Rosena jumped up from her sleeping position.
“Haa…”
She breathed out a deep breath and grabbed the blanket with her hands that were full of cold sweat.
The dream she just had was as vivid as if she had experienced it before her eyes.
Something warm flowed over Rosena’s cheeks, while she was clutching the blanket for a long time.
“Huh?”
Rosena raised her arm and rubbed her cheeks. Damp tears smeared on her fingers.
As she rubbed her eyes, Rosena remembered the voice in her dream.
‘This is the past that the Rosenas should inherit and remember.’
A past to remember…
It felt too indescribable to dismiss it as just a dream.
Rosena got up from her seat and sat down at the desk. And she remembered the sentence written in her father’s diary.
[Floe told me the secret of the Rosena family before she died. I couldn’t believe it.]
Rosena shook her head.
Could it be that the dream she had had something to do with the family secret?
Rosena was digging hard in her head, but she couldn’t come up with a proper answer.
She didn’t know the boy’s identity or what the dream was trying to tell her.
“The lake…..”
The lake she saw in her dream was obviously where she and Illian went yesterday.
And the boy with the same eyes as Yerhan…
Rosena looked out the window. The sky, which was like a black night sea, slowly turned blue.
The sun was rising before she knew it.
***
As usual, Rosena woke up early in the morning and ate breakfast with Illian.
After that, she returned to her bedroom and checked the letters that had been sent to her.
During the first few days of their marriage, she received an insane number of letters, but now she only had five or less a day.
Even if it was said that she entered the imperial family, Rosena is the wife of the powerless third prince.
In addition, the invitation was rejected, so everyone gave up and didn’t bother to send another letter.
Although she was living in seclusion unintentionally, Rosena had no complaints.
Even when she was originally from a count family, she stayed far away from social circles as much as possible.
She didn’t want to build friendships like glass that would break quickly in a place full of pretense.
She was going to return to Astania later anyway, so she thought she would do the minimum duty as a prince’s wife.
Rosena, who had been replying moderately, picked up the last letter.
The red envelope was studded with gold leaf, which stood out from the other letters.
“This is…..”
Rosena checked the letter bearing the imperial seal. The only person who could write this was someone of the imperial family.
Rosena quickly identified the sender’s name.
[Asilia Herbet]
It was the name of the wife of the second prince, Yerhan’s brother.
It was the first time an imperial family member had sent her a letter, so Rosena carefully opened the envelope.
The wax seal fell off, and a luxurious letter paper came out of the envelope.
Rosena unfolded a finely folded letter paper.
The words written in elegant handwriting were brief.
The plan was to invite Rosena to the tea party hosted by the second prince’s wife.
Rosena put down the letter for a moment.
After the wedding, Rosena and Yerhan were supposed to see the second prince and his wife. But her cheek was swollen because of the empress, and it was impossible to meet them.
Then she got busy preparing for Yerhan’s hunt, so she forgot.
Rosena was lost in agony.
So far, all other invitations have been rejected. However, rejecting this invitation was fraught with problems.
Rosena, who had hesitated for a long time, picked up a pen.
***
The Second Prince Palace, with its blue roof, was busier than usual.
Servants belonging to the Second Prince Palace often walked towards the patronage.
A large table was placed in the backyard with all kinds of rare flowers spread across the stream.
A tablecloth with colorful embroidery was spread over it, and tableware imported from a distant kingdom was placed.
Everything was at its finest, and there was no place to look.
When the preparations were complete, carriages with all kinds of emblems lined up and stood in front of the palace.
The well-dressed ladies took the servant’s hand and got off the carriage.
Today’s tea party theme was blue, so they were all wearing blue dresses.
Other than that, they were free to decorate, so they wore jewels and splendid accessories to try and make themselves stand out the most.
The ladies who were guided to the backyard were seated in order of rank.
They sat down, greeted each other, and then exchanged pretentious compliments.
