Chapter 1
Sparkling Shoes Can Sometimes Be a Weapon
Marcella’s smile in front of the mirror wouldn’t fade. How could it?
“You like them that much?”
Theon, who was reading a newspaper at the table, glanced at Marcella from over the paper and asked. Instead of answering, Marcella gave a subtle smile.
“At least you didn’t catch a cold this time.”
“Of course. I won’t make the same mistake twice.”
“Auntie is pretty. Tella wants to be like auntie too.”
When Tella tugged at Theon’s pants and begged, he smiled as if troubled but sat his young daughter on his lap. With practiced skill, he gathered her hair and began braiding it, just like Marcella had done.
“But are you really okay with me being your escort?”
“It’s not like I have anyone else to escort me.”
“That’s strange. If I remember correctly, even before the Founding Festival invitation arrived at Morris Manor, there were people rushing to offer their escort to my sister-in-law. Right, Tella?”
Theon laughed, rubbing his nose against his daughter’s hair. Marcella’s lips, which had been curled up in a smile just moments ago, immediately drooped downward.
Seeing her expression, Theon laughed even louder and kissed Tella’s head.
Tella climbed down from Theon’s lap, scurried to stand beside Marcella, and looked in the mirror.
“Tella and Auntie look the same. Right?”
“Yes, we do.”
Tella gave a beaming smile and ran back to Theon, boasting that Auntie said she was pretty. Though the distance wasn’t even five steps and Theon already knew, he nodded as if hearing it for the first time.
“So, you haven’t made up with Donner?”
“Made up? Donner is just being mean to me. It’s completely one-sided!”
Marcella shuddered with annoyance, and Theon burst out laughing.
Marcella stuck her tongue out at Theon, who was teasing her, then shook her head vigorously. This was no time for that. She couldn’t ruin her long-awaited debutante day because of someone like Donner.
Steeling herself, Marcella stood in front of the mirror once more and smiled.
“Today will be the best day of my life.”
It had to be.
However, contrary to Marcella’s resolve, her confidence deflated the moment she arrived at the imperial palace.
She had thought she looked decently pretty, but it seemed every single beautiful person from the entire Western Empire, regardless of age or gender, had gathered here today for the Founding Festival.
Moreover, the shoes worn by the girls her age were all, without exception, made of velvet.
The only ones wearing shoes of a shiny, gleaming material like Marcella’s were elderly noblewomen.
“Sister-in-law? What’s wrong all of a sudden?”
Theon asked worriedly, seeing Marcella’s sudden gloom.
Marcella couldn’t say a word. Had it been a mistake to compromise on shoes, choosing the best pair she already owned, after spending so much on her debutante dress and jewels?
She should have at least checked what kind of shoes were popular in the capital. If velvet shoes were in fashion, she had a pair, even if they were a bit small.
The thought of her mistake made Marcella’s face burn. She felt like everyone was staring at her tacky, sparkling green shoes and laughing.
“Marcella.”
Maybe she should have made the dress longer to hide the shoes altogether. What had she been thinking, letting them show so clearly?
“Marcella.”
An irritating voice reached the regretful Marcella. She pretended not to hear it, ignoring it, but the man was persistent.
“Marcella, what brings you to the Founding Festival?”
It was Donner Kravan.
*What brings me?* As if he hadn’t suddenly shown up at Morris Manor, saying things like, ‘You probably don’t have an escort anyway, so I, as a fellow eastern noble, will sacrifice myself for you.’
Marcella glanced at Donner and ignored him. Was he really the first man to speak to her upon arriving here?
“Marcella, did you leave your manners back at Morris Manor? This is the imperial palace. Not Morris Manor, where you can act all high and mighty.”
Marcella, who had been turning her back on Donner, whipped her head around. Who was lecturing whom about manners?
Donner knew perfectly well that today was Marcella’s debutante. He certainly knew Marcella had to wait a year longer than others. And knowing that, he was trying to ruin her debut?
After glaring at Donner, Marcella took a long breath through her nose and flashed a bright smile.
“You were here. I didn’t know.”
Donner’s brow twitched. Pretending not to be flustered, he lifted the corner of his mouth, which was trembling slightly.
“I get that it’s your first time, but try to do well. I don’t want to be lumped together with you as country bumpkins just because we’re from the same region.”
Marcella felt wronged and angry, wanting to retort. But this wasn’t Morris Manor or the eastern region, as he said. This was a place where nobles from other regions, and even the Emperor, were present. She had to be careful.
“Thanks for the advice.”
As Marcella barely managed to say with a smile, Donner scoffed, looking her up and down before his gaze stopped on her shoes.
“You really dressed up everything you could, didn’t you, Marcella. Not that it changes your basic appearance.”
