I Start with a Bad Hand!

With Cedric’s strong grip on my chin, it was difficult to even open my mouth. While holding it, how was I supposed to respond? Before I could even attempt to speak, he began again.

“When any wrongdoing of the Ducal House is exposed by any means, this won’t be the end of the warnings.”

His silver hair shook as if enraged by the darkness itself. With those words, Cedric roughly released his grip on my chin. He didn’t forget to add disdainfully, “Your stupid face is still the same. Just get out of here. I’m sickened enough to vomit.”

Stunned by Cedric’s venomous tirade, I couldn’t help but remain silent.

Is he insane?

Why would he come to me in a corner to spout such nonsense?

‘No, more importantly, if my memory serves me right, Cedric should be in his early to mid-twenties by now.’

He was the university senior battling it out with high school-aged Dietrich.

‘Pathetic…’

Appalled by the disgraceful scene of someone his age, I managed to move past Cedric and re-entered the hall, a bizarre certainty accompanying me that perhaps all my wood chopping thus far was meant for chopping him down to size.

Before my thoughts could spiral further into gory details, the noisy hall snapped me out of my mental snuff film. The announcer loudly proclaimed that Prince Icarus had just arrived, fresh from his expedition against monsters.

From across the crowd, Prince Icarus was… simply… handsome. Like Prince Elius, he strode confidently into the ballroom, his presence impeccable. His bright golden hair sparkled in contrast to the composed black hair of the Crown Prince. His appearance drew the gaze quite differently from the members of the Elexion Ducal House.

The only resemblance to the Crown Prince were his deep, intense red eyes. Yet, even those eyes were somehow different. Unlike the serene gaze of the Crown Prince, Icarus’ red eyes glittered with flamboyance and a hint of mischievousness.

However, he was definitely not to my taste. Unlike when I saw Prince Elius, my heart remained utterly still.

As Icarus reached the center of the hall, he recited a brief welcoming speech, similar to what the Crown Prince had done. But strangely feeling a prickling at the back of my neck, I turned around to find Cedric, who had apparently followed me from the balcony, still looking down at me with a cold gaze.

‘Ah, he tells me to disappear, yet here he is staring again.’

Cedric, unable to bear his irritation any longer, glared back, but before he knew it, the Second Prince, having finished his greetings, was swiftly before Cedric, thanks to his long legs.

“Lord Elexion, it’s been a while.”

“Cedric Elexion, I greet Your Highness the Second Prince.”

Cedric, setting aside the glare he had fixed on me, behaved with propriety before the royalty. The Second Prince soon seemed to lose interest and turned his gaze from Cedric to look at me. His eyes narrowed slightly in a crimson hue. Sensing that something was amiss, I began to slowly back away.

“It has been a while, my lady. If you would permit, I would like to request the first dance.”

…With those unbelievable words, the Second Prince extended his hand towards me.

My lady?

In the noisy hall, I must have surely misheard. By now, the music in the hall had changed to a lively waltz melody. Unable to ignore the Second Prince still extending his hand, I reluctantly took it.

Although it was easy to move my body to the rhythm of the music, my uncomfortable leg caused me to repeatedly fall out of step. Despite his rough demeanor and tone, the Second Prince was dancing with precise steps, making my awkward steps look passable in comparison. Nevertheless, it seemed quite bothersome for the dancer himself.

“My lady.”

“…”

“My lady!”

“…Yes?”

“Step up.”

“Excuse me?”

Then, with a sound of frustration, the Second Prince lightly lifted me during a turn, placing my foot on top of his in time with the music. Contrary to his harsh words, his actions were surprisingly gentle.

“Like this, step up, my lady.”

Suddenly being lifted, I was startled but even more so by his call. 

‘My lady? What’s this?’

Why does he keep calling Dietrich ‘my lady’? Wait, does he know that Dietrich was once a noble lady? No, setting that aside, how does he know that I am ‘that’ Roxanne? It’s been nearly five years since Danae has been living as Roxanne, so why is he still stuck in that time?

Lost in a cascade of questions, my body swayed, led not by the music but by the Second Prince.

In the original story, people paid as little attention to the Second Prince as they did to the weather. He was hardly mentioned except when it came to dispatching monsters somewhere in the empire, participating in some war on some continent. Even then, it was just a brief mention.

