The waltz's sweet melody filled the room. Astelle couldn't perch on her brother's foot as she did in the past. Following his steps, she lifted her heels, avoiding the tattered ones touching the floor.
Balancing precariously, she managed to follow Fritz without faltering too much. Every time she stumbled, Fritz swiftly caught her, guiding their steps smoothly.
Astelle leaned on his arm, maintaining her rhythm, and Fritz supported her effortlessly. As she looked up at her brother, she admired his inner strength.
'You're so strong.'
Having once led the Imperial Knights, Fritz seemed unfazed by supporting Astelle's weight, likely due to his training in swordsmanship.
After a few rounds, the music concluded. Fritz gently guided Astelle out of the center of the ballroom.
Astelle silently signaled to Fritz, motioning toward the balcony. Although some onlookers seemed curious, no one questioned their departure—it was common to take a break between dances.
They ascended to the second-floor balcony. Leaning against the railing, Astelle released a weary sigh, acknowledging Fritz with a tired expression.
"Thank you," she murmured quietly, gratitude apparent in her voice.
Concern etched Fritz's face as he inquired, his worry evident.
"Why not ask for His Majesty's permission to return to the mansion?" Fritz suggested.
"No," Astelle replied. She believed seeking permission to leave wouldn't change anything. Even if she wished to depart, Kaizen wouldn't allow it. The first dance was over, and there was no need for another. She decided to stay a while longer.
Hannah sensed something was amiss and hurried after Astelle to the balcony. "Lady Astelle, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. The shoes are broken," Astelle responded calmly.
Astelle removed her shoes, leaning on the balcony railing. "I definitely checked it... She worked hard on it."
"It really is a useless malicious intent," remarked Fritz in agreement.
Hannah hurried to the maids' waiting room and retrieved indoor shoes. These low-heeled, soft-fabric shoes were more akin to slippers.
She also brought two glasses of champagne for them. Astelle indulged in a sip of the cool champagne, feeling its refreshing touch as it glided down her throat.
"Lady Astelle."
"Sir Lyndon?"
Lyndon entered through the balcony door. "His Majesty is looking for you."
"Now?" Astelle's surprise was evident. Wasn't he planning to meet after the ball? She exchanged glances with Fritz and then stepped through the balcony door.
As she entered the ballroom, a sudden hush fell over the crowd, all eyes drawn to Astelle's arrival.
'This has happened so many times.'
Each time she entered the banquet hall, all eyes inevitably fixated on Astelle.
"Astelle," Kaizen's voice called out.
She turned to see him standing nearby, noticing a shift in his usual demeanor. His expression seemed tenser, his eyes frozen in an unfamiliar intensity. Approaching her, Kaizen slowly lowered his head toward Astelle.
Astelle was taken aback by the unexpected turn of events. The onlookers, a congregation of nobles, were equally stunned, their widened eyes echoing the astonishment that rippled through the room. It was as though the sudden appearance of a bomb would have caused less commotion than this.
Confounded by the chaos unfolding, Astelle found herself at a loss for words. "Your Majesty... Why?" Her voice faltered, reflecting her bewildered state amidst the unexpected spectacle.
However, Kaizen paid no heed to the audience's incredulous stares. His focus was solely on Astelle, their surroundings fading into insignificance as he addressed her deliberately, each word enunciated with precision.
"Marry me, Astelle."
In an instant, the world seemed to grind to a halt.
'Did I just hear that correctly?'
Everything surrounding Astelle blurred into insignificance, the vibrant banquet hall and the passing of time fading away, leaving only Kaizen before her.
Kaizen stood with regal assurance at the center of the grand hall, an embodiment of strength and unwavering sovereignty in his emperor's attire. Amidst the bewildered hush that fell over the onlookers, it was Astelle who ventured to break the perplexing silence.
"Your Majesty, what does that mean?"
'I'm struggling to understand this kind of situation.'
Kaizen responded without a hint of hesitation, his words cutting through the stillness that enveloped them.
