Chapter 49

Astelle waited eagerly for today to get permission from Kaizen.
It was the first time in her life that she has waited so eagerly for a ball.

When she lived as crown princess in the capital, balls were just a cumbersome event.

The Marquis shared breakfast with her and reassured her because she was still nervous.

“Don’t worry too much. There’s no reason for the emperor not to allow it.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

‘There is no reason for Kaizen to refuse.’

Only Astelle herself was needed for the will.

There was no reason for him to insist on taking Theor to the capital.

“If he refuses, I will try asking him myself.”

Even her grandfather said he’d come forward and ask, so he would surely listen.

Astelle entrusted the vial she carried in her arms to her grandfather.

She cannot be with Theor this evening.

She won’t even have time to give him the potion.

“Please, take care of Theor.”

“Sure. Don’t worry and go ahead.”

By the time it was afternoon, Astelle became very busy.

She has made tons of preparations for the ball since early in the morning.

When she lived as a crown princess, she usually took care of her skin and hair. She had all the dresses, shoes, gloves, and handkerchiefs that she could easily wear at any time.

But for the past six years, Astelle has lived a life that is inferior to that of a maid.

Taking care of her skin and hair was unthinkable.

As a result, her skin was a little rough and her hair was as stiff as dry grass. Her nails were also cut short.

“Just wash my hair with lotion, put on some simple makeup, and apply a little bit of rouge.”

At Astelle’s words, the maids’ eyes widened.

“Lady, you can’t go to the ball if you’re not wearing makeup properly.”

The Empire had strict and complicated rules for social events such as prom and tea parties.

The woman attending the prom had to put on make-up and lift her hair so that she could look splendid.

Astelle didn’t want to dance anyway, and she didn’t want to hang out with the people there, so she did not need to dress up perfectly enough to be admired.

‘It may seem strange to others, but it’s okay.’

She turned to the maids and asked again.

“Then just make sure I don’t attract too much attention.”

However, it was more difficult than she thought.

Buttermilk was applied to her limbs all day until sunset, and a thick cream was applied to her face to brighten the skin.

“Lady, this will help repair your hair.”

In order to revive her hair which became stiff, the maid brought an unidentified mixture of egg yolks.

She washed her hair with it and applied a balm.

The maids admired Astelle.

“Oh my God, your skin is really smooth.”

“Your hair is also silky.”

Before putting on a dress, Astelle sat in front of the dressing table and applied her makeup.

She chose a lavender silk dress as her evening gown to wear to the ball. It was one of the dresses that Kaizen sent as a gift. The dress was a light purple that was as soft and elegant as lilac petals.

The skirt, flowing gracefully, was embroidered with small pale pink flowers at the bottom. The light pink flowers on the pale purple fabric looked subdued and elegant.

‘It’s been a long time since I’ve worn an evening gown.’

Her hair was lifted loosely behind the crown of her head, decorated with a lily hairpin made of pearls, gold, and silver.

She wore a pearl necklace with a small amethyst around her neck, and finally, the last touch was earrings with roses and diamonds.

In the mirror, there was a lady with her blonde hair loosely curled up.

Theor went into the room and was amazed at Astelle.

“Beautiful. You look like a princess, Aunt!”

Theor regained his energy in a matter of days.

In order not to leave any after-effects of his shock, Hannah continued to bring him delicious snacks, and the Marquis played with him all day.

Under the care of the two of them, Theor was more energetic than before.

“I’ll be back. Listen to grandfather and go to bed early .”

“Yes!”

After stroking Theor’s hair, Astelle set off for the ball.

***

The ball was held in the banquet hall in the main palace of the castle.

An attendant came to the annex to escort Astelle.

Under the guidance of the attendant, Astelle went to the banquet hall which was at the center of the castle. It was quite the long way from the west annex; where Astelle was staying, to the banquet.

After walking for a while, they arrived at a large hall. Before entering, bright lights and soft music could be heard through the marble door.

‘Am I too late?’

It seemed that all the guests had already arrived.

Astelle went inside quickly.

The attendant announced her arrival.

“Lady Astelle has arrived.”

The banquet hall here was as large as the one in the imperial palace. There were many people present.

As Astelle entered, the large banquet hall suddenly became silent.

People looked at her in unison with surprise and curiosity.

As Astelle walked inside she could hear people gossiping.

“That person is……”

“Apparently, she is the former Empress……”

In an instant, Astelle became the center of attention. It was like being the host of a birthday or engagement party.

‘It’s been a long time since I’ve received the attention of so many people.’

She left the capital as soon as she got divorced and hid in the countryside. Because of this, she never caught people’s eyes in the past six years, and then she appeared and joined the emperor’s tour.

‘Well, it deserves to be a topic of discussion.’

People’s eyes were on her, but Astelle didn’t really care.

‘What does it matter?’

I’ll leave soon anyway, and I’ll never see them again in my lifetime.

Astelle passed the center of the venue and walked to the window, receiving a lot of attention.

Curious eyes followed one after another, but since there was no one she knew, no one spoke to her first.

‘It is better not to talk to anyone. I didn’t come here to dance or make friends in the first place.’

Astelle spotted Kaizen’s place. She looked around, but Kaizen was nowhere to be seen.

‘Where are you?’

She felt anxious.

She used this opportunity to meet Kaizen and try to get his permission in front of a lot of people. If Kaizen does not show up, all of this would be meaningless.

Astelle looked around some more but there was no one to ask.

Upon closer inspection, she could see a few people she knew.

On the other side of the hall, Vellian was surrounded by several nobles. Seeing that, she wondered if Kaizen had not come.

If Kaizen had come, the nobles would have been trying to say hello to him.

Seeing that everyone is attached to the emperor’s aide, Vellian, she wondered if Kaizen was not present.

As Astelle was thinking about it, someone next to her called her.

“Are you Princess Reston?”

When she turned around, a chubby middle-aged woman greeted her with a kind smile.

“I am. That’s right, but who……?”

“It is an honor to meet you. I am Mrs. Schumann, who lives nearby.”

The introduction of Mrs. Schumann suggested that she was the wife of a knight who lived in the area.

Among the nobles, there were people who had the title of Count or Baron, but most of them were the lowest class nobles that only held the title of knighthood.

“In the past, when I went to the capital at the invitation of a relative, I met the princess’ mother.”

“My mother?”

Astelle had never seen her mother.

Astelle’s mother, Jecklin, gave birth to her and died a few days later.

Mrs. Schumann said as if recalling her happy past.

“What a beautiful and kind person she was. Princess looks a lot like her mother.”

“Thank you.”

She didn’t expect to meet someone who knew her mother in a place like this. Astelle was a little surprised, but she was delighted.

Mrs. Schumann was recounting her memories of meeting Astelle’s mother when she was called by the other ladies and went to join them.

Astelle moved to the window.

Where the hell is Kaizen?

‘Will you come before the ball is over?’

“I……”

But she suddenly was approached by someone.

“Excuse me, are you Lady Astelle?”

“Who are you?”

He was a young man with light silver hair and light blue eyes. He appeared to be in his mid – 20s, he had a white and neat face and a good-looking impression.

He politely bowed his back.

“This is Seibel von Ecklen, the commander of the Lanberg Knights. It is an honor to meet you, Lady.”

Astelle was a little surprised to hear the identity of the man.

“You are the knight commander.”