30 minutes.
Just 30 more minutes till the ball.
Melissa couldn't sit still at all, her legs were wobbly, and she was shaking.
She couldn't help it. She was just so excited for the ball.
She had already thanked the maids for their hard work and rushed them to go out of her room.
Why? Because she wanted to calm herself down, she didn't want the maids thinking that the person they serve was some crazy lunatic.
Well, that was one of the reasons, at least. The other reason was that she wanted to finalize her master plan. She wanted to make sure she didn't accidentally talk about her rebellion with the Crown Prince amongst the wrong people.
She'd be executed if she did as the majority of the nobles had supported the Crown Prince. Luckily, she knew that the three men she had invited all decided to come as they wrote a reply letter regarding Lady Melissa's debut.
Out of the 35 guests that were invited, only five weren't able to come. Well, it made sense only a few were absent as this was the first time Lady Melissa would be shown to the public.
And those 30 guests probably wanted to be a part of one of the first to see her face and appearance.
Not that she minded, of course, instead she was looking forward to meeting all 30 of her guests.
The reason why the party was so inclusive was that she didn't want everybody to see her. She had only invited families close to the Shayla estate, the families that supported the Shayla family. She also invited a representative for each of the founding families.
Except for the Imperial family's.
It wasn't like they would notice, right?
And besides, she wasn't ready to face the Crown Prince yet.
She'd need at least six months at the very least before being able to face him.
Before she knew it, 20 minutes had passed, and there were only 10 minutes left before the start of the ball.
However, she was only going to arrive at the ball when all the guests were present.
She had to be the center of attention so that everyone would see her elegance and graciousness at the same time.
All she could do was wait for the guests to arrive.
She was ecstatic about the ball, her first debut.
Ah, time does fly.
It was as if yesterday she died.
She could still vividly remember the screams.
The fire.
But most importantly, the Crown Prince's face.
The screams would haunt her nightmares every night.
And Melissa would wake up in cold sweat.
At this exact date, in her past life, she met the Crown Prince.
She remembered how he looked, how he acted.
The reason why Lady Melissa fell for the Crown Prince wasn't because of his looks. You see, it was because he knew who she was.
Well, to be more specific, he greeted her properly.
Unlike many other nobles, her heart thumped quickly.
And that was the start of her first love.
Thinking about it now, she felt so dumb. How could she fall in love with him for such a stupid reason?
He had only greeted her, and her heart thumped.
It was just a simple gesture, yet it was the reason that made her attracted to him.
That meeting they had together was her first mistake.
Later on, she found out the Crown Prince had planned the meeting. He had approached her to see how she would react to his gesture.
And the reaction was unexpected for him.
So he decided to play with her more and more and more.
He found Melissa as an "innocent" little mouse.
And he was the cat.
He was the predator, and she was the prey.
"Lady Melissa, the guests have all arrived. You may enter the venue now."
The butler rushed to Lady Melissa's room before knocking on it to tell her.
"Ah, okay."
Melissa walked with pride. Her stance showed elegance, confidence, and dignity.
She didn't show any signs of nervousness or anything.
However, she was feeling nervous on the inside.
All those years of hiding her emotions turned out to be helpful.
She acted perfectly confident on the outside..but on the inside is a different matter.
On the inside, Melissa was shaken. She was nervous; her legs were shaking, and so were her hands.
She quickly walked, she couldn't wait to enter the ballroom.
"Now entering Lady Melissa Mendy Shayla of the Shayla Estate."
Melissa walked in with confidence, and anybody would say that she was confident. She didn't seem nervous at all.
Melissa strolled down the aisle, waving her hand out to the guests. Some of the lower-ranking nobles bowed down to Lady Melissa. In contrast, the higher-ranking nobles clapped for Lady Melissa.
"Today, we have gathered here to celebrate my daughter, Melissa's first debut to society!"
The Duke proudly said, along with his wife.
"Now, let the party officially begin!"
As soon as those words were said, many nobles had rushed to Lady Melissa, which had surprised her as nobody had ever tried to talk to her before.
But this time, it was different. Both men and women were approaching her.
"I am Duke Loal from the Loal estate, congratulations on your first debut to society, Lady Melissa, and I wish you all the best."
Lady Melissa observed his features.
He looked familiar. It seemed as if she had met him before.
"Thank you."
Then she remembered! She had seen him in one of the balls she had attended in her past life! His family was wealthy, but then they invested in a mining company.
However, they were scammed. There was no such mining company in the first place.
They had invested quite a large sum into the company. The bank had even confiscated their assets because they didn't have enough money to pay for the mining company's costs.
When they were rich, they were also one of the Shayla familys' supporters, and her parents were quite close with their family.
Should Melissa help them? They would be offered the mining deal in 3 months, so she could prevent it from happening.
That is if she wanted to.