Atha was now in a state of extreme confusion.
Was this man giving her valuable advice for life in the imperial palace?
Or was he criticizing her with veiled and high-level sarcasm?
What is clear is that the look of contempt she felt, which amounted to insolence, has lessened in intensity, but what is the reason?
'Did I look pathetic when I pretended to be sad?'
It was a logical guess.
In novels filled with clichés, those with large bodies and sharp features often weaken in the face of pathetic scenes.
Moreover, what if the other party is oblivious, innocent, and yet quickly and intelligently learns everything they are taught?
She thought this was the right opportunity to win Gerold, Alisto's confidant, to her side.
Even if he's not close to Alisto, it's all the same.
Although the original novel did not focus on palace conflicts, in novels set within the imperial palace, building friendly relationships with those with power, whether power or wealth, will be beneficial in various ways.
Since she became the heroine, she wished she was smart and cunning to control those around her, but...
She was well aware of her own abilities.
Since she cannot be described as intelligent even as a compliment, it would have been better for her to act kindly and innocently, bordering on stupidity, to arouse the protective instinct in others.
'...Oh?
This is a really great idea?'
It seemed like it would work for Alisto, who only shows his warm side to his woman, and acting carelessly and simply will make her next life more comfortable.
'Should I try pretending not to notice his veiled sarcasm?'
Although it hurts her heart to admit this, pretending not to hear or understand the abuse is something she has practiced a lot of, so it wouldn't be too difficult.
Atha decided on the approach she would follow in her life and future situations, then she moved her lips cautiously.
“Um, so...”
“Yes, feel free to speak.”
“Thank you...?”
The moment Atha offered her thanks, Gerold closed his eyes tightly.
'Holy shit, damn it'
An insult almost came out of his mouth.
This level is not considered kindness, but rather it can be called stupidity.
“What are you thanking me for?”
Gerold asked in a sharp tone, as he could not suppress the anger that surged within him, but Atha was still looking at him with her innocent eyes.
“You told me to take advantage of His Highness the Crown Prince.
I will make good use of him in the future.”
While she was saying that, her eyes were shining with a sparkle of pride, as if she had learned something new in this opportunity.
Her way of speaking seemed to be very sober... to the point that anyone who saw her without knowing her would think that she was very intelligent.
'I'm going crazy'
At the same time, he began to feel why his brother called her the girl of his dreams.
She didn't hold any grudge against him.
While talking, he felt that she was speaking exactly what she felt without any calculations.
She was a type of human that could not be found or dealt with in the Imperial Palace.
Miss Atha looked extremely pure and transparent.
In his heedlessness, Gerold forgot the past in which Atha did not like him, and began to worry about the future that this woman would face in the palace.
He remained silent, feeling confused, while Atha smiled inwardly as she noticed the sharp look in Gerold's eyes receding.
Honestly, in this world, if she won the future Tyrant Crown Prince Alisto and his operations leader Gerold to her side, she would have nothing to fear.
She felt strong, as if she could expel the Angel of Death himself if he came, so a look of pride that she could not hide appeared on Atha's face.
'I will be able to live in complete comfort'
Of course, Gerold felt a little upset seeing her proud face...
Their conversation ended there.
After that, they arrived at the ballroom, and although Gerold was accompanying Atha, they did not speak as if they had agreed to that.
***
The imperial ball season ran every year from spring until the beginning of summer.
During this period, countless nobles and influential artists scattered throughout the empire gather in the capital.
They would attend parties to build a network, and search for a marriage partner for themselves or their children.
Cedric also attended the party with the same goals as the rest of the gentlemen.
Expanding his relationships and searching for a beautiful bride.
Although the image of the delicate Miss Atha still loomed before his eyes, he could not remain immersed in thoughts of the Crown Prince's fiancée forever.
“After several days had passed, that cat started bringing her kittens one by one.
Can you believe that?”
Cedric was not at all interested in the story of the little cats that settled in the garden of the lady standing in front of him, but he just smiled and nodded.
“She must have been nice.”
“Of course.
