Acantha was feeling a little bit nervous as they arrived at the palace, she knew that the party has already started that's why it made her more nervous.
"Are you ready, Aki?" The duke asked her as he give her his arm.
She just nodded as she accepted his arms to guide her to the ball.
Acantha can already heard the music and some noises from people inside the hall. The knights who were stationed outside the door open it for them so that they can enter.
She saw people stopped doing what they were doing when they entered, "It's Okay, Aki" The duke assured him as he felt that she was trembling.
Acantha feel a little ease when the duke try to calm her down. She saw some pairs who seems to be dancing before they entered the hall.
The duke guided her at the center and he motioned to the musicians to continue on playing the music, and as the music start he dance with her.
"Your mother will surely feel happy to see this," The duke said as they were dancing and Acantha can feel the sadness in his voice as well as she can see the sadness in his eyes.
She knew that the duchess dies when Acantha was born, that's why everyone thought that's why the duke was always never around is because hew was blaming his daughter for his wife's death.
They stopped dancing when the music stopped and change, his father guide him to the two people.
"Duke!" The man who greeted.
"Your highness," The duke said as he bows his head to give some respect as he greeted back,
"Is this Lady Acantha now?" The emperor asked as he looked at me.
"Greetings to the sun and moon of the empire," I bow my head as I gather my dress in m hand as I make a courtesy to the emperor and empress.
The emperor smiled at me while the empress just eyes me from head to toe.
"You look so much like the duchess when she was at your age, well except for your hair which you inherited from your father, right my empress?" The Emperor said as he looked at his wife lovingly.
"Yes, your majesty she looks so much like Cantanya," the Empress said as she raises her eyes on me.
I know by how the Empress look at me that she doesn't like me which seems to be odd since she and my mother were good friends.
"Greetings your majesty the Emperor and Empress," Someone greeted them which came from our back and I saw how the empress face lit when she saw that someone.
"Noraya my dear," The Empress said as she hugged the woman who is Noraya, she was with her father.
"Duke Solaris," Count Abellarde greeted my father but there is something with his greetings that I don't like.
"This is lady Noraya, lady Acantha" The Empress said she introduces Noraya to me. " You must already know her as she was my son's the crown prince fiancée," The Empress said like she was sending me some message that I should know it.
I saw how Noraya blushed when the Empress said the word fiancée, "Where's the crown prince?" The Empress continued as she roamed her eyes around the the place to find her son who was not there at the moment.
"He was just there awhile ago after we finished dancing together," Noraya said as she shyly answered and roamed her eyes on the place too.
"If you wouldn't mind your highness, I guess my daughter and I need to see my friend," The duke said as he excused us from them, the Emperor just nodded as he give permission to my father that he can now leave.
"My Empress, what are you saying his fiancée? we still haven't had a proper decree about Lady Noraya being the future crown princess," I heard the Emperor said to the Empress and I look and saw the seems not happy to what the Emperor said to her.
She just let her father guided her and then they went to someone who seems like her father's know who he is.
"Duke, " The older man greeted as soon as he saw my father who walking towards them.
"Count Triduexfort it's been a long time since we've seen each other," The duke said as we reach where they are.
"Yes, it's been a long time, is that already Acantha?" Count Triduexfort said as he smiled as he looked at me.
Triduexfort? Is he related to that crazy man who was so dramatic?
"Yes, this is my daughter Acantha, Aki this is my best friend Count Triduexfort," Father said as he introduces me his best friend.
"My, my she looks exactly like Cantanya," The Count said as he looked at me again.
"Yes, she looks exactly like my late wife, " The duke proudly said as he chuckled a little bit though I can still sense the sadness on his voice. "And by the way where's your son?" The duke asked as he changed the subject.
"Oh, Evander why just here a while ago, I don't know where that kid went again," The Count said as he look around as he shook his head in disbelief.
"Seems like the young lord was giving you a headache, huh?" The duke said as he smirked at the Count.
"May I excuse my self father?" I said as I was trying not to be rude but it's really hard to just stand here wearing this heavy dress and wearing a high heeled shoes.
"Seems like we got your daughter bored here, she should be with her age, don't worry young lady you can go," The Count said as he looked at me as he put his hand on the duke's shoulder.
I was about to leave the palace when I bumped in someone chest, " I apologize," I said as I was touching my forehead that bumped on his hard chest.
"Oh, if it is fate," The man said and right there and then I knew that he was the man who pulled me when I was trying to walk around the market, the dramatic man who was causing a scene back then.
"There's my son, Arthur," The Count said as he walk closer to us.
"Fancy seeing you here again, my lady," He said as he kiss my hand and I saw my father's face darkened when he saw what this crazy man did.
"Have you met each other again?" The duke asked as he looked at the both of us.
My eyes grew bigger and before the man could even speak a word I put my hands on his mouth, "Ah-ahmm we met when I bought you the gift father, " I answered as I was still trying to cover his mouth which he was trying to remove and I have no choice I step on his feet using my shoes and I can see he winced a little bit.
"Why didn't you mention it to me?" The duke continued to question.
"Because I don't know him? we just bump into each other and didn't even spoke any words to each other," I said, the must have forgotten that I haven't yet recovered my memories if you put that but, I don't even know who's this as he wasn't even mentioned in the story/
The duke still seems to be suspicious I lean a little bit and try to whisper on this man named Evander," Just try to ride on," I said as I smiled back to the duke and the count.
"My son didn't even bother to mention it to me, and beside Arthur have you forgotten that your daughter still haven't recovered her memories yet?" The count said as he looked at the duke who was still frowning.
When the count said those words it seems like the duke only realized that thing, " Oh, I forgot" He said as he took a glass of wine from the servant who pass by.
The music starts on playing again and every debutant was already there, " Can I dance with Lady Acantha , my lord?" Evander asked and father is a little bit hesitant to let me dance with him.
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Helion just looked again from where he is hiding, he has been hiding from his mother who was pushing him to be with Lady Noraya all the time and it's pissing him off.
He looked again to the ballroom as he heard the music start playing again, a while ago he was in awe while he was watching the duke and lady Acantha.
He saw her there in middle of the crowd but this time she wasn't with the duke , she was with a man who he doesn't recognized who was.
He clenched his fist as he watch the two dance, they looked so lovely and they look so perfect together.
He just glared at them as he walks away from where he was , maybe it's time for him to enter the show.