### Episode 9###
“Wow, this is as grand as a prince’s welcome party should be!”
Helena forgot her manners and shouted as she looked up at the chandelier above her head.
The Oslo Count’s mansion, which they were visiting again after a week, looked very different from before. The gallery statues were gone thanks to Charlotte, and the mansion’s ballroom and halls were decorated with red silk, symbolizing England, and dark green and silver banners, symbolizing the Holland Kingdom.
But what caught Charlotte’s attention more than anything, just like Helena and Bianca, were the knights from the Holland Kingdom standing here and there. It was unusual to see so many guards at a ball.
Bianca noticed where Charlotte’s eyes had gone and giggled.
“Charlotte, those men aren’t here to join the dance. Maybe you should stop staring. I know it’s a shame since they’re so attractive, but… hehe.”
Bianca was right. The men looked strong and proud, just like elite knights. Without meaning to, Charlotte compared their light-colored eyes, shiny hair, and tall build to Leopold. After all, he was a Holland prince, and in some ways he resembled them. But at the same time, Leopold was unlike anyone else.
‘Prince Leopold has something none of these knights or the countless gentlemen I’ve met could ever have…’
Charlotte remembered the way Leopold had tilted his head and looked at her. His smile held both the charm of a sly fox’s tail and the coolness of the first morning light. And his mysterious green-gray eyes? In the glow of candles, they looked endlessly kind, but under moonlight, they became solemn and distant.
Just then, Helena tapped Charlotte’s shoulder and said bluntly, “Charlotte, didn’t you hear me?”
Charlotte flinched as if waking from a dream. The sounds of laughter and chatter in the ballroom rushed back to her ears.
“Where’s your mind wandering off to? You’ve been waiting all week for this ball like it was the only thing that mattered.”
Helena frowned suspiciously and handed Charlotte a dance card. It was decorated with shiny mother-of-pearl, fitting for the wealthy Oslo family.
“You’ve been acting strange lately. Ever since the day you apologized to Count Oslo, you’ve been unusually quiet, like someone hiding a secret.”
Charlotte blinked at her sister’s mix of annoyance and worry.
‘Of course I have a secret. A secret with the ghost prince himself!’
She avoided Helena’s gaze. Today was important—she had to focus.
“Helena, don’t forget, today is the day I officially debut in society! I must’ve gotten a little nervous. But just watch—I’ll fill this whole dance card before the night is over.”
Charlotte was still joking around when their mother, Lady Lydia Augusta, entered with Count Oslo and his son, Philip Oslo.
“Welcome, ladies of Augusta!” Count Oslo called out in a booming voice, twitching his thick gray mustache.
He and Philip wore deep blue suits trimmed with red, the color of England. On their chests were silver emblems stitched with a crown and an anchor, shining brightly in the chandelier’s glow.
Count Oslo looked happily at the radiant blonde Augusta sisters and then at brown-haired Charlotte among them.
“Finally, I can formally introduce my son, Philip Oslo, to the Augusta ladies. With your permission, Lady Augusta?”
Lydia bowed gracefully. “Of course, it would be a great honor, Count Oslo.”
The count waved to the musicians to begin playing a lively tune. “This is my son, Philip Oslo. He serves His Majesty in the Royal Navy. He has just returned to England after accompanying the ship *Undaunted*, which carried Napoleon into exile.”
As the strings struck up, Philip stepped forward.
“Good evening. I am Philip Oslo of Brentwood. We have met briefly at your home before.”
He bowed politely to the sisters. Philip was tall, with golden hair and strikingly clear blue eyes. His refined, gentle expression gave him a glow that made him stand out even more.
Charlotte quickly hid her face behind her fan and widened her eyes at Helena and Bianca.
‘Oh my goodness, Helena, Bianca! Katie was right. Unlike Count Oslo, his son Philip is truly handsome!’
Bianca rolled her eyes, clearly understanding Charlotte’s silent excitement, while Helena simply gestured for Charlotte to sit up straight and look ahead.
Pleased with his son, Count Oslo said, “Good, good. Later, I’ll introduce you all to Prince Leopold and the Holland nobles. Philip knows the London gentlemen and ladies well, so he can help guide you tonight.”
He patted Philip’s shoulder proudly, saluted the sisters, and left.
Lydia smiled. “Philip, then we leave the ladies in your care. We’ve never attended a ball with royalty before.”
“Of course, it is my pleasure, Lady Augusta,” Philip replied warmly.
