The Author's Will

62 | White Aster

　　 "You look beautiful, Rene!"

Rayvis' aquamarine eyes glistened like gems at the sight of his sister, dressed elegantly in a newly-made dress perfectly fitting her petite body. Gold threading intricately blooming flowers on a teal skirt, white frills lining the hems of her dress, and thin layers of lace adorning her torso. The silks they bought from Izadellian merchants were stunning as dresses.

As the siblings stood outside their carriage, moments away from heading for the grand ball taking place at the palace, Irene felt her nervousness lessen slightly with her brother's compliments. He and Mikael were dressed handsomely in elegant suits befitting royalty, but just one look at the blonde's face, and any person would be able to tell it was suffocating for him.

His unsmiling, gloomy aura was not helping Irene's anxiousness. Everyone was aware he detested events like these and was likely going to disrelish this one just as much, considering he would be at the centre of attention. Irene only prayed things wouldn't go sourly between him and Daniel as a result.

For someone who loves his brother, he doesn't seem the least bit excited to see him.

"Is everyone ready to go?" A gentle, deep voice resounded from behind and Irene turned to see her mother and father exiting the manor. Rudien's silver hair was elegantly swept back, and he was dressed elaborately in white and gold, with a long, deep blue cloak. The colours syncing perfectly with Sarah's beautiful sapphire dress.

But even he wore a look of apprehension. Somehow Rudien and Mikael were not masking the tension in their minds and it was not helping Irene with staying calm.

I really can't let anything go wrong today.

One too many things were going to happen all at once, at this unforeseen event. The princes would reunite, but there was bound to be political tension, considering Mikael had a lot of nobles supporting him for emperor. This wouldn't make it easy for either of them to communicate freely with one another.

In her original novel, a ball like this was never held - because Daniel's character was introduced to society on the day of the victory banquet after the war with Izadel. That was also the day Isabella and Daniel first met - and a vital point for the story.

But events had changed drastically. Daniel fell ill and was unable to attend the banquet, but even as he snuck out, it was Irene who approached him instead of the real female lead.

Everything became a mess of unpredictable outcomes, and Irene had little idea about how this event was going to play out. All she could really do was keep an eye out and act naturally.

As Irene took a seat between Rayvis and Mikael in the carriage, with her parents taking a separate compartment at the front, she remained lost in deep thought, nervous for the day ahead. The drive to the palace was quite a long one, so they had a large and comfortable ride prepared. Irene was rather relieved it would take a while to get there - she had more time for mental preparation.

Daniel and Mikael would reunite, but more importantly — Isabella and Daniel would also meet for the first time today. Considering she was the daughter of Duke Einfred, there was no way she would miss an event as huge as this.

Irene wasn't certain the original couple would interact and have the same relationship they did in her story. In fact, she was sure that the changes she made leading up to now would probably make it less likely for this to happen.

I can't really force either of them into falling in love. It's something that needs to happen on its own...

"What are you thinking so deeply about?"