I don’t think I’d like having my conversations recorded like that, Westalia thought.
The man was listening intently to the emperor’s words, and his pen glided smoothly and quickly across the paper. Even if she didn’t like it, she would have her own chronicler when she became empress. Westalia turned her attention away from the man.
After that, both Westalia and Elizabeth made their rounds to greet the nobles. Elizabeth was already well-known in Archaitian high society, so she was happily making small talk with the aristocrats. Westalia, on the other hand, was greeting people with considerable caution.
After greeting a few different aristocrats, Westalia picked up a drink from the buffet table and decided to take a short rest in a corner of the hall.
“You must be thirsty as well, right? Better get something to drink while you can,” Westalia said to Paige, passing her a glass.
“Thank you. But I haven’t been talking this whole time like you have,” Paige replied. While Paige had just been following Westalia around as her knight, Westalia had spent considerable time talking to a large number of people. Her throat was parched.
“There are so many people here, there’s no end to the greetings,” Paige said.
“There are hundreds of people. Still, it’s an opportunity for people to remember my face, so I have to do my best,” Westalia replied.
“Yes, I suppose that’s true.” Paige was intermittently drinking from her glass with graceful gestures as they talked, and the gazes of the women in the vicinity were drawn to her. Paige always caught people’s eyes wherever she went.
Westalia raised her eyebrows at Paige. It seemed like the other woman was stealing the spotlight. “They’re going to know your face better than they know mine,” Westalia said.
Suddenly there was a crash. Paige had dropped the glass she was holding. It was unusual for her to be so careless, and she looked furious. Paige’s brow was deeply furrowed, and Westalia could literally hear the woman’s teeth grinding. The murderous, ire-filled rage emanating from her was palpable. It was rare for Paige, who was usually so aloof, to show such negative emotions so nakedly. It wasn’t just rare, it might actually be the first time Westalia had seen her like this.
What on earth has made her so angry? Westalia wondered. Nervously, she followed Paige’s gaze, only to land on a beautiful, bespectacled man with green hair who was speaking to Elizabeth.
“I’ve finally found him...” Paige put a hand on her sword as her muttered words made their way to Westalia’s ears. Westalia felt a disturbing change in the atmosphere, as if Paige were about to attack the man outright, and she gulped.
“Paige, you’re not about to do something...strange, are you?” Westalia asked.
Paige was silent. Westalia’s words were completely lost on her.
“W-Wait a minute!” Westalia reached out to grab Paige’s arm, but the woman had already stepped forward, and Westalia’s hand missed its mark. Paige drew the sword slightly, and its blade glinted in the light. Suddenly a hand that didn’t belong to Westalia grabbed Paige’s arm from above and restrained it.
“Now isn’t the time to cut that man down. But your opportunity will surely come. So for now, calm down.” It was Crown Prince Leonardo who stopped Paige from losing herself in her anger.
Paige glared at the green-haired man and muttered, “Tiberio Reyn...”
That was the name of Elizabeth’s father, the duke. Paige exhaled slowly and let her sword slide the short distance back into its sheath. Her agitation didn’t seem to subside though, and her clenched fists were shaking.
That’s Tiberio Reyn, head of the infamous Reyn family. Westalia had never seen him before. He looked so young that she’d sooner believe he was Elizabeth’s older brother than her father. The Reyns, a ducal family, were ostensibly prosperous aristocrats, but some people whispered that they were corrupt and willing to do anything for power and money. This was the man that held the reins of that family.
Tiberio, however, appeared much kinder than the rumors would suggest thanks to his brilliant smile. Despite his good-natured appearance, the Reyn patriarch was hell-bent on amassing power by any means necessary. In fact, he’d long been suppressing those he saw as a potential threat, earning him the ire of many.
He reminded Westalia a lot of her former nemesis, Lily. She always wore a lovely smile and pretended to be innocent and pure, but in reality she was an intensely ambitious woman who had been vigilantly seeking the position of the next queen in order to satisfy her own greed.
