“Have you heard the news by any chance?”
“Do you mean about that villainess? Heaven knows where she is or what she’s doing now.”
“They say she originally set her sights on the Crown Prince’s heart and used every underhanded trick in the book to drive Miss Hazel away from him.”
“And now she’s clinging to the Duke. What on earth is she up to?”
“His Grace has spent his whole life on the battlefield, so he was easily fooled. How could he possibly resist a scheming woman throwing all kinds of wiles at him?”
“Do you mean Miss Arsene?”
Twenty-three days had passed since Selina and Xenos departed the capital of Savaya. High society had split into two distinct factions.
One passionately cursed Selina’s name, while the other, knowing her true character through dealing with the Arsene firm or the academy, gave no credence to the rumors.
Unfortunately, that second faction lacked the social presence to curb the malicious gossip.
The young ladies orbiting Miss Hazel, spitting venom at Selina and labeling her a “villainess,” had generally avoided naming names—a standard precaution among nobles guarding against any eventuality.
Yet with the person in question absent from the capital, they grew bolder when questioned.
“Yes, I mean Miss Arsene. Selina the villainess.”
“Rumor has it she went off with His Grace right into a military zone, even though her father, Count Arsene, is plagued by some mystery illness that’s crippled his ability to run the trading firm.”
“To abandon her family and run out of the capital chasing after a man… does she lack the barest shred of noble upbringing?”
“That’s why her engagement was broken off.”
Just then, a slender young lady who had been listening from a distance stepped forward.
“It’s rather difficult for me to let your words pass unnoticed.”
“Miss Vigel.”
“Greetings to the young lady of the Marquis Vigel house.”
One of those who had been slandering Selina moved to kiss her hand, but Valerie Vigel did not offer it. Her tone was biting.
“It seems absurd rumors run rampant the moment I distance myself from gatherings like this. I must find out who dared spread words insulting my friend and His Grace the Duke.”
Vigel of the Sacred Bow. In the Savaya Empire, the art of archery was never mentioned without citing the Marquis Vigel family, a house rivaled only by the Chase family, the Sword of Heaven.
“Miss Arsene, whom you so casually call a villainess, is my dear friend, with whom I shared countless memories at the academy. If I began recounting them, all the days of the year wouldn’t suffice—even during breaks when I returned home, we were practically sisters—”
“Make it brief, Sister.”
“Fine, I’ll stop. There’s hardly any need to share the precious bond between Selina and me with this wretched lot anyway.”
A man who looked almost identical to Valerie stepped forward, cutting her short. The crowd bowed in greeting.
“Greetings to the heir of Marquis Vigel.”
The man cast a cold glance over the gathering.
“Indeed, you seem aware that I am the heir of Marquis Vigel. Yet do you truly dare insult His Grace right before my eyes? The man for whom I hold the utmost respect?”
“We meant no insult to His Grace.”
“We were merely speaking of the villainess, Selina.”
“And did you ever stop to ask yourselves who started that rumor about her? I’m asking you, you—”
Before Valerie could finish, Matthew cut in with a stony face.
“Sister, if you must show off your ugly, furious face, do it at home.”
“You go home. I’m going to drag out every last person who insulted Selina and sew their mouths shut myself.”
“You don’t even know how to sew.”
“Thread isn’t the only thing that stitches a mouth shut, you know.”
Valerie Vigel and Matthew Vigel. These twins were one of the greatest pillars bolstering the strength of Marquis Vigel’s house within high society.
Constantly bickering over who was the younger, both possessed archery skills that proved them worthy of being the family’s future.
They were the pride of the Vigel family, but also an eccentric pair whose likes and dislikes were stark and unbending.
“If what they say is true, it means Selina is seeking to marry His Grace… He certainly has a keen eye.”
“I don’t know how flawless Selina might be, but dragging His Grace’s name through the mud over it? That is unacceptable. Tell them never to show their faces before me. And they had best steer clear of His Grace at once.”
“His Grace chose Selina because he recognizes her worth. And if you’re just going to parrot the hollow nonsense these fools spew, get away from me right now—I don’t want to look at you.”
“What? Are you quite finished?”
“Not at all. What are you going to do about it?”
From afar, Marquis Vigel watched the twins’ bickering and shook his head in exhaustion. A servant quietly approached and handed him a small slip of paper. After reading it, he donned a mask and slipped away in silence.
The moment the Marquis stepped into the parlor at the masquerade ball, he found another masked figure waiting for him.
“Just as no night lasts forever…”
“The sun will rise on us as well.”
Having exchanged their countersign, they sat on the lounge sofa and let out a long breath.
“Do you believe they are traveling safely?”
The man who had arrived first asked, and Marquis Vigel nodded.
“Yes, I received word from the guard unit. They will reach the capital tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow… Vicious rumors have blanketed the capital. Will they be all right?”
Marquis Vigel clenched his fist tightly.
“The Imperial family is deliberately fanning the rumors, and Count Arsene and Lord Philip were dragged to the Imperial Palace and detained so they couldn’t deny a thing. How could rumors not spread?”
“It’s been several days since they were confined in the palace… Are they in good health?”
“Outwardly, they aren’t imprisoned; they were ‘invited’ to spend a few days in friendly conversation. Mind your words.”
“It seems this matter grows larger by the day.”
“That is precisely why the Dragon Power must remain within the Imperial family. The moment it leaves their grasp, things like this happen.”
“Had Lady Christa become Empress, none of this would have happened…”
“Hush! We are inside the Imperial Palace. Someone might hear us—watch your tongue.”
“Do you think I don’t know? But Miss Arsene is in a terrible bind now. She is His Grace’s only Fated Partner, and to be treated this way? To brand her a villainess? Even rumors have their limits.”
The masked man continued, unable to stifle his rising fury.
“And then… do you recall all the forged evidence the palace put out about a ‘supposed Fated Partner’? Isn’t it utterly absurd? How much time and fortune were squandered chasing it down?”
Marquis Vigel let out a heavy sigh.
“I feel suffocated. The people we ought to respect and serve faithfully have become objects of ridicule. The younger nobility have been thoroughly stirred up. The day His Grace announces his marriage to Her Grace the Duchess, they will rise in protest at once.”
“Isn’t that precisely what the Imperial family is aiming for?”
The masked man voiced his concern, and Marquis Vigel continued.
“Still, concerning this marriage… could it be deemed invalid simply because it was not held in a temple?”
“According to what came from the guard unit, there is conclusive proof.”
“Marriage Proof?”
“Yes.”
“And what is it?”
“That is…”
Marquis Vigel was about to explain when he sensed movement around them. He raised his voice.
“Who’s there? Step into the light rather than eavesdropping from the dark.”
Several silhouettes emerged from the shadows, advancing toward them.
“Just as I thought. Even the palace walls have ears.”
“Let’s finish our discussion once we’ve gotten out of here safely.”
Backing away step by step, the two men threw their backs against the balcony window and vaulted over it, making their escape.
Inside the banquet hall, the sound of ignorant laughter drifted through the air, while the shadowy figures broke into a run toward the balcony after them.
“So… there is a Marriage Proof, is there?”
The last person remaining in the parlor, Luce, murmured aloud.
“If we get rid of that proof, it won’t matter how loudly they claim to be married, will it?”
