Contrary to expectations, Retina did not achieve much at the banquet. The competing noble ladies were cautious of everyone present, and such rivalry was always the norm, to the extent that some of them even appeared at the banquet with dirty stains on their dresses.

‘Nevertheless, the culprit must be among them.’

Retina, who had closely observed the noble ladies sitting at the same table, turned her stiff neck as she entered an empty corridor. After standing up straight all day, every part of her body was aching.

‘But I wonder if Lena made it back safely.’

She chose a dress that was less torn among the dresses she had brought, but many of the dresses Lena took with her were so damaged that it was difficult to recognize their original form. It was too tight of a schedule to repair the dresses that had taken almost ten days to make.

‘But it can’t be helped until the evening dance.’

She had exhausted herself already, even though the debutante ball had not even started yet. Retina sighed as she walked with her high-heeled shoes clacking. When she returned to her bedroom, Lena was already there.

“Is it done?”

“I did it, Miss!”

As soon as she entered the room, Lena jumped up and opened the bag she had been guarding by her side. The dress spread out on the bed made Retina’s shoulders rise with pride, even though she hadn’t made it herself.

“Uh…”

However, Retina felt more perplexed than pleased when she saw the dress. The dress that Fongérian had altered was so well done that it was hard to believe it had been completed in such a short time. She had only expected the damaged parts to be sewn up, and any visible traces of the needlework to be hidden. The previous design was not even coming to mind. However…

“Is it because of my mood? Why does it look even more torn than when I sent it for alteration?”

Retina tilted her head curiously. The sleeves, which had become see-through because the fabric was so thin, were torn from the shoulders to the wrists, and the round neckline, which used to tightly encircle the neck, was deeply cut in the chest area and raised high towards the neck, forming a diamond shape.

“If you can’t avoid it, enjoy it! That’s what Fongérian said. Instead of sewing up all the torn parts, he suggested making them look cool.”

Lena was impressed by his spirit and explained why it turned out this way. To depict the sadness of the dress, which was torn to pieces, they used finely crushed gem dust as tears, and the tangled embroidery, like vines, represented his desire for revenge. Retina wasn’t particularly interested in knowing more about it.

“Too… extravagant.”

Retina frowned as she looked at the design, which seemed eye-catching no matter where you put it. The dress sparkled like a jewelry store that had spilled its gems across a vast sandy beach.

“It’s pretty to look at, but it feels burdensome to wear. Still, what can I do? I’ve only altered one dress myself, and I’ve entrusted the rest to others, so this is all I have.”

‘Such a conspicuous dress would probably be considered ordinary in the Crystal Gate, don’t you think? Dress designs are fiercely competitive among noble ladies. Of course, there’s no need to worry about Mr. Fongérian ‘s design, but other ladies will go to great lengths to stand out.’

Selecting the young lady who would shine in the social season for the year was important to the Empress, but reputation in society was also crucial. No one could question the selection for the Crystal Gate, and only a perfect young lady could claim the glory. Every young lady was willing to use any means necessary to be as eye-catching as possible, especially at the debutante ball, where they would set foot into society for the first time.

With Lena’s help, Retina put on the dress and stood in front of the mirror. The dazzling evening dress and the elaborate hair decorations were vastly different from her daytime attire. She added the dance card to her wrist, which was adorned with the last pair of gloves, completing all the preparations for the debutante ball. Retina received Lena’s encouragement and headed to the ballroom.

“There seem to be more people than last time.”

As she got closer to the ballroom, she noticed that there were more people around. Despite being familiar with the venue from attending previous royal balls, she couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous. Just before entering the ballroom, noble ladies and Chaperons gathered in various places, waiting in line to hear their names being called.

“Have you arrived now?”

Translators: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only

Behind the ranks, the Duchess waited for Retina, scanning her attire from top to bottom as if assessing her value. Her gaze also confirmed whether her assigned young lady was not lagging behind the others.

