The Empress's face was adorned with a gentle smile as she held onto the Emperor's arm.
After the initial greetings, the ceremony began immediately.
The light of the chandeliers reflected across the marble floor as the first movements of the attendees began.
The boy beside me watched the event with great attention, unaware that the pressure he applied to my hand had increased.
It wasn't much at first, so I tried to ignore it and continue watching the banquet.
My hand began to sweat. A servant passed by me, then slowed down for a moment. He stared at me for a few seconds before looking away and continuing on his path, the sound of his footsteps fading among the crowd of the hall.
I tightened my fist inside the glove and forced my shoulders to steady. One step backward, then I pulled my hand away.
He looked at me in confusion but did not try to grab it again.
After a short speech, everyone was allowed to move freely around the hall. Groups of nobles gathered near the side tables, and the sound of clinking glasses grew slightly louder.
'I'll return to my room... I don't need to stay here anymore.'
"His Highness, Prince Edward, I was impressed by your skills that day. My daughter was also fascinated when she saw you."
A nobleman started a conversation out of nowhere. He did not lower his voice, and several heads turned before he finished his sentence.
Edward smiled politely.
"That pleases me"
Those around him quickly picked up on the conversation and began approaching one after another. A servant passed behind them, adjusting the arrangement of glasses on a tray.
"Your Highness, I didn't have the chance to greet you earlier-"
"Your Highness-"
Edward tried to answer each question individually.
The voices overlapped, the crowd grew larger quickly, and the music rose slightly as a new movement began in the hall.
"...?"
After several unsteady steps, my feet finally came to a stop.
I was no longer near him, because I had been forced away by the crowd.
I stopped beside one of the marble pillars, away from the crowded circle surrounding him. The candlelight reflected against the cold surface of the pillar beside me.
The gentle music continued in the background, while the nobles' laughter mixed with the sound of the orchestra.
I slowly raised my hand. Through the tall stained-glass window, the shadow of a curtain moved with a faint current of air.
Now, my fingertips were almost completely damp.
The glove clung to my skin, and every movement I made irritated my nerves.
'I'll leave as soon as I can.'
"So the rumors are true after all"
My thoughts came to a halt.
I struggled to raise my head slightly toward the voice.
A boy who seemed about five years older than Edward looked down at me with a confident gaze and a faint smile that held no warmth.
'Who is this?'
"Your life must be very difficult, Prince."
'Indeed.'
I cared less about who he was than how he knew.
I was genuinely struggling because of the fools surrounding me.
I pulled out a handkerchief. My right hand trembled slightly as I wiped it.
The next sentence lingered in the air for a moment before he added in a softer tone, laced with pity:
"Being an illegitimate child... it's difficult, isn't it?"
I didn't understand what he meant at first.
'...What?'
I remained silent for a few seconds.
Then, for the first time, I properly raised my head and looked at him.
"What are you talking about?"
There had been many strange rumors about him circulating among the social circles.
In the past, he had even gone as far as memorizing them.
And this was one of those rumors.
He smiled knowingly and stepped closer, invading my personal space. The sound of his footsteps on the marble floor became clearer.
'Ridiculous.'
I didn't move.
If it weren't for the sweat dampening my palm, I would have raised it to my nose.
'That suffocating scent... it's coming from this bastard.'
He paused for a moment before placing his hand on my shoulder.
"Of course you wouldn't know. You're just a child."
His eyes gleamed as he increased the pressure.
"Don't worry. I'll be kind enough to tell you."
'What is he...'
He let out a quiet laugh.
In the background, the first dance was about to begin.
"Everyone born with His Majesty's blood inherits the royal traits."
His other hand ran through my hair, carelessly messing it up.
"And you..."
He took a step back and looked into my eyes, or rather, at their color. A faint look of satisfaction appeared on his face.
"Do not possess them."
"An illegitimate child, yet treated as a prince... What a strange kind of luck."
After his final words, his presence faded into the crowd, and his voice gradually disappeared among the noise of the hall.
"..."
Nothing.
His words meant nothing. Under normal circumstances, I would have already taken an action that could be considered reckless.
For a short while, I remained absentminded, staring at the empty space he had left behind.
I slowly straightened myself and brushed the edge of my clothes.
But today, I had no desire to even argue.
The music grew slightly louder, and the nobles changed their positions, beginning to move toward the center of the hall. The chandelier lights reflected on the glasses as they moved.
"The first dance will begin."
'I'll leave after this.' I wanted to leave. I needed to leave.
My eyes slowly moved across the faces around me.
Edward was still surrounded by nobles, exhausted from their endless compliments as usual.
I remained where I was.
"Your Highness..."
A distant voice passed by, and I couldn't identify it.
"...Your Highness?"
My eyes slowly turned, but I couldn't find the source.
"Your Highness, over here."
Even.
