Chapter 1

Chapter 1

“Here comes the Duke of Diollus!”

The doors of the imperial ballroom were opened when the debutant ball (*young male and female aristocrat’s social debut stage) was in full swing.

Dazzling lights poured down from the ornate chandeliers, the windows were adorned with gold, jewels, and luxurious tapestries…..

Everyone’s eyes gathered on me as I proudly entered the luxurious venue.

“Ugh…”

“What? Who is this?”

As expected, everyone was surprised.

“The Duke of Diollus has two daughters. Which of the two are you talking about?”

“Look over there. Princess Lilia Diollus is already here. They’re talking about Princess Rubetria Diollus.”

“No, I think the servants made a mistake. Princess Rubetria Diorus is a super fat red-haired girl.”

“That lady’s hair is also red, right? “

“Ah, but still, is she really that beautiful lady?”

“Is that really Princess Rubettria Diollus?”

I could hear voices whispering from all over the place about how they couldn’t recognize me.

I gave a gentle smile to the aristocratic boys who looked at me with blushed cheeks, and soon they started arguing with each other, saying that I smiled at one of them.

Oh, it feels great.

I took a deep breath and looked further into the ballroom. Some faces that recognized the changed me caught my eye.

‘Your expressions are a spectacle.’

Lilia Diollus and her group opened their eyes so wide that it wouldn’t be a surprise if they fell out.

Ricky Diollus, who opened his mouth as if surprised, was among my friends who were foolishly blushing at me.

Even the fifth Princess Lisbeth, who looked at me with a curious gaze, greeted me by raising the wine glass she was holding….

Their gazes stared straight at me as if time had stopped, I really liked this.

This is the life of a celeb! (*short for celebrity)

“Li, Lilia. Is that really Rubetria?”

“Come on, surely…. It isn’t right?”

“Nonsense.”

Lilia and her group kept whispering over and over again.

Again, and again, and again.

I deliberately walked towards them first. When I was fat, the sound of high heels clacking, which I couldn’t even look at in fear of spraining my feet, was pleasant.

“Hello, Lilia.”

Standing in front of the trembling Lilia, I smiled as brightly as possible.

‘Are you pissed off? Are you going to explode from anger?’

The ugly duckling of the duke’s family, who she had been tormenting without hesitation, returned with a complete transformation, wouldn’t she be upset?

I raised my chin arrogantly with a proud heart while spreading the fan I was holding which covered my mouth and smiled with only my eyes.

“Hey, you’re Princess Rubette, aren’t you?”

“That’s right, Lady Pelkan. I am Rubetria. Was the last time I saw you last year? What did Lady say about buying macarons at the dessert shop?”

The daughter of Count Pelkan, who was standing next to Lilia, blushed brightly as she vaguely remembered what happened last year.

“Oh my, the princess is at the dessert shop every time I see her. She eats so many sweets until her cheeks bursts, so she gets fat.”

She was the girl who dared to make such rude comments to me, the daughter of the Duke, behind my back because of her friendship with Lilia.

The timid Rubette couldn’t say a word at that time, but…

‘I am different.’

The me who is now inside of Rubette, is a woman who has lived her entire life in splendor.

Everyone envied my life, and because I had never been ignored by anyone, I was rather proud and arrogant.

“It’s been so long that I can’t remember. Nice to see you after a long time. Let’s have a cup of tea next time.”

“Oh, that… yes. All right. And, thank you.”

Generously, I covered Lady Pelkan’s absurd remarks as much as I could, and she blushed in embarrassment and nodded her head.

At most, the girls, who were only fifteen or sixteen years old, immediately longed for my dignified appearance, which was a 180 degrees change.

“Ru, Princess Rubette. By the way, the dress you’re wearing right now….”

“Oh, that’s right. You recognize it. When I said I was going to have a late debut, Madame Becky made a dress and sent it to me.”

“What? Is that true?”

“Oh, my god.….”

The noble girls were green with envy, while Lilia, who was in the middle, froze in shock. I managed to swallow a laugh at Lilia’s expression.

The black evening dress I’m wearing right now is handmade by Madame Becky, a famous tailor in the Islands.

The dress of a renowned tailor, who only made clothes according to her beliefs, could only be worn by the Imperial Princesses after waiting a full year.

‘I know how much you wanted to wear Becky’s dress.’

I also knew that Lilia tried several times to place an order and drank water.

TL/N: Drank water: Korean expression meaning having a hard time

If someone like me ‘daringly’ wears such a dress, she’ll burst with anger.

“A lot of things I haven’t seen…, you’re thin. Rubette.”

“Um, well? Rather than being skinny, aren’t I now in a more healthy state? It’s all thanks to you. Thank you.”

To be precise, it is thanks to you and your mother that I’ve been trying so hard not to suffer for the rest of my life.

