PLTSVA 32

When we returned to the Crown Prince’s palace, Drehan was waiting.

As soon as he saw me, he walked over quickly and asked,
“Where did you go?”

“I was full, so I went on a short walk with the Princess. Were you worried?”

“Worried? As if…”

“But you came back incredibly fast, didn’t you?”

“We said everything that needed to be said. Both of us had urgent matters to return to, so we parted quickly. By the way, where did His Highness go?”

He looked around as if annoyed that Luca, whom he had trusted to watch over me, was nowhere to be seen.

Rachel opened the dark red fan she was holding with a snap and said,
“Luca had something to attend to and stepped away for a bit. And since I’ve now met Sir Drehan, I suppose it’s time for me to go too. There were no ruffians bothering your little sister, so rest assured.”

“Oh, I see. Safe travels.”

She smiled sweetly, gave Drehan a polite farewell, then passed by me and whispered softly,
“I don’t think I’ll ever forget today, Lia. From now on, you’re mine.”

Startled by the breath on my ear, I turned around quickly to find Rachel smiling mischievously—more impish than when we first met—as she turned and walked away.

“Goodbye! Let’s meet again very soon—!”

The carriage ride back was bathed in twilight as the sun dipped low in the sky.

“You’ve made the Princess your friend, it seems,”
Drehan suddenly spoke, though I’d thought he’d been dozing in the front.

“A friend… Yes, you’re right. I made a friend.”

At the orphanage, everyone had either been older or younger than me. Rachel was the first person I’d met who was the same age.

Her cheerful and energetic face came to mind.

I’d thought I didn’t really long for friends. But after meeting Rachel, I started to wonder—maybe I had been lonely all this time.

In my past life, I was a homebody who rarely left the house. And after my injury, I became even more withdrawn. Still, I did have friends—though I can’t quite remember them now—who I could meet, talk with, and open up to.

Rachel had reminded me of those forgotten friends. She stirred up a nostalgia I hadn’t felt in a long time.

“The Princess will be one of the stars at the upcoming debutante ball. It’s a good thing you’ve made that connection.”

Ah, when she said we’d meet again soon, she must’ve meant at the debutante.

“But it seems there are nasty rumors spreading about you. I’m tracking the source… Still no intention of revealing the ancient text?”

“You already know, that book is just a book. It’s up to people whether they believe it or not. Some brush it off as mere legend, while others…”

I turned to look directly at Drehan.

The evidence I had wasn’t all that convincing.
My faded silver hair, the mark on my stomach—none of it was enough for people to truly believe.

Yet Drehan had recognized me without hesitation.

Shouldn’t he, of all people, have been the most skeptical?

He must’ve encountered more than a few impostors pretending to be the real princess.

That’s why I was grateful. In the end, he had seen not the book, but my sincerity.

“Why did you stop talking?”

“More importantly… we have a problem.”

“You don’t need to worry. Everything in Rayes will protect you.”

“No, I mean—I’m terrible at dancing. That’s the real problem!”

I grinned mischievously.

Rumors, gossip—none of that mattered to me.

When I got injured in my past life and could no longer compete, those whispers had started creeping in.

“Was she ever that good to begin with?”

“Why did she even bother entering such a high-level competition?”

“Didn’t her parents use their connections since they were national athletes?”

There are always those who cheer for you, and those who tear you down.

Cruelly, once I had no way to prove my skill anymore, the rumors only grew louder.

But I had hardened myself with the words of those who did support me.

So now, people whispering behind my back? It only made me laugh.

The only thing that truly worried me was how dreadfully bad I was at dancing.

I’d be visiting Miss Velli again tomorrow… and I regretted the days I skipped under the excuse of “rest.”

The debutante ball was just a week away.

I was filled with dread, like a student before a surprise test.

Drehan saw how seriously I was stressing about my poor coordination and burst into laughter.

“Don’t worry too much. Even if Rayes danced like a crab, they’d still get praised.”

Nobles…

Still, coming from a Rayes noble himself, it was oddly reassuring.

I hadn’t been part of this noble society for long, but from what I’d overheard in the mansion, their pride in Rayes was overwhelming.

Drehan’s smile looked exactly like my father’s.

He could smile like this—so why did people only see him as cold?

“If you’re still that worried, I’ll be your first dance partner.”

“Really?”

There couldn’t be a more perfect first dance partner than Drehan.

At debutante balls, the first dance was usually with family or a childhood friend close enough to be a fiancé.

I had been thinking of my father or Miller. But since my father had stopped dancing after my mother passed, and Miller was just as uncoordinated as I was…

I considered asking Luca, but I was afraid my background would tarnish his reputation.

So it was a relief that Drehan, a direct relative, offered.

“When you were little, you were so flexible I thought you’d be a great dancer one day.”

“Me? Then what happened…”

Seeing my troubled expression, Drehan smiled and opened the window.

He closed his eyes, as if recalling long-forgotten memories with his entire family.

Once we returned to the ducal estate, I collapsed into Garnet’s care, utterly exhausted.

She expertly removed my heavy dress and tidied up my hair.

“Did you enjoy your time at the capital? Perhaps now you’ll worry less about His Highness?”

“Yeah, probably… I won’t be alone in the capital anymore.”

I thought of Rachel’s words—how the three of them could weather any storm together—and smiled.

Garnet tilted her head, not understanding my meaning.

“By the way, your dresses have arrived, milady.”

Following her words, I turned to see the mountain of neatly wrapped boxes in one corner of my room.

“Ah… yes, I noticed.”

Who could overlook that kind of presence?

The dresses and accessories, all from the famed “La Belleria Shop,” were each more exquisite than the last.

“So pretty!”

I opened another box and pulled out a diamond necklace with a massive topaz center, holding back tears.

They weren’t just beautiful—they were treasures.

The wealth of House Rayes was beyond anything I could imagine.

These dresses looked like they had taken master artisans months to create. Definitely not the work of an ordinary fashion house.

Miller leaned against the doorframe, watching me revel in the dress mountain.

“If I’d known you’d like them this much, I would’ve bought out the store next door too.”

“I don’t think I can even wear all of these!”

I replied while estimating how many dresses there were.

Even just maintaining the dignity of a noblewoman cost a fortune. But at least I wouldn’t starve if I ever had to leave the country years later.

As Garnet organized the dresses and hung them in my new wardrobe, she asked,
“Is this the one you’ll wear to the debutante ball?”

The crimson dress in her hands was one of the three Miller had specially ordered for the debut.

Even someone like me, with little fashion sense, was captivated by its elegant design.

There was even a matching tiara—and inside that box was a small card.

A short message written in golden ink carried a phrase commonly used in this world to wish happiness:

[Seruniveti]

That shopkeeper… turned out to be more thoughtful than I’d expected.

Well, I had become something of a savior for his shop, so maybe he wanted to show some appreciation.