* * *

For the first time in her life, Luna, upon arriving at the palace, was understandably tense and stiff. It was a place she thought she’d never go. Her life’s ambition was not to stand out, but merely to survive.

She thought she was on the path to live normally after clearing a misunderstanding. But now, what in the world was all this?

“Could this be… gold…?”

Luna touched a pillar on the first floor and asked. She wanted to bite it to confirm, but she held back and asked instead. Rosemary nodded in affirmation.

“Yes, it is. The imperial family has loved gold for generations. They say gold symbolizes eternity. That’s why there’s gold everywhere in the palace.”

As Rosemary said, gold was everywhere in the palace. Decorations, chandeliers, frames, even the columns, and the banners were embroidered with gold thread.

“Is this also made of gold?”

Luna pointed to the imperial emblem drawn on the floor.

“Yes. They carved out grooves in the floor and filled them with gold. It’s quite splendid, isn’t it?”

At this point, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a castle made of gold.

How much money was poured into this? The amount of gold was overwhelming.

The dazzling everywhere hurt her eyes. Luna shook her head, “If I look around any more, I’ll go blind. Let’s go to the banquet hall.”

When they reached the 3rd floor, a servant waiting at the entrance of the main hall asked Luna and Rosemary for their names.

“May I have your names, please?”

“I am Rosemary Vincent, and this is Luna from Barony Peils, my escort.”

She thought it was a verification of identity, but unexpectedly, the announcer loudly called out the names of Rosemary and Luna.

“Young Marchioness Rosemary Vincent and her escort young lady Luna Peils have arrived!”

At this, the nobles who had already arrived and were chatting amongst themselves stopped their actions and turned to look towards the entrance.

Looking to Rosemary as if to ask if this was normal, she too seemed a little taken aback and awkwardly smiled, extending her hand.

“It seems everyone was curious about us. Let’s go inside.”

“It seems like they are curious in a not-so-good way…”

But they couldn’t just stand at the entrance. It would draw even more attention. Luna took Rosemary’s hand and escorted her slowly inside.

…Had she ever been the subject of so many stares before?

It wasn’t even this intense when she had taken Fersen to court. Being her first time attending an official event, everyone, regardless of rank or gender, was fixated on Luna.

Although it wasn’t her intention, Luna had become one of the most mysterious figures in the Empire. Naturally, she drew everyone’s attention.

This wasn’t going to be a fun party. It felt as if she had ruined Rosemary’s coming-of-age party just by attending.

‘Maybe I should’ve put up a huge banner in the middle of the square.’

Then she wouldn’t have felt like a monkey in a zoo. While regretting, someone called out to Rosemary and Luna.

“Rosemary, Lady Luna.”

“Karen, Laila, Leone!”

There were familiar faces and also some new aristocrats.

Thankfully, there were familiar faces. Rosemary and Luna, trying their best to ignore the stares, approached Karen.

“My God… Did you two match your dresses? The designs are slightly different but they look similar.”

At Karen’s surprised question, Rosemary, as if expecting the question, responded with a bright smile.

“Can you tell? We thought it would symbolize our closeness.”

“Yes, you both look so good together. Last time you matched your hair ribbons and gloves, this time it’s dresses. I’m so jealous. Include me next time.”

Imagining all three of them in the same dress, Luna felt an awkward chill and quickly changed the topic.

“Have you been well?”

Karen responded with a gentle smile:

“Yes, I’ve been well. I visited Flory a few times because of the incident last time, but couldn’t meet her. But she’s also a noble who became an adult this year, so she’ll attend the party. I will definitely  find out the real culprit.”

Luna felt she didn’t need to make such an effort and reassured Karen.

“There’s no need to push yourself. It might just make you more upset. Things will work out.”

“You must have been more hurt, being falsely accused. I really want to help.”

Seeing Karen’s response and the surrounding unfamiliar aristocrats nodding in agreement, Luna’s eyes widened. Rosemary, observing this, softly smiled and chimed in.

“Are these your friends, Karen? It seems the misunderstanding has cleared.”

“Yes, everyone felt sorry for Luna.”

The surrounding aristocrats genuinely greeted Luna with friendly faces. There were quite a few of them.

“Nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you from Lady Karen.”

“You must have had a hard time.”

With everyone being so friendly, Luna, overwhelmed by unexpected emotions, shyly responded.

“Thank you. And nice to meet you. Clearing misunderstandings isn’t easy, I truly appreciate it.”