"I am proposing to you."
A palpable hush descended upon the banquet hall. Under ordinary circumstances, murmurs or even exclamations would have filled the air. Yet, this was no ordinary occurrence; it was a staggering revelation that the Emperor was proposing to his former empress, someone he had divorced six years ago.
The shock was so profound that it seemed to suffocate the room, rendering even the act of breathing a challenge for those in attendance.
Astelle, too, was seized by disbelief, her gaze fixed on Kaizen, trying to process the unexpected turn of events with the reality before her.
In the recesses of her dusty memories, a younger version of Kaizen emerged. A ten-year-old crown prince stood before her, offering a necklace adorned with sparkling blue jewels and earnestly presenting a proposal.
"Astelle, will you marry me?"
In her hazy recollections, the image of a young, smiling prince lingered vividly in Astelle's mind. Despite their engagement being a result of calculated adult decisions, she had found a peculiar happiness in that moment of youthful innocence.
A decade had passed, and now Kaizen was repeating those same words.
"Marry me, Astelle."
Doubt crept in amid the confusion.
'Why are you doing this?' Astelle couldn't fathom the reasons behind Kaizen's sudden proposal, especially considering he was well aware of Theor's presence, her son. The puzzle of his actions left her utterly baffled.
The first response to Kaizen's words came from the Marchioness of Croychen. Previously positioned in a corner, she swiftly dashed forward, her voice cutting through the air.
"Your Majesty!"
All eyes turned to the source of the sudden call.
"Your Majesty! Princess Astelle is harboring an illegitimate child, hiding it as her nephew!" The declaration resounded in the banquet hall, stirring a murmur among the attendees.
"Mother!" Florin intervened, rushing to stop the Marchioness.
Unlike Florin, who deemed such words unsuitable for the situation, the Marchioness appeared to have lost her composure upon witnessing the Emperor's proposal to Astelle.
Disregarding her daughter's attempt to intervene, she forcefully pushed her hand away and directed her accusatory finger towards Astelle.
"You, birthing an illegitimate child without a father, shamelessly parading them as your nephew in the imperial palace!" The Marchioness's words pierced the air, revealing a shocking truth that sent shockwaves through the place.
The revelation of the former empress giving birth to an illegitimate child rippled through the nobles gathered, stunning them even further than the Emperor's unexpected proposal to the deposed Empress.
The air was thick with disbelief at the Marchioness's startling accusations.
Utter disbelief gripped the Duke of Reston as he sought clarification, his voice trembling with incredulity. "What... What did you just say?"
Astelle, however, remained silent in response to her father's inquiry. She sensed the sharpness of her father's mind and refrained from offering any response that might be deemed futile. At that moment, explaining her past to her father in intricate detail seemed futile and unnecessary.
Frustration bubbled within the duke, his patience wearing thin as he shouted out to his daughter in exasperation, "Astelle!"
"Lyndon," Kaizen's voice sliced through the buzzing atmosphere of the banquet hall, instantly hushing the commotion like a sudden chill. His gaze turned towards Lyndon, stationed by the door, and issued a direct command, cutting through the tension.
"Bring forth the Marchioness. Her insult to the princess within the Imperial Palace is unacceptable."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Lyndon acknowledged promptly.
But before the Marchioness could be led away, she desperately pleaded her case. "Your Majesty! I speak the truth! There's a witness! Ask her!"
At the mention of a witness, a realization dawned upon Astelle, unraveling the situation before her.
So that's how she discovered it. It appears she managed to locate a maid who had registered as Theor's biological mother. This maid seemed to be the sole witness in this matter.
While there had been a midwife present during the birth, her knowledge of Astelle's true identity was vague. The maid stood as the only reliable witness.
'Quite the effort you've put into this,' Astelle reflected, acknowledging the meticulousness behind the revelation.
Locating the maid must have been no easy task. The Marchioness harbored a deep-seated resentment towards Astelle, stemming from her eldest daughter Marianne and Astelle's tenure at Dentsu Castle.
