Theodore reached out to Rosa.
"Please allow me to have your first dance...….”
Rosa knew how much of an honor it was to be the emperor’s first dance partner.
Theodore's first dance partner was usually Vivian.
‘Yes. You can just think of it as sharing a first dance with a comrade.’
But there was another problem.
"I am afraid that I will disgrace Your Majesty because I am not good at dancing."
She meant it.
She’d always danced the male role, so it would be difficult to dance with Theodore taking the lead.
‘They say you can reverse the steps and hand motions, but I'm sure my body will move as it’s used to.’
But Theodore didn't take back the hand he held out to her.
Rather, he made it so that she couldn’t decline.
"That's fine. I’m not a good dancer either."
Refusing the emperor, who was lowering himself, in public was something that could not be done.
Eventually, she bitterly accepted Theodore's hand.
Then, she was led by him to the center of the banquet hall.
"Tell me if you're having a hard time. I'll let go of your hand right away,"
Theodore whispered to her.
After that, Theodore took her hand and held her waist.
Her body began to move to the fast tempo.
It went as she expected.
At first, she thought she was doing well, but she quickly shifted her feet and hands into familiar positions.
The good thing was that she hadn't stepped on Theodore's feet yet.
"Oh! I'm sorry."
Usually she kept her eyes forward, but she kept looking down.
Since she couldn’t look at him openly, she kept stealing glances.
So, she was even more surprised.
"Rosenta Estella."
"What?"
"Now that I think about it, the color of my friend, Rosenta's, eyes...… and the color of your veil color seem to be strangely similar."
‘Oh, he was referring to the similar coloring.’
She inwardly nodded with a sigh of relief.
"I see. I'd like to see what kind of person he is."
As she said that, they came to the part of the dance where the man dipped the woman backward, bringing each other's bodies close together.
"If you want to see...….”
Theodore drew in her waist hard as he spat out his words.
But he didn't bend her back.
Instead, he met her gaze and said,
"You can look in the mirror."
They’d skipped part of the dance, so they moved on to the next move straight away.
He released her waist and spun her. Her head was full of racing thoughts even in the middle of the dizzying spin.
‘Look in the mirror. What does he mean by that?’
The spin was over. Then Theodore's smile entered her vision.
He had a very mischievous grin, as he told her,
"That's how much you look like."
***
As soon as the dance was over, she fled out to the terrace.
At first glance, it seemed like a joke.
But she had a gut feeling that it wasn't just an ordinary act of mischief.
She’d known him for a long time.
No matter how playful his words seemed, there was a subtle difference in his underlying meaning.
Above all, Theodore was not the type to say joking words to someone he wasn’t close to.
‘I’m sure he was checking something.’
By the way…….
"When did he notice?"
She kept combing through her memories over and over again, biting her lip.
There was no answer.
This was because she had never made any mistakes in front of Theodore; she was always careful.
"If you can’t think of an answer regarding a mistake in the past, you'd better think about what to do in the future."
Maybe it was better to go back to the banquet hall because her behavior could be seen as more suspicious.
But not yet.
She had to calm herself down a little more. Anxiety stirred up all sorts of thoughts.
Thoughts of having been caught.
Eventually, it reached the point where she was imagining the worst.
“……He'll hate me."
‘If I tell him all the truths that I've learned, not to mention deceiving Theodore...….’
Sigh.
Her heart was heavy. She hadn’t come to the banquet for this.
‘I can’t stay out here forever.’
She tried to get her complicated thoughts under control by wiping her face.
Then, the sounds of the banquet hall rang loudly, and Vivian's voice was also heard.
"Oh, I thought she came this way earlier."
Vivian didn't see her.
Maybe it was because she was hiding in a remote corner, a little off the terrace.
She took a step to return to the terrace.
But she stopped in her tracks.
"Just a little bit more...….”
She hesitated. She was scared.
‘Okay. Let's talk a little later. When I’m more certain...….’
Thinking about it again reminded her.
She immediately fell back into a sudden surge of anxiety.
"Young Lady! What are you doing here?"
"We're here to take a rest...…. Is Rosa not with you?"
Several strange voices were heard.
As there were more eyes, they would soon find her hiding.
‘It might be better for me to step out first before I get caught.’
"Whew."
She exhaled.