The ladies invited here were proud.
In the absence of the crown prince, the second princess was the second most powerful woman after the empress.
Always, only the most influential ladies were invited to her tea party.
Just because they were invited to the tea party, their reputation grew, and they were envied by many people.
Thus, everyone tried hard to be invited to her tea party.
When the appointed time arrived, most of them were seated.
However, there was still one seat left, besides the one meant for the main character, the second princess.
While everyone was wondering who would come, a woman walked by from afar.
Dressed in a rich blue dress and with her hair up, it was Princess Asilia, the host of the party.
It was just like her to lead fashion in the social world, so she was showing off unique accessories.
Even the shoes that were barely visible through the hem of her dress or the bracelet she was wearing would quickly become fashionable.
Everyone who was seated stood up and greeted her.
“We greet Your Highness, the Second Princess.”
Asilia smiled broadly at them and said, “Everyone is here. Come on, sit down.”
As Asilia’s permission was granted, the ladies sat down.
Finally, when Asilia sat down, everyone began to converse with her.
“Your Highness, you look really beautiful today.”
“You have fair skin, so any color suits you.”
They drew out all the compliments they could possibly give.
However, Asilia did not answer, only giving a faint smile.
Then Asilia looked at the empty seat and said,
“Oh, the third princess hasn’t come yet?”
There was a moment of silence around the table at the words ‘the third princess’.
Then, with a commotion, everyone began to glance at the empty seat.
Asilia closed her eyes slightly and muttered with a gentle tone as if she was concerned.
“Did something happen?”
Most of the people gathered now were on the side of Asilia and the empress. And they were well aware that Asilia disliked the third princess.
A few quick-witted people immediately accepted Asilia’s words.
“Your Highness personally invited her, but I can’t believe she’s late… that is rude.”
“The third princess may want to be noticed.”
They chirped and cursed the third princess on behalf of Asilia.
Asilia, who was listening quietly, clapped her hands with a face that everyone understood.
“We can’t help it. Shall we start?”
The servants who were lined up in the back approached the table at once.
The sound of empty tea cups being filled echoed across the table.
As the servants who had filled the cups backed away, a muffled sound was heard from the garden.
Everyone raised their heads at the sound of light footsteps.
A woman in a light red dress was coming this way.
No one could tell who she was, but everyone knew right away.
The person walking this way was Rosena, the third princess.
The ladies sitting in their seats were briefly distracted by Rosena.
She was a very different person in this tea party. She did wear a red dress alone in a blue dress, but she still had a distinctive atmosphere.
Her white skin stood out as it’s as white as a drawing paper, and her pale red hair was in harmony with the dress.
It would stand out if it was all reddish, but it looked rather simple with the light color and minimal decoration.
If those invited here were glittering jewels, Rosena was like an elegant work of art.
It might be natural for Rosena to stand out more, being in this glittering place.
Rosena blinked slowly as everyone’s eyes were caught at once.
She was sure she came earlier than the time on the invitation, but everyone was already sitting down. There was no way she mistook the time.
“Third princess?”
Asilia, who was sitting in the center, called out to Rosena.
Rosena recognized that she is the princess and immediately lifted up the hem of her dress and greeted her with imperial etiquette.
Upon Rosena’s greeting, Asilia covered her mouth with her hand and whispered.
“I waited and there was no news, I was just about to clear your seat.”
The ladies whispered amongst themselves, saying that Rosena was late at the latest and was acting shamelessly without giving an apology.
Asilia did not reproach them for their sullen voices, but looked at Rosena and smiled.
“Everyone has been waiting for you for a long time. Shouldn’t a sweet apology come before greetings?”
Rosena looked at Asilia with a puzzled face.
Asilia, who was still smiling, tilted her head.
Rosena realized only at that moment when she saw the corner of her lips raised slightly.
Apparently, she wrote a different time for her invitation only.
Besides, everyone was wearing a blue dress.
