IWAPUF 27

“What’s there to prepare?” I said. “It’s just the usual coming-of-age ceremony everyone goes to
through.”
“But isn’t it a once-in-a-lifetime day?” came the reply. “Especially for a young lady like you, it’s
*particularly* special.”
Even Anasha had found out. There was no chance the First Empress didn’t know I had no plans to
hold the ceremony. It felt as though she was waiting—hoping—to hear me say it aloud myself.
Choosing not to hold the ceremony meant delaying my debut into society. Worse, the official
reason I’d given was grief over losing my maternal grandfather, Count Pison. It would be
ridiculous for me, Beonne Rossa Eliont, too heartbroken to even hold a coming-of-age ceremony,
to turn around and start attending parties for my debut anytime soon. Without the ceremony, it
would be months, at the very least, before I could step into society’s spotlight.
And without that debut, I’d remain nothing more than the Crown Prince’s fiancée. For our
marriage to move forward, I had to be formally introduced to society first. That was why, back
then, the Emperor had timed our wedding to align with my coming-of-age ceremony—a seamless
solution to the problem.
The First Empress, however, had no desire to see me wed to the Crown Prince. There’s a vast
difference between being his fiancée and becoming the Crown Princess. As just his betrothed, the
Eliont’s family’s support for him was limited, a mere trickle of influence. But the moment I became
his wife, the Elionts—my family—would transform into his in-laws, a powerful backbone offering
unwavering support. That was precisely why the First Empress and her faction were so desperate
to stop our marriage.
“Oh, how thoughtless of me,” the First Empress said, her voice dripping with false sweetness.
“You don’t have anyone to help you prepare for the ceremony, do you?”
Traditionally, a mother prepares her child for their coming-of-age ceremony. If a mother isn’t
available, a grandmother or another close female relative steps in. I had no one who fit that mold.
Anasha could have taken on the role of my maternal grandmother, but she was born a commoner.
Mentioning her name here wouldn’t sway the First Empress—it would only hand her a weapon to
tear me down.
“Oh dear, how could a noble young lady possibly hold her ceremony without a proper chaperone?”
The Empress chimed in, her tone laced with exaggerated pity.
They were both relentless, determined to force me to admit I wouldn’t hold the ceremony. At first,
I’d had no intention of going through with it, but the First Empress’s smug maneuvering was
starting to shift my resolve.
For a noble young lady like me, a debut into society without a chaperone was unthinkable.
Stepping into that world alone was like standing naked in the middle of the street—a guaranteed
target for scorn and ridicule. Usually, the role of chaperone fell to the debutante’s mother. If she
wasn’t around, the duty passed to the most influential female relative in society’s ranks.
Right now, I have no one suitable to fill that role. I racked my brain, searching for options. On the
On the left side, there was no one. On the Pison side, my grandfather had two sisters, but both lived far
from the capital. There wasn’t nearly enough time for either of them to travel here for my
ceremony.
Back then, my wedding to the Crown Prince had happened alongside the ceremony, so a
chaperone hadn’t been necessary. But I couldn’t exactly decide to marry him now, on a whim, just
to outmaneuver the First Empress.
“If you don’t mind,” the First Empress said with an arrogant smile, lazily waving her fan, “I could
step in and fill that role for you.”
Her words landed like a trap snapping shut. With her staking that claim, no one outside her
bloodline could dare to be my chaperone. Offering to take the role herself was as good as a public
declaration—anyone who stepped forward now would be openly defying her influence in society.
Unless they outranked her significantly or were willing to make her an enemy, no one would
volunteer.
This wasn’t just about the ceremony anymore; my entire debut into society was hanging by a
thread. To make my entrance, I’d either have to find a chaperone on my own or accept her offer.
Her proposal would spread through society like wildfire, and no noblewoman would risk crossing
the First Empress to stand by my side.
“What do you think, young lady?”
The First Empress’s red lips curved upward in a triumphant arc.
*She’s got me cornered,* I thought bitterly.
“I’m grateful for Your Highness’s offer,” I began, “but my grandmother has already agreed to act
as my chaperone.”
I was on the verge of saying it—resigning myself to asking Anasha, gossip be damned—when the
door swung open. The Crown Prince strode in. Behind him, attendants and maids hovered
anxiously, clearly unsettled. He waved them off and had opened the door himself, it seemed. In an
instant, he crossed the room, took my hand, and gently pulled me to my feet.
“I’ve missed you, my love.”
His eyes locked onto mine as he pressed his lips to the back of my hand. The softness of his touch
lingered vividly on my skin.
“C-Crown Prince!” the Empress stammered, startled by his sudden entrance.
“Forgive my intrusion, Your Majesty,” he said, bowing to her. She’d let out a near-scream at his
arrival, and he straightened up after a moment.
