After being humiliated by Viscount Milo, Josephine crossed the palace lobby silently wallowing in bitterness.
As expected, clothes like this didn’t suit her.
No matter how kind the royal favor had been, she should never have forgotten her place.
So Josephine decided to believe it was all her fault.
She didn’t want to blame Estelle’s kindness.
If she could just change back into her usual uniform and return to her normal self, everything would go back to the way it was.
With that thought, she quickened her pace.
But misfortunes, as they say, rarely come alone.
And right in the middle of the lobby, an unlucky accident befell her.
Wobble.
“Ah.”
At the same time as a sharp snapping sound, Josephine’s left ankle twisted inward.
Whether it was because of the unfamiliar heels or her angry steps, the thin heel of her high shoe had broken.
She fell, and when she tried to get back up immediately, she felt a slight dizziness.
It was the sensation of eyes watching her from all around.
Events hosted by Baron d’Alembert were hotspots of noble social activity.
At gatherings like this, the smallest attention could spread like wildfire.
Just like the old rumors that once tormented her about how unappealing she must’ve been to be abandoned by her fiancé.
The bitter memory made her chest tighten.
I need to take off the shoe, not just sit here.
She couldn’t possibly walk in a broken heel.
But the thought of walking barefoot in front of others made her worry she’d just be giving them another show.
A spiral of unpleasant thoughts.
Maybe I’m feeling nauseous.
The all-too-familiar symptoms of a panic attack.
Josephine made a conscious effort to push away the creeping anxiety.
It’s fine. Nothing worse is going to happen today. Just a little more courage…
But as they say. There’s always a lower floor beneath rock bottom.
Someone appeared in front of her where she sat collapsed on the ground.
And it was the one person she least wanted to see her like this.
“Josephine.”
“…You?”
Winter Winslet.
Her fiancé was now standing over her, watching her fall.
Right… Her Highness had mentioned he was here…
Josephine squeezed her eyes shut.
She wanted to disappear into a hole.
She wanted to vanish from this place entirely.
Of course, the world was never that kind.
But instead, something happened. Something Josephine never could have predicted.
“Ah!”
She realized that she and her fiancé were now at eye level.
He had knelt down on one knee.
Winter reached for her leg.
“Give me your foot.”
“Wait, this is…”
“Stay still.”
Winter’s large hand gently wrapped around her ankle—
And then, something magical happened.
No, it was magic itself.
Crack.
With a sharp, interlocking sound, a new heel began to form on Josephine’s broken shoe.
A heel made of ice, as clear as a diamond.
Josephine watched the scene in a daze.
Then Winter gently took her by the wrist and helped her up.
And with a calm tone, he said,
“You don’t look bad in a dress.”
“…Huh?”
“Next time, we should go somewhere more fitting for that outfit.”
“…O-Okay.”
Unable to meet his eyes, Josephine stared only at the wrist he had taken hold of.
Then she quickly pulled it away and turned around.
“I’m sorry. I was actually on my way somewhere. Please excuse me!”
And as she walked away, almost fleeing into the crowd, she pressed the back of her cold hand to her neck.
Her face was burning hot—
But not because of embarrassment.
***
Josephine practically ran away from me.
I’d only meant to greet her since we’d run into each other by chance—
Was she really in that much of a hurry?
Watching her quickly stride off, it looked like the ice heel I’d created was doing its job just fine.
At temperatures below -40°C, ice takes on a coefficient of friction similar to sandpaper.
So unless Josephine decided to fall purely out of spite, she wouldn’t be slipping because of me.
Although… if she did fall, that’d be hilarious.
Not that a fiancé should be having those kinds of thoughts.
Anyway.
I was actually on my way to meet the princess who, according to Keith d’Alembert, had been waiting for me.
She wasn’t far.
Even though it was my first time seeing her in person, I recognized her right away.
Princess Estelle.
She was a major character in the original Candela of Judgment—
Not much of a fighter, but still a core figure at the heart of the main plot.
For some reason, the princess who had apparently witnessed the entire commotion between Josephine and me was now staring at me with eyes so bright they felt overwhelming.
“I greet Your Highness, the Princess.”
I walked up to her and gently brought my lips to the back of the princess’s hand.
Just as I was about to offer a formal greeting, the princess spoke first, unable to hold back her curiosity.
“How did you do that?”
“……?”
“That thing just now. Ice grew from your hand, and you fixed Josephine’s shoe, didn’t you?”
“It’s magic. Simple magic.”
The princess’s voice was full of excitement and curiosity.
I asked her,
“Would you like to see it again?”
“Can I?”
Instead of answering, I conjured a small ice sculpture in the palm of my hand.
It was shaped like a sparrow, and the princess grew delighted and reached out to gently stroke it with her fingertip.
But the moment her finger touched the sparrow’s wing, I made the ice vanish from my hand.
In an instant, the ice sublimated into a cold breeze that playfully brushed through the princess’s hair, and I brought my hand up beside her ear.
