After entering the city, we temporarily checked into a local hotel, where we were supposed to stay for the next few days. And, of course, it was far from the most typical institution.

This hotel served exclusively aristocrats, and therefore the prices for rooms were above the roof. Expensive decoration and biased staff scared off everyone who had less than a certain amount in their wallet. But the owner greeted us very cordially.

Perhaps he was afraid of Duke Cassius after all, but he didn't show it. Because everyone in the empire knew that he was the richest man in the country.

As before, Rachel and I decided to allocate a joint room. Although it wasn't necessary at all. But this time even my father didn't protest too much, so it was decided to leave it that way.

By the way, the relationship between us was still strained. Rachel had been deep in thought lately, and rarely agreed to talk to me. But despite the fact that I took her indifference for lack of interest in me, I kept catching her looking at me.

It seemed strange, but I didn't say anything. Even when we checked into the same room after a long trip, the situation did not change. However, Rachel has always been a man of few words, so I decided to just leave her alone.

All my thoughts at the moment were busy preparing for the ball.

The grand reception at the imperial palace was to take place tomorrow evening, and I was preparing hard for it. Regretting that we could not take Melinda with us due to the lack of free seats in the carriage, I urgently had to find another master.

Fortunately, it turned out to be easy to find a person in the imperial capital who would return me to normal after three days without rest. Since this is my first time in high society as a full member of it, I wanted to make the best impression, being the only lady of the House of Ashford.

I chose the outfit in which I will go to the banquet right away. It was a blue dress with a fluffy airy skirt, which I fell in love with immediately, as soon as I saw it in my wardrobe. The maids gave it to me "just in case" before going to the academy, but I noticed it too late. But now, I was going to show them off in all its glory.

And while I strenuously throughout the day was putting myself on a "marathon", since there would be no time for it tomorrow, my neighbor behaved extremely at ease.

As if nothing was happening, Rachel, as usual, was stuck in the next volumes of books with a gloomy cover, which in their appearance resembled manuals on damage control. All the preparations for her were handled by Duke Cassius, since the girl herself did not care at all.

Obviously, unlike me, she did not feel such enthusiasm. Despite the fact that she was also the sole heiress of her family, Rachel did not try to impress other aristocrats. Apparently, because she knew in advance what the reaction would be to her. Hardly anyone will be very happy when members of the cursed family appear at the ball.

Rather, it will be an occasion to be nervous for others once again.

Realizing this, I once again wondered how Rachel even agreed to voluntarily go through such a thing. Despite the fact that the debut was the most significant event in the life of a young nobleman, for a girl it will be more of a day of mass censure. There was nothing good about it.

I sighed, mentally hoping that everything would go well.

When everything was ready for tomorrow's event, it was already late evening, and it was time to go to bed. I even regretted that I didn't have time to really walk around the city today.

The capital Kronos was considered the most beautiful city in the kingdom, which was not surprising at all. Even from the hotel window I could contemplate the beautiful views that opened onto the main city square. Since we didn't have much time now, I decided that I would definitely come back here for the summer holidays as a tourist.

In the meantime, I had only one thing on my mind.

Preparations for the ball spent a lot of energy, and I didn't have to toss and turn for a long time before falling asleep. Unconsciously, I fell back on the floor of the bed, thereby leaving no room for Rachel.

Sighing, the girl once again scooped Leriana's body into a pile, and shifted it to the other side of the bed. But as soon as she lay down on her own, Leriana stirred again in her sleep, and mistaking the girl for a pillow, hugged her.

It happened every night when they slept in the same bed. But Rachel wasn't going to tell her that. Instead, she quietly made herself comfortable.

Leriana sniffed, shaking her head, and a couple of strands of her hair fell on Rachel's face. The girl felt the familiar aroma of a green apple.

She looked at her sleeping peaceful expression, and thought she couldn't go on like this anymore.

Every day, it became more and more difficult to remain indifferent in front of her.

***

Towards the evening of the next day, it was time to leave for the ball.

This time, we went in different carriages, so that certain conjectures would not go among other aristocrats. Deep down, I guessed what a sensation the joint arrival of the respected Archduke and the most hated person in the country would make. Such an event clearly will not remain behind the public attention.

Therefore, in order for everything to go smoothly, we decided to split up. My father was terribly glad that we were finally alone, and did not even hide it. Needless to say, the presence of Duke Cassius still made him tense enough. Especially considering they've never been friends.

On the way out of the window, I saw many more expensive carriages that were traveling in our direction. It is obvious that the entire beau monde of secular society will gather at the Christmas Ball. At the same time, my father reminded me of the rules of behavior at the banquet, because he was as nervous as I was. After all, his only daughter is making her debut.

I listened to all this with half an ear, since I remembered everything perfectly myself, having previously spent the whole day repeating the rules of etiquette. And the basic knowledge of Leriana herself turned out to be quite enough for me.

When the carriage stopped in front of the imperial palace, the Archduke helped me down, and all the eyes of the aristocrats present were turned on us. I smiled and tried to relax.

Following us, a carriage of the Cassius family drove up nearby. Seeing her, frightened whispers and gossip arose among people almost immediately. No one could believe that Duke Cassius had actually attended a public event after so many years of seclusion.

The man came out first, and after him Rachel stepped onto the ground. The final version of her outfit for the ball was a closed black floor-length dress with an additional jacket on top. Despite the fact that the girl did not want to bother in any way, her appearance still looked exquisite. I guessed that this was not without the intervention of Duke Cassius, who insisted that Rachel at least show some attention to this.

We exchanged glances, and I waved to her with a smile.

"Lea, let's go," my father whispered to me when there were less than ten minutes left before the official start of the ball. Most of the guests had already gathered inside, and it was rude to be late.

The Archduke took my arm, and at that very moment I felt excitement rising in my throat.

Holding hands, we passed the stairs and went into the ballroom.

Crowds of people were looking at us, and after the giant doors opened, the room was filled with a loud shout of a servant:

— Enter Archduke Ashford and young Lady Leriana Ashford of the Ashford family!