Asha checked the event schedule to avoid running into the nobles.
Their attitudes had completely changed after the incident at the Duke of Lilac’s estate.
Before they just ignored Asha, who was of a minority ethnicity, but now they seemed to like her and were even doing things they had never done before.
They showered her relentlessly with gifts and waited for her in every alley to strike up a conversation.
This made Asha uncomfortable, so she decided to visit the rose garden she hadn’t come to for a long time, which was like the Emperor’s sanctuary since no one could enter without his permission.
For a slightly different reason, Asha knew why Karaf had come here to hide when he was young.
Being alone among the fragrant flowers made her feel at ease and seemed to breathe a little.
She remembered the scent of the flower she had smelled on Dart and tried to find it in the garden.
It was a fragrance that she had never smelled before, and it was unfortunate that only she could smell it.
However, she couldn’t ask him because he might not know that he was the second flower, so she lowered her head and smelled the flowers by herself.
But even in the garden where countless kinds of flowers were collected, she couldn’t find a scent similar to his.
It was really weird.
After surveying the vast garden, Asha sat down on a long wooden chair, feeling a bit tired, and she checked her remaining schedule.
After the ceremony at the temple, there would be a banquet held in the palace.
If she successfully finished the dance, many nobles would probably approach her to request a dance or strike up a conversation.
Despite her expectations of an exhausting day, Asha tried to regain her composure.
Asha is tasked with putting a golden branch to the side flower that would adorn Karaf in the ballroom.
As the side flower is the person who was destined to help the Rose Emperor in various ways, Asha had to be careful in selecting the right candidate.
This was particularly important as the chosen noble would wield significant power, making Asha even more careful in her selection.
As Asha finished reviewing some documents, someone called her name.
“…… Lady Vanessa.”
Asha looked up and saw Nia standing at the entrance to the rose garden, looking a bit hesitant.
“Lady Nia.”
When Asha greeted her with a bit of relief, Nia cautiously asked.
“Would it be okay if I stayed with you for a while?”
“Lady Nia needs a place to hide too?”
Asha smiled and asked jokingly, but Nia answered seriously.
“Actually, I needed a safe place where I could talk to you alone, Lady Vanessa. I saw you come here, so I waited without permission. I’m sorry.”
Sensing the seriousness in Nia’s tone, Asha’s expression changed.
“What’s the matter?”
Nia approached her.
“I wanted to offer some advice on choosing the side flower. I thought it might be helpful.”
Her words were very meaningful.
“I hope you understand that I have no intention of manipulating you or forcing you to make any flower arrangements to my liking, Lady Vanessa. Based on what I’ve learned from my father and my own observations in social gatherings, I’ve compiled a list of flowers you should get closer to and ones that you should avoid at all costs.”
Nia carefully took out a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to Asha.
Asha’s eyes widened as she unfolded the paper.
Asha was surprised as she unfolded the paper, seeing an extensive amount of information about nobles, including friendly, hostile, and even opportunistic ones.
Asha realized that what was written on the paper was very honest and realistic.
The information on the paper closely matched her own experiences and feelings, and it openly expressed Count Delphinium’s blind desire for honor and power, as well as that he was an enemy.
In addition, unexpected information about people that Asha couldn’t understand was also available.
Some people pretended to be friendly on the surface but were hostile and opportunistic behind the scenes, which made Asha feel a little scared.
Nia said seriously.
“If Lady Vanessa wants to know more about any nobles, I can gather information. As long as I attend social gatherings and casually observe them, I can find out almost any top information. I’ve told them that I became your lady-in-waiting on my father’s orders to spy on you, so I don’t think anyone will be suspicious. Rather, some may even ask me how to gain Lady Vanessa’s favor in exchange for power for their family.”
“Lady Nia, please let me know if you encounter such people. I want to be able to distinguish them at the party.”
Asha smiled at Nia and whispered.
“Please tell them that I’m very interested in boring history books. I have insomnia, so I would appreciate it if they gave me books as a gift.”
Nia smiled back and replied.
“I will.”
While giving books as gifts may be common, if someone gave a book that is rarely considered a gift, it would be easy to distinguish them from others.
Moreover, from the gift giver’s perspective, it would be a sarcastic way to say ‘study history a bit,’ so it would be easy to avoid any young women who wanted to gift such books.
