"Oh my, did you hear that?"
"Of course. What is happening?"
"He called Lady La Rouge by a nickname."
"They seem close."
"Too close."
"I haven't seen the Second Prince in ages."
"He seems fine and in good condition."
"He doesn't match the rumors."
"The Lady seem closer to the Second Prince than the Crown Prince."
"You know, about the recent rumor about the two together in the Holy Temple?"
"Oh, of course, they seem to have known each other since long."
Despite the orchestra playing in full volume again, Rosalia couldn't hear it but could feel the low whispers floating through the air of the banquet hall.
It wouldn't be long before the nobles concocted their own delusional stories.
Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine she would become part of the delicious gossip material of today's banquet.
'All because of...'
Rosalia glanced up at Carussius, with whom she was now sharing the first dance of her new age.
Since the Crown Prince was her escort for today, and also her fiancé, it was only natural for him to be her partner for her first dance at her official debutante. However, when Carussius grinned and asked if he could take her first dance, the Crown Prince, Luverian, accepted without showing any sign of displeasure.
Even when he called her by a nickname while asking the Crown Prince's permission, Luverian seemed as indifferent as ever.
'My Rose Lady? Lia?...What the hell was that!?'
Nicknames were reserved for the closest of friends or family, and mostly for lovey-dovey couples fond of PDA in upper society.
No one had ever called her by a nickname before.
'So why the hell is he referring to me by a nickname in front of this vulture-like crowd!?'
Rosalia struggled to maintain her composure, barely holding onto her calm facade.
As the lady celebrating her official debutante ball, it was a tradition for the lady to perform the first dance alone with her escort, drawing the gaze of all the nobles in attendance.
"You'll trip if you don't focus on the dance," the Second Prince remarked, snapping Rosalia out of her messy thoughts, and gazed up directly at the Second Prince who was a head taller than her.
'Is this really the Second Prince known as the Royal Rat?'
"You're wondering if I'm really the Prince known as the Royal Rat."
The blunt yet mischievous tone of the Second Prince hit the bullseye, causing Rosalia to visibly flinch, much to Carussius's amusement, who let out a chuckle.
Rosalia took in a deep breath to calm her nerves, and the scent of strong, fresh jasmine entered her nostrils, the cologne of the Second Prince.
As they performed their elegant dance, Rosalia observed Carussius closely.
The weak and pathetic Second Prince, who secluded himself within his shabby palace.
The worthless prince, who flinched at the sight of nobles and couldn't even meet the eyes of the servants.
The Prince who possessed Dark Power instead of the Light Power traditionally passed down through generations of the Royal Family.
A demonic child rumored to have killed his own mother with his Dark Power.
The Royal Rat.
That's what everyone said.
But as Rosalia took in the boy leading the dance, who exuded charm and confidence, a playful smile constantly gracing his youthful face, she reaffirmed her belief that the words spread by the haughty nobles were never to be taken seriously.
"I'm good at leading the dance, am I not? I'm glad I can dance for the first time with theory knowledge alone," Carussius remarked amusedly to himself, prompting Rosalia to slightly tilt her head in disbelief.
"You've never danced before?"
"Well, there needs to be a partner for a ball dance. And if I start dancing by myself in my lonely palace, the walls might start screaming that the Royal Rat has finally lost it," Carussius chuckled, poking fun at himself.
Rosalia held down her lips that tipped upwards by pressing it together.
Rosalia was curious about the Second Prince, rumored to be three years younger than the 19-year-old Crown Prince. Unlike the Crown Prince, who appeared disinterested in any thing and every thing, the Second Prince seemed genuinely friendly and approachable.
Rosalia shook herself inwardly, reprimanding her own thoughts. She couldn't allow the Second Prince to charm his way out of the predicament he had put her in by acting all close and friendly to her in front of everyone.
Rosalia maintained the best calm expression she could muster and spoke up, "What are you trying to do, your Royal Highness?"
Carussius cocked his head with a smile that suggested he didn't understand the question.
Who was he kidding?
"Why are you acting like this out of nowhere?"
