Early morning in the Prince’s Palace.

Count Hargis headed to the prince’s bedroom with two large pink velvet boxes in his hands.

A little while ago, these two boxes from the Etel Marquis’s residence contained the prince’s ceremonial attire and shoes. On the large ribbon decorations on the boxes, there was also a card sprayed with sweet perfume.

The contents of the card were the same as usual on other occasions.

Every day of the party, after Maria Etel entered, it was quite an old tradition for her to accompany the prince in dressing up and attending the party.

However.

Count Hargis stopped for a moment. Then, he looked through the glass door at the garden.

Last night, there was an unusual amount of dew. The mist that rose above the garden was slowly dissipating, and the enchanting atmosphere was enough to make the garden mysterious.

It was an atmosphere that recalled the figure of Lady Madeleine, who was so confident like the owner of the party, just like yesterday.

Hargis Count, who was staring blankly at the garden as if entranced, opened his eyes wide at the sunlight filtering through. The grass leaves in the garden reflected under the thinly shining sunlight, sparkling like silver.

Like the silver Tiara Palace.

Hargis Count, with a bitter smile, moved back to the bedroom. Last night, the prince, who had gone out to the balcony, did not return to the party until the party ended.

Rumors of the nobles that the prince seemed quite disappointed with Lady Madeleine’s refusal spread in an instant, covering the entire party. Thanks to that, only after all the nobles had left could the prince return to the bedroom.

Approaching the prince’s bedroom, the attendant at the door cautiously opened it.

Inside the bedroom, where almost no light came in, Count Hargis approached the bed familiarly. Yesterday, the prince came into the bedroom and drank hard liquor.

No matter how strong the prince was with alcohol, he should have fallen asleep by now.

“…Did I receive any letters?”

A low, subdued voice echoed. Startled, Count Hargis turned around.

The prince, who usually wouldn’t wake up early after getting drunk, was sitting on the sofa. Count Hargis, with a surprised mind, replied.

“Um, clothes have arrived from Lady Etel. As usual, there’s a card to announce your entrance.”

“And from Olivia?”

The prince’s voice, cutting off Hargis Count’s words, interrupted. Normally, a quick response would have come, but this time, silence lingered.

Leopold turned his head to look at Count Hargis. In Leopold’s eyes accustomed to darkness, Hargis Count’s hesitant face looked charming.

It was truly an unmistakable answer.

…Really, this was just absurd.

As relief spread, the composed voice that echoed in his mind all night repeated.

“I apologize, but in the future, please refrain from using endearments when addressing me.”
Leopold endured until the pitch-black night passed. At least, the Olivia I know would have sent some excuse or explanation about this incident.

If that happens, then…

“…It will end as nothing more than a bad dream.”

Leopold murmured with a heavily locked voice. Even though the boiling anger scratched fiercely inside his throat, Leopold couldn’t feel the pain.

Yes, he thought it could be dismissed as a nightmare. Just a dream that would disappear when he woke up.

That Olivia would pass by me, refuse the endearments, and wear a ring like someone else—such things couldn’t happen.

But there was still no contact even until this morning.

As the conviction that something was wrong gradually solidified, Leopold’s mind became entangled with yesterday’s events.

Olivia refusing the endearments. Olivia appearing with a ring similar to the Duke’s. And Olivia looking at someone with a sparkling face…!

A creepy intuition passed through his heart.

Olivia had changed. And not in a good way.

Gasp, Leopold swallowed hard. Intense pain attacked Leopold. Even knowing it was an absurd assumption, he couldn’t erase the emerging premonition.

“My lord, are you alright?”

Count Hargis, surprised by the irregular breathing of the prince, hurriedly rushed towards the window. Then, he pulled back the curtain.

Bright sunlight quickly entered the room.

Leopold furrowed his brow at the sunlight so intense it made his eyes squint. As his eyes gradually adjusted to the light, the garden spread out beyond the transparent window caught his eyes.

“Right, the garden!”

“…My garden is shining silver.”

Count Hargis, who was about to pull the curtain, turned around at the voice that seemed to be muttering. Unlike the sound he had swallowed in the darkness a while ago, the prince’s appearance now seemed perfectly fine. His handsome face, which showed no signs of staying up all night, gazed at the garden with an inexplicable expression.

Upon following that gaze, there was indeed a magnificent sight that could be described as ‘silver,’ even if it wasn’t too excessive.