Yvonne knew that her best friend Glennise was secretly in love with the Crown Prince right from when they were mere children.

However, she chose to keep it a secret, and being her friends, Yvonne and the Princess had remained silent as well.

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Being the daughter of an Earl, Yvonne's social standing was the lowest among them but she was never disparaged or hated for this.

This was why she loved the two girls she spent her childhood days with and wished only the best for the two of them.

Therefore, looking at the Prince right now, who was the cause of his best friends being sad, it was a given that she felt indignant on their behalf.

The Prince had forgotten his responsibility of being his sister's dance partner and even danced with someone they weren't too familiar with.

While she knew of Glennise's feelings for him, he was still being kept in the dark about them.

Thus, she could only find fault with him about displeasing the Princess as the matter with Glennise, he was oblivious about.

Even if the Prince knew about it, she and Felicia could only try to get them closer but not force him to accept her.

While she knew this, she was still mad that he had been the cause of this big day being ruined for the two best friends.

Not once did Yvonne blame the girl who was dancing with the Prince.

After all, it was Prince Fritzen who had taken the first step towards her and even asked for a dance when she was standing alone after her first dance with her father.

'I think she is the daughter of some Baron.' Yvonne surmised as she had seen the face of the old man who had danced with that lady before in the Capital a few times.

However, that sixteen-year-old daughter had appeared in the Capital for the first time, and that too for her debut into the noble society as a 'Young Lady' today.

Yvonne's eyes focused on the lady dancing with the Crown Prince just as the rest of the attendees of this coming-of-age ceremony.

The longer she stared at the lady dancing with the handsome prince, a strange sense of deja vu began to envelop Yvonne's mind.

Those soft and fluffy brown hair looked surprisingly familiar to her as though she had seen them before.

However, she was sure that she had never met this Young Lady during any tea parties she often attended.

This made it more intriguing for Yvonne as she tried harder to search her mind to figure out where she had seen those familiar-looking features before.

The music was slowing down, indicating that the second dance of the evening was coming to an end but this young miss was too lost in her thoughts to notice this change.

'I remember!' Yvonne's eyes widened when she finally recognized the person who was seen dancing with the Crown Prince today.

However, when she turned her head to look for the one whose identity she had remembered, she saw her best friends walking towards the corner that she had been standing in until now.

Her eyes scanned the ballroom but found no signs of that lady's presence and to her surprise, the Prince was also missing.

There were hushed murmurs heard around them which reminded her that the music had ended and the orchestra was preparing for the next song.

Her friends seemed uninterested to dance any more and hence had already reached her position.

Many young boys and men wished to dance with Princess Felicia and Lady Glennise but they rejected those offers and hurried to Yvonne's side.

"Who do you think that was?" Glennise grumbled the moment she reached the area where not many were around.

Yvonne knew who she was referring to and while she had a faint idea about her identity, she did not wish to open her mouth until she was absolutely sure about it.

Therefore, she answered with the information she was sure about.

"Seems to be the daughter of a Baron from the south." She revealed, sure that the man the lady had danced with, held that identity.

Princess Felicia nodded, not too bothered about her identity as she was still upset with her brother's behavior.

However, Glennise was different as she clenched her fists in anger and annoyance as she had lost the chance to have the Prince's first dance.

"But where is she now?" Yvonne inquired as she was eager to confirm the speculation in her mind.

Glennise remained silent but Felicia pointed her chin in a certain direction.

Following her gesture, Yvonne's eyes stopped at the balcony on the far end of the ballroom and her eyes narrowed at the implication behind that gesture.

"The Prince and the lady have headed to the balcony? Alone?" Her voice held her doubt and incredulity to this information.

It was safe to say that she and Glennise had grown up with the Princess and hence had numerous interactions with the Prince throughout their formative years.

However, never once had they seen the young man showing any interest in girls or matters related to them.

Glennise too had been ignored and rejected too many times in the past but she did not mind it as she knew that he was the same with everyone else.

Yet that had changed today as he had taken the initiative to ask the new lady to rest with him on the balcony.

Balconies, especially the ones in the Royal Palace were beautifully built and were known to be a rendezvous spot for lovers.

No matter how young and naive Yvonne was about the relationships between man and woman, she knew what this gesture meant.

'Those two have something to hide.' She deciphered the hidden meaning which made her brows furrow.

The place meant for secret lovers to meet was where the Prince had led the lady so it was natural for the spectators around them to interpret his action in this way.

Therefore, the crowd was now engaged in an animated discussion about the Prince's sudden interest in the new lady who had appeared today.

Glennise frowned, Felicia sulked, and finally, Yvonne's eyes were fixed on the balcony where the two had disappeared.

However, they did not have to wait for long as after a few minutes, the door was opened and the Prince was seen escorting the lady outside while holding her hand.

Gasps were heard around the ballroom and even those who had no interest in this incident were now paying attention to it.

While the three best friends were watching from their corner, they saw the Grand Duke coming forward with a stern look on his face as he spoke a few words to the Prince.

The Crown Prince then bowed to the lady as though he was apologizing, then followed the Grand Duke to a discrete corner where the two were discussing something in all seriousness.

'He must be talking sense into the Prince's brain.' Yvonne speculated about the topic of their conversation.

While she had minimal interaction with the Grand Duke, the King's younger brother, she knew that he doted on his niece the most.

Seeing her sad on her big day due to the Prince's actions must have not sat well with him and hence he had come to give the Prince a piece of his mind.

Yvonne smirked as she was pleased with this outcome.

They could not hear what the two were speaking but the Prince's expressions made it evident that he was upset as well.

However, Yvonne's attention turned to the lady who had also made her debut today with her best friends.

Glennise was glaring at her while Felicia observed her in silence.

As Yvonne had to confirm certain doubts that she had in mind, she raised her feet and walked in the direction of the young lady who was standing in a corner, a short distance away from the Prince and Grand Duke.

Hearing the sounds of high heels clicking on the floor, the lady with fluffy brown hair looked up and her chocolate irises shook for a second before they regained their composure.

She very well knew the lady walking towards her but had to pretend to be ignorant and stood in silence.

"Do you still go by the same name… Hilda?" Yvonne smiled when she reached her destination.