CH 72

Rose stopped walking and turned her head towards that specific pair of eyes.

But all she saw were the eyes of those who eagerly awaited the opportunity to strike up a conversation.

"Is something wrong, Rose?"

The moment Rose broke her stride, Wells' face stiffened.

His eyes followed the direction she had just scanned, scaring those who unintentionally made eye contact with him into fleeing.

"It's nothing. Let's go up quickly."

Rose took Wells' arm, but even as he was dragged away, he couldn't turn his gaze away.

As she climbed the stairs, Rose noticed that Wells' nerves were agitated due to her unexpected stop.

I came here to enjoy the banquet.

Yet, even as he sat in a private seating area set aside on the second floor, Wells didn't lower his vigilance.

"Brother, why are you on the lookout? Elliot is not here."

"He left for the Marquise of Rosenberg, but Ilya Titonsser might still be lurking in the capital."

"Huh? But this is the Imperial Palace! Every Imperial Knight knows the face of Ilya Titonsser. Even if she entered the Imperial Palace with the strange power she's received, there won't be anything she can do here where the knights are encamped."

Rose calmed Wells by soothingly comforting him.

With her pleasant voice in his ear, the tension in his face slowly dissipated.

"...Alright, right now, it's important to have fun with you."

"That's right. Brother, have you tried this?"

To change the subject, Rose offered Wells some refreshments from a nearby small tea table.

"Try these too, sister. Everything prepared in the Imperial Palace tastes good."

Fortunately, Wells followed along with the change of topic.

While they were chatting, someone approached them from behind.

He was quite a brave fellow who, among those who had not come close due to the energy of Wells, dared not intervene.

Wells was the first to spot the approaching spectators.

His eyes spotted a woman approaching with graceful steps, dragging the hem of her dress.

She smiled and greeted them once she knew she'd gained their attention.

"Long time no see, Duke Honeywell."

Wells seemed to know her too, and she accepted the greeting.

"Yes, it has been some time since we last met, Countess West---ah! Your niece has reached the age of majority this year, yes?"

It was Wells who personally compiled the list of those who had reached the age of majority.

He remembered that among the number of people, which seemed to be quite a lot, there was one with the last name West.

The Countess of West lent Nina her last name and listed her as her niece.

The Countess was surprised that Wells could remember such a detail.

"You know?"

"Because I made the list."

"Oh ho ho, that's right. My niece has come of age, and she wanted to attend the celebration party hosted by the Imperial Palace."

"Right. Then, please, have a good time with your niece."

Wells turned his attention back to his sister, hinting at Countess West to leave.

As she was quite famous in the society of noble ladies, it was easy to understand what Wells meant.

No, I don't have to be quick-witted to know that Duke Wells doesn't seem to want to continue the conversation. 

But Countess West didn't leave.

"My niece has been busy talking to her newly acquainted friends downstairs. However, I am worried that a child who has yet to have her debut as an adult..."

She sighed and leaned her cheek comfortably into the palm of her hand, as if complaining.

Wells didn't respond, but the Countess continued as if it didn't matter.

Her gaze centered on Rose, who was sitting close to Wells, knowing that she was an easier target when compared to her older brother.

"Lady Honeywell made her debut early, yes? Alas, my Nina doesn't have a young girl she knows in her age group. I heard that Lady Titonsser, who was sponsored by the Honeywell family, made a rather grave mistake and ran away to escape the consequences? Our Nina wouldn't be like that---!"

When the baron's daughter's name was voiced out directly from Countess West's mouth, Wells finally hit the table with his fist in agitation.

The nobles, who had been subtly spying on their conversation, immediately dared not breathe too loudly.

It was said that Wells Honeywell was cynical, but no one had ever seen or heard of him slamming a table in the face of the other party and interrupting a conversation like he was now.

Countess West, who was well aware of the reason, opened her eyes wide in surprise, her mouth firmly shut.

Wells faced the woman with a deadly stare, and it was revealed through his pupils that he was trying his hardest to hold back his anger.

"My apologies, Countess. As you can see, after quite a long time, I have finally gotten the chance to enjoy some time together with my sister outside our home. I wonder if you can go and keep your niece company and let us enjoy our time."

"Oh my, that's right. I have interrupted... Haa, because that child... the Imperial Palace is the first place... Well, I'll back off. Have a great time together, Duke and Lady Honeywell."

The Countess West quickly adjusted her temperament to the situation at hand and smiled gracefully.

Rose accidentally met the eyes of Countess West when she said her goodbyes to her and barely caught the look in her eye.

It was for a very fleeting moment, but she was taken aback by the look hidden behind the Countess' smile.

Rose watched as the Countess stepped back and lifted the hem of her dress with the same graceful gait she had when she had previously approached.

Rose thought as she watched the back of Countess West as she went downstairs.

Was Countess West the kind of person who looked at others in a negative way? I don't know why, but the look in her eyes held that of someone sizing up their opponent.

She looked at Wells again, trying to lighten up her brother's mood. She changed the topic to something livelier, but Wells' nerves were rustling again.

The sound of approaching footsteps did not help the situation. Rose turned towards the sound and watched as an Imperial Knight drew closer.

He hesitated for a moment under Wells's sharp glare, but soon straightened his posture and walked closer.

"Duke Honeywell, His Majesty is calling."

"For me alone?"

"No, he has summoned you to bring Lady Honeywell with you."

Both of their complexions brightened a little bit.

