I was the one who got humiliated, but somehow it felt like I’d become the villain of the century. I no longer wanted to stay around them, so I ran a hand through my wet hair and turned my back on them.
Annoying. Would I be dry before Armin arrived? And what was I supposed to do with my hair now?
Frustration flared up in me again. I thought of Armin, who had said he’d match his outfit to mine today. But I couldn’t take my anger out on those girls any longer.
I held it in, taking one step at a time, when someone suddenly ran toward me. It was a familiar face.
“Lady Roha.”
“Ah.”
I didn’t know how much he had seen, but Prince Zeta seemed to have grasped the entire situation. His eyes burned as he stared at the girls after seeing my drenched state.
“How could they do something like this? Don’t you noble ladies know any shame?”
I couldn’t let him throw more fuel on an already finished fire, so I stopped him.
“It’s fine. It’ll dry soon. Please, just go.”
But Prince Zeta was clearly still fuming, glaring at them with an intensity that made the air feel heavy. The ladies likely had never seen him before, given his absence from social gatherings—but with hair as rare as his jet-black, they were probably guessing who he was.
Among the noble ladies who stood silently, unsure what to say, Lady Rose glared at me.
Of course. If she had understood common sense, she wouldn’t have dumped water on me in the first place. The look in her eyes made it clear she still refused to admit she wasn’t in a position to do such a thing to me.
I barely managed to hold Prince Zeta back and turn away. On our way back toward the ballroom, I heard whispers behind us.
“First the young duke, now even the prince? What a cunning little fox.”
There’s no way Prince Zeta didn’t hear that. But I dragged him away again before he could lose his temper once more and pulled him back into the ballroom.
Still, even after returning, I couldn’t find Sasha or Armin. It seemed they were held up with other matters.
It didn’t really matter—they’d come eventually. I had a lot to take care of today anyway. After confirming they hadn’t arrived yet, I headed off to make sure everything I’d set in motion was proceeding as planned.
“Sorry.”
It was a quiet apology from Prince Zeta, who had been standing silently beside me.
“Huh?”
“I feel like you got dragged into all that because of me…”
“Oh.”
He was still hung up on that ‘cunning fox’ remark from earlier. It clearly bothered him more than it should’ve.
To me, it was already over. I’d said my piece, and I was pushing their cruel antics out of my mind. But the kind-hearted prince beside me didn’t seem able to let it go.
I shrugged. I wanted to ease his heart a little.
“It’s fine.”
“There’s no way that’s fine.”
“It really is. I don’t care much about what people like them say.”
Prince Zeta stared at me as if I’d surprised him.
“Those kinds of rumors fade quickly anyway. And once they find something new to chew on, they’ll move on. Giving them attention only makes it last longer.”
“How…”
“Hmm?”
“How can you say that?”
I was in the middle of checking if the peas I’d ordered were being delivered properly, but I turned when I heard his question. He was looking at me with such a serious expression that it made me awkward.
I rubbed the back of my neck, a bit sheepishly. It wasn’t like I’d done anything amazing.
“It’s just… it’s more frustrating, you know? That people like them could mess with my mood.”
“…”
“It’s that kind of thing. Like, it pisses me off more that I let people like them get to me—that sort of pride?”
I’d only ever had conversations like this with Armin or Sasha. Maybe it was because I was standing in front of someone who had lived his whole life as the subject of other people’s gossip, but my meddlesome side kicked in. I couldn’t say it out loud, but I really hoped this kind-hearted prince wouldn’t let himself be swayed too much by such pathetic people. That same meddlesome streak was probably what had caused this mess in the first place.
“Anyway, I’ve got some things I need to take care of. Would it be alright if I stepped away now?”
I had to move quickly to make sure everything proceeded smoothly, so I asked for the prince’s understanding. But he still seemed bothered by the sight of me looking like a drowned rat.
“Don’t you want to change, Lady Roha?”
“Huh? Change clothes?”
“Not just the dress—your hair too… I probably shouldn’t say it, but it’s kind of a mess. What do you think about getting changed before Armin shows up?”
His voice was full of kindness and warmth. He was clearly thinking about how upset Armin might be if he saw me like this.
If even the prince—essentially a stranger—was this angry, Armin would be furious if he saw the aftermath. Probably beyond furious.
