Chapter 5
Chapter 5
A thunderous wave of applause poured through the hall.
“Prince Kyle! You’re so amazing!”
“Screee~! I can’t believe I’m actually seeing His Highness the Crown Prince with my own eyes!”
Cheers mixed with admiration and reverence filled the air like a rising tide.
Against that backdrop, Crown Prince Kyle made his entrance at the center of the ballroom.
He wasn’t shaken. Not in the slightest.
It was nothing new.
He had graduated at the top of the Empire’s most prestigious academy, reached the second tier as a mage, and possessed swordsmanship skill enough to exchange blows with Lucian. On top of that, his face alone was enough to be called the Empire’s finest. Broad shoulders, a well-built frame, and firm muscles sculpted across his body.
Truly, he was a man without a single flaw.
That was Kyle Elraymond, the Crown Prince of the Empire.
By now, Kyle himself was well aware of his superiority.
Everyone he had ever met in his life existed only to praise him and elevate him.
So naturally, his standards were impossibly high.
A woman who would stand beside him in destiny—at the very least, she had to be his equal. Anything less wasn’t even worth considering.
“Lady Lunion… her face is decent enough, but her chest is too small.”
“Alencia… the opposite. Her figure is good, but her face is lacking.”
“Lady Merion… I spoke with her once. She’s far too foolish.”
As the roaring cheers slowly settled, Kyle continued silently evaluating the noblewomen in his sight.
And as always, every one of them had some fatal flaw.
Another sigh escaped him inwardly.
He lifted the enchanted device that amplified his voice.
“Thank you for your enthusiastic welcome. I am deeply grateful that all of you have gathered here today to brighten the Empire…”
The speech was the same as always.
A few polite words of gratitude, a declaration of the Empire’s prosperity, and other empty formalities.
This tedious gathering—why did he even have to attend it?
The imperial ball ultimately functioned as a social event for the highest-ranking nobles.
Which meant it was, in essence, a gathering of those hoping to connect themselves to the Crown Prince.
“Haa… this is already exhausting. I wonder how many women will cling to me today.”
Naturally, no noble house would ignore the chance to tie themselves to the Imperial Family.
The daughters of those houses all harbored dreams of the Crown Prince.
And that resulted in this.
Women endlessly approaching him, one after another, forcing him to entertain them all.
And since it was a ball, not just any social gathering, the main event was dancing.
The question of who would dance with the Crown Prince was the only thing that mattered.
Another wave of fatigue hit him like a hammer.
“Your Highness! I am Maria Lairman! I brought you flowers last time, do you remember me…?”
“Yes, I remember. You gave me… fragrant flowers, correct?”
“That’s right! I’m so honored you remember me…!”
Like he could possibly remember.
Flowers all smell the same anyway. He just picked something and agreed.
Another foolish woman.
“Your Highness! Have you decided who you will dance with today?”
“No, I haven’t. I will be pleased to take the hand of whoever fate brings to me.”
Dance? If there’s no one suitable, I’ll just leave.
“Your Highness, if you don’t mind, would you dance with me today…?”
“There are many who wish to dance with me, so I cannot make promises. But if the opportunity arises, I will gladly accept.”
What is this woman even saying?
Does she not own a mirror? And she thinks she can ask me to dance?
Pathetic.
“Your Highness, then today—”
“Your Highness—!”
“Your Highness…”
Enough.
“Silence!!!”
……
Ah.
“Goodness, Your Highness…”
“Did we perhaps make you uncomfortable…?”
“No, it’s just… I was hoping we could begin the ball soon, haha.”
After his awkward excuse, Kyle ran a hand down his face.
These exhausting women.
Perhaps it was for the best. If this continued, he might actually lose his mind.
He had underestimated the ball.
To him, it was just another occasion to be admired.
But to the noblewomen, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The woman who danced with the Crown Prince tonight would effectively be declaring it to the entire Empire.
The Crown Prince is mine.
And Kyle had treated that stage too lightly.
The women who came today were different—more desperate, more intense, almost pitiful in their pursuit.
And because of his position, he couldn’t simply dismiss them.
