The Rosette Invitation

Spellman insisted that for a knight, the first priority was stamina, the second was physical strength, and the third was stamina all over again. Thanks to him, I hadn’t even touched a sword since the first day. I thought he was being a bit excessive, but he remained unyielding in his conviction: no matter how much technique one possessed, it was useless without the power to execute it.

There were rumors of the family’s second son—a monster with legendary stamina who supposedly sliced a boulder with a sword at thirteen and rolled around mountain ranges at fourteen only to come back refreshed. While he might not have understood the old knight’s teaching methods, for an ordinary person like me, Spellman’s curriculum felt like the correct answer.

My father and my eldest brother wailed as they saw me being carted home in a shambles, but I didn’t even have the energy to soothe them. It took me four days just to be able to keep dinner down. After asking Erkel for understanding and adjusting my afternoon schedule, my routine became: the 4th Prince’s Palace in the morning, the training grounds in the late afternoon, then coming home to eat, wash, and sleep. A single day felt like it only lasted five hours.

Naturally, whether the Crown Prince’s intentions were aimed at keeping me in check or flirting, the mere fact that I was involved with him was enough to piss Annette off. That was why I wasn’t surprised when an invitation arrived for me. I had already expected that Annette—whom the original author described as “someone who doesn’t easily show anger on the outside but is just as nasty as the Crown Prince”—would soon take some kind of action.

Dressed more carefully than usual, I passed the 4th Prince’s Palace and headed deeper into the grounds. Among all the gardens in the Imperial Palace where flowers changed with the seasons, the Rosette Palace in spring was uniquely beautiful. With its garden in full bloom, massive floor-to-ceiling windows, and white exterior walls, the Rosette Palace was originally a favorite spot of the Empress.

To hold a meeting here, of all places. It was a “two birds with one stone” choice, throwing shade at both the Crown Prince and the Empress. Of course, I was just an innocent ten-year-old who knew nothing of such circumstances.

“Llewellyn!”

Aiden brightened as he saw me. He was someone who was terrified of even the Crown Prince; there was no way he would feel comfortable around the Emperor’s favored concubine. Though I hadn’t seen it myself, I could easily imagine how shocked the Roosters must have been when Aiden received the invitation.

“Why aren’t you going in?”

“I… I wanted to go in together. I saw your carriage arriving.”

His voice trailed off as he lowered his head. It was a habit he couldn’t break despite being corrected several times by his etiquette tutor. Realizing this, he hurriedly straightened his back and head, but his eyes wavered anxiously. His overdressed cravat and slightly swept-back hair looked unnatural.

Understanding his tension, I gave him a light pat on the back and told him to let’s go in. Aiden followed, moving as stiffly as a robot.

On the surface, it was a warm, friendly tea time hosted by Rowena for her son and his friends, but no one was oblivious to the fact that it was merely a facade. Even if Aiden Rooster didn’t know, Count Rooster certainly did. A veteran diplomat would know how to handle people, and she would also know that her son lacked those skills. I could imagine her—she likely only told him to be careful. If it were me, I would have been bursting with frustration. Aiden’s face was already pale, likely having been sternly advised to mind his behavior, mind his steps, and above all, mind his words.

“It’s just tea time. Why are you so scared?”

“It’s… it’s not… just tea time, is it? It’s the first… first time I’ve come this far into the palace…”

Aiden was always prone to nervousness and stuttering when tense, but today his condition was severe. If he met Annette and Rowena like this, it might become difficult to see Aiden at the 4th Prince’s Palace in the future. Annette would likely just sneer and ignore it, but even the gentle Rowena was a woman raised as a noble lady before entering the palace. I didn’t think she lacked the pride to tolerate a “fool” staying by her son’s side.

For the sake of poor Aiden and Count Rooster, I tried to help him relax. Luckily, the hallway was long.

“It’s my first time too.”

“Re… really?”

“Yeah. Everyone else is probably nervous, too. I bet the Prince is nervous as well.”

On the day Annette’s invitation arrived, Erkel had been half-sprawled on the sofa, chewing jelly like gum while muttering, “Bullshit.” He looked exactly like a middle-aged man scratching his belly while watching TV. I’m pretty sure he said he was a woman in her mid-twenties in his past life, though. There was no need for a separate strategy. We just had to blink our eyes and act innocent, as if we knew nothing.

