The food that was laid out there was of a different quality than anything she had eaten before.

Whether it was by Karaf’s order, or a thankyou from the servants for what happened yesterday, Asha immersed herself in her first warm meal since entering the palace, forgetting even the fact that she was late.

As she moved her spoon and looked around, she noticed that the room, which had been in disarray, was now neatly arranged.

It seemed that the servants had tidied up carefully so as not to wake her while she slept.

Asha was getting ready to leave her room when the chief steward suddenly appeared beside her.

“Did you have a good night, Lady Vanessa?”

Asha looked at him in surprise.

“I was waiting for Lady Vanessa to wake up. Please follow me.”

She followed the chief steward to a room with a bewildered look on her face.

But as soon as the door opened, the sight of many dress fabrics made her eyes widen and her sleepiness disappear.

“What is all this?”

“His Majesty ordered me to make a dress for you to wear at the ball, Lady Vanessa.”

The chief steward added, clearing his throat.

“It’s a gift from His Majesty, please accept it with joy.”

Only then did Asha remember his words from the previous night about giving her a reward.

Then, a woman in the room gracefully greeted her, holding the hem of a splendid dress.

“I am dress designer Ella. I’m here to see Lady Vanessa.”

Asha was not only surprised by Karaf’s change of heart but was even more surprised that someone else knew that she was a butterfly.

He spoke reassuringly.

“Don’t be so surprised, Lady Vanessa. Security is certain. If I don’t keep my mouth shut, my head will fly to His Majesty.”

The chief steward spoke nonchalantly, having seen such a scene many times, but Ella, who had heard his words, turned pale and sweated profusely.

After measuring her body, Asha looked through thick albums filled with dress designs.

As she turned each page, dazzlingly beautiful and ornate dress designs unfolded, but Asha looked at them with indifferent eyes.

In the Etzheim Empire, once a year, a blossoming ceremony is held in the spring when the flowers bloom.

Karaf had said that he would introduce the existence of the butterfly to all the nobles for the first time on the day of the ceremony.

Knowing the future, Asha knew that this day would be a decisive day when Karaf’s perception of her would change 180 degrees.

At this year’s Flower Ball, he would almost be killed by a female assassin who had infiltrated as a butterfly candidate…

The assassination incident in the palace caused that year’s ball to be ruined.

A few months passed, and she found herself trapped in the palace.

Although the timing of their meeting had advanced slightly, she wondered how he would react if she prevented the incident.

Perhaps she could demand what she wanted in return for saving his life.

It was a dangerous gamble with her life, but she was no longer just a weak butterfly as she used to be.

Eventually, Asha closed the album and said,

“I’m sorry, but this won’t do. To captivate His Majesty and the nobles, I need a dress that’s much more revolutionary and bold than the designs here.”

Ella’s face turned red at her firm words, a mixture of confusion and hurt pride.

Having started her dress business even before becoming an adult, she had specialized in making dresses for noblewomen for over ten years.

When Ella clenched her jaw with a wounded pride, Asha spoke softly.

“As far as I know, Miss Ella Ranunculus, you are a renowned dress designer in the Etzheim Empire.”

Caught off guard by the sudden praise, Ella blinked and responded modestly.

“……You flatter me.”

“We’ll see if it’s flattery or not from now on.”

“Yes?”

Asha took a piece of drawing paper and began to explain the dress she had conceived.

With each smooth, confident stroke of the pencil on paper, Ella’s eyes changed dramatically.
Despite having designed for a long time, she was now completely shocked and frozen, looking at a design she had never thought of before.

“I want to request a oneofakind dress for Miss Ella. It might be a dress that will remain in the history of the Empire. And Miss Ella will forever be renowned in the noble community as a royal designer.”

Ella’s eyes widened. The look in Asha’s eyes as she stared at her was serious, and her dignity overflowed, surpassing even that of an average noble lady.

Ella realized in an instant that this woman was the most suitable for the position of Empress, and she was the one she must serve.

She hurriedly brought her two hands together and bowed her head, saying,

“It’s an honor, Lady Vanessa.”

(This is a time delimiter.)

At that moment, Jackal was also looking at the layout of the imperial palace spread out on the table across from the captain.

His calm blue eyes scanned the map slowly and intently.

The captain said to him,

“It seems virtually impossible to escape with Lady Vanessa from within the imperial palace.”

“…….”

Jackal didn’t speak, but he agreed.