Time flew by quickly, and before I knew it, the day of the First Prince’s return had arrived. I looked at myself in the mirror, turning this way and that, wearing the dress Floria had lent me.

‘Wow, this is perfect for getting criticized!’

No matter which angle I looked from, it sparkled. The red dress with cubic zirconia densely embedded all over looked flashy at first glance but was utterly crude. There was no way Floria, with her high standards, would have such a dress, and it was clear she had prepared it separately just to make me wear it.

‘Well, this is Reneola Violet’s taste after all. But isn’t this hair ornament too much?’

I swallowed a sigh as I looked at the gold accessory that was twisted like a spider’s web on my updo. Unlike Floria, who had dazzling golden hair, Reneola had light chestnut-colored hair.

Already feeling inferior to the beautiful Floria, she would always adorn her hair with the most flashy ornaments.

“You look so pretty, elder sister!”

Floria clapped her hands together as she looked at my reflection in the mirror.

“I remembered you used to like accessories like this, so I prepared it, and it really suits you well.”

I smiled back at Floria, who was grinning.

When the Violet family was still thriving, everyone turned a blind eye to Reneola’s antics, but now it was obvious she would only be ridiculed. Floria must have known that and handed me this hair ornament.

“Let me take a look.”

Floria stood shoulder to shoulder with me and looked into the mirror. Unlike me, who was flashy from head to toe, Floria wore a pure white dress reminiscent of a wedding dress and had her hair braided plainly.

‘Hmm. Just like the wicked stepsister and the kind Cinderella.’

I shrugged inwardly.

“I’m happy to attend the banquet with you, elder sister. Thank you for coming with me.”

“No, Your Highness. I don’t know how to repay your boundless grace. It’s already humbling enough that you’re taking me to the banquet, and even this extravagant dress… I’m truly grateful.”

I bowed my head and knelt halfway down. It was time to show her that I was gradually becoming loyal to her.

“Please don’t do this, elder sister. Get up quickly.”

“Your Highness…”

I stood up, putting on a genuinely moved expression.

“You must be in a good mood since it’s been a while since you attended a banquet, right?”

“Yes. It’s all thanks to you, Your Highness.”

“I remember you enjoyed banquets since you were young. Just for today, enjoy yourself to your heart’s content like before. Okay?”

Floria held my hands and tilted her head, smiling. I smiled back at her while racking my brain.

‘If it’s like before, is she telling me to cause a ruckus like a mad dog?’

Unlike me, whose mind was getting complicated, Floria’s expression was pure without a speck of dust.

“You look so beautiful today, elder sister.”

“More beautiful than you, Your Highness? The Second Prince will fall for you all over again when he sees you.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the Second Prince entered the room without knocking.

“Oh, God.”

The Second Prince, who had no more faith than a chick’s tear, suddenly called out to God and crossed the room in one breath. Then he scooped Floria’s waist into his arms and ostentatiously kissed her forehead.

“So beautiful that I can’t even open my eyes properly.”

“You look splendid too, Your Highness.”

“Any jewel in the world would pale in comparison to you. I guarantee it.”

Ugh, so cheesy. I secretly rubbed my goosebump-covered arms. Unable to look straight at the expression that surely contained a million pounds of butter, I averted my gaze.

“But are you really going to let this woman attend the banquet?”

Prince Eric, who had been complimenting Floria for a while, turned his displeased gaze to me. I could feel the contempt for my taste in his eyes as he looked me up and down.

‘Hey, it’s not like I wanted to wear this!’

“You allowed it, didn’t you?”

At Floria’s words, Prince Eric let out a sigh as if he had no choice and offered his arm to her.

“Let’s go.”

I followed behind Floria and Prince Eric, who were walking ahead arm in arm.

The banquet held at the outer palace annex seemed to perfectly embody the word grand. I heard the victory parade was also magnificent, and it seemed they had prepared it even more impressively since it was a victory after many years.

The sparkling chandeliers, the uplifting music, and the joyful laughter. The dresses and formal attire of the aristocrats were admirable just to look at, but I was chewing on macarons or wafers with a dull expression.

‘To drink or not to drink.’

Floria’s words from the dressing room kept lingering in my mind, and I glared at the champagne glass placed on the table.

The original Reneola Violet loved alcohol very much. However, compared to how much she liked it, her alcohol tolerance was weak, so she was always disgracefully drunk at the end of banquets. It seemed that was what Floria wanted from me today.