Asilia told her differently, not just the time, but even the attire.
Rosena was about to laugh at her pranks.
Rosena, who saw through the heart of Asilia who intended to humiliate her, did not panic, but opened her mouth.
“Seeing that the time and the clothes are different from what you’ve told me, I must have mistaken the date.”
Asilia’s face became subtle. She thought Rosena would be at her wits end and apologize, but it was not going the way she wanted.
And Rosena smiled and gave her the last blow.
“Excuse me. Then I’m going to go back now.”
When Rosena said she would go, Asilia’s face showed a look of disappointment. She never thought Rosena would react this way.
Asilia, who had been punched by Rosena, tried to hide her embarrassment and open her mouth.
“… Since you’re already here, please sit down.”
“Thank you.”
When Rosena smiled leisurely as if she knew everything, Asilia twisted her lips.
Asilia, who had regained her expression, pointed her finger at Rosena’s place.
The place Asilia pointed was the farthest seat from the center.
The current seating arrangement was placed in order of rank with Asilia sitting in the center. Therefore, the place furthest from the center was the seat of the lowest ranking person.
Rosena looked once at the place Asilia was pointing. It was a corner seat, so it seemed like a good place, she would go back after killing time.
Rosena walked towards the assigned seat.
With every step she took, the hem of her dress fluttered like flower petals. Even those who hated Rosena stopped talking for a moment and focused on Rosena’s attire.
Her dress, combining the designs of the Astania Kingdom and the Herbet Empire, appeared unique to those women.
With each step, the lower hem widened like petals and then narrowed.
The ladies, who were sensitive to fashion, admired it, and one by one, they captured Rosena’s appearance in their eyes.
As Rosena sat down, Asilia started the tea party by ringing the bell on the table.
The invited ladies drank tea and brought up the stories they had heard.
There were rumors that the jewels at a recent auction were sold at a record price and that the count’s daughter was proposed to by the marquis’ son.
Because they were the women who controlled the social world, they knew all the information floating around every now and then.
Information exchange took place in the midst of a sudden conversation, and then the topic quickly shifted to self-promotion.
This time, it’s about how prosperous their husbands’ business was, and stories boasting about the fact that their children had entered the academy began to come and go.
During the boring and uninteresting conversation, Rosena didn’t talk to them. It was as if she didn’t exist.
By this time, Rosena realized what Asilia’s purpose was.
It was meant to embarrass her by putting in front of people and ignoring her.
It was a puppet show led by her.
But if there was one thing that Asilia hadn’t thought of, it was that Rosena was really okay with it.
After all, it was more difficult if she got attention because she was not physically fit for social events or gatherings.
Now that she had come all the way here, her idea was to eat something delicious and go home.
Rosena drank the tea with a carefree attitude.
“…..”
Rosena frowned slightly and looked down at the teacup.
It didn’t taste as good as the tea she usually drank at the Third Prince Palace.
The light red color was beautiful and pleasing to the eyes, but the taste was astringent and fishy.
These people drink this kind of tea?
Rosena pushed the teacup away and reached for the refreshments on one side.
When the cookie with the jam on it was caught, Rosena took a bite.
Rosena swallowed the cookie without chewing it a few times.
As if it had been baked for a long time, the outside was soggy and the jam was just too sweet.
She thought she’d eat something delicious after coming all the way here, but the cookies were not delicious. It was a total mess.
Rosena missed cookies made by Federer, the chef of the Third Prince Palace, and put them down without saying a word. Then she felt a strange gaze.
Rosena lifted her head and glanced around. Then her gaze landed on a woman sitting far away from her.
The woman, who had never opened her mouth until now, was staring at Rosena.
‘Why is she looking at me?’
Rosena was puzzled. The ladies invited to this place were deliberately ignoring Rosena, leaning over to talk. But that woman was focused on Rosena.
There was no hostility in her eyes, rather… It was close to curiosity.
