2 Princess Valerie

There were rumors that the ball hosted by the Emperor tonight was to find a wife. Therefore, there were countless unmarried women flooding the palace with flattering dreams of one day becoming the Empress of the Salian Empire.

But becoming the Emperor's wife and the mother of the empire was no easy feat and many women would be going home with slumped shoulders and lost hope. Because of this, there were also many eligible bachelors in attendance, hoping to potentially snag a wife with good enough qualifications but who had little chance of becoming the Empress.

In short, tonight's ball was like a matchmaking event and it would also be the perfect cover for Dione to employ her desperate attempt of a plan.

The palace ballroom dazzled under the lights that twinkled above them like stars in glittering in the night sky. The palace was flooded with chattering nobles, adorned in fancy gowns and fine suits. Some swarmed the dance floor with hopes of enticing a suitor and others kept to the side exploring business deals and establishing their powers with like-minded individuals.

Of course, there were also some lower nobles that used the ball as an opportunity to curry favor with the more powerful houses. These lower nobles knew that they had absolutely no chance of catching the Emperor's attention like the other's so they settled for the next best thing - currying favor with the Emperor's beloved sister, Princess Valerie.

The Late Emperor only had three children. His most favored child, and the youngest, Princess Dione; the current Emperor William and his only full-blooded sibling, Princess Valerie.

Princess Valerie's temper was notorious for being difficult to coax and easy to set off. She was as hot-headed as her flaming red hair, a trademark feature of her mother, the Dowager Empress. Princess Valerie loved fancy balls as much as she loved the real reason she attended them - to catch a glimpse of the infamous Heartless Duke.

Valerie eyed Duke Devland from across the ballroom. Among all the noblemen here, he stood out like an elegant swan amongst a stream of ugly ducklings. In truth, there were many women sneaking glances at the Duke but none were brave enough to even entertain the thought of seducing him. Not only was the Duke notorious for being as cold as the deep winter mountains but they would also have to deal with the aftermath of a vengeful Princess Valerie.

The eldest princess's obsession with the Duke was a common fact known amongst the nobles. There was even a saying that parents would tell their young daughters when they came of age: "Even a peasant is better than falling in love with the Duke."

But even after all of her years of endless pestering and baring her fangs to keep her love rivals away, Duke Devland had never once looked her way. In fact, he treated her just as coldly as he treated his male counterparts, thus earning himself the infamous Heartless Duke nickname.

A dark-haired baron's daughter notices the Princess's drifting gaze and teases lightly, "It's been a while since the Duke has attended any formal events. Don't tell me he's come just because of you, Your Highness."

"Ah, come to think of it this is the first ball the Princess has attended in a while as well…"

"Certainly it isn't a coincidence."

"Well, of course. Isn't it obvious that the Duke would fall for the Princess's charm sooner or later?"

The small crowd of noble ladies sounded off compliments one after the other. Of course, Valerie knew they were just trying to butter her up and rub off of her overwhelming influence in the social circle. Still, a narcissistic smile graced her red lips as she turned her attention back to the group of ladies.

She eyes the baron's daughter, the one who was the first to stroke her ego. "What's your name?"

"Ah, my name is Nadine, Your Highness," the dark-haired girl stumbled to hastily courtesy in a formal greeting, "Nadine Finch. I am Baron Finch's eldest daughter."

Nadine's heart thumped in her chest. She attended this ball with the intention of forming connections in high society and maybe even finding a marriage partner to offset her family's astronomical debt. She didn't expect much and didn't dare set her hopes too high but now it seems she caught the attention of the infamous Princess Valerie.

If she could keep getting close to her like this, wouldn't all her problems be solved?

"You have a good eye, Lady Nadine. Actually, His Majesty personally requested the presence of both I and Azriel at tonight's ball."

The noblewomen present instantly began to chatter amongst themselves. The Emperor himself requested their attendance?

To be fair, it truly wasn't that odd.

On one hand, Princess Valerie was his beloved younger sister. On the other, Duke Devland was the war hero at his beck and call. It wasn't strange for the Emperor to request their presence individually but to do so at the same time?

"It's rumored that tonight's ball pertains to the Emperor's marriage. In truth, it was only announced that a royal would be getting publicly engaged tonight. Could it be that, instead, tonight's ball is to celebrate the engagement of the Duke and our Princess?"

Silence and a coy smile from Princess Valerie were all the confirmation the noblewomen surrounding her needed.

"Your Highness sure is sly, how could you keep such good news from us!"

"Ah, of course, the Princess and the Duke are the stars of tonight's ball. What a match made in heaven!"

"You all flatter me," Valerie smiled brightly under the raining praise and blatant stares of envy from the other ladies. The pride in her expression was evident as she let her gaze wander back to the Duke.

Nadine decided to push her luck. Now that the Princess had a favorable impression of her, wouldn't it be a waste not to continue to curry favor?

When a passing servant carrying a tray of wines and champagnes neared them, she smoothly grabbed two glasses and held them up in suggestion towards Princess Valerie.

"Well, please don't let us keep you, Your Highness. It is said that a couple must spend all their free time together in preparation for the wedding and their life together. Besides, doesn't the Duke look quite lonely without his bride by his side?"

The other ladies voiced their similar thoughts, probing the Princess to approach her wallflower fiancé.

Princess Valerie gazed at Nadine in a deeper manner. She was only a lowly baron's daughter and yet she knew exactly what to say at the correct moment. She even gave her a suitable excuse to slip to the Duke's side and bring up their pending engagement to the ladies.

Even though she thought so, she did not speak her mind and took the two glasses of wine quietly. It was a silent nod of approval that boosted Nadine's standing among the surrounding noble ladies.

Princess Valerie made her way across the ballroom, attracting a large amount of attention when they noticed the path she was headed was straight to Duke Devland.

The news of their pending engagement hadn't made its way around the ballroom yet so most in attendance were watching in expectation of receiving a good show. They fully expected the infamous Heartless Duke to once again publicly reject the beautiful Princess Valerie's flirtatious attempts.

What they didn't expect, though, was for another woman to boldly throw herself into the Duke's arms right in front of his vengeful admirer.

CRASH!

The sound of broken wine glasses traveled throughout the instantly silenced room.

The Heartless Duke, the man who constantly rejected the most sought-after woman in the Empire, was now holding a woman in his arms like a picture-perfect gentleman.

Princess Valerie's fingers tightened around the stem of the wine glasses in her hands. Even at a short glance, one could tell she was beyond furious at the scene in front of her.

Hadn't she just proudly bragged that she and the Duke were engaged? Wasn't this just a slap in the face to her?

What was even more infuriating was that the woman in his arms that he was holding so tenderly was her worst enemy.

Her sister, Princess Dione!