Chapter 94

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ୨ৎ ໒꒱ ‧₊ ୧‿︵

The ball celebrating Crown Prince Vien’s birthday was every bit as extravagant as you would’ve expected. Everyone couldn’t help but admire how stunning it was. A breathtaking chandelier sparkled from the center of the hall’s ceiling, almost too bright to look at, and right below it was a white marble fountain trimmed with gold.

“Oh my goodness!”

“It’s so beautiful.”

Every time the chandelier’s light hit the white marble fountain, it glimmered as if someone had scattered crushed gemstones across it. A cherubic angel statue at the very top was so beautiful that people couldn’t stop sighing in admiration.

As some guests stood there, mesmerized by the sculpture, one of them leaned over to a friend and whispered.

“…It seems the imperial family really went all out for this ball.”

“Well, it is His Highness the Crown Prince’s birthday celebration, so it’s understandable. After all, he’s the only legitimate heir to the throne of Arbonis.”

“I heard he’ll have a crown princess by next year, so this is probably his last birthday celebration without a partner.”

The crowd, who had been nodding, perked up again at the mention of a partner. Glancing around, people started quietly gossiping about who Vien might end up with.

“It has to be the Grand Duke of Kaisian’s family, right? Lady Perideline just made her debut this year, after all.”

“She’s definitely a strong candidate. The Grand Duchy and the Imperial Family have a close relationship as well.”

“But I’ve heard the Marquis of Aidelis is pushing for his own daughter to be the crown princess. If that’s true, then the marquis’s family might end up tied to the imperial family too, don’t you think?”

“Even so, that seems unlikely. Maybe if it were the young marquis, but as for the marquis’s daughter… people say her mother was a commoner…”

“Shh, quiet!”

The people whispering and spreading rumors abruptly stopped talking when Heron and I stepped into the hall.

At that moment, I was relieved that my father wasn’t with me. Feeling that wave of relief, I glanced at Heron, only to notice that his face had turned absolutely cold and menacing.

…Huh?

His unexpected reaction left me quite bewildered. I couldn’t understand why he was making such a face until it suddenly hit me that they had been talking about my mother.

‘Ah, maybe he didn’t want to hear anything about my mother.’

Of course, from his perspective, the existence of either me or my mother wouldn’t be welcome.

Still, to react like that, even though eight years have passed since my mother’s death… The thought that my mother, who had always been so kind and loving to me than anyone else, might forever remain someone he couldn’t accept made me feel uneasy.

“Young Marquis!”

While I was caught up in my worries, I saw Juan in the distance. It seemed he’d noticed Heron and was making his way toward us. Remembering that Heron didn’t particularly like having me around when he met with the knights, I turned to him and spoke up first.

“Go ahead. I’ll be close by.”

Heron hesitated for a moment at my words, then nodded.

“…I’ll be back soon.”

“Alright.”

Just as he was about to quickly walk away after my reply, he suddenly paused and glanced back at me. When I tilted my head at him with a questioning look, he spoke with a somewhat firm expression.

“Don’t forget that you are also an Aidelis, Ardi Aidelis.”

After saying that, Heron finally walked away.

I narrowed my eyes, watching his figure as he left.

‘Wasn’t that just his way of telling me not to forget I’m an Aidelis because he doesn’t approve of me?’

Heron had always seemed to dislike me, so I just assumed that was why he reminded me of my family name. At the very least, I thought he was telling me to behave in a way that wouldn’t bring shame to that name. However, seeing his favorability increase right then made me wonder if maybe it wasn’t just that.

‘So Heron wasn’t actually upset with me? He didn’t dislike me for being an Aidelis?’

A strange feeling washed over me, leaving my stomach unsettled.

At that moment, I could hear people whispering nearby.

“Is that the daughter of Marquis Aidelis? She really is as beautiful as the rumors say.”

“I heard the marquis dotes on her quite a bit.”

“Well, isn’t it because he’s trying to make her the crown princess?”

“But honestly, I can understand why he’d be so ambitious. The lady truly seems worthy of being called the flower of Arbonis.”

I straightened my posture, pretending not to hear the gossip about me.

Besides, there was nothing I could say to Heron at the moment. Especially since we’d been getting along lately, I didn’t want to mess things up by saying something pointless.

As I quietly tried to organize my thoughts, a sharp woman’s voice reached my ear.

“She’s not the flower of Arbonis, but the flower of Aidelis.”

“Pardon?”