When I withdrew my hand, the sparrow that had vanished was perched once again on my index finger.
“Wow.”
It was a little performance for the princess, who had been watching with eager anticipation.
Except this wasn’t sleight of hand; it was real magic.
I gifted the sparrow to her, letting it rest on her palm, and waited until her excitement had calmed a bit before asking,
“I heard you were waiting for me?”
“What? Oh! Right. That’s because… of this.”
The princess held out the handkerchief she’d been carrying.
A luxurious piece of fabric embroidered with lace and gold thread.
I couldn’t help feeling a little flustered.
Because traditionally, a handkerchief exchanged between a man and a woman carried a romantic meaning.
If a man gave one to a woman, it symbolized a proposal. If a woman gave one to a man, it was a wish for his safe return from the battlefield.
But this was the first time I’d ever met the princess and I certainly wasn’t off to war.
So I asked,
“What does this mean?”
“Your name.”
“…….?”
“Please write your name on it.”
She suddenly asked me to write my name.
I looked down at the princess’s hand again.
It was a relief that she wasn’t handing me something like a joint surety agreement… but what exactly did she want my name for?
As I stared at her, Princess Estelle turned her slightly flushed face to the side and shyly replied,
“Because I’m a fan of yours.”
***
Josephine cupped her hands to gather cold water and splashed it on her cheeks.
Only after rinsing her face several times did the heat in her face start to cool down.
Feeling a little calmer, Josephine leaned over the sink, bracing herself with both hands, and let out a sigh that sounded almost like a muttered complaint.
“You idiot. You should’ve just said thank you. Why did you run off without even saying a word…”
Winter…he’d gotten down on one knee in front of everyone just to fix her shoe.
She made up her mind to thank him properly the next time they met.
But as soon as she pictured his face in her head, Josephine felt the heat rush back in, leaving her at a loss for words again.
People would call me ridiculous if they saw me like this… but I didn’t expect myself to be this way either.
Lately, thanks to her fiancé, Josephine’s heart had known no peace.
Just as she placed a hand over her chest to steady her breathing—
Click, clack.
Another guest entered the restroom.
With unhurried steps, the woman took the sink beside her. But instead of washing her hands or looking in the mirror, she unexpectedly struck up a conversation.
“Oh my, those are such pretty shoes.”
Josephine snapped out of her thoughts and finally turned to look.
The woman beside her was wearing a daring dress that emphasized her figure and had short, thick black hair.
With her haughty expression and beauty marks under her right eye and below her lips, she was so beautiful and alluring that even Josephine, a woman like herself, felt intimidated.
When Josephine blinked her round eyes in surprise, the woman spoke up again.
“Miss Josephine D. Azetta, right?”
“You know who I am?”
“Pfft, who wouldn’t? You’re famous.”
“I’m… famous?”
“Or should I say, the fiancée of someone famous? Anyway, didn’t you make the front page of the morning paper the other day?”
“Oh.”
Recalling an unpleasant memory, Josephine asked with a sour expression,
“Did you need something from me?”
“Fufu, nothing much. I just saw you and felt like saying something.”
“Oh… okay.”
What a strange person.
Thinking that, Josephine decided to hurry and finish up so she could leave the restroom.
But even after she had shaken the water from her hands and was adjusting her hair, the short-haired woman remained at her side, inspecting her closely as if trying to size her up.
Unable to bear it any longer, Josephine asked again,
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Hmm… The base isn’t bad.”
“Huh?”
“But you’re a bit lacking… or maybe just plain. Your fingertips are rough, it doesn’t look like you wear makeup, and while your hair seems naturally decent… oh, and you don’t wear perfume, do you?”
Josephine frowned.
What’s with this sudden attitude?
Just as Josephine decided she had to say something, the woman pulled something out of her bag, which she had tucked under her arm, and placed it on the sink, then pushed it forward with her fingertip.
A glass bottle slid across the counter.
It was clearly an expensive-looking perfume.
“It’s a gift. Take it. If you want to be a fitting match for your fiancé, you should pay more attention to your charm as a woman. Don’t you think?”
“Huh?”
Before Josephine could say anything in response, the woman let out a strange, mocking smile and walked out of the restroom.
Left alone, Josephine picked up the bottle in disbelief only to frown at herself, thinking, “Why am I even holding this?”
Who even is that woman?
By the time Josephine had shaken off her confusion and left the restroom, quite a bit of time had passed.
She quickly changed her clothes and returned to the lobby, where Princess Estelle was standing alone in a corner.
“I’m so sorry, Your Highness. That took longer than I expected.”
“It’s fine. I was enjoying some pleasant conversation with the Baron.”
“Um… where is Baron Winslet?”
“Sorry. He already left. I wanted to keep him here until you came back, but he said he had a prior engagement. Apparently, the exhibition organizers requested an interview.”
“I see.”
Josephine’s reply held a note of disappointment.
I really wanted to thank him properly…
It was nothing more than a missed connection.
And yet, for some reason, Josephine couldn’t shake a sense of foreboding.
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