The procession of carriages heading towards the palace continued.

For everyone in the empire, this day might be the decisive battle.

Young ladies making their debut in high society boarded carriages wearing newly tailored dresses.

It was their first social debut and a once-in-a-year opportunity to meet the Emperor and Empress.

Given the precious occasion, all preparations were perfect. Ilarid slowly woke up. The fact that her eyes opened naturally in the morning was a good sign.

‘The problem will be the Empress.’

The Empress’s palace remained silent until last night.

The Viscountess of Geminia visited with a doctor, but they couldn’t enter due to the Empress’s firm refusal.

Whether it was a matter of pride or if the wounds were too deep was unknown. Perhaps Selina still lacked immunity in this area.

‘The Empress’s attendance at the ball depends on you, Madam. Have I entrusted you with too heavy a task?’

‘Ah, no, Your Majesty the Empress.’

‘I hear the Empress is quite fond of paintings by up-and-coming artists. Why don’t you take a few with you?’

Having put some weight behind her words, the Viscountess of Geminia left the Empress’s palace, pale as a sheet.

The palace was a world where power was distributed according to the Emperor’s love. A place where one’s individual character gradually faded and lost its luster.

When would she be able to escape this place?

Ilarid entered the bathroom. Warm, moist air and fragrance greeted her.

The preparations were perfect, and they had to be.

**

“Captain Lebel. I’ll evaluate you honestly.”

“Yes, Head Lady-in-Waiting.”

“You’re a pleasure to teach, aren’t you?”

Lynette didn’t hide her satisfied expression. Lebel responded to her evident delight with a light smile.

Lebel was quite a quick learner. To have grasped this much in such a short time could be considered talent.

‘If he had been born a noble, all sorts of matchmakers would have been swarming around him.’

With that level of ability, he might have been at the very top of the social pyramid, even in the cutthroat world of high society.

Of course, the scrutiny would have been just as intense.

After all, isn’t a man’s greatest enemy another man? From the moment he enters the ballroom, he’ll have to endure the piercing gazes of other men.

“Captain Lebel. This is the Empress’s palace, so be honest. You practiced separately in your room without the other members knowing, didn’t you?”

“…No, I didn’t.”

Lynette patted Lebel’s back as if she understood everything. The desire to look good in front of someone you like, she understood it hundreds of times over.

But the problem doesn’t end just because the dance is perfect.

“First, when you enter the ballroom, you must greet His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress. Don’t forget the posture we practiced for the greeting. After that, the ceremonial cloak…”

The list of precautions seemed endless. Lebel felt his vision blur slightly, though it was very subtle.

“You look dizzy. Are you already tired?”

“…I’m truly sorry, but I think I’ll feel better when I see Her Majesty the Empress.”

“My, where are you trying to look first? You’ll see Her Majesty the Empress directly in the ballroom!”

Alice, who had entered unnoticed, chimed in. By this point, it was clear that even the ladies-in-waiting were enjoying this.

“I wonder if those two will be incredibly nervous when they face each other… We have to see this in person.”

“Oh, Head Lady-in-Waiting, aren’t you attending?”

“No.”

What an unexpected bolt from the blue.

“A ball without the Head Lady-in-Waiting… How is that any different from a fountain pen without ink…”

Alice’s tone dripped with disappointment. Despite having been in charge of all those preparations with the Empress, not being able to participate made it feel as if all that effort would go unrecognized.

“I appreciate the sentiment. But I have other matters to attend to.”

Lynette gestured for Lebel and Alice to come closer. Her face was full of gravity as she called the two, as if some crucial matter had arisen.

“Listen carefully, both of you. From this moment on, I plan to fall ill and take to my bed.”

This had already been discussed with Ilarid.

Lynette intended to miss the ball due to a high fever caused by fatigue from her recent busy schedule.

There’s no deception more classic and certain than feigning illness.

“I’ve already tipped off Cecilia as well. During the ball, please take care of Her Majesty the Empress.”

“Do you need help? I’ll call for a trustworthy member separately.”

Lynette lowered her eyes, lost in thought. One person should be enough for contingencies, shouldn’t it?

“Someone who can keep their mouth shut and move as quietly as possible would be good. Like Captain Lebel.”

“I have the right person in mind. I’ll have them stand by near the Empress’s palace until the ball starts.”

Most of the palace forces had been deployed towards the ballroom where the nobles were gathering. When people’s attention is focused on one place, gaps tend to appear all over the palace.

Lynette planned to take advantage of this interval.

She hoped to complete the mission Ilarid had given her today.

A knock broke through the silence.

“Her Majesty the Empress has finished bathing.”

Now each of them had to move according to their roles. Like a play with all movements choreographed.

The Empress’s people, the best actors, looked at each other and made eye contact.

“May luck be with us all.”

For this once, they decided to believe in divine protection and luck.

**

As always, Ilarid was the one who arrived first and waited.

The waiting room, which allowed direct entry into the ballroom, was quiet. Only the ceaselessly moving clock on the small side table between chairs announced its presence.

And Cledius, naturally, was about 10 minutes late for the appointed time.

His tardiness had now become as natural as breathing. Ilarid rose from her seat without even showing irritation.

“…Empress.”

“You’ve arrived.”

Cledius froze like a statue in his place upon seeing Ilarid’s attire.

The Empress’s waist had always been slim and slender. But this time, it looked somehow unartificial and natural.

Cledius, like other men, was generally oblivious to women’s attire. It was only natural, as he had no interest in other women except Ilarid.

He keenly noticed the change in his wife.

The corset that had been cinching her waist every time she wore formal attire had disappeared.

This time too, it was a black dress, but entirely different from usual.