Rosena jumped up from her sleeping position.
“Haa…”
She breathed out a deep breath and grabbed the blanket with her hands that were full of cold sweat.
The dream she just had was as vivid as if she had experienced it before her eyes.
Something warm flowed over Rosena’s cheeks, while she was clutching the blanket for a long time.
“Huh?”
Rosena raised her arm and rubbed her cheeks. Damp tears smeared on her fingers.
As she rubbed her eyes, Rosena remembered the voice in her dream.
‘This is the past that the Rosenas should inherit and remember.’
A past to remember…
It felt too indescribable to dismiss it as just a dream.
Rosena got up from her seat and sat down at the desk. And she remembered the sentence written in her father’s diary.
[Floe told me the secret of the Rosena family before she died. I couldn’t believe it.]
Rosena shook her head.
Could it be that the dream she had had something to do with the family secret?
Rosena was digging hard in her head, but she couldn’t come up with a proper answer.
She didn’t know the boy’s identity or what the dream was trying to tell her.
“The lake…..”
The lake she saw in her dream was obviously where she and Illian went yesterday.
And the boy with the same eyes as Yerhan…
Rosena looked out the window. The sky, which was like a black night sea, slowly turned blue.
The sun was rising before she knew it.
***
As usual, Rosena woke up early in the morning and ate breakfast with Illian.
After that, she returned to her bedroom and checked the letters that had been sent to her.
During the first few days of their marriage, she received an insane number of letters, but now she only had five or less a day.
Even if it was said that she entered the imperial family, Rosena is the wife of the powerless third prince.
In addition, the invitation was rejected, so everyone gave up and didn’t bother to send another letter.
Although she was living in seclusion unintentionally, Rosena had no complaints.
Even when she was originally from a count family, she stayed far away from social circles as much as possible.
She didn’t want to build friendships like glass that would break quickly in a place full of pretense.
She was going to return to Astania later anyway, so she thought she would do the minimum duty as a prince’s wife.
Rosena, who had been replying moderately, picked up the last letter.
The red envelope was studded with gold leaf, which stood out from the other letters.
“This is…..”
Rosena checked the letter bearing the imperial seal. The only person who could write this was someone of the imperial family.
Rosena quickly identified the sender’s name.
[Asilia Herbet]
It was the name of the wife of the second prince, Yerhan’s brother.
It was the first time an imperial family member had sent her a letter, so Rosena carefully opened the envelope.
The wax seal fell off, and a luxurious letter paper came out of the envelope.
Rosena unfolded a finely folded letter paper.
The words written in elegant handwriting were brief.
The plan was to invite Rosena to the tea party hosted by the second prince’s wife.
Rosena put down the letter for a moment.
After the wedding, Rosena and Yerhan were supposed to see the second prince and his wife. But her cheek was swollen because of the empress, and it was impossible to meet them.
Then she got busy preparing for Yerhan’s hunt, so she forgot.
Rosena was lost in agony.
So far, all other invitations have been rejected. However, rejecting this invitation was fraught with problems.
Rosena, who had hesitated for a long time, picked up a pen.
***
The Second Prince Palace, with its blue roof, was busier than usual.
Servants belonging to the Second Prince Palace often walked towards the patronage.
A large table was placed in the backyard with all kinds of rare flowers spread across the stream.
A tablecloth with colorful embroidery was spread over it, and tableware imported from a distant kingdom was placed.
Everything was at its finest, and there was no place to look.
When the preparations were complete, carriages with all kinds of emblems lined up and stood in front of the palace.
The well-dressed ladies took the servant’s hand and got off the carriage.
Today’s tea party theme was blue, so they were all wearing blue dresses.
Other than that, they were free to decorate, so they wore jewels and splendid accessories to try and make themselves stand out the most.
The ladies who were guided to the backyard were seated in order of rank.
They sat down, greeted each other, and then exchanged pretentious compliments.
