To be honest, I was never the type to enjoy social events, so once everything had gone according to plan, I wanted to quietly slip away.
But today was a very important day—the day Armin and I were going to go public with our relationship.
Still, there’s an order to how things should be done. No matter how I felt, we couldn’t just announce it out of the blue. Today’s real star was Prince Zeta, after all. I had planned to reveal our relationship only after the Green Lady Contest results were announced and Prince Zeta had his dance with the winner.
That really was the plan.
“The winner of the Green Lady Contest will be announced personally by Her Majesty the Empress!”
After my own speech, I was too caught up chatting with Armin to pay attention to much else. I was excited, eager for time to fly. I couldn’t even remember what the other young ladies had presented on stage.
Eventually, all the performances ended, leaving only the announcement of the contest’s ridiculously named winner—the Green Lady.
Amidst the crowded room, Armin discreetly took my hand. Surprised, I glanced at him, but he was innocently watching the stage as if nothing had happened.
Thanks to the tightly packed crowd, no one else noticed we were holding hands. Maybe this was the charm of a secret romance—my face flushed pink at the thought.
“First, I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to all the lovely young ladies who graced this royal ball,” said the Empress. She looked far lighter than she had at the start of the event, like someone ten years younger. She slowly scanned the crowd, as though searching for someone.
“Armin, who do you think will be the Green Lady?”
“Hmm… Honestly, I can’t think of anyone who suits the color green better than you.”
His flirty remarks had become a daily routine since we started dating, but I was immune now—I didn’t even blink.
Ignoring the cheesy comment, I shared my honest guess.
“I think Lady Rose might win… or maybe the one who did the painting.”
We were quietly whispering like that when suddenly, the Empress’s eyes met mine.
Eyes say a lot more than words sometimes. And the moment we locked eyes, I realized something wasn’t going according to plan.
“I’m sure many of you will agree with me. The young ladies all showed amazing talents, but for me, there is only one winner. Vivian Roha. Please come up to the stage.”
Was there another girl named Vivian here? I was too stunned to even imagine that she meant me.
I glanced around—but everyone’s eyes were on me.
Just then, the crowd parted like the Red Sea, forming a path straight to the stage where the Empress stood.
Startled, I let go of Armin’s hand. I looked up at him, dazed. The warm smile he wore moments ago was gone, replaced by a hard, unreadable expression.
“Vivian Roha. Come to the stage.”
It’s bad manners to ruin someone else’s big moment. Being the center of gossip is far more tiring and annoying than people think.
So I tugged on Armin’s sleeve and shook my head—don’t do anything.
Then I slowly made my way to the stage. I’d mocked the whole Green Lady thing as if it were some kind of beauty pageant for regional agricultural products, but I never imagined I’d actually win it.
The Empress smiled radiantly as she placed a sparkling necklace around my neck.
Leaning in so no one else could hear, I whispered,
“Why did you choose me?”
“Oh my, I thought you’d be happy.”
Could she really mean that? It was impossible to tell what this woman was thinking. I looked away, avoiding Armin’s burning gaze from below the stage.
The Empress held my hand—now adorned with a heavy necklace—and smiled radiantly. Applause rang out around us. In the distance, I spotted Lady Rose biting her lip, glaring daggers in my direction.
If I could, I would’ve gladly handed this title to Lady Rose. I didn’t want this necklace, so heavy it felt like a burden rather than an honor.
Amid the noisy celebration, the Empress’s grip on my hand tightened. Still smiling, she spoke softly so only I could hear.
“Young Lady, I like you. You know what that means, don’t you?”
Anyone who didn’t would’ve had to sell their intuition at a discount. I answered honestly.
“I’m sorry, but I’m already spoken for.”
“Armin Grey? You mean my darling nephew?”
“Yes. That very same darling nephew and I are already…”
The Empress turned her face toward me.
“The best things in this world belong to the royal family. A retainer has no right to reach for them first, don’t you agree?”
Her expression was still the picture of elegance, but the way her smile didn’t falter in the slightest sent a chill down my spine.
She spoke just loud enough that no one else could hear, as if my response didn’t matter in the slightest. Then she turned her head away and raised her hand.