Well, it wasn’t a difficult task to get drunk and cause a scene when my life was on the line. The problem was…

‘I’m a talkative drunk.’

As if I had the ability to directly break down alcohol, I had never gotten drunk before. So now I had to make a fool of myself in front of all these people while completely sober, which wasn’t an easy thing to do, no matter how strong my mental fortitude was.

“How thick-skinned.”

“My goodness, she doesn’t seem to be embarrassed at all. If it were me, I wouldn’t have been able to come here because my face would be burning up.”

“She probably still doesn’t know her place and begged Lady Floria to take her to the banquet. Just look at that vulgar dress with no elegance at all. What a taste.”

The aristocrats surrounding me, debating whether to pick up the champagne glass or not, whispered as if they wanted me to hear. Whether they were maids, servants, or nobles, the creativity of their gossiping skills seemed to be the same everywhere. It was now so cliché that it was boring.

“In contrast, just look at Lady Floria. Even in her simple attire, she exudes an inimitable elegance.”

“Indeed. She is truly worthy of becoming the Crown Princess.”

In the end, I picked up the champagne glass and turned my gaze to Floria, who was receiving even more praise while being compared to me. She was constantly smiling brightly as she moved around with Prince Eric, who was busy bragging about her to everyone he encountered.

“But why is Lady Floria the only one wearing a different colored dress from the royal ladies-in-waiting?”

“Isn’t it obvious? They deliberately excluded her.”

“Surely the royal family wouldn’t do such a thing without consideration for appearances?”

“How can they treat someone who has been rejected even by her own family like this without any compassion…”

As expected, most of the aristocrats sympathized with Floria, taking her side regarding the fact that she was the only one with a different dress code. The ladies-in-waiting, whose plans had not gone as intended and were instead receiving critical looks, couldn’t hide their highly irritated expressions.

‘She must be in a good mood.’

I sipped the champagne and observed Floria’s expression. She had a satisfied smile constantly on her lips, pleased with the situation turning in her favor. Seeing that expression, the corners of my mouth also lifted.

‘Well, this should have increased her trust in me a bit, right?’

I was hiding a content smile behind the champagne glass when it happened.

“Presenting His Highness Cahirun de Hilic, the shining sword and guardian of the Hilic Kingdom!”

The gazes of the people chatting in groups of three or five turned towards the direction where the attendant’s voice was heard.

I also turned my head while drinking champagne. I didn’t want to catch the First Prince’s attention if possible, but since it had come to this, I planned to at least take a look at his face. I was curious if he was really so vicious that he could make even a smiling child collapse instantly.

Soon the doors opened from both sides, and Cahirun revealed himself.

The first impression that came to mind upon seeing him was ‘big.’ His eye level was completely different from that of most men. His arms and legs were also long and slender, and his physique was very large, but what was surprising was that he didn’t look heavy or dull, but rather agile.

Moreover, the imposing aura surrounding him exuded a sharp energy that made it difficult to even say a word to him.

However, strangely enough,

‘Why is he wearing a mask?’

Unlike in the original story, the First Prince appeared wearing a mask that covered his entire face, making me tilt my head in confusion.

Regardless of my bewilderment, the black mask perfectly matched his black outfit, which looked like either formal attire or armor, reminding me once again of his nickname, ‘monster.’

But the way he leisurely descended the stairs with his long legs, drawing everyone’s attention, was very elegant and didn’t suit that nickname.

As I gazed at the First Prince, who had captured everyone’s attention with just his appearance, I suddenly felt like I had seen him somewhere before.

That large build seemed familiar… As I naturally searched through my mind, I recalled the owner of the Carrot Carrot Carrot Bookstore, no, the Black Horse Guild Master Cal, sitting on the sofa and crossing his long legs. Come to think of it, the two men’s physiques looked quite similar.

‘It can’t be,’ I immediately shook my head. There was no way the First Prince, who exuded a menacing aura from his entire body, could be that sly man. Of course, he was momentarily scary when I saw him at the guild, but crucially, unlike the First Prince who was said to be extremely vicious-looking, Cal’s face was perfect.

“Why is he wearing that mask?”

“Who knows? Could it be that he suffered a severe injury in the war…?”

While the aristocrats were whispering about the face hidden behind the mask, the First Prince headed towards the King and Queen. Floria happened to be with them, so I was able to witness the first meeting between the two main opposing characters of this original story.