CH 27

The Engagement Ceremony

Eden, who she hasn’t seen for a long time, looked more vibrant. Rubinia was also more enchanting than anyone else in the ballroom. With a pink sapphire necklace shone vividly around her neck, she showed a sense of a majestic bearing akin to a queen.

“It’s a beautiful night, ladies and gentlemen.”

Eden raised his glass. He looked around with a charming smile.

“But of course nothing is more beautiful tonight as the goddess who is standing next to me, so please excuse me for that.”

The crowd responded with a pleasant laugh.

“I would like to introduce my beautiful fiancée, Rubinia Cassner, who I have sworn engagement to under the name of Holy God.”

Rubinia took a step forward. Her steps seemed so mesmerizing like a lovely little fairy.

“I’m Rubinia Casner, and I promise to do all my might in assisting the Crown Prince, so please kindly guide me to be the suitable partner for him.”

Finally, the two who were officially engaged turned to face each other and raised their glasses. At the moment when everyone was toasting to congratulate the newly engaged lover, Kyrie felt Rubinia’s gaze directed at her. It wasn’t just a feeling. Her pair of green eyes were bluntly mocking her.

As everyone lowered the glass, a small cherry-like lips mouthed the words silently.

‘I won.’

And, then it was time that everyone had been waiting. Rubinia Cassner approached Kyrie with a queenlike step. Everyone present split a part seemingly creating paths for her.

“Oh my God.”

Rubinia’s voice floated like a rhyme in a coquettish manner.

“Here you are, Lady Buchanan!”

The rather high-pitched cry caught everyone’s attention without any difficulty. Even if it wasn’t because of her voice, she was a woman who knew how to attract public attention.

“Congratulations on your engagement, Princess Cassner.”

“Thank you. I knew you’d congratulate me!”

Rubinia smiled.

“Eden went ahead to talk to the heads of the Seven Families.”

“Why don’t you come to accompany me?”

Laura, who stood next to Kyrie, muttered sharply. She sounded very nervous.

“I would love to, but I’m afraid that I lack the grace to stand next to the Crown Prince.”

“Hmm? What does it matter?”

“Well, Lady Kyrie from Buchanan house is from a very prestigious family, so I came here with the purpose to learn from the best!”

Rubinia said those words without a shredded hint of mockery, nor with shred of ridicule on her face. There was only gentleness with an unknown hint of victory laid quietly deep beneath her gaze.

Because of that everyone became hesitant to speculate since even though the words rang with mockeries, the natural virtuous paired with an innocent face made its sounds genuine instead.

Only Laura and Kyrie, who had seen her face, stiffened their faces. Kyrie stopped Laura from trying to answer back.

“Your highness didn’t have to come here intentionally to say that, I have nothing to respond. Since your highness is already are better than I. ”

At Kyrie’s answer, Rubinia laughed and replied.

“What are you talking about!  Miss Kyrie has been Eden’s fiancée for a long time!  Of course, I can’t even get to your toes!”

“Lady Cassner!”

Laura exclaimed in an angry voice. But Rubinia wasn’t afraid of her. It was useless now since Rubinia was the most influential figure in the current social circle.

No one could ignore the position of being crown princess, and certainly she stood out to the point that it was possible to do so. With that knowledge Laura couldn’t make a big deal while grinding her teeth angrily.

“You’d better keep your conduct orderly. It is considered as an unsightly conduct to bring that topic up like that.”

“Oh my God, I sincerely apologized. What should I do? I was born from a different lineage to the honourable seven families. I have to devote myself diligently to become the Crown Princess.”

“Of course. Since tonight is an honourable celebration, so there shouldn’t be any disgrace thrown upon the Crown Prince.”

“I do agree with you, Miss FortDucane!”

Rubinia smiled and gave Kyrie a stare.

“It turns out the honourable young Lady Buchanan wasn’t faithful to her engagement because she had another man… I don’t think it is appropriate for rumours like that to appear!”

The crowd exclaimed sharply. The rumours that Kyrie Buchanan took a young handsome man on a trip to the Capital shortly after her break up to the crown prince has already been widely circulated.

Kyrie looked flabbergasted.

She had expected her involvement with Nathaniel to spread. It was done in the first place, thinking that it was not even worth mentioning.

Rubinia blinked with an angelic expression.

“Isn’t that right, Lady Buchanan?”

Everyone was holding their breath as if waiting eagerly for the moment of truth about all the circulating rumours regarding Kyrie Buchanan’s very first “stain” to be confirmed.

Kyrie calmly received the heated stares. Knowing that Rubinia Casner seemed to hell-bent on putting her perfectly in her place tonight.

‘What the hell does she want.’ 

No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t seem to figure it out, and it even seemed ridiculously unfair. But it doesn’t mean that she could rebuke Rubinia, the main star of the ball, at this royal engagement ball.

‘The more agitated I am, the more she’d love it.’

In the end, Kyrie had no other choice but to pretend oblivious to Rubinia’s provocation.

“I do think the same too, Lady Cassner.”

Rubinia smiled brightly. She approached Kyrie as if she had been given permission.

“Right? I thought you’d certainly sympathize. I don’t think I can forgive such shameless conduct.”

“Of course. “

“It’s very promiscuous, it’s unfathomable, it’s a betrayal of human trust.”

“……” 

Kyrie’s purple eyes and Rubinia’s green eyes collided in the air.  Kyrie smiled coldly.