“What are you thankful for? Haha…. You, you look much better, yeah….”

At my witty greeting, Lilia managed to smile, twitching the corners of her mouth.

〈Humans are really scary. Do you actually say things you don’t like with a smile?〉

Just in time, a voice now familiar to me echoed in my head.

It was the voice of ‘Wisht’, the spirit of Rubette’s family, who started all of this and is now my dear friend.

〈You can watch while drinking cider. This is the moment that Rubette has longed for.〉

TL/N:  If you drink ‘cider’, you feel great and happy.

Wisht chuckled as if satisfied with the answer I said in my mind.

“By the way, Rubette, you don’t have a partner, do you? You didn’t come alone to your once-in-a-lifetime debut ball, right?”

As expected, she’s not that Lilia if she stays being beaten.

With a relaxed smile, she asked and shrugged her shoulders.

At just the right time, someone came to Lilia’s side. This handsome man with an impressive stature, dark brown hair, and blue eyes is.

He was the man who had been chasing after Rubette ever since he was an 8-year-old boy who lost his front teeth.

“Oh, Duke Cedric. How have you been?”

“….Uh, long time no see.”

Cedric also stared at my changed appearance as if possessed.

Lilia grabbed her partner Cedric’s arms and gently pressed her cheek against his shoulder.

“You can’t come to a place like this alone. Why didn’t you ask Ricky to be your partner?

Ricky Diollus, Lilia’s twin brother and my uncle.

No, why the hell would I be with that jerk?

I burst into laughter because of how ridiculous it was, and then folded the fan I had opened.

“Ricky, please. He’s not worthy enough as a man to stand next to me. Don’t you see that?”

“Wait, what? What did you just say?”

“Lilia, thank you for your concern, but I didn’t come alone. Because of my partner’s position, we couldn’t come to the venue together, so we decided to come separately.”

“You can’t come together?”

Lady Pelkan, who was listening, asked coldly.

“Ah, according to the imperial etiquette, the party organizer is not allowed to enter the venue’s entrance where guests come and go.

“Party organizer?”

“Who is that?”

A curious glow appeared on the girls’ faces, who each tilted their head.

Lilia, who was pondering my words, narrowed her eyes and muttered.

“Are you talking about the organizer for the debut ball? That…”

“His Majesty, The Crown Prince Lark van Raschmach Descartes!”

At that moment, the king’s aide raised his voice to announce the presence of someone.

Then, the splendid door, opposite to the entrance of the noble guests, opened.

In principle, only the organizers of an imperial party, or the imperial family of the Descartes Empire, can enter and exit.

Lilia’s face, which I glanced at, was contemplative.

“His Majesty the Crown Prince!”

“I greet the sun of the empire!”

The Crown Prince of this country, the most powerful in the Descartes Empire at the moment was Lark van Raschmach Descartes. As soon as he entered he waved his hand to the nobles who greeted him in a rush, and then turned his head to find someone.

Lark, who found me soon after, smiled brightly and started walking towards me.

Like the miracle of Moses, the nobles who were blocking Lark’s way cleared up, so he came and stood in front of me.

All of the noble girls who gazed at the prince’s face, which was difficult to see, were all captivated and looked at Lark.

‘Of course, this is a level a man must be to be recognized by this body.’

A chiseled face under neatly brushed silver hair. His sharp eyes were full of grace, and his high nose and lips were as if they were deliberately sculpted.

The handsome man, as if painted, was smiling while looking straight at me with his golden eyes.

His acting as if he was looking at his lover is truly outstanding!

‘A perfect score, perfect timing, perfect acting skills. My perfect business partner as well.’

“Wow, I greet the Crown Prince!”

“We greet the Crown Prince!”

The noble girls and Cedric, who had been silently admiring Lark’s beauty, bowed to him in bewilderment.

I was the only one standing there with my head stiffly raised. It was very rude, but Lark smiled sweetly, as if he didn’t care, and extended his hand to me.

“I’m sorry for letting you enter alone even though I’m your partner.”

“It’s okay. I understand.”

Putting my hand on top of his outstretched hand, I pouted my lips grumbling.

Everyone was shocked when Lark smiled and kissed the back of my hand.

‘Ahhh…’

Lilia, who tormented me all my life, to the point I got sick of it.

The noble girls who spoke about me behind my back and mocked me in a cheeky way.

Cedric Reijer, who played with my poor innocence.

Besides that, a lot of miscellaneous things that I, the ugly duckling of the Duke of Diollus, chewed, tasted, and enjoyed….

They were all looking at me at this moment, with eyes full of jealousy, envy, and desire.

‘Really…’

The main character here was me, not anyone else.

As of today, we’re celebrities of the Descartes Empire!

Rubetria Diollus! After I became a beautiful swan, I smiled brightly at the stunned fools.

‘It feels so great!’