46.

At those words, Cardier and Rosetta’s expressions stiffened simultaneously. Rosetta barely suppressed the urge to click her tongue in irritation. The Crown Prince did possess an unpleasant temperament, a face that looked suspiciously shifty, and an overly grating voice… yet despite all that, he was still a member of the imperial family and a potential future emperor. Had this been an ordinary noble family’s event, merely attending would have been considered a great honor.

However, since the occasion was the wedding of Lady Valdemore, with whom they had been engaged for years, the notion of honor felt absurd. If Rosetta had truly been ‘Leah,’ she would have felt only a single emotion.

How dare you crawl in here?

The Duchess’s face had likewise paled with humiliation, as if sharing the same thought. Of course, Rosetta hadn’t inherited even a fragment of Leah’s memories, so she couldn’t fully empathize with that feeling. Still, she utterly loathed the Crown Prince.

For some reason, she thought seeing a toad covered in boils would probably feel less repulsive than facing that man.

“You’re here.”

At the voice from behind, all three of them, who had been whispering closely, simultaneously turned around. In that moment, Rosetta was deeply struck by the Duchess’s change in expression.

“Your Highness, Lady Audrey.”

The Duchess took the hand offered by the presumptive Crown Princess and gracefully bent her knee in greeting. Last time, she’d been too flustered to notice properly… but now, she realized the young woman was remarkably beautiful. Her jet-black hair and soft violet eyes shimmered with an uncanny radiance, rare in the Empire.

“Duchess of Valdemore. It’s been a long time.”

Although officially treated with near-imperial status as the future Crown Princess, her origins remained unclear, and she still held no noble title—merely an untitled lady. Thus, casually demanding such imperial-level courtesy was practically an insult.

After receiving the Duchess’s greeting, Lady Audrey turned directly toward Rosetta and extended her hand.

“Congratulations on your marriage, Lady Valdemore.”

Even the address was not Duchess Montrosa, but merely Lady Valdemore. Despite the marriage vow having been sealed, proper respect through formal title was clearly warranted.

This time, Rosetta did sense the malice… but the petty attitude—so certain that a mere title slight could wound her—was almost endearing. Rosetta responded bravely.

“Thank you.”

She moved to grasp the offered hand and kneel as etiquette demanded, but Cardier intercepted, taking the presumptive Crown Princess’s hand instead and offering a perfunctory bow. Tossing the hand down afterward was just an added insult.

“We didn’t expect Your Highness to come.”

“I insisted on coming.”

Cardier’s gaze, which had been coldly fixed on the Crown Prince during the shallow greeting, now snapped irritably toward Lady Audrey’s small face. Whether she sensed it or not, the young lady flushed slightly and continued.

“I’ve heard Valdemore’s garden is the most beautiful in the province, yet it’s rarely opened to outsiders. I thought this might be a good opportunity.”

Not even attending for the wedding—her sole purpose was to see the garden. Cardier glanced briefly at Rosetta’s bright, innocent face and swallowed a bitter laugh. Seeing that guileless expression, completely unaware of the insult, made his throat burn uncontrollably.

“Well then, might I also request a tour of the garden?”

The Crown Prince didn’t even attempt to stop her; instead, he calmly acted as if in agreement. The Duchess of Valdemore quickly reached for Lady Audrey’s arm.

“I’ll handle the guiding.”

“No. The Marquis Montrosa’s younger son has frequented the garden often, I’m sure… his company will be sufficient.”

“Oh, but Lady Audrey…”

“I feel somewhat uncomfortable around those of higher rank than myself.”

“…”

“You wouldn’t refuse my request, would you, Marquis Montrosa’s younger son?”

A flash of irritation briefly crossed Cardier’s face, but when Rosetta stared at him directly, it vanished as if wiped clean—almost as if he couldn’t even allow her to see such an expression. Yet his annoyance remained utterly unhidden.

“I’ll walk fast.”

“That’s fine.”

“Give me your hand.”