As he spoke, his blue eyes landed carefully on Charlotte. Lydia quickly added, “Ah, I nearly forgot. We must check the piano for Helena’s performance. Charlotte, stay here and keep Mr. Oslo company.”
At her mother’s words, Helena and Bianca bowed politely to Philip, then Lydia pulled them away, leaving Charlotte alone with him.
‘W-what is happening? I’m alone with a gentleman?’
Her heart raced. Normally, if a gentleman showed interest in Helena or Bianca, Lydia would whisk Charlotte away. But tonight, Charlotte was the one left behind.
Panicking, she blurted, “Um, I… I…”
“Miss Charlotte, I… oh!”
Both of them tried to speak at once, then stopped in surprise, staring at each other. Philip was the first to smile.
“Please, you first, Miss Charlotte.”
His manners made her blush. He seemed to make every small gesture look graceful.
“I… I just wanted to say this ball is beautiful. What were you going to say, Mr. Oslo?”
Flustered, she looked at him. Philip gave a shy smile.
“I wanted to thank you and your sisters for attending. After you helped correct my father’s mistake with the Greek statue, I hoped I might meet you again.”
‘He hoped to meet me again?!’
Charlotte nearly squealed but hid her smile behind her fan, coughing awkwardly.
‘This is my chance! If Philip asks me to dance…!’
Excited yet determined, she recalled what Leopold had taught her.
‘He said that if a lady loosens the tip of her glove just a little, it’s a signal she wants to dance.’
While fanning herself, she awkwardly tried to loosen her glove with one hand. But the new silk gloves clung tightly to her skin, refusing to budge.
Philip frowned in concern. “Miss Charlotte, are you unwell?”
“N-no, it’s not that…”
She kept struggling, but the glove wouldn’t move. Frustrated, she muttered under her breath, “Ugh, seriously—”
“…Excuse me?”
Philip blinked at her. She jumped in alarm. “Ah, I didn’t mean you, Mr. Oslo! It’s just… these gloves are too tight.”
She began tugging at one glove with her free hand. Philip looked flustered but asked, “Should I… help you?”
Charlotte, forgetting her embarrassment, eagerly waved him closer. “Yes, please! Right here—ah!”
As Philip stepped in, she yanked hard at the glove. Finally, it loosened—
—and her elbow shot sideways.
*Thunk!*
“Hhhkk! Cough, cough…!”
To her horror, she saw Philip doubled over, clutching his stomach. She had elbowed him squarely in the gut.
Perfect 👍 Here’s the **rest of Episode 9 in simple English**, with all **character names unchanged** and **quotes where needed**:
“Ahhh! Mr. Oslo! I-I’m so sorry!”
Charlotte froze in panic. The man who just moments ago had looked as noble and calm as a painting was now bent over, coughing and struggling to breathe.
Philip managed a strained smile. “N-no… it’s all right, Miss Charlotte. I just… didn’t expect it.”
Charlotte nearly burst into tears. “What do you mean, all right? I’ve ruined everything!”
She grabbed her handkerchief, not knowing what else to do, and held it out to him like a bandage. Philip shook his head gently, trying to reassure her.
“Please, don’t worry. Truly. I’m fine.”
But Charlotte was mortified. Her mind spun in circles—*Of all things, why did I have to elbow him in the stomach at such an important moment?!*
At that exact time, a loud trumpet fanfare rang through the ballroom.
“Make way! His Highness, Prince Leopold of the Holland Kingdom, enters!”
Everyone in the hall turned toward the entrance.
The tall doors opened, and Leopold appeared, walking in with quiet dignity. He wore a dark green coat embroidered with silver thread, the symbol of Holland’s royal family. A silver sword hung at his side, gleaming under the chandelier’s light.
The Holland nobles followed him, and the entire crowd bowed deeply.
Charlotte, still flustered from her disaster with Philip, slowly turned her eyes toward Leopold.
There he was—the mysterious prince who smiled like morning sunlight, whose eyes had once looked at her as if only she existed.
Her heart began to pound again.
‘Prince Leopold…’
Would he notice her in this glittering crowd?
As if hearing her thoughts, Leopold’s gray-green eyes swept across the hall. For just a second, they seemed to pause on Charlotte.
Her breath caught.
But then, just as quickly, he looked away and continued forward.
“Welcome, Prince Leopold!” Count Oslo shouted proudly. “It is an honor to host you tonight!”
The orchestra struck up a grand melody, and the ball truly began.
Charlotte pressed her trembling hands against her chest, feeling both the sting of failure with Philip and the thrill of Leopold’s presence.
This was only the beginning of a night that would change everything.
—