Aiden seemed to think it was a joke and laughed. It seemed to give him some strength to think that he wasn’t the only one gripped by tension.

As we reached the end of the hallway, a servant smiled graciously and opened the door. Rowena, Annette, Erkel, and Elliot were there. Elliot shot me a subtle look of resentment. I couldn’t tell if he was asking why I was late or why the two of us were arriving together. It didn’t matter. I had arrived on time, and I had simply run into Aiden by chance.

“Llewellyn, Aiden.”

Annette greeted us with a graceful smile. Strictly speaking, Rowena was the protagonist of this seat as she was the host of the tea time, but no one here cared about that.

As always, Annette was beautiful. Her pale green dress, matching the color of her eyes, cinched her waist to make her look even more fragile. Her silver hair, which had been pinned up when I last saw her, was now down and decorated with pearls, and her exposed shoulders were elegant. Had I not known the situation, even I would have been dazed with admiration for her appearance. I suppose one has to be at that level to capture the heart of the empire’s most powerful man.

Wait, but if we’re going by that logic, what does that make Llewellyn—the one who steals the hearts of the next supreme leader of the empire, the Master of the North, the genius mage, and the lord of the dark… whatever-it-was underground? Is it even possible for an appearance to surpass that?

Except for Lewis, who arrived late and rushed in, nothing major happened. I sipped on the flavored tea and snacks prepared for children’s tastes while watching the mother and son sitting side by side.

I knew Erkel’s brown hair and eyes resembled his mother, Rowena, but seeing them like that, they truly were alike. The gentle, downturned eyes, the soft hazel pupils, the thin upper lip, and the sharp but not overly high tip of the nose. It wasn’t just a mother and son; it looked like a self-replication. I could have believed it if someone said he was born of Rowena alone without a single drop of the Emperor’s genes.

“I’m thinking of opening a salon. Would that name be too grandiose?”

“A salon?”

Rowena asked back as if she hadn’t heard this before. Elliot, who had been picking out only the chocolate cookies, stopped his crunching. Erkel and I also grew tense, though we didn’t show it. The conversation from here on would be the reason for today’s gathering.

“It’s for those who haven’t made their debut yet. I think it will be a good opportunity to build various connections.”

I tapped the edge of the table twice with my fingernail. It was a code with Erkel. Is this in the original story? I asked. Erkel traced his ring finger horizontally along the grain of the wood. No, was the answer.

This is a bit dangerous.

An undertaking started by someone as central as Annette wouldn’t end as a small affair. All the nobles of the capital and the powerful families of the provinces would flock to it.

Generally, the debut of a noble child in the empire was based on their eighteenth birthday when they became adults. It was an unwritten rule that it should be neither too early nor too late, and it was custom for a friendly household to host a banquet for the debut, much like a birthday party. How grand the banquet was, which designer’s clothes were worn, the decorations, who the partner was…

The Debutante was an important event to boast of a family’s power, wealth, and connections, and many staked their lives on it. Even a poor noble would take out debts to host it magnificently just to save face.

Of course, interactions could happen before then. For the young ladies of the capital, it was the standard route to be invited to salons through connections around the age of fourteen to share knowledge and form factions. Young lords often mingled among themselves while tagging along to their fathers’ gatherings. These days, going to the Academy was becoming the trend, which was sufficient enough.

In this situation, starting a salon to gather young children… it might sound a bit self-centered, but it felt like it was because of me. Aiden was still blank-faced, and Lewis was asking for more sugar, seemingly not realizing the importance of this conversation. Elliot, Erkel, and I exchanged serious glances while listening intently to Annette. Rowena was delighted, saying it was a wonderful idea.

“It would be lovely to hold a banquet every quarter. The reservations for Ferdy, who is already so busy, will be backed up.”

“How about getting the Prince’s clothes made in advance? He is scheduled to visit the palace next week.”

“Oh my goodness.”

“In a way, this will be his debut, so I would like to give them as a gift.”

Rowena was purely joyful. Erkel, who couldn’t even voice his dislike to her innocent face, simply smiled brightly with a vacant mind. He’s getting better and better at acting.

“It is something to be grateful for. Since you are taking such care for my debut, Mother might be able to prepare for it when Lu attends the banquet in a few years.”

He even used the nickname for the 5th Prince, Lucas, making a visible effort to build as much rapport as possible with the 5th Prince’s side. It didn’t seem to sound bad to Annette, as she nodded. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if that salon would even last until then.