“How could I stay away when I heard my fiancée was here?”
He flashed a dazzling smile at the Empress, who flushed under its warmth.
Objectively, he was breathtaking. His skin was smooth as porcelain, not a single flaw in sight. His
lips, neither too full nor too thin, were naturally red and glossy, as if brushed with color. His nose
cut a sharp, elegant line, and his jaw was both refined and striking. Those eyes—framed by faint
double eyelids—curved enchantingly when he smiled.
He might have seemed almost feminine, but his thick brows, towering height, and the solid,
sword-honed build of his body sharpened his masculinity. And those golden eyes—radiant and
piercing—held a depth that could pull you in and leave you dizzy.
Back then, I’d fallen for him at first sight and never found my way out. The Empress, just now
ripening into her own sense of womanhood, couldn’t help but blush at his charm. It was almost
inevitable.
The First Empress, though, wasn’t pleased. She shot a disapproving glance at the Empress and
clicked her tongue sharply. The sound made the Empress duck her head, her cheeks still red, as if
shamed.
“The Crown Prince of the Empire is behaving most recklessly,” the First Empress snapped,
fanning herself as she scolded him. “Maintain the dignity your station demands.”
He turned from the Empress to meet her gaze, one eyebrow arching slightly.
“Am I not a young man in the prime of life?” he replied. “With my fiancée’s coming-of-age
ceremony so near, how could I not be thrilled? I beg Your Majesty’s generous heart to understand
a young man’s feelings.”
The First Empress’s fan froze mid-motion. If glares could kill, he’d have been struck dead a dozen
times over by the venom in her eyes.
He’d dismissed her entirely, addressing the Empress instead. Then he stepped closer to me, his
arm slipping gently around my waist. I caught his intent—he wanted to undermine the First
Empress—and I decided to play along.
“Why are you so late, Your Highness?” I said, my voice tinged with formality. “I’ve been waiting
for you endlessly.”
“I had no idea you were here,” he answered. “Why didn’t you come straight to my palace? You
wouldn’t have had to wait like this.”
Regret flickered across his face as he leaned in, pressing a tender kiss to my forehead. Seizing the
moment, he tightened his hold on my waist, drawing me firmly against him.
I’d worn heels today and was itching to stomp on his foot with all my might, but with the First
Empress glaring right at us, it was out of the question. Instead, I slid my arms around his back as if
to embrace him and pinched his side as hard as I could.
He flinched, just slightly. I flashed him a satisfied smile.
“Her Majesty the Empress summoned me here,” I explained.
“Oh, today was supposed to be our private day, as His Majesty decreed,” he said, his tone light but
pointed. “But it seems Her Majesty forgot for a moment. Isn’t that right, Your Majesty?”
“Of course, of course! You’re absolutely right, Crown Prince. I must have forgotten.”
The Empress nodded so vigorously I feared her head might snap off. The Emperor had decreed
that I, Beonne Rossa Eliont, who had been secluded in the Eliont estate, should spend time with
the Crown Prince two or three times a week. He had also ordered that no one disturb our time
together. Though she hadn’t meant to, the Empress had defied the Emperor’s command by
summoning me here. Her face drained to a ghostly white as she cast a pleading glance at the First
Empress.
The First Empress snapped her fan shut. The sharp sound reverberated through the reception room,
cutting the air like a whip.
“You’ve grown so much, Crown Prince. Seeing you now fills me with… *profound* emotion.”
Her tone dripped with condescension, but her eyes were razor-sharp as they fixed on the Crown
Prince. He, still holding me firmly by the waist, flashed her a calm smile.
“All thanks to Your Highness’s grace.”
A silent battle sparked between them, tension crackling in the air. Neither blinked, their gazes
locked in a fierce standoff.
“So, the Duchess of Garfield will be Lady Eliont’s chaperone?”
“Yes, that’s correct, Your Highness.”
The Garfield dukedom was the family of the former Empress—privately, the Crown Prince’s
maternal relatives. While his grandfather still served as a duke, his grandmother had withdrawn
from society after the former Empress’s death, living in quiet seclusion. I had only seen her once,
on the day of my coming-of-age ceremony and wedding to the Crown Prince.
“She’s been shut away in her estate all this time. Has she had a change of heart?”
“To her, Lady Eliont is soon to be her granddaughter-in-law. It’s only natural.”
“How fortunate.”
Despite the faint smile playing on her lips, the First Empress gripped her fan so tightly it seemed
on the verge of snapping.
“Will the ceremony be held at the Eliont estate, then? It’s a shame I won’t be able to attend.”
It was rare for royalty to attend parties outside the palace. Doing so could suggest an unseemly
closeness with the host family—an implication that invited rumors, whether true or not. Royals,
especially those at the center of power, were keenly aware of how their actions might be perceived
and took care to avoid unnecessary controversy.