Very loudly, as if to blow away her worries with one breath.
Only then did she walk towards them, mimicking a laughing tone as much as possible.
"I've been here the whole time."
***
Time quickly passed.
As she dealt with those approaching her with Vivian, the end of the banquet gradually arrived.
Theodore disappeared at some point.
Yura, who had not been seen, appeared out of nowhere and said goodbye to her.
Yura's pupils were unfocused like a man who’d lost his soul. Her voice was also quiet, more like a murmur.
“……It's late, so I'll return to the Holy Kingdom now."
"Since you're going to the Holy Kingdom, I don't know when I'll see you again. It's a shame, Saint."
At her words, Yura’s blurred focus became clear for a moment.
Yura quietly looked her up and down without saying anything.
It was unpleasant.
Yura averter her gaze. It was unclear whether or not she knew Rosa’s feelings.
Instead, she replied in a confident voice.
"Soon, we'll see each other again."
Thus, Yura left the palace, leaving only those words.
As time passed, more and more people began to leave the banquet hall.
Of course, Rosa was among them.
She’d stayed this long, anymore and it would feel like she’d overstayed, so she felt it best to leave now.
Before leaving, she found Vivian.
Vivian had come with Lennox, her oldest brother, so she'd be fine leaving with him.
"Vivian, I'll be leaving out as well."
She immediately left the banquet hall.
When she came outside, she saw a line of coachmen and carriages waiting for their masters.
Of course, her horse wasn't there.
She approached the servant who she’d left her horse to before entering the banquet hall.
"Where's my horse?"
"Ah! If it's a horse, I've hitched it at a nearby stable. It's right over there."
The servant, who recognized her, quickly pointed to the stable where a horse could be seen.
It was a small stable, not far enough to be seen from the banquet hall.
She was tired and immediately headed over.
The moment she’d unhitched the horse and hopped in the saddle,
“……Rosa."
Theodore made his appearance.
His skin seemed to be tinged red. Like a man who’d stood outside in the cold for a long time.
"It’s Rosa, isn’t it?"
He gradually came up to her, spouting meaningful words.
He didn't let her off the horse.
He just spoke quietly, stroking the mane of her horse.
"Or should I call you Rosenta?"
‘Ah.’
The joke he’d brought up when they were dancing wasn't just a joke.
Theodore already seemed to know everything.
But Rosa thought he might just be trying to be funny, so she tried to laugh it off.
"Your Majesty, what kind of joke is that?"
"A joke...….”
Theodore did not laugh.
Under the starless night sky, his golden eyes were staring straight at her.
Then, with a very serious look, as though no words would be strong enough,
"Is that butler the Tower Lord? Of course, the newspapers have published correction articles, but we don't think they were wrong."
He used the royal ‘we’.
It was only one word, but it meant a lot.
It meant he’d keep his distance from her and ask everything he wanted to know.
She couldn't easily make any excuses, tell any white lies, or half-truths.
She just listened quietly as Theodore figured things out.
"Assuming he's a wizard, that seems to explain everything. With that arrogant attitude...….”
Theodore gritted his teeth for a moment.
He seemed to recall what had happened when bumping into Enoch.
Then he smiled at Rosa.
"And...… it also explains the way he looks at you."
He’d pieced it all together.
If she said it was all a misunderstanding here, it would be treating Theodore like a fool.
Theodore was already convinced and had all his questions answered.
Her heart started beating fast. Her lips were dry.
But she had to say something.
She held the reins tightly in one hand and used the other to pull back the purple veil.
"That's right, Your Majesty."
The gaze of his golden eyes intertwined with hers.
Neither averted their gaze. They just looked at each other as if they were exploring.
Then, Theodore asked,
"Why did you hide it? No, what the hell is your gender?"
"I...….”
She closed her eyes.
As she started speaking, she felt so sick that she wanted to throw up.
But she’d made up her mind, she didn't intend to avoid it. Whatever Theodore's reaction, she’d accept it.
Even if he cursed her bloodline, hated her, and punished her instead.
"So, I...….”
"Wait a minute."
When she tried to open her mouth, Theodore quickly cut off her words.
He looked behind her.
"Someone's coming. It's late, so I'll hear the long story later."
Then he smacked the horse hard on its flank to tell it to go.
Slap.
"I'll come to you soon."