"Seri… Seri… Wake up~"

I mumbled unintelligibly as I fumbled around to find the alarm clock.

"Seri. I said wake up."

Where is that d*mned snooze button. Ugh.

With my eyes still closed, I patted the bed as I tried to hit the snooze button. I touch the covers trying to find the source of the sound. Suddenly, my hands felt something much warmer. I pinched my eyebrows together as I tried to figure out what exactly I was touching.

Hmm. This isn't a blanket. It feels warm and…

WAIT! I recognize this feeling!

My eyes shot open to see Simon's smirking face. His shirt was wide open displaying his handsome well-toned body. My hand was firmly on his abs having just rubbed it moments before.

He tilted his head in entertainment, "Well good morning to you too."

"AAAAH!"

I jolted out of bed and fell off. My head smacked the ground, "Ow…"

I can't believe I was just groping Simon!

NO! WAIT!

What was Simon doing in my bed with his shirt open!? That's right! I shouldn't be the one embarrassed!

I stood up quickly and pointed at him, "PERVERT!"

He raised an eyebrow, "Who is the pervert? You were the one groping me just a second ago."

My face burned, "I-I wasn't groping! BESIDES! What were you doing in my bed?! You sleep on the couch!"

He gave me a cocky grin as he spoke in a low coquettish tone, "I told you. I would no longer be sleeping on the couch. You can either sleep with me in bed or sleep on the floor. Either way, I'm sleeping on the bed."

I glared at him, "Sleep?! You don't look like you slept at all! Even though it's hard to tell, you definitely have dark circles under your eyes!"

He subconsciously touched his face, then returned back to smiling. He winked at me, "Alright, you caught me. I did not sleep at all. I was too busy looking at that angelic sleeping face of yours. It was so cute I couldn't look away."

I had to shield my eyes from his overly seductive pose, "PERVERT! STOP TRYING TO RUIN MY PURITY!"

He chuckled, "What purity?"

"…"

Can't argue with that.

He suddenly sat up, "Anyway, we need to get ready for today."

"Hm? Today? What's today?"

Don't tell me we are supposed to get married today. Last time I checked, I still had over a week before that would happen. I was almost finished with my planning too. All I needed was to get Gilyn's answer, get Dante's sword and mine from the armory, and figure out the exact day and time to attack.

He snickered, "You really don't pay attention, do you? Today is the day of the ball. We are celebrating the successful taking of the Lorei City."

"You actually succeeded in taking that city?"

Simon smirked, "It was all thanks to you."

"Huh!? ME? How? I just said to go to the city to take it."

"It's because of your relationship with William."

Relationship? What relationship? I am pretty sure he hates me now.

Simon explained, "We had planned to use Dante as you had suggested, however before we could, William agreed."

I was shocked, "What?! Why would William agree?!"

"It seems that William has spies planted here."

He does?!

I shook my head quickly, "It's not me!"

Simon chuckled, "I know it's not. Actually, I am not sure who is the spy, but whoever it is must have told William that it had been your idea."

I crossed my arms, "That doesn't make sense. If William knew it was my idea, he would never go for it."

"I wouldn't be too sure."

What a cryptic answer…

I looked at Simon closely. If I hadn't known how sadistic Simon is, I would have guessed he was the spy. However, that is impossible. In the future the Original Seri showed me, Simon never once tried to help the other side. He was only considerate to his own people.

So then who could the spy be? It had to have been someone who was either at the dinner or was high enough to have heard about the dinner.

Could it be Millie? She is usually up to these kinds of shenanigans. Although, I haven't seen her following me around the Palace or anything. I've only noticed her outside of the Palace stalking me.

Then… Could it be Gilyn?

The diary entries from the Holy Empress mentioned that the two seemed to share a close connection. Perhaps he found out that she was killed and is now seeking revenge?

I can't be too sure. The rumors said that the Holy Empress was so angry with him that she stabbed him in the eye with a poisoned blade. That was the reason why he went blind. It is possible that the relationship was only one sided.

Also, Gilyn made it perfectly clear that he didn't like the Imperial Kingdom. So why would he try to help the Imperial Kingdom?

Simon spoke as if reading my mind, "Anyway, you do not have to worry about who the spy is. No one knows that William is getting intel."

I looked at him suspiciously, "And how do you know about this?"

Simon only smiled giving nothing away.

It… It can't be… Could Simon actually be the spy?

If that is the case, then I am worried about what he is planning. If I know one thing about Simon it's that when he makes a plan it is far more complicated than one can comprehend. He may be a bastard, but he is at least a cunning one.

Simon continued, "Since we could take the city, we were able to gain an abundance of sugar. So, the King decided to throw a party to celebrate. Only the nobility is allowed to attend the ball. Since this was all your idea, the King decided to make you the Guest of Honor."

"Guest of Honor?!"

Before he could explain further, there was a knock at the door. Simon spoke, "Enter."

Several maids shuffled in and froze when they saw us. They were shocked to see our disheveled appearances making the scene seem very suggestive. To make everything worse, the bed was messy and blankets were strewn around on the ground. They bowed quickly, "Apologies for interrupting his Highness and the future princess. However, we were ordered by His Majesty the King to get you both ready for the ball."

Simon nodded, "Very well. Go ahead."

They bowed once more before taking us to different rooms. As they got me ready, I kept thinking about how different the maids were here versus the Imperial Kingdom. Even though I hate being forced into those ungodly corsets, I really wish I was there instead. If this were the royal maids in the Imperial Palace, they would be shocked to see so many scars on my body. Yet the maids here didn't bat an eye.

After reading the writings by the Holy Empress, I can see why they aren't as surprised.

"My lady, we have finished."

I looked into the mirror to see myself with smoky-eye makeup with a thick eyeliner and bright red lips. I was dressed in a light flowing skirt that was transparent to show the silky tight pants I wore underneath. There was a jeweled strapless top that barely covered my navel. Draped over my shoulders was a long silk-like scarf. My short hair poked out from under the headdress.

I blushed, "I-Isn't this too much skin?"

I feel like I am naked!

The spoke with their heads bowed, "It is what most noble women wear."

"B-But isn't my skin… Too much?"

One spoke calmly, "To speak bluntly, my lady… No one really cares."

"Ah."

How could I forget? One of the reasons why no one would be shocked over scars was because they simply did not care. Sympathy was seen as weakness. Pity was highly discouraged as well. That's why the Holy Empress suffered so much.

No one cared enough to help.

I nodded with a somber feeling in my chest, "Very well. Let's go."

I was led to the party where Simon was waiting. As we paused in front of the door, Simon looked at me, "It's the same as when we had dinner with the King. Do you remember your etiquette?"

I looked away, "Ish…"

He sighed, "Just follow my lead."

As we walked in, we went to stand at the seats nearest to the King. I was shocked to see the long table extending through the large room. In there were already several rich looking people. Just as the maids had said, the women were dressed similarly to me. The King introduced me and Simon before sitting down. We ate the meal in silence.

I struggled to eat the spicy dish in front of me. Not only was it far too spicy for me again, but there were hundreds of people staring at me.

I feel like they are trying to fatten me up and put me in a stew!