The ladies invited here were proud.
In the absence of the crown prince, the second princess was the second most powerful woman after the empress.
Always, only the most influential ladies were invited to her tea party.
Just because they were invited to the tea party, their reputation grew, and they were envied by many people.
Thus, everyone tried hard to be invited to her tea party.
When the appointed time arrived, most of them were seated.
However, there was still one seat left, besides the one meant for the main character, the second princess.
While everyone was wondering who would come, a woman walked by from afar.
Dressed in a rich blue dress and with her hair up, it was Princess Asilia, the host of the party.
It was just like her to lead fashion in the social world, so she was showing off unique accessories.
Even the shoes that were barely visible through the hem of her dress or the bracelet she was wearing would quickly become fashionable.
Everyone who was seated stood up and greeted her.
“We greet Your Highness, the Second Princess.”
Asilia smiled broadly at them and said, “Everyone is here. Come on, sit down.”
As Asilia’s permission was granted, the ladies sat down.
Finally, when Asilia sat down, everyone began to converse with her.
“Your Highness, you look really beautiful today.”
“You have fair skin, so any color suits you.”
They drew out all the compliments they could possibly give.
However, Asilia did not answer, only giving a faint smile.
Then Asilia looked at the empty seat and said,
“Oh, the third princess hasn’t come yet?”
There was a moment of silence around the table at the words ‘the third princess’.
Then, with a commotion, everyone began to glance at the empty seat.
Asilia closed her eyes slightly and muttered with a gentle tone as if she was concerned.
“Did something happen?”
Most of the people gathered now were on the side of Asilia and the empress. And they were well aware that Asilia disliked the third princess.
A few quick-witted people immediately accepted Asilia’s words.
“Your Highness personally invited her, but I can’t believe she’s late… that is rude.”
“The third princess may want to be noticed.”
They chirped and cursed the third princess on behalf of Asilia.
Asilia, who was listening quietly, clapped her hands with a face that everyone understood.
“We can’t help it. Shall we start?”
The servants who were lined up in the back approached the table at once.
The sound of empty tea cups being filled echoed across the table.
As the servants who had filled the cups backed away, a muffled sound was heard from the garden.
Everyone raised their heads at the sound of light footsteps.
A woman in a light red dress was coming this way.
No one could tell who she was, but everyone knew right away.
The person walking this way was Rosena, the third princess.
The ladies sitting in their seats were briefly distracted by Rosena.
She was a very different person in this tea party. She did wear a red dress alone in a blue dress, but she still had a distinctive atmosphere.
Her white skin stood out as it’s as white as a drawing paper, and her pale red hair was in harmony with the dress.
It would stand out if it was all reddish, but it looked rather simple with the light color and minimal decoration.
If those invited here were glittering jewels, Rosena was like an elegant work of art.
It might be natural for Rosena to stand out more, being in this glittering place.
Rosena blinked slowly as everyone’s eyes were caught at once.
She was sure she came earlier than the time on the invitation, but everyone was already sitting down. There was no way she mistook the time.
“Third princess?”
Asilia, who was sitting in the center, called out to Rosena.
Rosena recognized that she is the princess and immediately lifted up the hem of her dress and greeted her with imperial etiquette.
Upon Rosena’s greeting, Asilia covered her mouth with her hand and whispered.
“I waited and there was no news, I was just about to clear your seat.”
The ladies whispered amongst themselves, saying that Rosena was late at the latest and was acting shamelessly without giving an apology.
Asilia did not reproach them for their sullen voices, but looked at Rosena and smiled.
“Everyone has been waiting for you for a long time. Shouldn’t a sweet apology come before greetings?”
Rosena looked at Asilia with a puzzled face.
Asilia, who was still smiling, tilted her head.
Rosena realized only at that moment when she saw the corner of her lips raised slightly.
Apparently, she wrote a different time for her invitation only.
Besides, everyone was wearing a blue dress.
