Calming her trembling heart, Hong Bi-Yeon made her way to the ballroom.
Today was, in many ways, a day she had high hopes for.