“The engagement between you and the Dietrich will be announced at the Imperial Ball a week from now, on the first day of the Imperial Ball,” the Emperor stated. “You two will make an entrance together, in matching clothing.”

Abella’s eyes remained on the ground as she said with a smile, “of course, Your Imperial Majesty.”

The Imperial Ball was a ball held by the Imperial family every five years, making it quite a special occasion. The ball went on for three days, and each day, nobles would wear something different. Having a different styled and themed dress for every day was a trend amongst noble ladies, along with matching their partner or fiancé’s clothes. After the Imperial Ball, the Hunting Contest was held, in which the Imperial Hunting Grounds would be open for all nobles, even women, to hunt. Men could dedicate the animals they hunted to a woman they loved or were engaged to, and it was considered a great honour if the man who dedicated it to the woman won the competition overall. All nobles were invited to both the Ball and the Hunt, whether they be a Baronet or a Duke.

Abella had remembered that the Crown Prince hadn’t come the last few years, but she didn’t have a very clear memory of what had happened before the time she fell into the infinite loop of death and resurrection.

“You and Dietrich are expected to wear matching clothing. Do you understand?” the Emperor said.

“Yes, of course, Your Imperial Majesty.” Abella replied. “And if I may, could I make a request of Your Imperial Majesty?”

“Go ahead,” the Emperor said, glancing down at Abella with a sharp, frostiness to his tone that told her to not say anything stupid.

“I would like to have tea with His Highness the Crown Prince today.” Abella smiled, finally looking up to meet the Emperor’s cold gaze. “You see, I am too shy to tell him myself… would you please tell him for me?” The Crown Prince cannot refuse if it is a command from the Emperor himself. “Oh, I apologize. It was incredibly disrespectful of me to request something so trivial from Your Imperial Majesty – you are a busy man… please forgive my moment of insolence, Your Imperial Majesty.”

The Emperor glanced at Abella and said, “I shall do as you request. Do take this time to get to know Dietrich.”

Abella gazed at the Emperor’s stony face. She knew for a fact that he hadn’t asked her to get to know the Crown Prince for his happiness, but for the Emperor to use her as leverage against the Crown Prince. Well too bad, Abella thought. That wouldn’t be happening. The Emperor still had no idea that Abella had nearly died to the Crown Prince’s sword a couple days ago, and she had no intention to make it known.

“Please excuse me then, Your Imperial Majesty. I shall take my leave,” Abella curtsied politely and the Emperor said, “very well then. I shall tell a maid to pass on the message to Dietrich.”

~~~

Even though it was a lovely, bright day to drink tea outdoors, Abella knew that she had to speak to the Crown Prince alone. And so, she decided to have tea with the Crown Prince in the Imperial Greenhouse, in which no one except the Imperial family and the gardeners that tended to the place were allowed to enter. Furthermore, she had made sure to inform the servants that no one was permitted inside the greenhouse while she and the Crown Prince were there, and the servants had excitedly agreed. They assumed that I wanted a romantic moment alone with the Crown Prince. Abella sighed. But I suppose it can’t be helped. Anyhow, it would be better for me if such rumours circulated.

Abella sat patiently, knowing full well that the Crown Prince would do anything in his power to be late for their meeting. She would have to wait a couple hours, at most, but she was prepared to do that. What was a couple hours to the amount of years she had lived? But in a time like this, she knew that there would be no time to waste. Calling over a servant, Abella said, “inform the Crown Prince that for every minute more he wastes, I will request another meeting with him from His Imperial Majesty himself.”

“Of course, Lady Abella.” The servant bowed and gave a reluctant look, but then scurried off to inform the Crown Prince of her message. It wasn’t long after that the Crown Prince barged into the greenhouse, his expression cold and menacing, but not very frightening to Abella. After all, she had seen that expression full of disdain and coldness many times, for many lives. Scowling, the Crown Prince sat down on the chair opposite to Abella and asked with irritation, “so what was so important that you had to threaten me like that?”

Abella took a sip of her tea calmly, before looking up at the Crown Prince with equally cold eyes. He was taken aback for moment, but snapped back to reality when she broke out into another one of her empty but bright smiles. “Threats? How menacing could spending time with your fiancée possibly be?”

“That is not the point.” The Crown Prince frowned.

“Isn’t it?” Abella paused as she took another sip of her tea. The Crown Prince suddenly stood up, slamming his hands down on the table, making the items on the table shake. Abella continued drinking her tea calmly, looking up at him with unwavering eyes.

“You must have had some reason to want to speak to me so desperately that you made His Imperial Majesty tell me to go, you wrench.” The Crown Prince snapped.

“What a foul temper. It goes hand-in-hand with your foul language, Your Highness.” Abella said calmly, a bright smile on her face and empty eyes. “Also, how insulting to call your fiancée a ‘wrench’. I simply wanted to see my fiancé and have a simple chat. Is that such a crime?”

The Crown Prince paused. He couldn’t really argue with her point – it was completely true. Husbands and wives, even if not yet married, did spend much of their time together, more than Abella and he did. The Crown Prince frowned and said, “what do you want from me? You are a cunning person – you would not merely call me here for a ‘simple chat’.”

“You are quite sharp, Your Highness. I do have something to speak to you about,” Abella smiled as she put down her teacup with a light clack. “Something direly important that could potentially ruin the First Order of knights, the Black Lions.”

Her smile falling from her face, Abella looked up at the Crown Prince with an empty, cold expression that made him shiver for some reason and said, “on the second day of the Imperial Ball, there will be an uprising from the commoners, and all the Black Lions will die.”