Fueled by this animosity, the Marchioness had gone to great lengths to tarnish Astelle's reputation.
Lyndon signaled the knights, indicating they should escort the marchioness swiftly. Yet, before they could make a move, a composed and resolute voice cut through the tension.
"Yes, it is," affirmed a voice, immediately drawing the attention of everyone in the room.
Astelle stepped forth, her demeanor serene as she confessed, "Theor is my son."
Having made her admission, an unexpected sense of relief washed over her. Despite the barrage of stares—filled with shock, disbelief, mockery, and disdain—directed at her, Astelle remained unfazed.
The Marchioness's smirk portrayed her disdain as she muttered, "Dirty and shameless..."
Astelle advanced toward her without a word, causing the Marchioness to startle.
"Allow me to ask, Marchioness," Astelle spoke directly, her tone blunt. "Regardless of how many illegitimate children I may have, what concern is it of yours?"
Taken aback, the Marchioness exclaimed in surprise, "How can the imperial princess utter such vulgar words..."
"Is it a crime for me to have a child? I've been living on my own since the divorce, not even having an affair with my husband, so what's the issue?" Astelle's words carried a blend of frustration and defiance.
In the Empire, having an illegitimate child wasn't legally condemned, especially if both parents were single. Yet, societal norms often subjected women in such situations to harsh rebuke and lifelong disdain.
Turning away, Astelle confronted the dark, accusatory gazes fixed upon her. "Falsifying the child's origin in documents is wrong. If I must face punishment for it, Your Majesty, I shall accept it." Her resolve was firm, prepared to face the consequences of her actions.
"I won't tolerate any insults against me or my son," Astelle cautioned the marchioness with a firm tone, her warning cutting through the tension. The marchioness, having already exposed the child's birth mother, remained silent, realizing she had no further ground to stand on.
Amidst the collective shock, one figure stood unperturbed.
Kaizen maintained an unwavering gaze fixed upon Astelle, his expression calm. "I was aware," he calmly affirmed, stunning the attendees once more.
The revelation that the deposed empress had mothered an illegitimate child, and that the Emperor knew about it but still had proposed to her, shook those present for the third time that evening.
Kaizen's rebuke jolted Lyndon into action, prompting him to hastily signal the knights.
"Lyndon, what are you doing?"
The knights swiftly removed the bewildered Marchioness from the banquet hall, her desperate pleas for forgiveness falling on her husband's unyielding silence.
"Your Majesty... I'm sorry! Your Majesty!" Her appeals echoed, yet her husband remained motionless, an immovable figure.
Astelle lifted her gaze towards Kaizen, finally grasping the underlying reason for his proposal. Initially taken aback, she realized that Kaizen's intent was to shield her from the potential harm and humiliation of the scandal.
As a woman proposed to by the emperor, she would be protected from any mistreatment.
"I apologize for disrupting the ambiance, Your Majesty," Astelle offered, acknowledging the upheaval caused, but she was hesitant to accept his help.
With a graceful bow, Astelle politely expressed her intention to depart. "I'm going to leave now." Yet, before she could leave the banquet hall, Kaizen's hand swiftly caught her wrist.
"My proposal stands unchanged," Kaizen affirmed, his grip firm yet gentle as he held her. His eyes conveyed an earnest plea as he continued, "I want to marry you."
Astelle stood in stunned silence, her emotions a whirlwind. In the past, hearing those words had brought her immeasurable happiness.
A young Astelle, unaware of the world's complexities, if she heard this she had been overjoyed at Kaizen's proposal. Yet, as an adult, navigating life's intricacies, she remained certain of one truth...
Astelle and Kaizen were fated never to be together.
Despite her incomplete understanding of the world's intricacies, she was resolute in one thing, she couldn't afford to repeat past mistakes. Astelle, now swayed by Kaizen's heart, was determined to avoid history's repetition.
"I apologize, Your Majesty," Astelle gently withdrew her wrist from his grasp. "I must decline the proposal."