They now have a valid reason to abandon the banquet and those who lurked around waiting for an opportunity to butter them up for benefits.

For Rose, originally, it was a natural reaction because she felt deeply uncomfortable surrounded by strangers, but for Wells, who had been trained as a noble duke in the eyes of others, the toll of the past events was weighing down on him, so he reacted the same way as Rose.

"Let's go, Rose."

"Yes."

Rose grabbed Wells' hand and pulled herself up.

A knight took the lead to guide the two as they left the banquet hall in full swing under the gaze of the surrounding noblemen until the door closed, completely hiding their appearance.

It was only when the door closed completely behind her that Rose could breathe a sigh of relief.

If it wasn't for my older brother, I might have gone crazy in the midst of those hungry eyes.

Perhaps one of the reasons they were staring at me so persistently was the work of Ilya Titonsser.

Ilya debuted in the social world with the support of the Honeywell family, one of the only dukes in the empire, and then she dared to harm Honeywell's Rose instead of repaying their grace.

They want to be the first to snare a bite of the juicy gossip from an insider's point of view.

However, since Wells and Rose, who could not tell the truth and had no intention of telling it, kept their mouths shut and acted as if nothing had happened, the nobles must have been more curious and anxious.

As the two followed the knight down the aisle, she felt something dangling from the back of her dress.

"Huh?"

When she turned her head and looked behind her, she caught a glimpse of the ribbon tied around her waist that had come undone.

Rose was taken aback.

I can't see His Majesty in such sloppy clothes!

Rose gently tugged on Wells' sleeve and whispered so that only he could hear her.

"Brother! Brother!"

"Yes?"

"I think I need to stop by the break room for a while."

"Break room? Why? We need to see His Majesty."

"That is... This..."

Rose pointed her finger subtly at her waist.

Wells glanced behind Rose to check the condition of the ribbon on her dress.

"I won't be able to see His Majesty in this state. His Majesty's place isn't too far, so let's stop for a bit and then go."

Wells called the knight who was walking ahead and stopped him.

He ordered the Imperial Knight to lead the way to the break room first, saying that he would stop and tidy up his clothes before meeting Russell.

The knight obediently obeyed the order given by the Duke of Honeywell.

They weren't all too far from their destination. Thus, it was only a short stroll before they arrived.

"Would you like me to come in quickly to tie it for you?"

"No. There's got to be maids waiting inside. I can ask them for help."

Wells' gaze fell on the sign on the door to the break room. The room was divided into women-only and men-only areas.

No matter how difficult it was for Wells to step into the women's lounge, he wanted to go in to make sure his sister would be safe, but at her request, he readily accepted Rose's refusal.

"I'll wait here. Call me if something happens inside."

"I'll be out soon."

The knight and Wells took their places in front of the break room as the door closed behind Rose's back.

The break room was quite spacious, and after closing the door, Rose looked around to find the lady-in-waiting.

"Excuse me, is there anyone here who could assist me?"

On days when there was a banquet in the Imperial Palace, maids and attendants tended to wait in the lounges for the convenience of the nobles who used them.

Rose, who was thinking of asking the waiting staff to help re-tie the ribbon, tilted her head at the lack of presence.

"Where have they gone? Is it time for them to change their shifts? Or did they go to the bathroom?"

If there was someone using the break room, she would have asked that person, but Rose was alone in the break room.

Rose scratched her cheek lightly.

"It looks like no one is there. Should I ask my brother?"

Rose looked around the break room once again to make sure no one was there and turned around. She was thinking of calling Wells, who was waiting in the hallway.

One step. 

Two steps.

As the young lady drew closer and closer to the break room door, a voice came from behind Rose.

"May I help you?"

When she suddenly heard a voice in the break room, where she thought no one would be, she was startled to the point where her knees gave way and she slumped onto the floor, unable to scream.

Rose wrapped her hand above her beating heart, looking back with heavy breathing.

The first thing that caught her eye was the hem of a fancy dress.

Probably the wearer was one of the main characters of today's coming-of-age party.

Rose slowly raised her head.

After passing by the flashy dress, the next thing that caught Rose's eye was the red hair and the green eyes that watched her from under it.

It's an unpleasant color that reminds me of a drawing of a swamp I saw in a book.

"Are you okay?"

The red-haired woman took a step closer to Rose and held out her hand.

Rose thought of the rudeness committed during this first meeting of theirs, grabbed the hand that was out to her, and stood up.

"Oh, thank you..."

The woman laughed.

"No need. You must have been very surprised because of me. I fell asleep inside, but I heard someone coming in later."

The woman's finger pointed somewhere behind her in a general direction.

There was a partition erected in the pointed corner, and it was also the direction Rose hadn't checked when she entered the break room.

Rose calmed herself down by gently pressing the area around her chest to still her beating heart.

"I see, I thought there was no one..."

"That's alright. By the way, did you come to tie the ribbon on your waist?"

The woman's gaze slipped to Rose's dress with the ribbon untied. Rose gripped the long ribbon string.

"Yes. It was too much for me to tie by myself, so I tried to get some help from a lady-in-waiting."

"The ladies-in-waiting were away for a while. If it's okay, can I help you?"

Rose hesitated while fiddling with the ribbon string before she slowly nodded.

"Then please, I'll have to trouble you."

"I don't know if I can tie it well, but I'll try my best."

Rose stood with her back to the woman.

Before the woman's hand could catch the ribbon straps on her dress, Rose suddenly turned around again.

"Excuse me. Have we ever met somewhere...?"