And I didn’t want him to find out. Thinking in reverse, if Armin came back looking like he’d been beaten black and blue, I’d probably be swinging a sword in a heartbeat.
I hesitated for a moment and glanced at the clock. I figured I could spare a bit of time.
“But this dress is part of a matching outfit with Armin…”
“It’ll dry in time. Why not just wear something else for a little while? I’ll ask one of the maids to redo your hair. My mother’s handmaid is here today—she can help.”
His gentle insistence made it hard to refuse. And honestly, it would be better to face the next part of my day looking polished instead of like a disaster. In the end, I gave a small nod.
* * *
‘Michelle, I’m sorry.’
I had to apologize to Michelle, who had always been the one to take care of me, countless times in my heart. I had always believed that no one could understand me better than Michelle, who had been with me since I was very young.
A true expert is a true expert for a reason. The maid, who was responsible for the Empress’s dresses and hair, quickly assessed me and began styling my hair. Though she used the same jewel pins, the hairstyle was completely different. It was far more intricate, almost as if I were someone from the royal family rather than just an aristocrat.
“Do you like it, Lady Roha?”
Since I had met this maid before when I visited the Empress’s palace with the old nurse, I eagerly nodded.
“It’s fine if you just did a quick touch-up.”
I was being overly modest. Though I felt bad for Michelle, the expertise I was getting now—hands that money couldn’t buy—made my reflection in the mirror look far better than usual.
And the same went for the dress. While I had liked the one from Madame Dewey, the dress the maid brought was even more remarkable—elegant with a classical beauty.
“I’ll return the dress soon.”
It looked so expensive that I almost felt embarrassed to wear it for too long. The maid smiled and responded.
“This is the dress the Empress wore before giving birth to the prince. It’s no longer in use, so please don’t refuse it. I’m glad it suits you so well.”
“The Empress wore this?”
“Why bring this?”
I felt something was off as I stared at the dress, and the Empress’s maid added an explanation.
“This was the dress that was meant to be awarded to the green-haired lady at tonight’s ball as a prize.”
“I see.” I nodded in understanding.
“However, upon further thought, if your body shape is not similar to the Empress’s, it wouldn’t be useful. So, at the last minute, the prize was changed to a necklace instead.”
“I see.”
“Please don’t worry about it. The fabric tends to leave water stains easily, so the maids have been drying it carefully. But it may not dry in time, so please keep that in mind.”
It seemed like the Empress was particularly kind to me, as the maid was exceptionally friendly. It felt unnecessary for her to go to such lengths, but she did.
“Understood. Thank you.”
“Lady Roha?”
“Yes?”
The maid who had been adjusting my clothes and hair looked at me with a subtle gaze. Not understanding her intent, I responded awkwardly.
“There’s another prize besides the necklace for the green-haired lady. Aren’t you curious?”
“Ah… um.”
I wasn’t curious at all. I wasn’t sure what to say, but the maid smiled widely.
“Oh, right. The Empress asked me to keep it a secret, and I almost let it slip. Forget I said anything.”
“Oh, yes.”
I pretended to feel disappointed for not hearing about it, even though I wasn’t at all interested. The maid seemed to enjoy my reaction, and I could tell she was pleased.
Having expressed my gratitude for her efforts, I left to return to the ballroom.
When I entered the ballroom, I saw that Prince Zeta had also changed into his attire. The dark green uniform he wore appeared to be made from the same fabric as my dress. The color complemented his black hair, and it instantly caught the eye of anyone nearby.
He saw me too. He seemed a bit surprised by the transformation I’d undergone, from looking like a drowned rat to now being elegantly styled.
“Lady Roha.”
“Haha. You even let me borrow a dress. It was fine; the dress would dry quickly.”
“Really…”
“Yes?”
“You look great.”
Before he could finish the sentence, his lips moved, but the compliment was clear.
His praise made me feel a little shy. When Sasha complimented my appearance, it always felt like a half-hearted comment, and I would brush it off. With Armin, I’d simply say he was seeing things, but hearing this from someone entirely unrelated made me feel flustered for the first time.
“Hehe… Thank you.”
I managed to thank him and then moved off to check on the peas. I had to stay focused on the task until the ball officially began.