Just then, Tiberio, as if sensing Paige’s murderous intent, slowly turned his head toward them. His eyes widened as he caught sight of Paige. He looked slightly puzzled but immediately masked it with a cool smile. However, there was a hint of menace mixed in with the smile, which sent a shiver down Westalia’s spine.
Clearly, Tiberio recognizes Paige too, Westalia thought. Westalia turned her attention away from Tiberio and looked over to Leonardo to thank him for stopping Paige. If he hadn’t shown up, Paige might have actually stabbed the man.
“Paige, do you know His Grace?” Westalia asked.
“Yes, I do. He’s my enemy.”
“Your enemy...” Westalia said. Paige’s circumstances were unusual. She’d once been held as a slave in the basement of a gladiatorial arena in the Kingdom of Slidd. She’d been forced to fight as a combatant and had boasted an undefeated record. Paige had told Westalia that she’d been the daughter of a nobleman before she became a slave, and that she had fallen into slavery after her family’s downfall, but Westalia hadn’t heard any further details beyond that.
While the servants were cleaning up the broken glass, Paige took another glass of wine and drank it down in a single gulp.
Paige and Tiberio... What happened in their past? Westalia wondered. Paige usually didn’t like to talk about herself much. Westalia was pretty secretive herself, and, not wishing to divulge her own secrets, she hadn’t pried into the woman’s past. Paige told them the man was an enemy of hers and wouldn’t say anything further.
At that moment, the orchestra began to play. A slow waltz echoed through the hall. It was customary for the star of a party to begin the dancing in the center of the room. And at this party, the two candidates for empress were the stars of the show.
As soon as the music started playing, Elizabeth began to dance with Tiberio. As one would expect from a duke and his daughter, their dancing was exemplary, and they were greeted with cheers and applause. Tiberio was beaming with joy, but for someone who always looked so confident, Elizabeth seemed unusually sullen. Was she not enjoying dancing with him?
“Why don’t you try to be a little more sociable? A smile is important for an empress,” Tiberio said.
“I-I’m sorry, father,” Elizabeth replied. She fixed a smile on her face. Westalia saw the change in her expression, even though she hadn’t heard their exchange. Leonardo extended a hand to Westalia as she watched the pair execute their dance perfectly.
“You won’t lose to that, will you?” Leonardo asked.
“Of course not,” Westalia replied. She smiled boldly at Leonardo as she took his hand. With graceful steps timed perfectly with the music, Westalia and Leonardo also moved closer to the center of the hall.
The combination of one of the candidates for empress and the crown prince caused people to whisper and speculate.
“Is Lady Westalia the crown prince’s favorite?”
“He’s usually so expressionless, but the way he looks at her is so gentle. I think she will be the next empress.”
“It doesn’t matter how much His Highness has his eyes on her. In the final selection, the one who collects more artificial flowers wins. So it’s obvious that she will have to give in to the power of the Reyn family.”
Westalia concentrated on her dance as she felt everyone’s judging eyes on her. As Leonardo led her through the dance she made the occasional spin, the hem of her dress fluttering as she turned. Westalia’s ears picked up on the exclamatory gasps of admiration from the other partygoers. She’d been confined to a royal villa in the Kingdom of Lhumzia and subjected to a strict education. The former queen had been harassing her, but it was during this time that her dancing skills had been honed and polished.
Leonardo, too, had good technique, but he also had core and muscle strength, so he could keep up with Westalia even when she executed difficult steps and support her even in poses that seemed impossible.
“You’re a good dancer,” Westalia said.
“Well, I am a crown prince, after all,” Leonardo replied.
Westalia and Leonardo danced in perfect harmony, performing one difficult move after another. The audience was completely enthralled and applauded especially loudly. It was a much better response than Elizabeth had received.
“Why is it your rival is dancing with the crown prince and not you? Besides, her dance seems to be better received. Perhaps you’re out of practice?” Tiberio asked his daughter.
“Y-Yes, it’s rather painful to see...” Elizabeth replied.
Under the cover of the growing crowd of dancers, Tiberio stepped on his daughter’s foot to reprimand her, causing her to wince in pain, but no one noticed. Tiberio felt they were now at a disadvantage, seeing as it was Westalia dancing with Leonardo and not his daughter.