While I was rereading these two lines on the invitation card several times in a row, one thought invariably appeared in my head.

— Dad, have you been invited to the Christmas ball?

— The King personally gave me this invitation, — he agreed, — His Majesty would very much like to see us at this celebration.

— Us...?!

"Of course, you're the first lady of the House of Ashford.

I swallowed, at first not knowing how to react to this.

Despite the fact that I studied the culture of this country for only a couple of months, I already knew firsthand about the Christmas Ball. It was the largest celebration of the kingdom, which took place every year in the imperial palace. All the important and not very aristocrats gathered at it in order to celebrate the new year in the secular circle. It was a really significant event, the scale of which can only be compared with the anniversary of the ascension to the throne of the king.

Anyone in the country would dream of visiting it at least once and seeing the cream of high society in all its glory. Before this whole situation, it was also interesting for me to come to the ball to see the imperial palace with my own eyes.

But now… I didn't even know if it was a good idea.

Since the festival was held in the palace, it will certainly be attended not only by the king himself, but also by his eldest sons. Crown Prince Philip and the second Prince Razor.

And if we were more or less able to establish relations with the second one and I believed that he would not plot behind my back, then the situation was a little more complicated with the Crown Prince… I didn't know what to expect from him.

Did he understand the words I said the last time we met? At least, that's what I hoped. After all, if Philip continues to insist on his own, then I will have to go beyond the usual beliefs to stop him. And the imperial palace was still completely his territory, where he could do what he wanted.

And to sum it up, I wasn't too eager to go there.

— Dad... can we stay at home? I asked uncertainly.

- what? — the father was surprised, — Why?

— Well... I thought it would be better if we celebrate the holiday in a family circle. Is not it so?

The Archduke sighed.

"Lea, it's not that simple," he said, "we can't not go.

— Why?!

— You probably forgot that we are not ordinary aristocrats, — the man smiled faintly, — I am the first archduke of the empire and the right hand of the king. If I miss such a significant event, then in the eyes of the whole society it will look like a manifestation of disrespect for the imperial family.

— This is…

And I really hadn't thought of that.

— And moreover, I wanted to go with you not only for this reason.

I looked at him in surprise.

— In my opinion, this is the best opportunity for your debut.

— Debut? I asked.

— Yes, — he nodded, — Don't you think that the time has already come?

I was even speechless, because I completely forgot that someday I would have to go through something like this. The debut was the most significant event in the life of a young lady, and not only. It was an old tradition during which the children of aristocrats attended an "adult" holiday for the first time and became a full-fledged part of high society.

Girls and boys have been preparing for this event since childhood, and usually the debut took place at the age of sixteen and older. I was already seventeen, so my father wasn't exaggerating at all when he said that now was the right time. Most of my peers from the academy have already debuted, and only I remained the so-called "late bird".

I knew that sooner or later I would have to prove myself in society as Lady Ashford. However, I did not expect it to happen so quickly.

Noticing that I was deep in thought about something, my father asked me:

"What's the matter, Lea?" Don't you want to go to the ball?

—Well...— I hesitated.

The Archduke sighed again.

"You know that we can't refuse this offer just like that," he said, "No matter how sad it sounds, but you're not a child anymore. If your debut comes too late, unflattering rumors may spread in society. Or is there some special reason why you can't go?

I looked at my father excitedly. Yes, there was a reason, and quite a weighty one. But how could I say that outright? That the Crown Prince of the Empire is following me…

Realizing how important this event was for our family, I could not refuse just because of my personal motives. The role of Lady Ashford was assigned to me from birth, and I could not refuse to fulfill it. Moreover, my father hoped for me, so how could I let him down?

In the end, I decided to just go with the flow and count on the best.

Instead of the initial fears, I was suddenly possessed by a fighting spirit. Why should I suddenly be afraid of meeting him? I haven't done anything to make me feel guilty about him. Philip's problems were his alone.

Besides, I still hoped for his discretion. After I had already refused the Crown Prince twice, he had to accept defeat with dignity. It was Philip who had the role of a positive hero in this story, so I did not believe in the continuation of his mean deeds.

Well, I stumbled once, it happens. After all, are we all wrong? But now, he has definitely learned his lesson, and he will not repeat his mistakes anymore.

After thinking about all this, I came to the conclusion that I have nothing to worry about.

— No, nothing like that, — I smiled, — I'm happy to go with you, Father.

The man beamed.

— That's great! — He exclaimed, - Be sure, none of the guests will be able to take their eyes off my baby.

I giggled.

—The ball will take place in four days, so we need to leave as early as possible to get to the capital," the Archduke continued, "Lea, be prepared for the fact that we will leave early in the morning.

I nodded.

And while the atmosphere in the living room improved significantly, my father and I enthusiastically began to discuss which dress I should wear to the debut ball. At that moment, I even forgot that we weren't actually alone here.

Rachel cleared her throat, drawing attention to herself.

"Old man," she said reluctantly, "you have an invitation too, don't you?"

"Hmm... yes," Duke Cassius frowned, "the King sent it a couple of days ago.

Since the Christmas Ball was important throughout the empire, invitations to it were sent to all significant representatives of the aristocracy. Duke Cassius was naturally one of them. Despite the fact that all high society shunned their family, the king still invited him every year because of a gesture of politeness. But in reality, no one expected Duke Cassius and his daughter to actually come.

The Duke himself was not interested in being stared at like a white crow. Like his daughter, he also did not tolerate the spirit of other aristocrats.

But now Rachel is suddenly talking about it.

"Then I want to go," she said suddenly.

— What?!

We were all surprised by this news.

— What's the matter? — Rachel looked displeased, — I didn't have a debut either.

"Ah... exactly," the Duke remembered that this was indeed the case. But he did not expect that the girl would ever want to voluntarily go through such a thing.

Previously, Rachel could not be forced to come to a dinner party. Now, she was full of confidence to attend such a large-scale event, ready for all eyes to be riveted to her.

Mentally, Duke Cassius came to the conclusion that Leriana was more dangerous than the most contagious virus.

Since her father didn't object to her in any way, Rachel turned to me with a barely noticeable grin.

— It looks like you will have to make room on the way to the capital.