“…There was a bit of an incident.”

“Did someone lay hands on your dress?”

Retina looked at the Duchess with surprised eyes as she quickly realized that the Duchess had been informed of what happened in the annex. Was there one of the Duchess’s staff among the maids at the annex?

“It’s a common occurrence. Ripping someone else’s dress, making it dirty, messing with the food, even adding laxatives. Although the inside is rotten, as long as it looks good on the outside, it’s like a good apple, right?”

The Duchess let out a scornful chuckle. Trying to elevate oneself by bringing others down was often the behavior of those who couldn’t reach the top on their own. While it was necessary to correct such foolish thinking that thought undermining others would bring the young lords and ladies into contact with her, the same incidents repeated every year, as they didn’t understand the essence of the matter.

“But you handled it well.”

“During dinner, Lena went back and forth between here and Leblem Street for alterations. If it weren’t for Lena, I would have come wearing a completely ripped dress.”

“Would you like me to find out who did it?”

Retina also tried to catch the culprit, but she didn’t readily agree to the Duchess’s suggestion. Even if it involved people from the palace, if the Duchess stepped in, the matter could be resolved quickly. However, for some reason, Retina couldn’t bring herself to say, “Please find out.” The incident had occurred within the palace itself, and for some reason, her tongue remained tied.

In the meantime, Retina’s name was called, and like when she was announced to the Empress, she walked forward with her hands clasped, her voluminous dress spread out widely as she moved. The debutante ball was like a group seating of prospective brides and their families for the grooms and their families. Among all the people gathered in one place, everyone’s attention was focused on Retina. Some were those who had been keeping an eye on her from the party floor, and others were those who had raised their heads to see the real lady behind the rumors.

Retina discovered her brothers at the front row and smiled brightly. Today’s ball was more important to her than ever before, as she realized that it was not only a significant event for the debutantes but also for everyone in society, including those who had come to see the famous lady.

Below the Emperor and Empress’s dais, a special area was arranged for the debutantes. After all the young ladies had been introduced to society, the Empress delivered her guarantee.

“…As I guarantee, there is no shortage for the young ladies introduced into society. From today, all of you here will be part of society, so please welcome them with joy.”

With a brief speech behind her, the Empress raised her glass. Those who followed the Empress also raised their glasses into the air, marking the start of the debutante ball.

“Now, you’ll have to accept dance requests by my side. Do you have any gentlemen in mind that you’ve promised to dance with?”

In response to the Grand Duchess’s question, Retina nodded. Until the dance music began, the young ladies stayed with their chaperones, receiving introductions. It was a time to introduce themselves to society and write their names on dance cards.

Translators: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only

The more proactive young gentlemen had already been roaming around the ballroom, eager to fill in the names on the dance cards of the young ladies.

“You have about four.”

“Of those, two are probably your brothers.”

The Grand Duchess responded as if she had naturally anticipated this. Retina suppressed her laughter with a smile. She didn’t know how many people would ask her to dance, but for now, filling her dance card was the priority. Plus, she didn’t want her brothers to feel too disheartened if she didn’t dance with them at her debutante ball.

“Who are the other two?”

As the Grand Duchess asked, Retina scanned the room and made eye contact with Norden, who was looking around for her. As soon as she saw him, Norden approached her.

“Would you grant me the honor of dancing with you, Lady Retina?”

He had asked this when he visited the mansion. Retina didn’t have the chance to respond back then, but now he was approaching her.

Since there were not many people to dance with anyway, Retina decided to dance with Norden for her first dance. She pointed at Norden and told the Grand Duchess the names of the remaining two people.

“Prince Norden and…”

Perhaps His Imperial Highness, she was about to say, but as she was about to speak, a shadow suddenly loomed in front of her, and the voice she heard sent a shiver down her spine.

“Lady Cecelia, would you do me the honor of sharing our first dance?”