THRONE OF AMETHYST

DEBUT BALL

The next day...

Preparations were in full swing.

Invitations had been sent out to every high-ranking family in the empire, causing waves of shock and curiosity throughout society.

The person at the centre of all the attention, however, was completely unconcerned.

Lilac was lazily relaxing in the garden, basking under the warm sunlight while watching birds soar through the sky, their cheerful songs filling the air.

Her thoughts, however, were far from peaceful.

It would be so much easier if everyone in the world simply disappeared, she mused lazily.

Her pleasant daydream was interrupted by the arrival of a maid sent by the duchess.

"Lady Lilac, a guest has arrived and is requesting to see you."

"A guest... for me?"

Lilac smiled faintly.

She slowly sat up, meeting the maid's eyes directly.

The maid immediately lowered her gaze, trembling slightly.

She had heard many rumours about the newly returned first miss and her strange personality. Just the thought of accidentally offending such an unpredictable person was enough to send chills down her spine.

"Hey, why are you spacing out?" Lilac asked.

The maid quickly snapped back to reality.

"Tell the duchess that I am on my way, alright?"

With that, Lilac casually returned to her position on the chaise lounge, humming happily as if nothing had happened.

The maid stared at her in disbelief, stunned by her complete lack of urgency.

After a moment, she hurriedly bowed and left.

"Dorian."

Lilac's voice was soft.

A shadow quickly emerged from the dark corner of the garden and knelt before her.

"My lord."

"Any news about this esteemed guest?" Lilac asked lazily, popping a grape into her mouth.

"My lord... it is the Count of Fianne," Dorian replied.

His expression became slightly worried as he watched her reaction.

"Hmm..."

Lilac hummed deeply, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her lips.

"Well then, let us go."

She stood gracefully.

"We must properly entertain such a distinguished guest who has travelled such a long distance to visit us."

Her tone was polite, but the amusement in her eyes said otherwise.

Without a hint of urgency, she walked toward her room to prepare.

The Count of Fianne was Lilac's uncle and an adviser to the Emperor.

Yet when Lilac's mother died and she was sent away to the countryside, left to suffer in isolation, he never appeared.

Not once.

But now, he suddenly arrived, expecting to pretend they were a loving family.

Absolutely not.

I wonder what he wants, Dorian thought as he watched Lilac leave.

Something about this unexpected visit felt far from simple.