At her signal, the musicians lined up on either side of the hall began to play a dance tune.
The Empress smiled sweetly again.
“One day, you’ll thank me for this.”
Thank her for what, exactly?
As the music began, the crowd once again parted like the Red Sea. I stood there, stunned, unsure of what I was supposed to do next—when someone stepped up beside the Empress.
I recognized him instantly. That gentle face framed by dark hair—Prince Zeta.
“Young Lady, your hand.”
His face wore the same kind smile it always did, but today it seemed a little flushed, as if he were excited.
Everyone was looking at us. But the only person I could see was Armin, his expression rigid.
To think I was now the partner for the prince’s first dance as an adult at the royal ball. People would be gossiping about this for months.
But what could I do? It wasn’t like I could flip the entire event on its head. I had no intention of taking it out on the innocent prince.
So I looked away from Armin and placed my hand in the prince’s.
The walk to the center of the hall felt like a thousand miles. Once we stood in position, the music shifted to a 3/4 time waltz.
Others began to pair up and join the dance, spinning gracefully around us. But I noticed Sasha and Armin remained apart from the crowd, still watching me.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
I stepped on the prince’s foot several times, unable to focus on the dance. I was never great at dancing to begin with, and my thoughts kept drifting to Armin.
“There’s no need for you to be sorry,” Prince Zeta said gently, as if he were the one at fault. He was clearly trying not to make me feel bad, but I could tell my discomfort was written all over my face.
“And thank you.”
“…Pardon?”
“For today.”
His hand on my shoulder tensed slightly. Maybe he didn’t even realize how tightly he was holding me, because as soon as I winced, he quickly loosened his grip.
“When you said you were going to bring the pea plant, I had no idea what you meant. I didn’t expect it to be something related to me.”
“Ah. Nobody knew, really. Even Sasha didn’t.”
“Sasha?”
“Oh—my twin brother, Alessandro Roha. We call him Sasha for short.”
“I see.”
The look in the prince’s eyes was so sweet, it felt like honey might start dripping from them. That was way too affectionate for someone just looking at a benefactor, wasn’t it?
Well, at least no one could criticize him for his birth anymore. With his handsome face and status, all that was left for him was to meet a good woman and live a good life. And for me, I could finally return to the peaceful life of a wallflower. After this entanglement with the royal family, I figured that even a future duchess might be allowed the privilege of fading into the background.
“You probably wanted your first dance to be with Armin. What a shame.”
“Shall we switch now, then?”
“I’m afraid we can’t do that.”
Maybe I’d reacted a little too brightly to his offhand, polite comment. The prince’s face looked slightly stiffer now.
I just wanted the dance to end already. I was set on dancing the next round with Armin—no matter what.
Already, I could feel the eyes of numerous young ladies itching to pounce on the prince. As soon as the music stopped, I planned to leave him to their mercy and return to Armin.
The song was nearing its end. As I kept glancing toward Armin, the prince spoke again.
“Lady Roha.”
“Yes?”
“Would you be my partner for the next song, too?”
“…Sorry?”
His unexpected request caught me off guard, and I had to tear my gaze away from Armin.
“That might be difficult. There are already so many ladies eyeing you like hawks, hoping to be your next partner.”
But Prince Zeta just smiled, saying nothing to acknowledge my polite refusal.
Even as the current song was ending, he didn’t let go of my hand. I had no choice but to be direct.
“Your Highness.”
“Lady Roha.”
“I’m sorry, but I’ve already promised the next dance to Armin.”
“Today is my first royal ball as an adult. Couldn’t you grant me this small request?”
Ugh. Why do these two—aunt and nephew—take turns putting me in impossible positions?
I smiled again, gently repeating my refusal with firmer words.
“You danced the first song with me, so now you should share the honor with the other ladies who are hoping for a turn.”
“If the first dance was the prize from the competition, the second one is my way of showing gratitude. Please—don’t refuse.”
Right then, the music ended. I couldn’t possibly dance a second time with the prince.
So I let my actions speak for me. As I started to gently pull my hand from his grip, Prince Zeta stepped back on his own and bowed politely.