Meanwhile, other aristocrats who recognized Rosemary gathered around her. Some still looked skeptical but none showed outright hostility.

Then, Rosemary introduced Luna to everyone.

“This is Luna Peils, my escort for the evening. She’s also the owner of the gold mine.”

“A gold mine?”

When the gold mine was mentioned before any explanation, everyone’s expressions changed. Regardless of rumors about her character, owning a gold mine at a young age was significant.

Nearby nobles, overhearing the conversation, were shocked by this revelation and covered their surprised expressions with fans. It now made sense why Luna’s dress was so extravagant.

While everyone awaited more information, in the main hall filled with soft music, Rosemary’s clear voice resounded.

“Yes. And she purchased the beautiful mansion I cherished. She even hosted a party there and invited some young ladies.”

The group, including Karen, beamed in acknowledgment.

“It was enjoyable. It was even more meaningful since Luna’s misunderstandings were cleared.”

“Had I not attended, I would have regretted it. We are so glad to have you as part of our group.”

The misunderstanding being cleared and owning a gold mine meant she couldn’t go unnoticed.

Unable to bear it any longer, one of Rosemary’s acquaintances asked about the rumors surrounding Luna.

“What exactly do you mean by misunderstandings?”

“All of it. It’s hard to explain everything here, but to begin with, Lady Luna didn’t get along well with Lord Rodrian.”

The nobles eagerly waited for a more detailed explanation from Rosemary, but she didn’t provide one.

Once a question is posed, people tend to dig for information and think for themselves. There was no need to waste time explaining everything from scratch.

Then, a nobleman, who had been lingering on the sidelines of the conversation, cautiously inserted himself into the center of the group and threw in a comment.

“Speaking of which, I’m curious if it’s true that Lady Peils sued Lord Rodrian and won. My mother attended the trial and told me about it, but it’s hard to believe.”

Of course, he already knew the story was true. There was no reason for his mother to suddenly lie or badmouth someone for no reason. Still, he asked to be the center of attention.

As expected, Luna, the subject of the rumors, took the bait. The lawsuit was also a topic she wanted to discuss.

“It’s true. Fersen had demanded the mining rights from my father but was rejected and even imprisoned him. So, we sued, and we won, resulting in Fersen being fined a thousand gold.”

“Really?”

Karen, surprised because this matter wasn’t mentioned in the last gathering, asked in disbelief.

“Yes. I thought once the trial was over, the news would spread and people would clear up their misconceptions. Unfortunately, it didn’t spread at all.”

She subtly hinted, and the man smirked as if he already knew the answer, seeing an opportunity to take center stage in the conversation.

Before she could hastily reply, a familiar voice interrupted.

“I heard about the win in court, but hearing that the fine was a thousand gold is news to me. I should’ve stayed and watched till the end of the trial.”

It was Antes.

Luna’s eyes widened in surprise at his sudden appearance. Rosemary, too, was shocked, cupping her cheek.

“Brother Antes…!?”

He looked the same as he did a decade ago, but a double-check was necessary after such a long separation.

“Antes…?”

“Antes Vincent…!?”

The man, who was about to voice his annoyance, froze in place. A tense silence fell over the main hall at the entrance of this notorious psychopath.

“Rosemary.”

Yes, I’m your brother. Antes called out to Rosemary, marking the moment the siblings met after 10 years.

Sadly, there was no emotion or happiness in their reunion. Their faces only showed shock, discomfort, and resentment.

“What brought you here so suddenly?”

She thought he’d be stuck in his hometown. At Rosemary’s question Antes briefly glanced at Luna before sneering and inserting himself between them.

“I heard the young lady was here, but what are you doing here?”

His stance was so aggressive it felt like he might physically confront Luna at any moment. Someone swallowed hard, contemplating calling the guards.

But Rosemary had lived with Antes during his most volatile years. She was used to his hostility.

“What are you talking about?”

She regained her composure, forcefully pushing Antes and locking arms with Luna. Of course, Antes didn’t budge an inch, making them look trapped between him.

“I asked why you’re with young lady Luna.”

“Well, we’re very close friends. What’s so strange about friends being together?”

“Friends?”

Antes scoffed, finding the idea ridiculous.

Seeing his demeanor, Luna recalled a recent confrontation between Antes and Fersen at the Baron’s residence.

This was undoubtedly a restart of a dramatic saga, with a massive audience in tow.