Asilia told her differently, not just the time, but even the attire.
Rosena was about to laugh at her pranks.
Rosena, who saw through the heart of Asilia who intended to humiliate her, did not panic, but opened her mouth.
“Seeing that the time and the clothes are different from what you’ve told me, I must have mistaken the date.”
Asilia’s face became subtle. She thought Rosena would be at her wits end and apologize, but it was not going the way she wanted.
And Rosena smiled and gave her the last blow.
“Excuse me. Then I’m going to go back now.”
When Rosena said she would go, Asilia’s face showed a look of disappointment. She never thought Rosena would react this way.
Asilia, who had been punched by Rosena, tried to hide her embarrassment and open her mouth.
“… Since you’re already here, please sit down.”
“Thank you.”
When Rosena smiled leisurely as if she knew everything, Asilia twisted her lips.
Asilia, who had regained her expression, pointed her finger at Rosena’s place.
The place Asilia pointed was the farthest seat from the center.
The current seating arrangement was placed in order of rank with Asilia sitting in the center. Therefore, the place furthest from the center was the seat of the lowest ranking person.
Rosena looked once at the place Asilia was pointing. It was a corner seat, so it seemed like a good place, she would go back after killing time.
Rosena walked towards the assigned seat.
With every step she took, the hem of her dress fluttered like flower petals. Even those who hated Rosena stopped talking for a moment and focused on Rosena’s attire.
Her dress, combining the designs of the Astania Kingdom and the Herbet Empire, appeared unique to those women.
With each step, the lower hem widened like petals and then narrowed.
The ladies, who were sensitive to fashion, admired it, and one by one, they captured Rosena’s appearance in their eyes.
As Rosena sat down, Asilia started the tea party by ringing the bell on the table.
The invited ladies drank tea and brought up the stories they had heard.
There were rumors that the jewels at a recent auction were sold at a record price and that the count’s daughter was proposed to by the marquis’ son.
Because they were the women who controlled the social world, they knew all the information floating around every now and then.
Information exchange took place in the midst of a sudden conversation, and then the topic quickly shifted to self-promotion.
This time, it’s about how prosperous their husbands’ business was, and stories boasting about the fact that their children had entered the academy began to come and go.
During the boring and uninteresting conversation, Rosena didn’t talk to them. It was as if she didn’t exist.
By this time, Rosena realized what Asilia’s purpose was.
It was meant to embarrass her by putting in front of people and ignoring her.
It was a puppet show led by her.
But if there was one thing that Asilia hadn’t thought of, it was that Rosena was really okay with it.
After all, it was more difficult if she got attention because she was not physically fit for social events or gatherings.
Now that she had come all the way here, her idea was to eat something delicious and go home.
Rosena drank the tea with a carefree attitude.
“…..”
Rosena frowned slightly and looked down at the teacup.
It didn’t taste as good as the tea she usually drank at the Third Prince Palace.
The light red color was beautiful and pleasing to the eyes, but the taste was astringent and fishy.
These people drink this kind of tea?
Rosena pushed the teacup away and reached for the refreshments on one side.
When the cookie with the jam on it was caught, Rosena took a bite.
Rosena swallowed the cookie without chewing it a few times.
As if it had been baked for a long time, the outside was soggy and the jam was just too sweet.
She thought she’d eat something delicious after coming all the way here, but the cookies were not delicious. It was a total mess.
Rosena missed cookies made by Federer, the chef of the Third Prince Palace, and put them down without saying a word. Then she felt a strange gaze.
Rosena lifted her head and glanced around. Then her gaze landed on a woman sitting far away from her.
The woman, who had never opened her mouth until now, was staring at Rosena.
‘Why is she looking at me?’
Rosena was puzzled. The ladies invited to this place were deliberately ignoring Rosena, leaning over to talk. But that woman was focused on Rosena.
There was no hostility in her eyes, rather… It was close to curiosity.