But my situation was different. Officially, I was set to marry the Crown Prince and join the royal
family. It would be fitting—expected, even—for the royals, save the Emperor and Empress, to
attend my coming-of-age ceremony. To refuse would be a public declaration of opposition against
me.
“Were you not aware?”
The Crown Prince’s voice carried a teasing lilt as he feigned exaggerated surprise, one corner of
his lips curling upward.
“His Majesty is already preparing Lady Eliont’s ceremony in the Erharak Hall. There’s no need for
Your Highness to feel regret over missing it.”
“The Erharak Hall?”
The First Empress’s voice spiked to a shrill pitch, as if she’d heard something unthinkable. I, too,
was so stunned I couldn’t mask my reaction and stared at the Crown Prince.
The Erharak Hall was the grandest in the palace, reserved for monumental occasions—New Year’s
celebrations, founding anniversaries, or royal weddings. My own coming-of-age ceremony and
wedding had been held there years ago. Like the First Empress, I wanted to scream at his words.
“The Erharak Hall for a mere marquess’s daughter? Is that even appropriate?”
Her fan finally gave way under her furious grip, its delicate frame splintering and scattering across
the floor.
She trembled with rage, her jaw clenched, her lips quivering. I was no calmer. If the Crown Prince
spoke the truth, it meant the Emperor was once again planning to merge my coming-of-age
ceremony with a wedding.
“A mere marquess’s daughter? Lady Eliont is my fiancée, soon to be the Crown Princess. She is
more than qualified to hold her ceremony there.”
The Crown Prince himself had celebrated his coming-of-age in the Erharak Hall. By his reasoning,
it wasn’t strange for me, his future wife, to do the same. The real question was whether it would
be *just* a ceremony.
The First Empress seemed to harbor the same suspicion. Why else would she be so incensed over
the venue alone?
“A party arranged without even the Empress, head of the inner court, knowing? This is
unacceptable. Isn’t that right, Your Majesty?”
She had regained her composure in that brief moment, her eyes still piercing the Crown Prince as
she addressed the Empress. The Empress’s mouth opened and closed helplessly, her eyes darting
in panic. Tradition dictated that the Empress oversee all inner court events, but this was a
celebration orchestrated directly by the Emperor. A figurehead like her had no authority to object.
“I’m asking you!”
“B-but…”
At the First Empress’s sharp shout, tears welled in the Empress’s eyes. She glanced desperately
between the Crown Prince and the First Empress, trapped.
“It is His Majesty’s will. Even Your Majesty cannot oppose it, can you?”
“Y-yes, of course. The Crown Prince is right.”
The Empress latched onto his gentle words like a lifeline, nodding fervently. The First Empress
shot her a withering glare, but the Empress averted her gaze, shrinking under the pressure.
The Empress was powerless. Her family depended on the First Empress’s faction, and she had
little hope of bearing a prince. Even if she did, cultivating influence for a new prince among the
established heirs would be a near-impossible feat. For her to defy the First Empress required
courage—though it likely stemmed more from her fear of the Emperor than any real resolve.
“So, the Empress, head of the inner court, approves.”
The Crown Prince’s tone was laced with mockery. The First Empress bit her lip, her once-perfect
smile twisting into a grimace.
“With Her Majesty’s consent and His Majesty hosting the event, I trust you won’t commit the
folly of disloyalty, Your Highness.”
Still holding me by the waist, the Crown Prince brushed past the First Empress and strode out of
the reception room.
The moment we left her behind, his smile vanished. As soon as we exited the Empress’s palace, he
scooped me up into his arms. The maids waiting outside gasped and blushed at the sight. I
squirmed to break free, but his grip was unyielding.
“Just stay like this until we’re out of here.”
He was furious about something. We were still in the Empress’s palace, under the scrutiny of
countless eyes and ears; I couldn’t risk struggling against him here.
I stopped resisting and covered my face with both hands. I’d never been held like this in front of
others before. The weight of their stares pricked at my skin, and being carried like a princess was
far more humiliating than I’d ever imagined. With long, purposeful strides, he swiftly carried me
out of the palace.
Only when we reached the secluded depths of his own palace’s rear garden did he set me down.
He dismissed the attendants and maids, leaving just the two of us in the open space.
I was still trying to calm my flushed face and missed the chance to slap him. He let out a heavy
sigh, raking a hand roughly through his hair. His usually pristine silver locks fell into disarray.
“Why on earth did you come to the palace?”
“…Pardon?”
His sudden outburst left me dumbfounded. Frustrated, he unbuttoned his collar, loosening the
typically immaculate neckline. I’d never seen him so disheveled—not even back then.
“Didn’t you receive my message telling you not to come?”