“It’s His Highness Prince Arcrayne. He really did come,” murmured Sirius.
Estelle already knew the identity of all three. Though she had never spoken to any of these people directly, she had seen them from afar several times when she had attended events hosted by the royal family.
The members of the trio were the sponsor of the ball: Claus Rogell; Prince Arcrayne; and the prime candidate—or so everyone said—for the position of Arcrayne’s princess consort, Olivia Rainsworth.
If Claus’s blue eyes were like ice, Arcrayne’s were like gentle sunlight in spring, a perfect match for his handsome face. Vivid blue eyes like sapphire of the highest grade were common among royals. This color symbolized royalty, hence the name “royal blue.” In Rosalia, only royals could wear clothes and jewelry of this special color.
Olivia Rainsworth was here in the capacity of Prince Arcrayne’s partner. She was the youngest daughter of Marquess Rainsworth, who supported Arcrayne’s faction together with Marquess Rogell. Her coral hair and blue eyes gave off an impression of frail beauty.
Seeing the two’s faces and their mana, the thought passed through Estelle’s head: I wonder if Lady Olivia’s love is unrequited.
Arcrayne directed a gentle smile at Olivia as they had their pleasant conversation, but his mana was dark. In contrast, Olivia’s was shimmering. It was rumored their marriage was set in stone, but perhaps Arcrayne was an unwilling participant.
As Estelle contemplated such things, her eyes met those of Claus, who stood beside the two. He whispered something in Arcrayne’s ear, holding Estelle’s gaze. Then, the two parted with Olivia and proceeded to walk toward Estelle.
The sight of the two men walking together—one blond, one with silver hair, and each endowed with a different type of handsomeness—left a strong impression on her.
“Lord Flozeth, thank you for coming to our ball tonight,” spoke Claus once the two were in front of Estelle and Sirius.
“The pleasure is mine. Thank you kindly for inviting us.”
At Sirius’s nervous reply, Claus smiled coldly.
“I am glad you could come before the roses wilted.”
“Before the roses wilt” was a Rosalian expression; it meant “before it’s too late.”
Estelle could sense ill will in both Claus’s expression and his mana. Sirius’s eyes widened slightly for a moment before he put his sociable smile back on.
“Your words are music to my ears,” he replied. “I hope we are able to aid the roses in their glory.”
Seeing Sirius’s brazen attitude, Estelle felt she’d gotten a peek of a side she’d never known her ill-mannered brother had.
The reply must not have pleased Claus; his mana grew dark. Arcrayne’s, on the other hand, turned radiant. It appeared Sirius had managed to arouse the prince’s interest.
“Lord Sirius, it has been quite a long time since we last talked like this.”
“Your Highness, the young sun of Rosalia—it is very kind of you to speak to me.”
Sirius bowed as low as he could, while Estelle curtsied.
High society had an unspoken rule that one was not to speak to a superior without being spoken to first. That Arcrayne had addressed Sirius was equivalent to personally giving him permission to be here. Estelle felt the mana in her surroundings soften just a little, making the atmosphere slightly more bearable.
“Would this young lady happen to be your sister?”
“Yes. She is my younger sister, Estelle.”
“Allow me to extend my greetings, Your Highness, the young sun of Rosalia,” Estelle intoned. “My name is Estelle Flozeth.”
Once Estelle had formally introduced herself, she felt the mana of some people around her cloud over—primarily of the young women. Perhaps they didn’t take kindly to a newcomer speaking to the prince.
“Lady Estelle, the last time I spoke to you must have been when you were a debutante.”
Upon reaching the age of maturity—eighteen—daughters of sufficiently high-ranking families would debut to high society at a ball held at court. They were first presented to the sovereign, then to the rest of the royal family. It was not unusual that Arcrayne had spoken to her there.
“You remember me? It is an honor, Your Highness.”
To ensure she didn’t cause offense, Estelle pretended she was beyond herself with joy.
“Lady Estelle, it pains me to say my first dance is already spoken for. But would you give me the honor of dancing with you on my second one?”
No, reflexively thought Estelle. But she couldn’t turn down a royal’s request.
“Thank you for inviting me, Your Highness. I would be happy to oblige,” she replied, taking care not to let the look of utter joy disappear from her face.
Estelle heard people around her speaking in undertones.
“Oh my! Is that not the lady whose fiancé was stolen by the daughter of that upstart Baron Pautrier?”
“Her family was sitting on the fence until now, was it not?”
“Pautrier supports the second prince—perhaps that explains why they’ve come here.”
“I heard it wasn’t Lady Diana who stole her fiancé, but rather Lady Flozeth, trying to come between the two who were already in love...”
“Why, is that true? I wonder which rumor ought to be believed...”
Noblewomen excelled at gossiping in voices just loud enough that one could barely hear them. Thoughtlessly calling them out on it would result in being told, “How immodest of you to listen in!” A catty bunch indeed.
At any rate, Estelle thought, I know rumors get embellished as they spread, but to think some of them are even putting the blame on me...
“It’s not as though you did anything wrong,” muttered Sirius with indignation.
“Looks like scandals leave a stain regardless of who was in the wrong,” replied Estelle with a humorless smile.
The loss of her fiancé had brought down Estelle’s value. She’d had a hunch that that would be the case, but actually hearing what people said about her in high society still upset her. Even if Diana had suffered reputation losses as well, Estelle was sure she was hurt by it more.
“I cannot abide this. What say you I go on a rampage and ruin this ball?”
“Oh, please, it would be our family ruined next.”
Estelle was happy to have a brother who could sympathize with her and share her anger.
“Don’t worry! Your brother will find you a husband.”
“I’m counting on you, brother.”
“If there’s no suitable bachelor around, you may stay in Flozeth forever.”
“Now that sounds like you’re giving up before you’ve even begun!”
As Estelle pouted up at Sirius, the orchestra started playing music. The ball-opening piece was a quadrille, to which only the four highest-ranking pairs could dance. The first pair to begin dancing at the center of the ballroom were the two highest-ranked guests—Arcrayne and Olivia. Then Claus and his mother, widow of the previous Marquess Rogell, joined in. Finally, the last two pairs started dancing—both with leading figures of the first prince’s faction.
Once this came to an end, Estelle would have to dance with Arcrayne. Perhaps the prince was simply being considerate to them as first-time visitors, but she was so nervous she had butterflies in her stomach.
“Try not to step on His Highness’s feet.”
You say that like it has nothing to do with you, thought Estelle, glaring at her brother.