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Chapter 16 - Beginning of the Unexpected
As Cladis continued to mutter, the room fell into dead silence. Everyone knew what his hesitation and words meant. Evan, who was now losing his calm, was about to throw away his dignity as the eldest son of Duke Constance. Even for a crown prince, Cladis was going too far. This was the prince’s first vacation in three years. It was a special time to allow the prince to prepare for his return to society before he leaves the academy. That was why Ella chose this day for her debut. Even when his vacation had started, the prince decided to stay another day at the academy, which caused Ethan to return home late.
Although he was occupied with preparations for the party, Evan should have questioned Ethan’s strange behavior even further. Filled with rage, he would have at least done something to Cladis if Ella wasn’t in the room. He was upset by the prince’s insolence. Evan would have even teamed up with Ethan to at least break one of the prince’s legs to send him to the infirmary for a few days. ‘She shouldn’t have to hear that on her special day.’
Compared to Evan, who was furious, Ella was confused. Her greeting was a scripted formality that the crown prince’s fiancĂ©e had to say. There was no way Cladis didn’t know that. Therefore, there was only one reason why he reacted in such a way, and it was obvious. His feelings for her have changed. ‘Why?’ she wondered.
Ella didn’t expect everything to unfold like it did in the novel. She had at least expected events to deviate from the original story because of her actions and not Cladis’s. The only difference between this world and the novel was her existence. She believed that everything that happened in this world would follow the events from the novel. From the beginning, Ella decided not to interfere and change anything from the original novel. For some reason, Cladis’s actions were deviating from the novel’s plot. There was also the possibility that the other characters could do the same. It also meant that her future could change too.
Just like now.
She couldn’t relax just because she knew what was going to happen based on the novel. Everything in this world wasn’t definite. Realizing this, caused her to become as shocked as she was when she first realized she was inside a novel. At this moment, the phenomenon where her body moved unconsciously helped Ella to play her role as Luciella. Ella tapped on Evan’s hand to calm him down, and she looked at Cladis. She smiled as though she didn’t hear his last couple of words.
‘Dammit,’ thought Cladis as he clicked his tongue.
In a situation like this, Luciella normally would have been enraged. Instead, she brushed it off and smiled as though nothing had happened. If things continue like this, it will seem like nothing happened. Nothing was going as Cladis had planned. His plan accounted for the fact that either Luciella or her three brothers, who would do anything for their sister, would react to his words. But he couldn’t just go full on to ignite the fire, so he just gritted his teeth. He couldn’t make a big deal out of it either, so there was no way out.
<Beloved by the emperor, Lady of the Constance>
<The perfect lady, just like from a fairytale>
<A beauty named a muse by all artists>
There was an endless number of titles given to praise Ella.
‘My fiancĂ©e has become a true lady in just three years. This is bad.’ No matter what he did, he knew he had no choice but to hold Ella’s hand and guide her to the ballroom. Her will was too strong. When did she grow up to be such an unshakable woman? Cladis couldn’t get used to the beautiful and grown Ella. His hands become sweaty from nervousness. He wiped his hands secretly as he glanced over at the door. Nothing happened. He couldn’t hold back anymore.
Evan was also able to calm himself because of his sister. Because his plan had failed miserably, Cladis had to do his part by accepting defeat. He coldly offered his hand to his fiancĂ©e, who grew up to be even more perfect than he imagined. Ella, while ignoring Cladis’s expression, placed her hand over his. A maid then cleared her throat.
“The small sun of the empire, his highness Cladis Q Denoff Nook Duffspe and Lady Luciella A de Constance are now entering.”
The door to the ballroom opened along with the grand intro. Everyone looked over at the main stairway as the music playing in the hall changed. A beautiful couple was standing there. People were ready to exclaim how beautiful and perfect the couple was, but they couldn’t. They were certainly the most gorgeous couple.
To prove that today was her special day, Ella wore a pink dress with her family emblem embroidered onto it in white. This year she was the most beautiful girl to have her debutante. On the other hand, this was the prince’s first public appearance for the first time in three years. He became more handsome, and his figure was now well built. Individually the two of them were perfect, but for some reason, they didn’t look good together.
People quickly realized why. The crown prince’s red jacket had golden embroidery on it. They began to murmur.