Gasps erupted among the nobles, clapping some beats late as they struggled to believe what was unfolding before their eyes.

The nobles were like sharks, and right now, they had caught the scent of a single drop of blood in the ocean.

"Did you see that!?"

"My eyes must be failing me!"

"The lady...'

"The 'Rose of the Frosted Garden'... just now she..."

"She's blushing!!"

A wistful smile played on the Empress's amused face as she watched Rosalia being gracefully escorted out of the banquet hall's center by Carussius after their first dance.

Since Rosalia had very fair skin, even a slight blush stood out prominently. And at this moment, her blushing cheeks and ears nearly seemed to match the shade of her hair.

"Your daughter is going to be under strong scrutiny, Your Excellency," she remarked, casting a sideway glance at Duke La Rouge, who remained as stern-faced as ever.

Rosalia La Rouge, who hailed from the Northern Duchy of the Empire, where snow was a constant companion, was famed as the 'Rose of the Frosted Garden', not only due to her appearance, as lovely and captivating as a rose, and her origin from one of the frostiest region of the Empire, but also because of her cold aura that never seemed to melt. She always showcased herself as a perfect lady, never letting anyone get a read on her, like a rose with thorns that kept others from plucking it.

As the sole child in the long-standing La Rouge Duchy, which had existed since the founding of the Evigheden Empire, Rosalia garnered both admiration and envy from all the nobles.

The nobles loved observing the La Rouge family like hawks, and just now, the nobles had finally found a feast for their eyes.

Displaying a close bond with the Second Prince, who arrived unexpectedly and fashionably late, the nobles could see Rosalia acting all lovely and chatting with him, as well as performing the first dance with him instead of her fiancé, the Crown Prince.

And to top it all off, for the first time, the Frosty Rose Lady displayed an expression other than her usual distant, polite smile—blushing bashfully, a sight no noble had ever imagined her capable of.

"When did the Second Prince get close to Rosalia?" The Duke's calm yet authoritative voice elicited a chuckle from the Empress.

"I could ask the same to you, Your Excellency. As the father of the lady, shouldn't you be aware?" The Empress continued, her gaze shifting to Rosalia and Carussius, who had taken a secluded spot away from the prying ears of the surrounding nobles. "I haven't encountered the Second Prince since our coincidental meeting months ago, and he only comes out of his palace on rare occasion of visiting the temple."

The Empress reminisced about the time she had coincidentally crossed paths with the Second Prince at the temple, only for him to hastily run away with a frightened expression upon noticing her presence.

The Duke's forest-green eyes narrowed as he silently contemplated.

Recently, a rumor had surfaced, originating from a noble who attended the temple for their usual prayer session. According to her account, she had caught a glimpse of the Second Prince and the Young Lady of La Rouge Duchy together in the temple.

Even the gossip-loving nobles dismissed such rumors without a second thought. The idea of the distinguished Lady La Rouge being seen with the seemingly insignificant stain of a royal figure, more so in the temple of all place, was simply inconceivable.

'The Rose Lady' and 'The Rat Prince' were perceived as beings from different realms—like creatures of the sky and the earth. Even the most avid gossip enthusiasts couldn't entertain such a notion.

Now, however, all the nobles present were likely concocting various theories in their minds.

"The Second Prince had remained quiet until now," the Duke murmured. Having met the Second Prince only twice, he remembered a timid child who couldn't even lift his gaze from the ground. This confident young man was not the Second Prince he knew.

"Except that he brought an orphan boy from the temple yesterday and declared him a personal attendant, yes, he has remain quiet," The Empress words caught the Duke's attention, causing him to frown.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

The Empress had eyes and ears in all the palaces, so there was no way she could have been mistaken.

Duke La Rouge recalled the rumor about Rosalia and Carussius being seen together in the temple and wondered if it might be true after all. Yet, even if it were true, there wasn't anything inherently wrong with it.

It was questionable why Rosalia would have been in the temple, but just because she hailed from the La Rouge Duchy, which never associated itself with the Holy God Stellaris and the Holy Temple, her visit wasn't a controversial act.

If Rosalia and Carussius were indeed close and on good terms, the Duke had no objections. But matters didn't seem that simple.

Rosalia was, after all, his daughter, raised under the strict regimen he had enforced so she could be strong enough to uphold the family name.

He knew his daughter wasn't as aloof and perfect as she presented herself to be, and long as she didn't make an ineradicable blunder, that was fine. She needed to be strong enough to maintain her stance as the formidable child of the La Rouge Duchy in the snake-infested Royal Court.

