Chapter 27:
Layla suddenly thought that Crown Prince Anasis resembled his half-brother Rainier when he was angry. He was smiling, but it was obvious he was furious.
No one in the room believed he was smiling out of joy. It was more like he was barely suppressing his anger.
“Is the gift my mother sent something you’d find at a cheap novelty store, Lady Bardel Rockfell?”
“Ah… Your Highness, I…”
“If you’re just going to say something useless, keep your mouth shut, my lady. Or are you planning to say something worthwhile?”
“N-No… My apologies.”
Bardel lowered her head and trembled. Her brown hair, which draped over her shoulders, subtly rippled with every shiver.
“Layla, I’ve been looking all over for you.”
Crown Prince Anasis spoke in a warm, friendly tone.
“Ah, yes.”
“Where have you been?”
“I wanted to get some fresh air, so I went to the terrace.”
“I see. You’re my mother’s guest today, so please stay close to me.”
“Yes.”
Layla followed him as he gently placed a protective arm around her shoulders, as if cherishing her.
It seemed like everything — the danger she had been placed in, and then being rescued — had been orchestrated by Empress Ramiela. Including the knowledge about Rainier.
Perhaps it was all an elaborate plot to create a sense of loyalty.
“There’s no way the royal family copied a mere count’s daughter’s dress.”
“True.”
“To think that the Heart of the Earth was sent by Her Majesty the Empress… With this, Lady Bardel has no excuse if Her Majesty grows angry.”
The target of ridicule shifted from Layla to Bardel, daughter of a baron. The sneering, sarcastic voices that had mocked Layla now surrounded Bardel.
“No. I didn’t do anything wrong…”
Bardel glared at Layla with a look of injustice.
Layla avoided her gaze and pretended to shrink back, grabbing onto Crown Prince Anasis’s collar. He offered his arm, letting her link with him as though escorting her.
“Shall we go over there, Lady Layla?”
“Yes.”
Even when they moved away, the whispers continued.
“Oh no, poor Lady Sibere.”
“Seriously. What a coincidence.”
“But is it really a coincidence when the dress looks that bad on her?”
“Hey, that’s harsh.”
“Even if it was a coincidence, gifting such an unflattering dress — maybe it was meant to cut ties?”
“Come on, that’s too far.”
Still, they giggled and kept gossiping excitedly.
Interestingly, no one criticized Sibere for merely joining in on the conversation — after all, she was backed by the Count of Abier. But Bardel, who was only a baron’s daughter and had once served Sibere, faced harsh treatment.
Bardel looked to Sibere for help, but Sibere turned away with a cold expression and walked off without a word.
Soon, the crown prince brought Layla to the side of the stairs — the ones inside the hall — likely where the emperor would be entering soon.
And just as expected, the moment Layla and Crown Prince Anasis took their positions, the doors opened and trumpets blared.
“His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress are entering!”
The emperor and empress appeared on the second-floor interior terrace, and the nobles bowed in unison.
“We greet the two suns of the Empire.”
They all chanted and waited — until the emperor gave his signal.
However, the emperor descended without delivering a congratulatory speech. Slowly, the crowd raised their heads.
The emperor looked displeased, frowning as he walked down with the empress on his arm, then slouched into his seat.
The empress made a gesture, and the orchestra began playing — probably to break the heavy silence.
The emperor likely wasn’t in good health. That much was clear in the original story.
Of course, much had changed compared to the original, so it was hard to know what was the same and what was different.
But judging by his expression and the dark shadows beneath his eyes, he definitely didn’t look well.
In the original, Rainier returns soon after.
The emperor acknowledges Rainier as his son, exposes Anasis’s flaws, and strips him of his crown prince title.
Then he appoints Rainier as the new crown prince and entrusts all state affairs to him.
If that storyline still held true, the emperor was probably on his deathbed.
Just like Layla.
Thinking that they were both sickly, Layla felt a faint sympathy for the emperor.
He didn’t have much time left, yet he was still tangled in political battles. The empress he loved had been falsely accused and died, and he had to live with the woman who replaced her — the one responsible for her death.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
“It’s nothing.”