With Emperor his father known across the Empire for his benevolent character, Kyle had to maintain a similar image.
Damn it.
I should’ve skipped this somehow.
Then, through his throbbing headache, he noticed a figure approaching.
Another one?
He frowned, preparing to snap at whoever it was.
But when he raised his gaze—
“….”
No words came out.
Her face was… no, genuinely striking.
Something clicked instantly.
Ah. So it’s her.
“Pleased to meet you, Your Highness. I am Charlotte von Roswell.”
The Empire’s greatest beauty.
The Rose of the Empire.
A woman who rarely appeared in public events, and had never once approached him before.
He had only heard rumors.
The most beautiful woman in the Empire.
Said to possess intelligence as well as elegance, unmatched by any other noble lady.
He had even heard she once engaged in a heated debate with Master Tower Lord Alik.
Though that had barely registered at the time.
Her intellect, then, must be impeccable.
And now that he saw her—
He understood.
Why she was called the Empire’s greatest beauty.
Eyes large yet refined, a sharp but graceful gaze, a straight nose that wasn’t overly pointed, and soft lips.
Even Kyle found his lips curling slightly upward.
And that calm, composed aura—he didn’t dislike it.
Unlike other noblewomen, who always fidgeted and clung to him like starving animals desperate for attention.
They tried so hard to catch his interest, to connect themselves to him.
It was almost pitiful.
He didn’t understand why they went that far.
But this woman… she didn’t have even a trace of that desperation.
She didn’t look like someone chasing him.
And her chest—
He swallowed unconsciously.
Approved.
For Kyle, physical beauty was an important factor as well.
Overall, she scored highly.
Maybe he could forgive the timing of her interruption.
Kyle raised a faint smile.
“Crown Prince Kyle Elraymond. It is an honor to meet the famed Rose of the Empire.”
“Calling me a rose is too much praise. It feels far more appropriate for the brightest star of the Empire.”
Charlotte casually tucked her hair behind her ear.
Her exposed neck and jawline momentarily drew Kyle’s attention.
A technique she had learned from Raon.
Hair flip.
“…It doesn’t seem like too much praise. So, what brings you here, Lady?”
“There is something I wish to discuss before the ball begins. A matter that requires just the two of us.”
“Something for just the two of us… Is it something too improper to speak of in public? Or perhaps something embarrassing?”
He wanted to see her fluster.
But Charlotte remained calm, smiling lightly as she answered.
“It concerns the Roswell House. But it is not merely a private matter—it concerns the Imperial Family as well.”
“…Oh?”
Kyle let out a short laugh.
Interesting.
Perhaps it was an excuse to create a private moment.
Either way, she was clearly accommodating him.
Trying to spare him from the swarm of noblewomen until the ball began.
How amusing.
“Very well. I’m intrigued. Lead the way, Lady.”
Whatever her intention, it wasn’t unpleasant.
If anything, it was refreshing.
And she didn’t seem like the troublesome type either.
Kyle followed her with a faint smile.
Thinking, for the first time that night, that this ball might not be so bad after all.
Meanwhile
The moment she started speaking to him, our lady immediately led the Crown Prince toward the terrace.
Even though I was the one who came up with the plan… this is going too smoothly.
Then again, in the original story, this event didn’t start with them already having met publicly, so there was no “first encounter impact.”
And Charlotte right now is far beyond her original stats.
If you met her like this, it would be hard for any man to resist.
Still…
“Did she seriously just succeed that easily?”
That thought didn’t even last long before it changed.
No.
She had succeeded because she was simply too perfect at it.
Timing, expression, even the subtle gestures.
At this point, the question wasn’t “why is it working?”
It was—
“Since when was she able to do that?”
No way.
That level was already beyond human charm.
Is there even a man who wouldn’t fall for that?
As I endured the resentful stares around us, I watched Charlotte guide the Crown Prince away, confirming one thing.
Yeah.
This is going to work.
The Crown Prince will fall for her.
Thinking that made my stomach churn slightly.
Like a father sending off his daughter to marriage.
…I practically raised her, after all.
Yeah. It’s normal to feel like this.