Rosetta watched with dim eyes as Lady Audrey struggled to keep up, barely clinging to Cardier’s arm. Then suddenly, the Crown Prince’s voice snapped her back to attention.

“The Duchess should return to greet her guests. One of the hosts of the banquet has already stepped away.”

Only then did Rosetta realize what was happening. The Duchess tightly clasped her hands, then carefully opened her mouth.

“But, Your Highness…”

“You should go.”

The Crown Prince wore a smile on his lips, but his eyes were fiercely wide open—unyielding, as if declaring he would not back down.

The Duchess bowed deeply, lips tightly pressed, her face instantly pale, then quietly stepped away. As even the Duchess retreated, people discreetly gave them space.

“…”

Now alone with him, the ominous feeling was sharper than it had been at the previous ball. Rosetta tightly gripped her trembling arms. She couldn’t understand why she was suddenly seized by such chills.

“Since that day, I’ve wanted to see you again.”

Startled by the Crown Prince’s voice, she had been focusing so hard on suppressing her trembling body that she flinched and lifted her head. Rosetta barely managed to respond.

“Me? Why?”

“You should know the reason better than I.”

“I have no idea what you mean.”

With each word, it felt as if someone were scraping the inside of her already churning stomach with fingernails. Her condition hadn’t been this terrible just moments ago. Now, even her vision seemed to blur.

At that moment, something unnatural caught Rosetta’s eye—the pendant at the Crown Prince’s chest, glinting oddly. Inside a loosely coiled pendant shaped like a nine-headed serpent twisted into a ball sat an aquamarine gemstone.

It seemed faintly luminous… At first, she thought it merely looked familiar, but the more she stared, the more certain she became. She had definitely seen that somewhere recently… But where?

“You’re trembling again.”

“…”

“Do you sense it instinctively?”

The Crown Prince grasped her delicate chin, forcing her gaze to meet his. Now, several people began openly staring at her with concern. She wriggled, struggling to pull away from him.

“What exactly are you trying to say…?”

“I’m the one asking questions.”

Suddenly, clarity struck her mind. A serpent—nine-headed sea serpent. That was Calypso’s symbol.

At the same moment of realization, the Crown Prince leaned close and whispered into her ear with a hissing breath.

“Who… are you?”

“…”

Rosetta struggled to stay conscious. It was her wedding day, the banquet hall. Rumors would already fly just from being alone with the Crown Prince—she couldn’t afford to faint. She clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white.

“I truly have no idea what you’re talking about… not the slightest…”

“You’re no fun.”

“…”

“Still, it must be sudden. No need to tremble so much. You’ll hear the answer to my question later.”

“…”

“Today, I’ll simply leave you a little gift.”

The Crown Prince reached into his coat and placed something into Rosetta’s palm. Then, as if his business were done, he disappeared into the crowd. The more he distanced himself, the calmer her violently pounding heart became. Only when he had completely vanished from sight did Rosetta open her palm to look.

“…”

It was a cheap bracelet made of black cord with a tiny anchor charm. To Rosetta, it was painfully familiar. The red leather cord had belonged to Rosetta herself; the black leather cord had belonged to Nick. They had exchanged them in celebration when he was first promoted from the cargo hold’s rat-catcher to a deckhand.

A token of affection for the only comrade who’d stubbornly endured the depths of Villbron with her—the one and only sworn brother she had. Rosetta clenched her fist tightly, hiding the bracelet from view. Her teeth ground together.

Damn it, Nick. You reckless bastard. What exactly have you gone and tangled yourself in?

* * *

Though there had been an incident with the Crown Prince’s visit, the banquet concluded reasonably well. Thanks to Cardier discreetly ensuring some comfort afterward, she managed to collapse onto the bed with relatively intact energy.

Anna quickly began rubbing fragrant oil over her body and asked,

“Are you alright?”

“No. I’m dying…”

Physically, she could endure it, but mentally, the encounter with the Crown Prince had left her feeling as if she were drowning in exhaustion.

And oddly, the oil’s scent was unusually sweet and sticky tonight—clearly chosen with questionable intentions.