Given his fierce nature, the Second Prince had never been much interested in governing the state or the imperial succession, always described as a character who follows the scent of blood. Due to these persistently unresolved questions, my mind was also oscillating with the Second Prince.

As the music stopped, we found ourselves back at the starting point, where Cedric stood. The Second Prince gently set me down from his instep. Cedric looked at me with even colder eyes.

‘Damn it!’

Rushed by Cedric’s icy glare, I hurried to greet the Second Prince and was about to quickly leave the spot.

The Second Prince, passing by Cedric, teased him with a sneer.

“So the education at Elexion is still the same. Can the Lady of Elexion still not even properly dance the basic steps?”

With that, a lengthy silence began in the hall.

“Ugh…”

Honestly, I felt like saying, “What the hell do I care?”

Whether the Elexion Ducal House is ruined or Cedric collapses from a stroke…

That’s their problem, not mine…

However, it was problematic for the academy to know that I, or rather Dietrich, had any connection to being Roxanne. The moment people found out why Dietrich ‘used to be’ Roxanne, they would learn about the infidelity of Dietrich’s biological parents, revealing Dietrich’s scandal.

Despite the Elexion Ducal family’s misstep of not even recognizing their own child, people would likely blame Dietrich alone, calling her a liar, a fraudster. In such situations, understanding and empathy often go to the powerful, while blame and criticism fall to the weak.

It remained unclear whether the Second Prince understood the implications of his thoughtlessly uttered words as he just stared blankly at me.

Roxanne had been the fiancée of the Crown Prince, the Second Prince’s brother. It had been over a year since they got engaged. It was surprising that he, albeit uninterested in the imperial succession, wouldn’t even know what his brother’s fiancée looked like, reflecting his lack of interest in the empire.

Of course, the silver-haired lady, now known as Dietrich, hadn’t been as socially active as she had been during her time as a noble lady, but it was incomparable to when she had completely hidden her identity as a lady.

Due to her appearance, which did not resemble the Elexion Ducal couple at all, there had been ongoing debates within the ducal household about whether Dietrich was the true lady. Dietrich, having grown up in an orphanage from birth, needed considerable time and education to be presented credibly as a noble lady, which also contributed to her delayed emergence into society.

Duke Elexion had long prevented the public introduction of the lady, Dietrich, citing her health issues. Rumors that Lady Elexion did not resemble any member of the ducal family, including relatives, spread widely, eventually linking to allegations of infidelity concerning the deceased former duchess.

When secretive murmurs began to escalate, the Elexion Ducal House finally presented the silver-haired lady to the world. Contrary to the rumors, her silvery hair and blue eyes—hallmarks of the Elexion lineage—and above all, her almost ethereal appearance quickly silenced the chatterers as if they had never spoken at all.

Roxanne’s emergence became quite the topic across the empire. Even the Second Prince, who had been constantly moving across continents and battlefields, surely must have been aware of her.

But why did he call me the lady?

While the hall remained quiet, all eyes turned towards us. Cedric was the first to speak.

“It seems there has been some misunderstanding, Your Highness. The young lady you danced with is not my sister.”

At Cedric’s words, the Second Prince raised an eyebrow, seemingly displeased. Just as he was about to respond, someone hurriedly approached Cedric’s side.

It was Roxanne.

She appeared slightly breathless from her rush.

Relieved by the arrival of the ‘real’ lady, Cedric’s jaw relaxed slightly, and he gave his sister a small smile. He then escorted Roxanne towards the Second Prince, where she greeted him with a bright smile, bowing respectfully.

“I am Roxanne Elexion.”

Observing the two offspring of the Ducal House—both with silvery hair and blue eyes—the Second Prince chuckled and said,

“I see. My apologies. The lady beside you appeared so close, I mistakenly took her for the duke’s sister.”

It wouldn’t have seemed that Cedric and I were close if the Prince hadn’t been so mistaken.

The Second Prince appeared to lack not only cultural sensitivity but also perceptiveness. Moreover, despite acknowledging his mistake, he still referred to me as the lady. This continued mistake suggested a lack of attention or perhaps a deeper confusion about the identities within the Elexion family, further complicating the situation at the court.