“That rang absolutely true. As well as the conduct of enticing someone else’s fiancée, spreading unfounded rumours… There are so many things in the world that you couldn’t really fathom, Lady Cassner?”

Rubinia’s white cheeks blushed paired with a wide smile. It was as if she was happy with Kyrie’s challenge.

“Indeed!  But please think about it in this manner? If there was a very beautiful treasure that had an unseemly object next to it, wouldn’t anyone want to have that beautiful treasure?”

“Oh, but I thought a little differently. Normally, an honourable person wouldn’t even attempt to claim things that don’t belong to them.”

“When one was so incapable. It was one’s own fault.”

“That is usually the common sense applied to a typical outlaw.”

Rubinia stuck out her tongue.

“Oh really? Well, snitch or whatever! Did you have fun in Elsus, Lady Buchanan?”

Rubinia seemed to purposely aimed to spread that Kyrie was the one, somehow had an affair with another man, other than Eden.

‘I’m really at a disadvantage unless I could somehow put out Nathaniel.’

If it was any other person, she can do whatever she likes. But what if Kyrie talks about the fact that the rumoured Nathaniel is not really a commoner, but in fact a being from the legend?

It was certain that there would be several concerns for a being who was forcibly put into slumber had suddenly awakened, it would bring about chaos to the people.

‘It may not help, but at least it won’t bring harm.’

When Kyrie didn’t utter an answer, Rubinia became more aggressive.

“What about the ocean’s air? Isn’t it pleasantly stimulating? Elsus has always been famous for its resorts. There are also a good deal of magnificent romantic sceneries suitable for lovers.”

“It’s also happened to be my home-town.”

“It’s simply marvellous. I’m afraid I have to find a chance to visit your home-town with Eden.”

“That’s indeed an excellent idea.”

“Yes, unless you had something to hide, then it shouldn’t be a problem to go back.”

“You’re absolutely correct. There’s no way it was necessarily only couples who would go to visit their home-towns together.”

Rubinia burst into laughter.

“But it is a common practice to know, it is inappropriate for a young unmarried lady to ride on a carriage for days with an unfamiliar gentleman.”

“Hey, I do happen to know one person who did that.”

After speaking, Kyrie glanced at Rubinia.

‘Do you?’

However, tonight Rubinia seemed to feel like a winner since no other external encouragement worked for her.

“Oh, that’s right. What happened to him? Did you finally realize your silliness, or was there more of a blessing in disguise?”

Rubinia seemed to want to make sure everybody is aware of the fact that she could somehow have victoriously taken away the prestigious young lady of Buchanan house’s fiancée.

Kyrie fell into a more inherent question.

‘What on earth had happened between us? What made her behave so hostile?’

Recollections of Rubinia Cassner in the past, nor Rubinia to Kyrie, who she had met for the first time.

Kyrie was involved with an aristocratic faction led by Maria while Rubinia is part of Princess Julia’s faction, however there had been no particular contact between the two of them. Even back in the early days of when Rubinia was getting close to Eden, Kyrie did not seem to have any unpleasant encounter with Rubinia.

When Kyrie stopped replying to her vicious intention, Rubinia thought she had accomplished her purpose.

Since it wouldn’t be wise for her to offend Maria, who was on the other hand, the next successor of Old Ciudad dukedom and no matter how certain Rubinia will become the future Crown Princess, she couldn’t carelessly touch Kyrie. Since Kyrie was part of the future Duchess faction.

Rubinia blushed slightly when she finally realized her unseemly slip of the tongue conduct.

“Oh well, It would be such a waste if everyone didn’t have an opportunity to witness your lovely figure. Tonight’s ball invited a lot of excellent gentlemen, so please do kindly grace them with your lovely looks.”

Rubinia then continued said in a purposely uncertain manner, that could mean to be mocking or showing sincerity.

“The esteemed Patriotic Lord is also here tonight to celebrate my, Rubinia and Prince Eden’s engagement. “

When the topic of the Patriotic Lord was brought out, a new wave of excitement spread among the ball’s attendees.

He was the only one in this empire who didn’t have to honor the emperor with his bow, so everyone was eager to catch a glimpse of him.

“I see. And of course, even if he decided to not dance with anyone, no one would be able to say otherwise.”

“That’s correct.”

Rubinia smiled brightly.

Kyrie suddenly realized that as long as she didn’t dance with her father, Rubinia would continue to display her arrogant and disrespectful attitude.

‘Rubinia doesn’t seem to be a person who would risk her life, disrespectfully towards other nobles. Rather……. I feel that she loved to flaunt the status of her fiancée instead.’ (T/N: rather we could say the way Eden spoils her makes her do this)

Once Eden had uttered, “If you prevent me from marrying Rubinia, I will abandon Orwenbridge name.”

Kyrie still remembered how Rubinia’s eyes chillingly narrowed when he declared those words.

It was more difficult to deal with Rubinia. Unlike faceless enemies, who only wander around without confidence, Rubinia bluntly faced Kyrie head on while saying, ‘I had acknowledged you as an opponent.’

Because of this, Kyrie only responded indifferently.

Rubinia regretted the lack of response from Kyrie, who should be more openly expressing her resentment, but she stepped back, as if she thought she should be satisfied with just this much for tonight.

But it was then.

“Lady Buchanan? You should know that she actually, in fact is very talented in seducing men.”

The man’s voice rang loudly breaking the tense atmosphere.

It was Gladios Vermont.

T/N rant: Ah shit….here we go again