*Today is the one and only debutante day of my life. This is the imperial palace. I tried so hard to hold back, but…!*
“Donner, what is that hair of yours?”
When Marcella pointed at his slicked-back, greasy-looking blond hair, he let out a loud, incredulous laugh. Though pretending to be calm, his face had turned an obvious red.
Donner glanced at Marcella’s shoes again and curled his lips in a nasty smirk.
“That’s because you don’t know what’s in fashion. Then again, how would you know, picking mushrooms in the mountains without a clue about trends?”
“Who doesn’t know fashion? I’m saying that hair doesn’t suit you. It looks greasy.”
Even as she retorted, Marcella’s face burned with shame. She was already self-conscious, and to be called out by Donner…
It was always like this. Every time she talked to him, she ended up hurt and humiliated.
Marcella didn’t want to talk to him anymore. Holding the hem of her dress slightly with her index finger, she gave a perfunctory curtsy and turned away. Donner shouted at her back.
“And what about you? Why did you braid your hair? It doesn’t suit you. Makes your head look small.”
“And you think yours looks big?”
“Marcella Morris, how dare you talk to me like that…! You’ll regret this!”
*He started it!*
As Donner fumed angrily, Marcella snorted.
“You’re the one who will.”
Marcella didn’t want to waste any more time having such childish arguments with the insufferable Donner. But no matter how fast she walked, Donner kept following.
“Stop following me.”
“Who do you think is following you? Me? Following you? Are you getting delusional and making things up, thinking I’m conscious of you?”
To think they were having this kind of argument at seventeen! Marcella felt irritation rising.
“Then go your own way. I’m going over there.”
“Don’t you dare order me around. I was going that way anyway.”
“Then go! I’ll go this way. I wouldn’t dare go the same way as Lord Donner!”
“Marcella! Hey!”
As Marcella quickly turned and walked briskly away, Donner called out loudly from behind. So much for his talk about manners; that certainly wasn’t mannerly behavior.
Plugging her ears with her fingers and shuddering, Marcella walked faster. She knew it was better to get along with a fellow easterner without fighting, but he was just so insufferable.
“Sister-in-law, I thought you went to socialize for a splendid debut at the ball. Why are you back with that expression?”
“……”
“Ah, you met Donner, didn’t you?”
When Marcella didn’t respond, her face sullen, Theon laughed loudly as if he’d expected it.
“This is no laughing matter.”
Others had their debutantes at sixteen. Marcella was only having hers today, a year late.
Who could she blame? It was because she’d caught a terrible cold during that year’s Founding Festival season. She had waited so long for today to make up for being a year behind everyone else, and now this?
“Donner, too… it’s about time he realized.”
“Right! He needs to realize that he’s insufferable!”
He should stop acting so full of himself.
At Marcella’s anger, Theon just smiled silently and looked around the banquet hall. A few people were already dancing to the orchestra’s music. The party atmosphere had already begun, even though the host—the Emperor, in the case of the Founding Festival—hadn’t even appeared yet.
“If you don’t mind me, would you care to dance a piece, my lady?”
Was it allowed? It must be, if he was asking.
Marcella stared blankly at Theon’s offered hand before placing her own on it.
“Alright. I suppose it’s better to be a lady who danced with her brother-in-law at the imperial palace, even if the whole eastern region gossips about it, than an unfortunate lady who didn’t dance at all.”
“Cheer up, sister-in-law. If you dance with Donner too, that’ll make two.”
“Don’t even mention Donner.”
“Sorry. I won’t mention him again.”
Really. Despite the apology, his expression was clearly teasing.
As Marcella silently glared at Theon, he took her hand and assumed a dance position. Just as she was about to naturally begin stepping to his lead, a murmuring sound came from the banquet hall entrance.
When Theon glanced over to see what it was, his eyes widened. Marcella also tried to see, but she could only make out the murmuring and people’s flustered expressions.
Theon let go of Marcella’s hand and stood close beside her.
“It’s His Majesty the Emperor.”
Marcella’s eyes widened even more than Theon’s.
“Bow your head.”
At his whisper, Marcella quickly followed suit and bowed her head.
The murmuring ceased, and only silence lingered. It seemed as if no one was breathing. The only sound was footsteps. Not from one person. Two. There were two sets.
“Everyone, you may raise your heads.”
At the powerful voice of a young man, Marcella cautiously lifted her head. A man was now seated on the throne that had been empty before.
A deep shadow was cast over his face, as dark as his jet-black hair.
*’His Majesty doesn’t really like parties.’*
The words Theon had said before they came came to mind.
Indeed, with his arm resting on the armrest and his chin propped lazily on his hand, he didn’t look at all like someone who had come to enjoy a party.
