Crown Prince Theobald sat in his office, reviewing papers. The papers were for the distribution of the magic crystals, starting with the nobility of the empire.
Seventy percent of the empire’s magic crystals were distributed by the imperial family. The remaining thirty percent was imported from abroad or, in rare cases, from the provinces.
As he calmly flipped through the papers and checked them, a courtier came to him. The chamberlain, who had heard what the courtier had said, approached Theobald.
“Your Majesty, Countess Pinatelli has requested your presence.”
At the chamberlain’s words, Theobald put down the papers he was reviewing.
“Charlotte has come to see me?”
“Yes. She says she’s in the first parlor right now.”
“I see.”
Theobald’s voice rose slightly as he replied, already knowing the reason for her visit.
“You know when to push and now you’re trying to pull.”
He was furious with Charlotte. How dare she weigh himself, the crown prince, against Heinrich and Alfonso.
It was so bad that he had suggested that her best friend, Monaca Ro Arias, be his partner for the ceremony, and he could only laugh when he realized that she must have heard the news and came to him.
“Hmm, so what has she been up to, capturing and harassing courtiers, or training the maidservants to be a dog?”
His tone was vaguely affectionate, but his eyes were cold. The chamberlain inclined his head gently as he answered, his eyes glowing so darkly that it was impossible to tell if he really loved Charlotte.
“That is, there is already a guest in the first parlor, and… they said she came here with someone.”
A deep frown creased Theobald’s brow at the words that went against his plan, but his eyes widened at the name of the man who was not at all what he expected.
“The Emperor is said to be in private meeting with the Duke of Montefeltra, and his prospective wife, the Lady Lila El Este, is waiting in the parlor.”
“Lila El Este?”
Theobald could easily picture the ugly young lady, well known in social circles. They had even jokingly mocked her for being more famous than the crown prince, so it was hard not to remember.
“Ah, so it’s Lucas’s coming of age.”
I had heard the rumors, but I didn’t know if Lucas had actually proposed to the ugly girl.
“Pfft, I guess I’ll get to see the ugly couple today. How long has it been since I’ve seen Lucas? About ten years?”
Theobald smiled pleasantly at the thought of the ugly couple he was about to meet.
“I wonder if he still has his snaggleteeth. I should have gotten those out long ago.”
Theobald chuckled wryly at the memory of Lucas, thin and ugly, covered in freckles as if he’d been sprinkled evenly with dirt. He was intrigued by the prospect of a new addition to his dull social circle.
***
The atmosphere at the ceremony was not much different from last year’s, but this year it was noisy for a different reason.
The nobles gathered in the banquet hall earlier than last year. The reason is that there was a rumor that the Duke of Montefeltra would attend the coming of age ceremony.
The rumor was credible because it came from nobleman who had attended the academy with him.
“He’s coming today, isn’t he?”
“You mean the Duke of Montefeltra?”
“Yes, I heard about it from my nephew, but is he really coming?”
“Of course he’ll come, isn’t there a law that all the nobles of the empire must attend the coming-of-age ceremony?”
“Of course… I’m sure His Highness the Crown Prince will be gracious for once.”
“Are you sure His Highness the Crown Prince has issued a ban on him? It’s not a rumor?”
“It is true, my lord. My brother saw it with his own eyes and told me.”
“Well, well.”
Male nobles gathered among male nobles and female nobles gathered together to talk about Lucas.
“Oh, by the way, have you heard the rumors?”
“What? What rumor?”
“The rumor that the ugly young lady has been sold to the Duke of Montefeltra!”
“Well, I heard that, so that means they’re going to be an ugly couple?”
“Oh, ho ho ho.”
Laughter erupted among the noblewomen and young noblemen at the sassy remark from the young lady who hadn’t yet come of age.
“I’m really looking forward to this year’s coming-of-age ceremony.”
“But there’s a part of me that wonders if the ugly young lady will spoil the mood like last year. Even if she’s the same ugly, she’s in a different class. The Duke of Montefeltra, how upset would he be if his wife-to-be spoiled the mood.”
Verbally, they sounded worried, but they all saw the look in each other’s eyes. They were hoping he would dare to ruin their coming-of-age ceremony again.
In an empire with plenty of nobles who were always bored, for all their search for romance, for all their search for love, there was nothing more entertaining than gossip.
“But I must have come too early. Why haven’t they come yet?”
“Oh, look!”
One of the young ladies exclaimed, pointing to the entrance of the ballroom, where the handsomely dressed Heinrich and Alfonso were entering, escorting Charlotte side by side.
“My God… Isn’t the fabric of that dress one of the few in the empire?”
“I wonder how much gold and diamonds it is set with, it’s like seeing waves of light every time she moves.”
“Ahh, it’s so enchanting to look at.”
Each of them muttered and busied themselves with covering their faces with their fans.
“By the way, I don’t see young lady Arias, it seems like she was always by Pinatelli’s side…….”
“I know, what’s going on?”
Charlotte scanned the hall with an imposing expression and bit her lip at the words. But she quickly composed herself and offered a fake smile to those who came to greet her.
“You look a little scared today.”
Alfonso, who was next to her, said in an innocent voice.
“Hmm… Me? I’m not?”
Charlotte laughed, even though she was nervous about what had just happened, but Alfonso’s expression remained unchanged.
“I know you so well, are you going to create a secret between us?”
Charlotte’s eyes grew cold at his childlike expression, even though he had already been given the title of Marquis.
‘He’s all well and good, but he’s so childish.’
“What a secret… Why would I ever do that to you?”
It was so easy to hide her true feelings. A gentle voice came from beside her, drawing a harmless smile.
“You look beautiful today.”
Soft dark purple eyes scanned her face from her hair to her face. Discovering his undisguised obsession, Charlotte turned to face Heinrich and smiled contentedly.
“The Duke is gorgeous, too.”
The nobles, unable to approach the three of them, were busy making small talk.
They talked about which of the two of them would take Charlotte, and how she was beautiful even today.
Then a courtier shouted out. It was an introduction reserved for royalty.
“The Duke and Duchess-to-be of Montefeltra, Lady Este are entering!”
At this brief introduction, all eyes of the nobility turned to the entrance. It was the long-awaited main entrance of the day.
People were expectant. How ugly would the ugly duke be? Who was the uglier of the two? What outlandish dress would the ugly young lady wear today? Would the ugly duke wear an outlandish suit?
So many thoughts raced through their minds.
The two people who appeared then were looking at each other and smiling. It was a friendly look, as if they were discussing something.
“Oh.”
A young lady let out an involuntary exclamation. Even though they weren’t officially a couple yet, her eyes were drawn to the duke’s appearance more than the couple’s attire that was common among lovers.
“This is ridiculous.”
“Are you sure that the ugly duke?”
“I thought they said he was ugly.”
Countless people began to talk about Lucas’s appearance in unison. The rumor that the prince had banned him from social circles for being ugly was well known.