"Acting like what?" he asked, his expression innocent, nearly tearing apart Rosalia's patience.
Rosalia took in another long breath, the scent of jasmine calming her nerves a little.
"Acting like you are close with me."
"But I am close with you."
Rosalia calm face crumpled, and she shot Carussius an incredulous look.
'The Second Prince has really lost it,' she thought to herself.
"Now, you're thinking that I've really lost it," Carussius smirked, taking in Rosalia's surprised face. "I'm good at reading thoughts, am I not?"
With each dance step, Rosalia's anxiety crept up an inch.
"Please be serious, Your Imperial Highness."
"You don't have to call me by such a title. You can call me by my name, you know," Carussius suggested, tilting his head in thought. "A nickname would be nice."
"No, thank you. Please don't change the subject," Rosalia declined firmly.
"Well, I'm the Royal Rat who wields dark power. If you just say you don't know me and I'm making things up, the nobles will believe you, don't you think? At this moment, I've got the worst reputation in all of the Royal Family's history, haven't I?" Carussius gave a light-hearted laugh.
"..It's no laughing matter, Your Imperial Highness. It is true that you're making things up, but I wouldn't say that about you to others," Rosalia said, her eyes meeting his crimson ones. "Both Light and Dark Power are Divine Powers granted by the Stellaris himself. Why should you be judged for that?"
Stellaris, the Divine God worshipped by most of the populace in the Evigheden Empire, was the one who granted Divine Power to the humans he chose to bless.
Though the Royal Family was the sole recipient of hereditary Light Power, Dark power was also a Divine Power and by no means a demonic sign.
These nobles loved to believe what they wanted and forced their own opinions without logical backing, while most of the population had the wrong idea and feared and abhorred dark power.
For a moment, Carussius remained silent, a soft and sincere smile gracing his lips as he gazed at Rosalia with softened eyes.
"Well, I'm not making things up about us being close now, am I?" the sincere expression faded, and a mischievous glint appeared in his eyes. "Have you forgotten our drunken conversation bonding in the temple last week?"
Just as those words left his mouth, the memory of the strong taste of red wine seemed to appear on Rosalia's tongue, and she nearly stopped dancing. If it wasn't for him calmly pulling and leading her, she would have embarrassed herself in front of the whole nobility.
"Oh wow, don't forget to breathe."
With his words, Rosalia became aware that she had been holding her breath.
Her slightly shaking eyes looked up at Carussius who smiled mischievously at her.
"I-I cannot hold my liquor," Rosalia declared in a low voice.
"I know."
"And..I...I don't remember anything that happened that day.."
"I can see," Carussius chuckled.
"Um..w-what..like..did I speak of anything with you?"
"Oh, you sure did," Carussius shrugged lightly, a teasing smile playing on his lips. "We talked our hearts out, and I can say that I know you better than anyone in this whole world."
The floor seemed to slip from beneath Rosalia's feet as the Second Prince grinned like a mischievous trickster, making a mess out of her mind.
The smiling crimson eyes gazing at the Rose Lady, who barely held herself together, seemed to glow as the boyish face drew closer to her. Then, he whispered in her ear, "I know your biggest secret too."
Just then, he twirled Rosalia into the ending pose and glanced over her shoulder. Far away, the Crown Prince stood with his signature bored look, as if he'd rather be anywhere but here. Carussius smiled brightly at Rosalia, who understood exactly what he meant.
Rosalia felt her face burn with embarrassment, turning red, which made Carussius laugh in a boyishly charming way.
'He knows...he knows!'
Rosalia realized that in her drunken stupor, she had revealed the one thing she never wanted a soul to know.
"You are, in simplest words," Carussius continued with a smile, gazing at the 'Rose of the Frosted Garden' who looked anything but frosty at the moment, blushing as she understood that her secret was no more a secret, "hopelessly, and unimaginably, in love with the Crown Prince."
The 'Rose of the Frosted Garden,' who always had an unreadably calm face and an unapproachable aura, who carried herself with cold dignity and acted as if nothing fazed her, at the end of the day, was just a young girl trying her best to hide her vulnerable and true self from the world.