These people are like bats, going back and forth to places where they can gain some benefit. If you keep them close to you, they might become the most troublesome enemy to deal with later on.
Asha looked at Nia.
“Thank you for giving me such valuable information.”
“Not at all. I just want to help Lady Vanessa in any way I can.”
Nia replied politely, bowing her head.
As Asha looked at the list, she discovered that most of the noble families called the five petals of the empire were hostile towards Karaf.
It was something she had expected, but she couldn’t hide her bitter feeling.
Karaf was truly alone.
But then Asha suddenly discovered someone belonging to the category of “people whose true thoughts are unknown” and her gaze fell on Nia.
“Lady Nia, is there any other information you know about Duke Sihan Blossom besides what is written here?”
“Ah… actually, it was difficult to obtain information about him. He’s so mysterious and good at hiding things. He’s also thorough enough that if you forcefully try to dig up information, you’ll be caught right away and face reprisals.”
Asha nodded in agreement.
Sihan Blossom always gave off a friendly impression with his constant smile and kind demeanor, but no one truly knew what he was thinking.
Moreover, as a duke, he held a position of power that made it difficult for other nobles to approach him easily.
“Then, what’s your personal opinion?”
“Are you asking about getting close to him?”
“Yes.”
Nia took a moment to think before responding.
“This is my very personal opinion, I think it would be better not to get too close to Duke Sihan. He’s someone who can easily manipulate and get rid of people. I feel like he is someone who can easily cut off anyone who’s near him.”
“Is that so…?”
“Yes. There are countless rumors about him, but none of them have been confirmed. When I look at him, I get the feeling that he is a bit sinister. I think it would be safer and more reliable to deal with people who show their true intentions openly.”
Asha nodded, feeling that she needed to find out who Sihan Blossom truly was.
If he posed a threat to Karaf, he could potentially be the most dangerous person.
She returned to the Empress’ Palace feeling exhausted and went straight to the bathroom.
However, as soon as she opened the door, she was surprised to find Nek striking a seductive pose in the bathtub.
Asha’s eyes went wide and she slammed the door shut.
“…….”
After a moment of silence, Asha cautiously asked from behind the door.
“Are you protesting against me right now….?”
“Nek wants to see his master.”
Asha closed her eyes as Nek spoke in the third person, sounding like a grumbling child.
“Nek, would you like to transform into a dagger for a moment?”
Nek obediently transformed into a dagger without knowing why, and Asha picked him up from the bathtub.
She then strode towards the window and tossed him out, prompting a loud scream from Nek that echoed through the night sky.
“Ah……!”
“Your house is the outdoor bath, not my bathroom! Wait there quietly until your master comes. Before I tell your master everything you’ve done!”
Asha shouted down before slamming the window shut.
* * * * *
As the Month of Blossoms event approached, everyone was busy with preparations.
Asha got dressed and headed to the temple to perform her dance as Vanessa.
Her dress this time was a striking red one, intentionally designed with layered lace to resemble rose petals, befitting for the event.
Although Ella had promised to present Vanessa with an extraordinary dress this time as well, the dress seemed more ordinary compared to the previous one.
Duchess René Lilac didn’t like being in the same space as the commoners, so she missed Asha’s dance at the last flower banquet.
However, she had heard enough about Asha to the point where her ears ached, but in reality, she had only seen Asha hunting monsters with a bow at her tea party.
She said, covering her mouth with a fan.
“Everybody seems to be making a lot of fuss. If you’re a noble, dancing should be a basic skill that everyone can do.”
The other noble ladies did not agree with her words, but they played along without offending her.
But deep down, the Duchess wanted to see Vanessa dance from the best seat.
Nia was among them like a spy, carefully listening to their conversations and gathering information to report back to Asha.
Asha climbed onto the altar prepared for worship with Karaf and bowed her head with her hands together in prayer.
The sun had already set in the sky, and the royal orchestra was preparing to play as Asha stepped barefoot onto the marble stage.
The stage was so clean and transparent that even a grain of dust couldn’t be found on the floor.
Even the way she took off her shoes under the stage was so graceful that Karaf couldn’t take his eyes off her.
Once on stage, she nodded slightly and elegantly stretched out her long, delicate arms as she assumed her dancing position.
Karaf was so impressed that he almost clapped involuntarily, but he managed to restrain himself, knowing that it would look impulsive and disrupt the dance.
The music started to play.
