Children of the Holy Emperor

Initially, Isabella didn’t recognize Prince Morres at once. The tall, handsome boy who entered with Princess Amelia seemed very unfamiliar to her.

“…Huh? Eh?”

The young lady, who had shouted out that it was Prince Morres just by seeing the royal carriage and hair color, now stood gaping, having forgotten to cover her mouth with her fan. Even the lady beside her rubbed her eyes so hard that her eye makeup began to smear, oblivious to it.

There, stood a prince like something out of a fairy tale!

Had it not been for the sharp eyes resembling those of Queen Lizabeth or the unique hair color, no one would have easily realized that the boy was Prince Morres.

“Shouldn’t I be the one matching my outfit to my sister?”

“Not necessarily, Morres.”

“Is that so?”

“The hierarchy in the salon is also important. Salon de Merci is the most famous in Delcross.”

The Third Prince was known for his discord with the other princes and princesses, but now it seemed like a baseless rumor. The way they entered, arm in arm, chatting amiably, looked very affectionate.

The moment the beautiful siblings entered, it seemed as if the interior of the salon brightened up instantaneously.

“……!”

Leaving the young ladies, who were petrified with shock, behind, the prince and princess proceeded towards the private room, receiving Madame Justine’s excessive hospitality.

And as they disappeared from view, the young ladies finally let out the breath they had been holding, bursting into exclamations.

“Oh my! Goodness, what in the world!”

“How can someone change so much in such a short time? I can’t believe my eyes even though I’m seeing it right in front of me!”

“Now that I see, the prince is definitely a true member of the Imperial family! He resembles both His Majesty and Queen Lizabeth!”

“There was a reason why the little lady of Balua was so smitten!”

And then, all eyes turned towards Isabella.

Their gazes had now shifted from seeing her as a plump, ill-mannered girl, rumored to be betrothed as a match of convenience, to the heroine of a romance novel, poised for a rise in status after being chosen by the prince.

“…….”

Isabella, too, was almost losing her mind due to the sudden turn of events, but in front of the young ladies, she had no choice but to hide her startled heart and force a calm smile.

“As you can see, His Highness has completely recovered from his illness.”

“Oh, yes.”

“Hehe, that’s good to hear……”

However, even afterwards, Isabella’s heart, which had started pounding shockingly, couldn’t easily calm down.

The embarrassment of not knowing the recent situation of the one she was rumored to be betrothed to.

The feeling of betrayal when, as soon as his appearance changed, he blatantly rejected her.

The prince’s affectionate gaze towards Princess Amelia, so different from the way he looked at her.

Thus, even when Archduke Siegmund arrived, and the young ladies burst into another round of intense exclamations, Isabella couldn’t genuinely enjoy their envious gazes.

“How about lightening the tone of both your outfits a bit?”

The designer suggested, laying several pieces of high-quality fabric in front of them.

“This year’s trend for party dresses is to avoid bright reds and use lighter fabrics. Otherwise, the red gold buttons and accessories will look like ordinary gold.”

“Red gold?”

“Yes, Your Highness. It’s a precious metal recently imported from the Duchy of Asein. We’ve only received a very small quantity in our salon. Considering its noble value, I believe it would be the perfect ornament to enhance both of your high statuses.”

“Alright, just handle it appropriately.”

While the Archduke was nodding carelessly, Isabella quietly observed him from the corner of her eye.

Orden Siegmund.

Heir to the Duke of Siegmund and a famous disciple of the renowned Sir Balthazar. A young and formidable genius swordsman.

Although they had no personal acquaintance and had only seen each other at major events, up close, he appeared even more stoic than the rumors suggested. He seemed like a man who brought the cold air of the northern territories to Delcross.

His attitude towards Isabella was relatively polite, but that was all. The occasional glances Orden cast her way were nothing but indifferent.

How could that be?

In the barren north, it would be difficult to find a beauty as captivating as Isabella.

“But, can it be altered in time?”

“As for the Archduke, since he must wear the family’s grand attire, we can keep the basic structure of the outfit and just modify the sash and epaulettes slightly. However, for Lady Scarcepino…”

The designer, having said that much, covertly glanced at Isabella.

“To match with the Archduke’s attire, it would be better to replace almost all parts of the fabric, except for the flounces. This would mean starting from the cutting again and scheduling a new fitting, which might be a bit…”

“……”

“Oh, of course, our salon will do our utmost to meet the schedule! If Lady allows us some leeway, perhaps at this year’s birthday celebration, the two of you will be the best couple in the capital……”

As Isabella remained silent for a moment, Orden turned his head to look down at her.

“Do you have any objections, Lady Scarcepino?”

It probably wasn’t really a question about whether she had any objections.

Over the years, ruling the social circles of the capital, Isabella had become adept at dealing with people and could clearly sense it.

The desolate gaze that looked down on anything lesser than herself.

In Orden’s eyes, there was neither affection nor respect for her, not even a trace of warmth.

‘Yes, just like Prince Morres had been…’

The belle of the ball, the greatest beauty of Delcross.

Despite such praises, in the end, what others thought of her amounted to just this much.

Isabella managed to barely lift the corners of her trembling lips and responded.