Have you ever seen a cat the size of a palm?
If you visit the palace, I will show you it.”
Cedric let her chattering voice pass through his ears as he looked at her hair.
The only thing this young lady had in common with Miss Atha was the color of her hair, and even that was very dark and rough to the touch.
“Well, I'll pay you a visit one day.
Ah, excuse me for a moment.
Steward!”
As soon as he spotted his assistant Steward, he pretended that an urgent matter had arisen and quickly withdrew.
Steward smiled broadly as he saw his boss approaching him.
“I've heard that the capital's parties are great, but I never imagined they were at this level.
Right?
Plus, everyone is acting so friendly towards Your Eminence.”
Cedric nodded coldly.
“Have we met everyone we need to meet today?”
Steward's eyes widened in surprise.
“Eh, are you leaving already?
You said you were going to expand your relationships and gather information today, didn’t you also say you were going to look for the girl of your dreams?”
“It looks like she's not there today, I'll be back tomorrow.”
"Okay, as you wish then.
I'll sort out the people you greeted today, and the ones who turn out to be the Crown Prince's men, you know?
The ones who have rooms in the Blossom Mansion.
I'm thinking of sending salt and a chanterelle to all of them tomorrow, what do you think?"
He was expecting a response that would say, 'Do whatever you want,' and yet Steward waited for the answer.
‘…?’
Although he waited for a long time, the response did not come, so Steward stopped walking and turned to check on Cedric.
“Your Honor?”
It wasn't there.
'Oh my God, where did he go all of a sudden?'
While the Steward turned back to look for him, Cedric was standing nearby looking in amazement at one point.
He found Atha.
It is not known how she alone stood out from this large crowd, as if she was radiating light.
He followed her movements with his eyes, and soon realized that the person who should be next to her was not there.
'Where is the Crown Prince?'
Cedric furrowed his eyebrows.
How could he leave his girlfriend alone at a dance party...
He felt a vague tightness rising in his chest, making his heart tremble.
Cedric was a leader who led a territory and a family.
He was a person who preferred reason over emotion, but when he saw Miss Atha, his feelings were strangely disturbed.
To the point where he started to feel weird about himself.
'Is it normal for my heart to shake like this just seeing Miss Atha?'
Of course, even though he felt strange, he couldn't stop thinking.
The bright smile of that radiant woman over there seemed sad to him, which made his heart ache.
He knew it didn't concern him, but these thoughts were constantly coming to his mind.
Will the Crown Prince be able to give Miss Atha enough love while performing all these burdensome tasks?
Without feeling lonely?
‘…If that were the case, he wouldn’t have sent her to the Spring Ball alone.’
He started walking towards her, keeping his gaze fixed on her.
***
Atha entered the dance hall and could not stop admiring what she saw.
The hall was wider and more luxurious than I imagined.
The huge chandeliers hanging from the ceiling as if they were floating in the air, the carved columns that looked as if they belonged to a temple in heaven, the ceiling paintings, the dense, multi-layered curtains, and the flowers that gave the place life...all of that was a majestic sight.
As Atha went upstairs and paused for a long time at the flower arrangements in the large vases—
Gerold was silently guarding behind her, but he had been feeling annoying glances for a while, which made his nerves tense.
Gerold watched the man on the second floor balcony, then summoned one of the owls who were walking around as servants to serve champagne.
He asked him in a voice too low for Atha to hear: “That blond man on the second floor balcony right now.”
The Owl also lowered his voice in line with it: “If you mean the one with the gold tie and white striped suit, then it is the knight Cédric d’Albert.
It seems that he spoke with some gentlemen and ladies, but there was nothing particularly noteworthy.
May I inquire about the people he spoke to?”
"No, there's no need for that.
Who do you see fit to watch over him?"
“It will be Curtis, or Heyworld, or Hauser.
To open a route for navigation in the South Sea, it is best to employ merchants.”
The owl mentioned three names, but the options were limited.
It is certain that Heyworld and Hauser did not attend the party.
“Make Curtis watch him.”
“I will let him know.”