A dress that both concealed and revealed the body’s lines in a dual nature. Had there ever been anyone in the empire who wore such a style of formal attire? There wouldn’t be, even among all the royalty and nobility combined.

Yet it didn’t draw attention with other flashy accessories either.

Only earrings made of transparent crystal and a thin silver chain bracelet on her left wrist shimmered faintly.

Light but neatly maintained formality.

This was the one sentence that would describe Ilarid at this ball.

“…Could you step out for a moment?”

Cledius gestured to Alice and Cecilia, who were standing behind the Empress, to leave.

Ilarid gave silent permission with a nod. The two shared a bit of worry as they vacated their positions.

After the Empress’s attendants had left, he sat in a chair and openly displayed his discomfort.

“It seems the formal attire I gifted has become utterly useless.”

“Useless? I’ve hung it as a curtain in the Empress’s palace.”

“…I’m so honored I don’t know what to do with myself. Then, is the dress you’re wearing now made from the original curtains?”

“The Empress’s palace budget is always tight, so it can’t be helped. I request that you increase it a little on this occasion.”

Between the two, truth and lies mixed and tickled their tongues.

From the gift-giver’s perspective, the disappointment was considerable.

He had specially commissioned it thinking it would suit her well, but what she wore was a black dress without a single decoration.

‘Would jewels have been better?’

Cledius pressed his forehead with his gloved hand, trying to hide his displeasure.

If he had sent jewelry instead, it might have looked good even on that black dress.

‘No. She wouldn’t have worn it, let alone tossed it into the fireplace.’

As Ilarid said, he should be grateful if she had just taken the gifted dress out of the box and hung it as a curtain. It was a blessing that she hadn’t burned it.

“Has the wound not fully healed yet?”

“Thanks to Your Majesty’s concern, I’ve recovered well.”

“…Your clothes look different from usual.”

“I wanted to be comfortable.”

“Then, why not make the color white?”

“If I may dare say…”

Ilarid made eye contact with Cledius for the first time since entering the waiting room.

The very expression that the chamberlain and head lady-in-waiting had reported. An empty face close to ‘She didn’t show any signs’, touched his gaze.

“I didn’t want to wear the same color as someone else.”

Today, finally, Cledius also wore white formal attire.

Where did the confident belief come from that she would happily wear the clothes he had gifted?

“And half of my life will be spent in mourning and remembrance.”

“Will I be included in that mourning in the future?”

The unpleasant words stuck to his ears. The corners of Ilarid’s mouth moved faintly.

She didn’t want to pray for Cledius’s death. Was there anything worth praying for?

His death would be closer to a remembrance for Melpiram and compensation for Ilarid’s broken life.

“I’m sure I’ll die by your hands, so why not include me without being picky?”

Cledius secretly hoped for that.

Mourning would be evidence that feelings remained.

“It’s impossible because I haven’t given my heart, Your Majesty. I apologize.”

“What a disappointing thing to say. You know one thing.”

The chair scraped the floor with a threatening screech.

“Hatred.”

The sound of his footsteps drew a small semicircle as he approached Ilarid.

Cledius pressed down on the armrest of Ilarid’s chair and brought his body close.

“Every day, I pray to a god that shouldn’t exist. That my Empress will dream of me every night.”

Ilarid’s clasped hands twitched slightly.

Confirming her small reaction, Cledius lowered his voice further and whispered.

“Please let the Empress strangle my neck, put a bullet in my crown, and leave me with as much pain as possible.”

It was a prayer he had made before.

When he saw Ilarid with not a single shred of will to live left, he sought out a god he didn’t even believe in for the first time.

And he prayed with the exact same words he had just whispered to Ilarid.

If the pain I receive can save her, I will gladly endure and accept it.

So please, let me become the hatred that allows Ilarid to live.

Cledius’s wish was perfectly fulfilled.

“Ilarid.”

The scar below her neck caught his eye. Of all times, now. Cledius slowly raised his body that had been leaning.

“I wish that your purpose for living was solely me.”

It was a different emotion from when he had only wished for Ilarid to just live.

Cledius barely shook off the feeling of his Adam’s apple tightening. His wife neither avoided the gaze of her enemy nor accepted it with trembling fear.

To have only one person captured in these eyes that looked straight at him.

“Don’t worry.”

Ilarid’s light voice cut through his wish in an instant.

“These days, living day by day is really enjoyable.”

Surprisingly, Ilarid smiled.

A bright smile violently stirred Cledius’s red eyes.

The sound of his heart sinking was particularly loud in the silence. Fearing that sound might have been heard, Cledius clutched his chest and took a few steps back.

Ilarid stood up to face Cledius. Her advance, matching his retreat, showed no hesitation.

Was this the change he wanted? Cledius was considerably flustered. The deep, dark black that Ilarid wore. Within it, numerous colors coexisted.

‘Is it because of that man?’

It wasn’t just Lebel. Small pieces of warmth offered by others helped Ilarid stand on her tiptoes.

Ilarid proved with her whole body that what saved her was not the hatred Cledius tried to engrave, but love.

Now, for her, black was a color that transcended mourning and remembrance. It had changed into the deepest and warmest color that included all colors existing in the world.

Ilarid had been dyed with love.

“Your Majesty the Emperor, Your Majesty the Empress.”

A low urging was heard from outside. It was time to enter the ballroom.

The moment to shine darkest under the brightest light. Ilarid decided to fully accept people’s gazes.

“Your Majesty, your expression has become quite stiff.”

She, as the Empress, extended her hand first. The lace gloves intricately patterned represented Cledius’s complicated feelings.

“Smile.”

The two reluctantly held hands. Soon the doors would open, and the light from the ballroom would pour towards Ilarid.

The black dress began to shine brighter than any color in the world.