“Yes. I think it would be best to follow the designer’s opinion. Let’s do that.”

Perhaps it was because of the unexpected events happening one after another recently.

Despite her long experience in the social world, she felt as if she might burst into tears at any moment.

***

It was Amelia who first brought up the topic of the dress code.

It seemed like a hassle, but aligning the party dress designs a little was apparently a matter of courtesy to one’s partner.

And so, she personally came looking for him, bringing a dress designer to match her design to Seongjin’s.

That’s how Seongjin ended up visiting Salon de Merci side by side with Amelia.

“Shouldn’t I be the one matching my outfit to my sister?”

Wasn’t it customary for the one of lower status or younger age to follow the lead of the one who’s higher or older?

However, Amelia replied with a gentle smile.

“Not necessarily, Morres.”

“Is that so?”

“The hierarchy among the salons is also important. Salon de Merci is the most famous in Delcross. From the perspective of other designers, it’s difficult to order Madame Justine around.”

At this, Amelia’s designer chimed in agreement.

“Yes, Princess, you’re absolutely right. It’s so considerate of you to take our salon’s position into account! Moreover, Madame Justine is primarily a men’s clothing designer, but he is also renowned for his discerning eye in dress design. Following his advice will surely not disappoint.”

Well, considering what Madame himself wears, I’m not entirely convinced of his so-called discerning eye.

“I’ve also wanted to meet him. I’ve always been curious. What kind of person could the most famous designer in the capital be?”

Amelia said this with an angelic smile.

“Especially that butterfly patterned dress you showed me last time was truly a masterpiece.”

That dress was quite daring.

But when they actually faced Madame Justine, Amelia seemed greatly disconcerted and quietly clutched Seongjin’s sleeve without saying a word.

“Morres…”

And as soon as Madame stepped away for a moment, Amelia whispered cautiously in Seongjin’s ear.

“Why is it? I find that person a bit unsettling.”

Huh?

“…Do you feel that way too, Sister?”

“Do you also find it strange? I keep getting this uneasy feeling around him, like I’m scared. It’s strange because I can’t sense any aura activation from him, but why do I feel this way?”

“Hmm, I see.”

According to the Demon King, Madame Justine is speculated to be a human with a soul from the original world in a body from the structured world. But Amelia wouldn’t know such details.

Perhaps, like how Seongjin’s instincts sharply alerted him when he first saw Madame, Amelia also instinctively sensed some inherent danger through a certain perception.

Seongjin looked at Amelia anew.

Considering the extraordinary beings like the Holy Emperor, Logan and others he had encountered, it was easy to forget that Amelia herself was an immensely talented individual.

Additionally, her training methods were extremely efficient.

“I know my limits well, Morres.”

She quickly accepted that no matter how hard she trained all day, she couldn’t become like Seongjin. So, despite her love for training, she didn’t invest more than a certain amount of time in it.

She practiced meditation in her spare time and asked the Emperor to directly impart aura during audiences, a clever tactic to increase her cultivation efficiency.

She then devoted the time saved to other pursuits.

She invited tutors in politics, diplomacy, economics, and social studies.

She played musical instruments, recited poetry, and attended lectures at the academy.

Even if she deeply focused on swordsmanship, at this pace, she could eventually reach the ranks of the continent’s strong.

What exactly did Amelia want? Did she aspire to become a superhuman?

“It’s a long journey towards a goal. A process of building a tower called revenge, brick by brick.”

When asked if she found it hard, Amelia responded with a smile, different from her usual demeanor, somewhat eerily chilling.

“Yes, you were right, Morres. I find this journey towards revenge quite enjoyable.”

Well, it’s good that she’s enjoying it, at least.

Feeling somewhat regretful about her untapped potential, Seongjin softly advised her.

“Who knows? Perhaps his real weapon isn’t aura. In any case, that person is probably strong, in many ways.”

“I thought so.”

“But don’t worry. He is under our father’s control, after all.”

Considering that it was the twins who first introduced Madame, Arenja might still be keeping an eye on him.

Amelia visibly relaxed at Seongjin’s words.

So, when Madame returned to the private room with new fabrics and design books, Amelia, unlike before, began to express her opinions more freely.

“The trend for this year’s party is light colors. Perhaps cream or aqua blue…”

“I am drawn to this black fabric.”

“Oh, this is just an accent fabric for flounces or ribbons. Now, Your Highness, please don’t and take a look at these fabrics…”

“But Madame, somehow black seems stylish.”

“However, Your Highness. If you’re pairing it with red gold accessories, perhaps this light emerald fabric would be better…”

“I think it would be nice if Morres and I matched in black.”

“Your Highness! For the celebration of the day the Lord’s envoy arrived on this land, wearing black that resembles mourning clothes… Someone might mistake it as devil worship!”

Madame Justine exclaimed seriously, his tone not trailing off as usual, indicating his utmost sincerity.

However, Amelia, with slightly flushed cheeks, bore a wide smile.

“Wow, a demon of Delcross, that sounds cool…”

“……”

Ah, I had forgotten about this.

Sister have always had a taste for the ‘teen rebel’ style…