***
Time flew by swiftly, and after indulging in some kinds of desserts, the day of the banquet arrived before we knew it.
That very morning, I eagerly marked the final X on my calendar, thinking to myself,
‘Finally, today!
Desserts from the palace!
Delicious food from the palace!’
“Lia, Lia.
Will there be a lot of cakes at the banquet?”
“Of course.”
“In that case, will there also be plenty of jelly?
What about cookies?
Maybe even gelato?
I hope they won’t melt and disappear.
And what about sorbets?
And juices?”
Amidst the flurry of inquiries, Julianne affectionately pinched my cheek and smiled.
“Today, Lili, you can eat as much as you want.
But remember to eat your carrots tomorrow, okay?”
“Of course!”
‘You’re the best, Lia!
I proclaim you as the perfect sister of this era!’
I nodded enthusiastically, beaming with joy.
Now, let me trace back my perfect plan.
As soon as I entered the banquet hall, I would make a beeline for the dessert table, grab a plate, fill it with appetizers, load it with desserts, enjoy some juice, and then fill it with desserts once more…
‘Hmm, I should have about five plates.
Just the thought of it gets me excited,’ I mused to myself.
“Whenever you go somewhere, make sure to let me know and never go alone.
Always go with your friends.
Got it?” Julianne instructed.
“Okay!”
‘And as for you, Lia, don’t you dare leave Cedric’s side.
Stick with him wherever you go…’ I pondered silently while observing Julianne’s appearance.
With her pink hair elegantly tied up in a bun and the deep blue satin dress, a gift from Madame Duvell, she captivated everyone’s admiration.
Though I knew it wouldn’t just be admiration; anyone would be smitten by her beauty, which is precisely why Cedric had to accompany her.
‘Look, even now, people keep trying to talk to her.
How dare they approach Lia!’
I scanned the room with indignation.
‘What on earth is Cedric doing to be this late?!’
“Oh, Julianne.”
He was dressed in a black tailcoat and exuded a strangely alluring aura, unlike his usual self.
Naturally, it had to be unintentional.
How could he purposely create such an atmosphere with his personality?
I pursed my lips while gazing at the button on his chest.
‘That button…
it’s really hanging on by a thread…
I’ve never seen anything like it…’
“Sorry for being late.
I encountered some delays on the way and had to rush here.
I left Josh with Evans,” Cedric explained with an unwavering voice.
As expected of the Commander of the Order, his stamina seemed to be unparalleled.
Although his hair was slightly disheveled now.
“Yeah, it certainly seems like it, Cedric.
Lower your head for a moment,” Julianne said with a smile, gesturing for Cedric to do so.
She reached out her hand and began fixing his hair.
I watched in awe, my mouth agape.
‘Oh my, my.
They…
I bet anyone would believe it if someone told them they’re…
you know…’
Cedric, inadvertently, had become a complete heartthrob.
People like him were the most dangerous, even if unintentionally so.
“Done.”
After a brief moment, Julianne gently patted Cedric’s shoulder and bestowed him with a smile.
I shifted my gaze to Cedric’s blushing cheek before diverting my attention to the crimson hues of the setting sun.
The night of the ball was drawing near.
***
“Julianne, you’re so…
so beautiful,” Allen blurted out, clearly enchanted, as he stood there in his white suit, his blue eyes fixed on her with intense focus.
Michael, too, widened his eyes and cast a loving gaze upon her, before gently folding them and whispering affectionately, “Lia has always been beautiful, after all.”
Julianne, upon hearing their compliments, grinned softly and gracefully fanned herself.
I could understand the embarrassment of receiving such praise in front of others; even I would have felt the same.
I playfully waved my hand toward the other kids, seeing their efforts to dress up in their own unique ways.
‘You all look adorable, it’s almost too much to handle.
But, of course, we’re still just kids.’
“The Emperor hasn’t given his speech yet, right?”
“He probably won’t even show up.
It’s the Second Prince’s birthday, after all,” Michael replied in a flat tone.
It seemed that the Second Prince in this realm was not treated as one would expect a prince to be.
If he had appeared in the original story, I might have tried to guess his identity.
However, being around the same age as me, he seemed like a character who never made an appearance in the novel.
‘Maybe he wasn’t someone worth worrying about.
That might be the reason,’ I silently pondered.
Glancing at Joshua, who stood next to Cedric, I playfully stuck my tongue out at him before scanning the surroundings.
‘Ah, this place is truly a heaven.
The long table filled with delicious desserts…’
It would have been perfect if I had some wine to accompany them, but being only eight years old, I could only have juice.
