Unveiling

"I present to you the daughter of the North, Lady Elenore Caballarius."

Elenore entered the ballroom and descended the staircase. The whole ballroom fell silent. She could hear her heartbeat more than the clacking of her shoes against the stairs.

She took her place beside her parents and gave a curtsy to the silent crowd.

The crowd remained still, all eyes fixed on Elenore. Then whispers began, spreading across the ballroom like wildfire.

Simone leaned closer to the Duke and whispered, "Our work is done."

The Duke nodded approvingly.

Elenore stood still, facing the crowd as the musicians resumed playing. Movement began in the ballroom.

Nobles began approaching the Duke and Duchess, all of them paying their respects and congratulating them.

Elenore had not seen or heard of any of them before, though they kept glancing at her.

Commotion erupted at the entrance, and a voice rang out.

"Announcing Lord Lucifer Valeris, heir to the Duke of Valeris."

A tall figure with flame-red hair entered the ballroom. All attention shifted from Elenore to the newcomer as he made his way through the crowd toward the Duke.

He bowed in front of the Duke. "Congratulations, Duke Caballarius, on your victory in Karshan territory."

The Duke's expression hardened briefly before he gave a curt nod.

Elenore had heard of this man—the Devil of the South. Rumors of his strength and cruelty had spread throughout the Chryssus Empire, though looking at him now, with his handsome features and flame-red hair, he seemed more charming than demonic.

As he turned toward the crowd, his eyes fell on Elenore, and he stopped, staring at her. Elenore's slight bow broke his stare, and he moved into the crowd as nobles gathered to greet him.

The music shifted to a waltz. The Duke and Elenore moved to the center of the ballroom—the dance floor.

They started dancing. The Duke whispered to Elenore, "You are doing well."

As the dance ended, the Duke whispered. "After tonight, you won't need to fear anyone. You will have the freedom you've always wanted." He gave her a smile.

The unexpected warmth surprised her.

He then escorted her back to their places.

Other couples began dancing.

Once alone, noblewomen began approaching Elenore, introducing their sons and requesting a dance. After the long journey and being surrounded by so many strangers, the thought of dancing with them was too much. Elenore refused every single time.

Lucifer Valeris made his way through the crowd toward Elenore and bowed. "Lady Elenore, it's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"I had heard rumors about the Duke's daughter, but you are quite different from what I imagined." He smiled, his eyes on her hair. "Now I understand why the Duke kept you hidden. I would do that too."

Elenore's skin crawled at his words. She inclined her head politely, saying nothing.

He extended his hand toward Elenore and asked, "Would you honor me with a dance?"

The ballroom was almost silent, with the music still playing and nobles still dancing. But most of the nobles were watching the two, including the ones that Elenore had rejected.

Elenore knew a request from the Devil was significant in everybody's eyes.

However, since she had not accepted any requests prior, she knew accepting his request would not be good for her.

She gave him a polite smile. "I must decline your offer. As you may know, I have not accepted anyone's request until now, and I plan to keep it that way."

She nodded and stepped back. "Thank you for the offer."

Lucifer withdrew his hand, and his smile grew uncomfortably large until he burst into laughter. He turned and walked away, laughing as he exited the ballroom.

Elenore stood motionless, his laughter still echoing in her ears. The ballroom had fallen silent around her.

Adrian came toward Elenore. "What happened?"

Elenore, still in shock, replied, "I don't know what happened."

Adrian stayed beside her. The debut went on, but the gossip had increased tenfold.

Later in the evening, a young woman with dark brown hair and striking blue eyes appeared at Elenore's side.

"There you are!" Aurelia took her hands.

Elenore managed a small smile for her cousin. "I'm so glad you're here."

Aurelia leaned closer and whispered, "Are you alright?"

Elenore forced a larger smile. "Yes, I'm fine."

"Careful with that smile, Elenore," Aurelia said. "Every man in this room will be bewitched."

Elenore had missed Aurelia's mischievousness.

"Stop teasing me," Elenore complained.

"I am serious. Everyone in this ballroom thinks you're the most beautiful," Aurelia said.

She leaned closer and lowered her voice. "You know, the nobles also think you might be a saint, that God has granted you some measure of power. They say this is why you declined the dances—because you must remain pure."

"How have they come to think of me as a saint?" Elenore asked.

"I don't know, but it's been spreading quite fast."

Elenore understood. This was the work Simone had mentioned to her father.

