That cunning Juiceed, if she catches on, it won’t just end as a mere revealing of identity.

While Roselia was frozen, Closet, who had stealthily wedged herself in between them, grabbed Roselia’s arm and pulled her.

“Come to think of it, Crown Princess must be waiting! Let’s go, Roselia!”

At the right moment, pulling Roselia away, they left the place, leaving Juiceed looking ignored and glaring at their backs with persistent eyes.

As Closet, who had distanced herself from Juiceed in the crowd, breathed a sigh of relief.

“She’s unbelievably persistent. Be careful not to catch Juiceed’s attention. You experienced it last time, right? Once that woman turns her eyes on you, there’s no escaping her.”

Thinking about Juiceed, who even fed her a potion and stripped her of her clothes, sent shivers down Roselia’s spine.

While Roselia was massaging her arm, Closet glanced around.

“First, it would be good to greet and meet Crown Princess… Since the crowd is so dense, it doesn’t seem easy to make our way through.”

As they were struggling to make their way through the dense crowd, Closet made a somewhat puzzled expression as if she had noticed something.

Then, as if the crowd of people squirming like ants had split, a path opened up by itself.

Closet, looking in the direction she was staring at, Roselia turned her gaze and was taken aback, solidifying her shoulders.

In the midst of the vast crowd, walking towards them was none other than Crown Prince Esteven.

The situation seemed to overlap with the masked ball.

Many people were holding their breath, watching Esteven and Roselia.

Esteven, with a stiff expression, seemingly remembering when Roselia ran away from him before, was walking towards her.

The Crown Prince, who had come so close, whispered in a low voice with a twisted mouth.

“You ran away quite well last time.”

Swallowing dry saliva, Roselia bowed as casually as possible.

“Greetings to the Imperial Sun.”

“Enough with the superficial greetings. Isn’t it too much? I tried to help you in my own way.”

It was probably another absurd complaint about the fragrance.

Ignoring Esteven’s words, Roselia, pretending not to hear, lowered her gaze.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but if I did anything to offend you, I apologize.”

“Apology… Let’s forget about that. Today, you should join me in the first dance.”

This lunatic Crown Prince…

Although he wore a mask at the masked ball, his face was fully revealed now.

Moreover, today’s event was not a simple gathering, but a reception with guests from another empire.

If she danced with the Crown Prince like this, it could cause a problem not only for the Crown Princess but also for the reputation of the empire.
However, she couldn’t possibly refuse the Crown Prince’s invitation, even if she couldn’t even be considered a typical noble.

In the midst of embarrassment, while she was chewing on the inside of her mouth, a sudden commotion came from the opposite side, and murmurs could be heard.

The crowd split open, and a man with a black evening suit walked towards them. Klaus…

Approaching confidently, neither too fast nor too slow, Klaus stood in front of the Crown Prince and Roselia.

Unlike the masked ball where she had to gaze at the Crown Prince and Roselia from a distance due to being a step late, Klaus appeared at the right moment this time. He bowed his head respectfully to the Crown Prince and then looked at Roselia.

“I hope you were my partner for the first dance today…”

Klaus gazed at Roselia and cautiously extended his hand.

“Would you please join me?”

Unlike his usual cold, commanding tone, his words were affectionate.

Caught up in Klaus’s gaze, Roselia unconsciously looked at him, and before she knew it, she had entrusted her hand to Klaus’s slender hand.

With a satisfied smile, Klaus, who had not missed the chance, firmly held her hand and led her to the center of the ballroom.

Only now, as the pressure of his hand enclosing hers hit her, Roselia suddenly regained her composure and belatedly felt flustered.

She didn’t know why she accepted Klaus’s dance request.

However, looking at the Crown Prince, who had stiffened with a rigid expression, it didn’t seem like a bad choice.

“It’s better not to look in the Crown Prince’s direction.”

At Klaus’s indifferent words, Roselia’s gaze turned strangely toward him.

While she was trying to figure out his meaning, she soon noticed some nobles in unfamiliar attire among the aristocrats and swallowed hard as if she had realized something.

The envoys of Raphelios…

They were nobles from the delegation that came over due to the agreement between Rughveljet and Raphelios, which had shifted to the negotiation phase with the Crown Princess’s lead.

If Roselia had danced with the Crown Prince, it would have affected not only the reputation of the Crown Princess but also the empire.

Could it be that this action was also for the sake of the Crown Princess…?

As her thoughts reached that point, Roselia’s gaze turned to Klaus.