The Duke was one person who could read Rosalia like an open book. Despite the charming scene the Second Prince presented, he knew that Rosalia was just as clueless as the onlookers and was walking on thin ice.

The Empress glanced at the Duke, who seemed unfazed, but she couldn't help but wonder if that was truly the case. After all, the sudden active presence of the Second Prince was sure to cause a stir in the Royal Court.

'What happened to the pitiful kid I know? What changed?' The Empress pondered to herself, narrowing her eyes as she focused on the far opposite wall of the banquet hall, where both Carussius and Rosalia stood.

Except for Rosalia, who spoke discreetly with a face that nearly betrayed her waning patience, the Second Prince chatted with a bright grin on his face.

As if he was an entirely different person.

The Empress couldn't discern even a shadow of Carussius's old self, yet she couldn't be entirely certain. After all, the Second Prince, who had closed himself off in his palace, was someone nobody knew closely enough to truly understand him and his personality.

'Was he hiding his true personality all this time while he secluded himself? Why come out now?'

The Empress's gaze shifted to the Crown Prince on the other side of the banquet hall, who stood conversing with his personal knights, appearing as indifferent as ever.

That child was never too cold nor overbearing; only pure indifference emanated from him. Always diligent in his duties as the Crown Prince, yet he always carried an air that suggested he couldn't care less about anything.

Even now, as an unexpected situation unfolded and his fiancée was swept away from his side, he didn't seem affected by it at all.

But now that the Second Prince had made a captivating and confident official appearance at one of the grandest banquets held in the Royal Banquet Hall, would the Crown Prince still remain as nonchalant as ever?

The Second Prince's newfound activity was bound to bring about changes in the Royal Court.

Theresa tapped her moss green painted nails on her crossed arm and opened her fan to cover half her face as she glanced at the overbearing Duke standing beside her.

The Duke, nearing his 40s, had brick red hair streaked with gray, and his green eyes were as piercing and arrogant as ever.

Despite the Duke's position on the administrative side of the Royal Court, he exuded the aura and physique of a full-fledged knight.

He was one man whom Theresa took great pains to avoid angering and remained ever vigilant around.

Duke Richard La Rouge was the primary royal strategist of the Royal Court and one of the Emperor's most trusted men, to the extent that the Emperor arranged an engagement between the Royal Family and the La Rouge Duchy.

At first, Theresa had assumed the engagement was a means to keep the La Rouge Duchy in check, considering its formidable power and reputation. However, over time, she came to realize that the engagement was simply a result of the Emperor's trust and favoritism towards Duke La Rouge.

The La Rouge Duchy was one prominent family that diverged from worshiping the Holy God Stellaris from its inception, instead embracing magic, which lay on the opposite spectrum of Divine Powers. Their land was the wealthiest in magic resources and the birthplace of many mages.

Despite the Duke maintaining a neutral stance in the Royal Court, his daughter's engagement to the Crown Prince made him the Crown Prince's most significant ally.

It was a smooth path to the throne for the Crown Prince, as there were no other contenders for the throne, with the only other Royal Prince being an infamous lost cause.

But now, the situation seems to have changed.

The Second Prince had returned, appearing more confident and interesting than anyone would have anticipated.

"Is there something you would like to say, Your Majesty?" the Duke asked curtly, sensing Theresa's gaze, while maintaining a straight face as he observed the pair of his daughter and the Second Prince.

Theresa let out a small laugh and glanced ahead. "I wonder if a change is about to occur," she remarked.

Theresa gazed at the two main stars of today's gossip and caught sight of Rosalia discreetly yet firmly stepping on Carussius's feet with her pointed heels, making him wince.

Theresa mused at the sight of Rosalia, whose face now seemed genuinely annoyed—an expression new to Rosalia's demeanor.

Carussius limped slightly, a grin still playing on his face, seemingly enjoying the act of annoying Rosalia.

Just then, both the Empress and the Duke's eyes widened ever so slightly, caught in surprise, as the Second Prince, who seemed to be enjoying his time, stared directly at them.

The carefree, boyish face lost its hearty smile, suddenly seeming to transform into something different as he slightly narrowed his crimson eyes, the air around him changing entirely.

A slow smile appeared on his face, a cocky, almost challenging smile. Then, with a slight, polite bow of his head, he turned his attention to Rosalia, who walked away from him with a tired expression. Adopting an easygoing and carefree demeanor, unlike the one he had just directed at them, he followed after Rosalia.

The Duke La Rouge's calm voice reached the Empress's ears, "A change is about to occur."