She spotted Simone across the ballroom, speaking with a group of nobles. As if sensing her attention, he looked up. Their eyes met, and he gave her a slight bow, a kind smile on his face.

Elenore looked away.

"Is that it?" she asked Aurelia.

Aurelia's expression turned sour. "Yeah, that's about it."

The ballroom felt suffocating as more nobles approached. Elenore smiled, nodded, curtsied—her movements becoming mechanical. Her feet ached. The dress felt heavier with each passing hour.

Finally, the debut came to an end. Elenore retreated to her chambers, exhausted but relieved.

That night, she slept soundly for the first time in days.

***

Morning came with the second day of the festival. Elenore woke feeling lighter—the debut had gone well, better than she'd feared. The worst was behind her.

The Duke had also asked her to attend the festival, which had Elenore excited—she would experience a real festival for the first time in her life.

Still, the idea of being out in public, fully exposed, unsettled her. She had asked Aurelia to accompany her, hoping that having her nearby would make it easier.

When they stepped outside, she saw countless faces talking, laughing, and moving. She could see the buildings that everyone else had been to.

She could see the sky that she always saw only from within the Caballarius estate, although it looked the same. Yet Elenore felt as though she had stepped into another world.

That feeling didn't last long. The reality proved different from what she had imagined. Until now, she had only attended noble entertainments—poetry recitals, theatre performances, and flower arranging competitions, none of which appealed to her. Instead of joy, she felt only exhaustion.

As the flower arranging competition came to an end, Simone approached the Duke. "I think you should attend the jousting tournament. You will see the impression Elenore's debut left on the nobles."

Just the word jousting was enough to excite Elenore. She finally felt like she was attending a festival.

They made their way to Bornia's grand arena. It was built of massive stones and had been decorated beautifully for the festival. Simone led the Caballarius family toward the grandstand, presenting them as the most important people in Bornia.

Heads turned as they climbed the steps. All eyes followed Elenore to her seat.

Nobles from every kingdom filled the stands while the herald described the tournament rules.

As the tournament began, contenders rode out on their horses, their armor reflecting the sunlight. Lances rested against their shoulders, and the horses neighed aggressively.

Elenore noticed immediately—several shields bore familiar colors. Blue and silver glinted from multiple knights' arms.

She leaned toward Adrian. "Are those our soldiers?"

Adrian followed her gaze and shook his head. "No. Those are knights from other houses."

"Then why are they displaying our colors?"

Aurelia leaned in from the other side. "They're showing which lady they admire most. The shield colors declare their interest publicly."

Her eyes widened. "What?"

As the first two contestants took their positions, the whole arena fell quiet.

The knights turned their horses toward the grandstand. The first raised his lance and lowered the tip directly toward Elenore. The second did the same moments later.

The crowd applauded.

"And that," Aurelia added quietly, "is them dedicating their joust to you."

Aurelia grabbed Elenore's hand tightly as the trumpet blew.

The knights thundered toward each other, and when they met in the middle, a loud crack split the air. One knight crashed to the ground while the other remained mounted, raising his broken lance in victory.

The crowd erupted in applause and cheers.

The victor circled once in triumph, then rode from the field.

She could see her father and mother were pleased by the display.

The first round continued as more competitors dedicated their joust to Elenore.

"The next contestant is Sir Lucifer Valeris!"

Elenore tensed at the name. After the incident yesterday, she did not know what to expect from the man known as the Devil.

He rode out and the whole arena went quiet. His shield had the logo of House Caballarius. He lifted his visor and pointed his lance toward Elenore, smiling—the same smile from last night.

A chill ran down her spine.

As the trumpet blared, Lucifer lowered his visor and charged. The two riders thundered toward each other. When they collided, there was a deafening crack—the opponent's lance shattered against Lucifer's armor, but Lucifer's lance held firm, striking his opponent's helmet and throwing him from his horse. The knight crashed into the sand.

The rumors of his strength hadn't been exaggerated. He rode toward the grandstand and stopped directly before Elenore, pointing his lance toward her before riding off.

The Duke, who had been happy throughout the tournament, was visibly angry at this display.

As the next competitor rode out, also bearing the Caballarius colors on his shield, there was no sign of his opponent.

"And now entering—Azlaan"

No one appeared at the gates.

The crowd waited as confused murmurs rippled through the stands for a couple of minutes.

Commotion erupted at the arena gate as it appeared.

A pure black horse, its coat so dark it seemed to swallow the sunlight.

Elenore went completely still. Her heart pounded in her chest—hard, heavy thuds that echoed through her entire body.