/
Embracing the children warmly, Sera carefully lowered her hand to their napes. The twins could feel that she was about to let them go, and they showed their displeasure at this, but Sera soon led their small hands to the maid.
“Sera, can’t you go with us?”
Large doe eyes looked up at her.
“I’ll clean up these handkerchiefs and follow you right after.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I’ll be right behind Your Highnesses. It won’t take long for me to clean up. His Majesty is looking for you both, so please go ahead.”
“We have to go now, Your Highnesses.”
Rosé and Ferre still looked hesitant, but the quietly watching maid nodded and urged them to come.
“You gotta go back quickly, Sera.”
“Yes, Your Highnesses.”
‘Even so, they heard that kind of thing
’
Sera nodded and watched the children leave along with the maid. Then, when Rosé and Ferre no longer looked back and walked forward, Sera crouched on the ground.
It was full of rubbish. Rosé’s butterfly ornament was in pieces because she had shaken her head back and forth earlier, and the handkerchiefs that weren’t returned to her handbag lay in a pile of mess.
‘It shouldn’t take long. I’ll clean it up quickly and go back.’
Sera roughly shook off the dirt-stained handkerchiefs and shoved them into her handbag. Then, she rose to her feet.
Then, at that moment, accompanied by a rusting sound, a person walked out from the foliage as though he was lying in the wait.
“Sera Popo.”
It was a familiar voice.
“Ah!”
Duke Bethmann.
* * *
Helios was already exhausted from being in the middle of a crowd. He didn’t like participating in social events that much, even when he was still a crown prince, so he’d usually just show his face for a moment and then leave. That, or he just stayed with his younger siblings and was as quiet as possible.
But now, it was his role to greet the guests and deal with them one by one.
“Your Majesty, did you hear me?”
The red-haired and red-eyed Saruvia looked up at him, slightly biting her lips that were the same color as her irises. She seemed aware about how the glistening of her eyes made her more attractive.
“Ah, I apologize. Can you repeat that?”
“It’s been a long time since we met, but you’re being so mean, Your Majesty.”
Not hiding her frustration, Saruvia spoke with thinly opened eyes curved into a smile. With her nails painted black, she held Helios’ arm with both hands.
“There are a lot of eyes around us, Lady Cross.”
Even so, Helios was strict. As though he knew what she was trying to do, Helios smiled and carefully lowered her hands gently and took them off his arm. Even the way he rebuffed her was so very like him.
‘You’re always the same, rejecting me repeatedly like this.’
Pretending as though nothing had happened, Saruvia smiled light-heartedly. However as her hands, which failed to achieve their purpose, dropped to her sides, the black nails dug into her palms.
Even when they were children, from the moment they first met at an imperial banquet, it was always like this. Helios was always sweet, but he would never allow her to cross the line. He left not even a small window of a chance.
Saruvia’s gaze lingered on Helios. But then at that moment, Raphael suddenly ran towards them and barged between them.
“Your Majesty, about Their Highnesses RosĂ© and Ferre, I have something to report
”
Raphael ran there with an urgent expression, but as he snuck a glance towards Saruvia, he carefully took a step closer to Helios.
“Actually, sire
”
Raphael whispered a few words into his ear, and in an instant, there was a flash of worry passing through his expression.
“Their Highnesses RosĂ© and Ferre
”
The moment he heard his younger siblings’ names, Helios felt that something was wrong. He pressed on his temples with one hand, a headache likely ensuing.
This was the gist of it:
As soon as one gift was opened, Ferre began to cry. No one knew what was said to him. Just, after that, RosĂ© rushed to Elijah, Duke Bethmann’s son, and yanked out his hair. She even went as far as biting Elijah’s arm. Everyone’s currently gathered there because of the shocking commotion.
“Ha.”
He didn’t expect that something like this would happen at this party. Helios smiled in vain, and he was feeling a mix of frustration and concern for his younger siblings.
“What happened to the twins?”
RosĂ© and Ferre were mischievous children, but they never once used violence against anyone recklessly. Besides, they’ve been so behaved recently, ever since meeting Miss Popo

Tousling his silver fringe over his forehead, Helios let out a long sigh. With his handsome face tinged with worry, his violet eyes grew darker.
“Where are RosĂ© and Ferre?”
“Their Highnesses were briefly taken aside by Miss Sera.”
“What about Duke Bethmann’s son?”
“It didn’t seem like he was in a serious condition. Marchioness Bennett had taken him to treat his wounds.”
Firstly, it seemed like Sera took RosĂ© and Ferre. That’s a relief. Above all, it was a relief that the Duke’s son wasn’t seriously injured, so at least, the burden in Helios’ mind was eased.
But why on earth did RosĂ© do that? Considering how RosĂ© behaved, he couldn’t understand why she did that.
“Raphael.”
Helios called Raphael with a quiet voice.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I don’t think RosĂ© and Ferre did those things for no reason. Let me know where they are with Miss Sera. And—”
He looked back slowly at Saruvia.
“Lady, I apologize, but I’ll have to talk to you again next time.”
He turned to Saruvia with a troubled face and said this.
“Did something happen, Your Majesty?”
“It’s my siblings.”
“I’ll go with you, Your Majesty.”
However, Helios couldn’t afford to stay and listen to her words any longer. He walked away urgently without even looking if she was following. His mind was occupied by only his siblings and trying to think of why this happened.