The Crazy Daughter of the Duke's Family - Book One: Pandora

Chapter 21: Everything Turned Upside Down

"Rowena," someone else interrupted his question in a low voice, creeping closer from behind, "I hope you're not upset about the changes in our schedule."

When she turned, Alan was standing there with a glass in his hand and a brooding look on his face. She pursed her lips, not saying what she really wanted to say, as it could also be seen as an insult to His Highness. Saying things that weren't healthy in public was much worse than saying them in private.

"Well, I was neither happy nor particularly upset." It was true, she barely wasted a thought on how easily he had lent her out, because she could imagine what he might have been thinking. 'But you could have at least warned me about it.'

Their marriage talks weren't over yet. And denying the Crown Prince of the Empire that one was a mere guest wasn't a smart move either.

Admittedly, he had told the Prince that she would have had to agree as well. "Are you really comfortable with this arrangement?" he asked with a complicated expression, handing his glass to a passing servant.

The lavender-haired girl didn't want to sigh, so she held it in and smiled instead. "For one evening, it will be fine." With that, she made it clear that she wasn't going to argue about it, but that there was nothing else to be expected from her side.

"I understand."

Lucan, still at her side, felt a little stung by her comment. But he didn't reprimand her for her feelings.

Because she was standing next to the Crown Prince, people couldn't stop whispering when they looked in her direction. Adding the new hot topic of the ladies of society to the mix, with Alan standing next to them, chaos was bound to ensue.

Since all three of them had some understanding of Mana, to varying degrees, they could hear them. "Who's that tall man?", "That girl with the Crown Prince belongs to Arlen's Grand Duchy, right?", "I heard she's crazy and never leaves her room, though?", or "But the young Duke looks as handsome as rumored. Is he just as capable?"

It wasn't good for them to stand in one place and do nothing, because that would make them feel out of place. At worst, they would mistake their actions as brought on by the two Varnhagen siblings, seeing as the Crown Prince usually got along with most people, at least in official settings.

Just as Lucan was about to open his mouth to ask his earlier question, Alan held out his hand. "May I have your first dance, my lady?"

It wasn't so easy for a lady to decide about her first dance. It was up to her, but choosing a first dance was important because it set a tone for who was important around her at the banquet.

For example, if a woman danced with a man who was not her partner, it was like admitting that she no longer favored him. It was embarrassing to said partner.

If she had accepted someone else as her first dance partner, it would have meant that she was going with the Crown Prince, but the Crown Prince was not good enough for her. In this case, it was different because Alan was her older brother, who was a well-placed wild card in her way.

Since there was no limit to how many times she could choose to dance with her brother before it became a statement about their relationship, she let go of her assigned partner to take the other's hand instead.

"I'd be glad to," she said. She didn't want to be a wallflower either, but it wasn't like she knew exactly what to do here.

When one song ended, Alan took his sister back to the center and aligned her with the others for a new tune. A piano played, several other instruments joined in, and the cordial atmosphere that had been slightly shaken seemed to return to its original state.