She was standing a short distance away, looking at me with concern. Behind her, a group of nobles passed by while speaking quietly.
I didn't answer.
"...Your Highness William."
This time, the voice came slightly closer to my awareness, but it was still delayed.
"Even..."
"Are you alright?"
'I'm fine.'
I nodded slowly.
She didn't seem convinced.
She lowered her head slightly before speaking in a softer tone.
"Endure a little longer. The dance will be over soon, and then we'll leave."
'I know.'
"..."
She smiled faintly, a smile closer to relief than happiness.
"You are calmer... more than I expected."
The moment of silence did not last.
"Miss Even."
She turned toward the voice.
A nobleman was standing nearby with a formal smile and an extended hand. Behind him, a servant passed by pushing a small cart carrying bottles.
"May I have the honor of the first dance?"
Her body stiffened for a moment.
'Now?'
She quickly glanced behind her toward where William was standing.
Then she turned her gaze back to the man.
"I..."
The words stopped in her mouth.
The dance had already begun, and refusing now would clearly be considered rude.
"It would be my honor."
The words came out softer than she intended.
The nobleman stepped closer to take her hand.
But she didn't move immediately.
"Just a moment."
She said quickly, then turned toward the nearby servants.
"Stay here."
Then she looked back at William from afar before lowering her voice.
"I'll return as soon as the dance ends."
As the music began again, the movement continued, and the sounds of the violins grew slightly louder.
I looked toward where she had been standing moments ago, but I couldn't find her.
Even was no longer there.
"..."
I moved away from the center of the hall until the voices behind me faded.
A pair of nobles passed by, laughing quietly without noticing me.
There was nothing specific in front of me, but my gaze remained fixed on the movement in the center of the hall.
A servant quickly approached and took the glass from the table before I could move toward it.
The sound of the glass scraping against the marble was faint.
"This isn't yours."
He calmly pulled the glass away and left.
'A little wouldn't have hurt...'
I stepped farther back.
"So you're still here."
The voice came from beside me, low and confident.
In the background, a curtain moved again with the current of air.
I slowly turned around.
It was him, the boy from earlier.
'Perhaps he's following me.'
"You left the center so quickly... You don't like standing there?"
I kept my gaze on him.
His smile never left his face, though he seemed slightly bored.
"Still standing like that..."
He raised his hand and pointed at me casually.
"Indeed, you don't resemble anyone from His Majesty's bloodline."
He glanced toward the center of the hall.
"Look at him."
I didn't look.
"I can recognize him from here."
"That is royal blood... It doesn't need anyone's acknowledgment. It's always obvious."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"The center of attention... exactly where he should be."
Then he tilted his head slightly.
"You moved away because people's gazes bother you, didn't you?"
"I don't blame you... It's not strange to feel that way."
I opened my mouth to say something.
No sound came out.
My fingers moved slowly.
The air around me felt heavy.
I raised my gaze.
Edward was in the center, dancing with a girl his age.
The light of the hall caught his white hair.
I couldn't see his expression clearly from here, but...
I caught a glimpse of it.
A smile.
A slight heaviness passed through my chest, and my hand began sweating again.
This time, I didn't wipe it.
A faint bitterness filled my mouth.
I reached into my pocket.
The piece of chocolate the servant had given me that morning was still there, even after I changed clothes.
I hadn't eaten it then.
It seemed suspicious.
Without thinking about why I had kept it, I opened the wrapper and placed it in my mouth.
My hand lowered unconsciously.
The noise faded slightly.
Then it came closer again.
Then drifted away once more.
I stayed where I was.
But something inside me refused to settle.
"You are lucky, you know. His Highness Prince Edward takes care of you."
"Shut up."
"Huh?"
"If you leave... I'll forgive you this time at least."
I'm not in the mood.
"What?"
His false smile vanished, leaving only his arrogance behind.
"Who do you think you are to say something like that to me?"
He pushed my chest with his hand.
It wasn't strong enough to make me fall, but it was enough to throw off my balance and force me one step backward.
'Another long day...'
At that moment, all I wanted was for everything to end.
Somehow, my fingertips became dry and unpleasantly cold.
His final gaze held a mixture of challenge and hesitation.
"What is happening here?"
Because of the soft and calm voice, the movement in the hall gradually stopped.
Everyone's attention turned toward the woman with sky-blue hair.
The Empress.
Even the music faded.
The boy stepped back, and his expression changed instantly.
"I... I didn't mean to-"
"William?"
Edward's voice cut him off as he pushed through the crowd, his face pale.
"William!"
I didn't respond.
The sound around me began fading again, as if it were coming from behind thick glass.
The violin's noise disappeared, then returned from a distance, unstable and unclear.
I tried to raise my gaze.
It didn't rise completely.
Something tightened inside my chest.
Heavy and cold, as always.