When Layla met Anasis’s eyes, she responded with a shy tone, pretending to be moved and gripping his sleeve tightly.
“From now on, I’ll do my utmost for Her Majesty the Empress.”
“I’d be grateful for that.”
As he smiled in satisfaction, Layla’s eyes glistened with even more fake emotion.
“Yes, I promise.”
Her acting was getting better — and oddly enough, that gave her mixed feelings.
* * *
“The masquerade ball will be held in the next building.”
“Pardon?”
“Let’s head over there.”
After saying that, Crown Prince Anasis handed Layla off to his palace maids and disappeared.
She hadn’t expected Rainier’s white mask to be useful, but now it was.
“This way, Lady Abier.”
“Ah, yes.”
Layla followed a palace maid to a room within the crown prince’s palace. It was as if the place had been waiting just for this moment — full of elegant women’s items.
“Is this the dress I’ll wear?”
“Yes.”
Layla gave a dry response upon seeing the dress and accessories seemingly prepared just for her.
“Am I supposed to wear a wig?”
“No.”
“Then what’s the point of the mask?”
“I don’t know.”
Layla knew her pink hair was rare. If they didn’t cover it, people would recognize her anywhere.
Unless… they wanted her to be recognized?
What exactly were the empress and crown prince trying to achieve?
Or… could it be? Did they know Rainier was here?
Still, she wasn’t someone important enough to be used as bait for Rainier.
As she pondered, the maid ordered a servant to remove her necklace and accessories. Layla complied, pretending to be docile.
Eventually, she was stripped down to just her negligee and corset.
Layla gave a bitter smile at the bright red dress brought to her — it stood out too much.
She was given a new round of makeup and dressed in the scarlet gown and matching heels. Her makeup was heavy, and the accessories were all diamonds.
She had never been adorned in such luxury before — yet it brought her no joy. She felt more like bait than a guest.
If they were using her to lure Rainier… would they keep the bait alive afterward?
And the most important thing — Rainier wouldn’t even show up for someone like her.
If he didn’t appear, that would be for the best.
She steeled herself to appear like a worthless pawn, a foolish noble lady loyal to the empress — and headed to the ballroom where the masquerade would be held.
On the way there—
Because they were taking a secluded path, they encountered few people.
“I was so humiliated!”
That’s where they found Bardel Rockfell — the woman who’d been publicly shamed earlier — and, unexpectedly, Sonet.
Bardel sat leaning against a fountain, crying into her arms.
Sonet stood beside her, as if Sibere had asked him to comfort her.
“You saw it too, Sonet! Lady Layla deliberately went to the same boutique as Lady Sibere!”
“That was a coincidence.”
“How could that be a coincidence?! It’s not the first time Lady Layla copied Lady Sibere’s style!”
Bardel sobbed loudly, and Sonet sighed, flustered.
“This wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t mocked Layla’s accessories.”
“So you think it’s fine for Lady Layla to imitate me?”
“Haa…”
“You saw it yourself — she was in the boutique when Lady Sibere was choosing her dress!”
Sonet ran a hand through his perfectly styled hair in frustration, revealing his neat forehead.
“Yet you’re taking Lady Layla’s side?”
Sonet kept silent. He couldn’t be sure Layla hadn’t copied her.
“Even if the dresses were the same, it wasn’t something worth such criticism.”
“Sonet…”
“If you hadn’t made such a fuss, this wouldn’t have escalated.”
“You don’t know what kind of person Lady Layla is.”
Bardel wept again.
“Do you know how many of Lady Sibere’s former suitors Layla seduced?”
“I don’t want to hear this.”
As Sonet tried to walk away, Bardel cried out in desperation.
“Even men who only exchanged words with Lady Sibere ended up in Layla’s bed!”
“That’s enough.”
Ignoring the maid’s nervous glances urging her to move on, Layla stepped forward and appeared before Bardel Rockfell.
“Am I wrong? Didn’t you have Baron Eichmann’s child?! He confessed everything!”
It was the most ridiculous thing Layla had ever heard. Her mind went blank.
“What did you just say?”
“Is that how you seduced the crown prince too?”
Layla, who had never even shared a proper kiss in this life, could no longer tolerate such absurd insults.
