After the publicity of my bethoral, the atmosphere in the ballroom significantly changed. Everyone kept staring at me while I was with Fabian, the crown prince…I realised that all of the guests in this ballroom were direct vassals of the royal family, so that was why there was no other duke or duchess in this ballroom...

But right now, I must stay focused on the main character of the book. Tonight, she would reveal herself...She would try to get closer with Milo; right now, Milo was staying beside Lady Octavi. They were staying closer with us—Fabian and me...We were enjoying the treats and drinks of the party...Sometimes Fabian asked me to call him by name, not with honorifics or royal highness.

"Aurelia...May you cut the honorific for me?" said Fabian.

"Again, your royal highness, you still keep asking me that..." said I

"Because it's for us, you can just call me by my own name to make this relationship better..."

"Well, to make this relationship better, you need to look your own past, royal highness."

"What past this are you talking about?"

"May we just enjoy the party? I am not talking about this matter.."

When I wanted to get other treats, I walked to the other side..

He immediately stood in front of me and blocked me, "No! you need to tell me about this past."

I tried to pass him and went to the other treats section...Yet, when I passed him, he suddenly grabbed my left hand... "May your royal highness release my hand?" said I, trying to pull my hand away.

"I apologise, but I can't let go just yet," he replied, "I want to know the root; why don't you want to call me by my own name?"

"Well, it's not that I don't want to call you by your name; it's just that I prefer using a more formal title when addressing someone of your stature," I explained, hoping to diffuse the tension. "Besides, it adds an air of respect and honour to our conversations...So may you release your hand before we make a scene?"

"Don't play with me, Aurelia... That's not the reason for you to keep using honorifics towards me...Just tell me the truth!!" His grip became stronger, and I felt a little bit hurt by his grip...I tried to pull and push to let the grip go, but it didn't work until Lady Octavi saw what happened. She intervened,

"May your royal highness release my lady's hand?" said Lady Octavi..

Still, Fabian didn't lose his grip on me...Again, Lady Octavi asked him, "You need to release my lady's hand, your royal highness..."

Fabian's face contorted with anger as he refused to let go of my hand. The tension in the room grew palpable, and I could sense Lady Octavi's concern for my well-being...

I sighed and said with a loud tone, "FINE!! IF YOUR ROYAL HIGHNESS WANTS TO KNOW THE REASON, RELEASE MY HAND AND I WILL TELL YOU.." I was so furious about Fabian's behavior. Lady Octavi looked at me with a mix of surprise and worry, her eyes silently pleading for me to calm down. The room fell silent as Fabian finally released his grip on my hand..

"Great, now...We make a scene at this party...Thanks to you, your royal highness," I said, realising the consequences of my outburst. Everyone's eyes were on us, and I could feel the weight of judgement in the room. Taking a deep breath, I tried to gather my composure and find a way to salvage the situation.

Lady Octavi quickly intervened, her voice steady and soothing, "Let's find a more private space to talk, away from prying eyes."

"Fine with me.." said Fabian. He waved to Milo, and at once he was in front of Fabian, "Milo, lead us to a place more private!"

Milo nodded and led us out of the ballroom and into a quieter hallway. I could feel the tension slowly dissipating, replaced by a sense of relief that we were no longer under the scrutiny of others....At the hallway, Lady Octavi and Milo made a distance between Fabian and I...

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"Now, you may explain the reason why you keep resisting to call me by my own name." Fabian asked me..

"First, I want to ask you...Is your royal highness aware of the rumour about you?"

"What is this rumour you are talking about?"

I hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to proceed. Finally, I decided to take a deep breath and speak my mind. "There have been whispers and news across the kingdom about your relationship with Lady Anna for the entire seven years....All the courtiers and the people think you, your royal highness, are betrothed with Lady Anna..Not me..." I said cautiously. Fabian's eyes widened in surprise, and I could see a flicker of unease cross his face, "So, is your royal highness aware of this rumour?" asked me.

Fabian's expression shifted, his brows furrowing slightly as he processed my words, and he was walking back and forth in front of me. After a moment of silence, he sighed. "I had suspected that there were rumours circulating, but I did not realise they had reached such a level of certainty," Fabian admitted, his voice tinged with frustration. "It seems that the courtiers and the people have taken our close friendship and mistaken it for something more. This misunderstanding could potentially complicate matters for both of us."

"It doesn't complicate matters for me...As we know from the beginning, our betrothal is merely an agreement between our parents... and has no bearing on our personal feelings towards each oth-"

Out of the blue, he leaned towards me, and his face got closer to mine.. I could feel his warm breath on my cheek as he whispered, "But what if our personal feelings have changed? What if this misunderstanding has made us realise that there is something more between us?" The intensity in his eyes made my heart skip a beat..

I pushed him to get away from my face. I realised he was changed...He was not like seven years ago, when we met back in my home...I didn't know his change was a genuie change or just playing with me. There must be something that happened that made him change like this...Or there was something that happened between him and Lady Anna...

"Well, if your royal highness's feelings towards me change, you need to regain my trust in you..."

"Is there anything I can do for that?"

"I want you to sincerely apologise to me..."

"Apologise?"

"Yes..For the these entire seven years, your royal highness has never visited me...While I was lying down on the bed..Instead, you have spent your time with others..." Actually, it was a chance for me, to attract all the paragons to me with this chance; instead of looking for them, let them look for me...Surely, it was a high risk...I continued, "To prove your sincerity towards me, I want your royal highness to write this apology and be seen by the public on the board across the kingdom.."

Fabian's expression changed from surprise to hesitation. He seemed unsure about the consequences of such a public display of apology. He opened his mouth and said, "You know this public apology will be bad for the royal family...It will be seen, like the royal family knelt to the Aurelius family...Is there any other way to prove my sincerity to you?" Fabian's concern for the reputation of the royal family was evident in his hesitant expression... He worried that a public apology would create an image of subservience for the Aurelius family, which could potentially damage their standing in the kingdom...

"I am afraid there is no other way, your royal highness...If you really want to prove your sincerity, a public apology may be the only option...If there is nothing more you want to say to me, it's better we go back to the ballroom..."

Fabian's words hung in the air, emphasising the weight of the decision...He knew that a public apology would not only demonstrate sincerity but also send a strong message to the kingdom about their commitment to this bethoral... However, he couldn't help but worry about the potential backlash it might bring from those who viewed it as a sign of weakness...Especially the sign of weakness from the royal family and the sign of dominance from the Aurelius family...

He sighed, "Fine...I will make an apology and announce it on board across the kingdom..."

"You have my gratitude, and I will keep my words, your royal highness...Now shall we go back to the party??" This time, after hearing those words, I offered him my hand to hold...He grabbed my hand, and we were holding each other hands back to the ballroom..

As the night progressed, the atmosphere in the ballroom grew more enchanting. The soft melodies of the orchestra filled the air, creating an ambiance that heightened everyone's anticipation. Despite the grandeur of the event, I couldn't help but feel a sense of nervousness as I awaited the main character's grand reveal. It was as if her presence alone held the power to captivate every soul in the room....I kept watching Milo, if there was someone to try to meet Fabian , the crown prince...As the time passed and the party reached its end...There was neither a single lady nor a woman who tried to get close with Fabian, or with Milo as an intermediary...

Was it because I had anticipated it? It made them or the main character of the book know if I was waiting for her...Or the main character was one of the nobles in the ballroom, where they had introduced themselves and greeted Fabian, earlier...In the end, I didn't have a single clue about the main character of the book—the appearance, even the name of her...At least I had made Fabian, crown prince to write an apology, and announced it across the kingdom..