‘I’ll settle for grape juice then.
It’ll at least make me feel like I’m drinking wine.’
“Well then, Julianne,” Cedric said as he released Joshua’s hand and gently took Julianne’s, causing my attention to be drawn to his reddening ears.
“Won’t you dance with me?”
His allure was truly captivating, almost overwhelmingly so.
If I were Julianne, I would have fallen for him immediately.
Actually, I would have been the one seducing him.
But as expected, Julianne was Julianne.
I sighed as I observed my sister, blissfully unaware of it all.
On the other hand, Allen and Michael let out sighs of relief.
“Then I’ll go and enjoy some delicious food with them, Lia!”
“Make sure you never leave Michael and Allen’s side, okay?”
Julianne instructed me as she stepped forward with Cedric, briefly turning back to convey her words.
I nodded vigorously, assuring her, “Don’t worry.”
‘Don’t worry.
Just go and enjoy yourselves.’
After all, even without Allen or Michael, I wouldn’t cause any trouble.
They didn’t have to worry too much about Aiden either.
That left only Luca and Joshua, but…
“I think I saw some pieces of chocolate cake over there, Lili.
Should I bring one for you?” Aiden asked, pulling my ring finger gently as I was lost in my thoughts.
“Sure, thank you!” I replied, smiling as I met his golden eyes.
‘It would be such a pain to go all the way over there, so good for me.’
He felt like a kinder version of Michael, harmless in his own way.
‘Hmm, he does resemble Cedric more, though.
Anyway, please stay like this when you grow up.’
However, just as I was seeing Aiden off as he ventured through the crowd, Evans chimed in,
“I’ll go and see if there’s something you’d like as well, Lili.
Can you stay here?”
“What?
Evans?
I’ll take care of it.
You stay here.”
Michael and Allen suddenly found themselves engaged in a tense standoff right in front of me.
It was clear why they had suddenly adopted this behavior.
They must have been desperate to see how things would unfold between Cedric and Julianne.
Well, I couldn’t blame them.
“I’ll stay right here, so both of you can go!
I want to eat a lot!” I declared with a faint smile.
‘There, I’ll give you guys a chance too.
After all, it’s better for me if you keep each other in check.’
“But Lia said that at least one of us should stay here.”
“In that case, you stay, Lowell.”
“Lili is smart; she’ll be fine on her own, right?”
Allen smiled brightly and lightly tapped my head.
‘Of course, I’ll stay put.
But when you put it like that…
I kind of want to rebel…’
With that settled, I watched as they walked away, gradually growing distant.
If it had been Cedric, he would have never left my side, no matter what.
‘I’ve given you guys the chance to choose, so it’s up to you if Julianne starts nagging.’
As the two of them moved farther away, I turned my head and locked eyes with Luca, who had been staring at me with a blank expression.
But that was the problem.
Only Luca was there with me.
My eyes widened in alarm, and I asked, “Lu, where’s Josh?”
“He said he didn’t like it because there were too many people here, so he left just now.”
“Huh?!” I exclaimed.
‘Hey, then you should’ve told me if you were leaving!’
I scanned the surroundings immediately but couldn’t spot Joshua anywhere.
‘Ah, this is driving me crazy.
Isn’t it his first time at the palace?
If he gets lost, he’ll just sit somewhere and cry, won’t he?’
“I’ll go find Josh right away, Lu!
So stay here, got it?”
“But earlier, big bro and Michael told you to stay…”
“I’ll come back right away, so it’s okay.”
‘They won’t come back until the waltz is over anyway.’
After persuading Luca to let me go, I swiftly maneuvered through the crowd and exited the ballroom.
‘Oh, give me a break!
That Joshua causes all sorts of trouble!’
I muttered to myself as frustration welled up inside me.
“Josh, Josh!” I called out loudly, my voice echoing in the corridor as the melody of the reversed waltz continued to play from inside the ballroom.
‘Oh no, this is bad.
If the variations start playing, there’s not much time left.’
“Josh!
If you don’t show up soon, you won’t get any dessert next time!” I quickened my pace and raised my voice even more.
The sun had already set completely, and darkness enveloped the surroundings.
‘If it gets any darker here, I won’t be able to see anything.’
“Josh!” But it was when I turned towards the right side of the ballroom and shouted his name that I noticed a small figure huddled under the bushes.
‘Why does he have to come all the way here to sit in a corner like this!’
“Josh!” I rushed over to him and grabbed his shoulder, only to find myself staring into the eyes of a different boy.
His eyes were red, clearly different from Joshua’s.
‘Huh?
Who are you…?’