Roselia had received word from the Empress that the Crown Prince had been set to return and a ball was about to be held in celebration of his arrival. 

And after a favor from her dear friend, Empress Andrea, she had taken charge of the ball's security, inadvertently pushing the investigation of the Underworld to a stagnant halt.

She had also been given note that the Prince would be aiding her on the case. Roselia didn't know whether to like the idea of that or not. 

Benjamin was her student and he was probably her best even compared to her own daughter, but Roselia understood his faults too. He was too brash and rushed into risks far too much. He would push and push until he broke your defense but an opponent capable of outsmarting his movements can easily overtake him and gain the advantage. He wasn't someone that knew when to back down and that was the problem with his technique.

This investigation required patience and timing. Knowing what the outcome is before the fight even begins is the utmost priority in situations like this. 

That wasn't the only thing that annoyed her, however. She had been asked many times by the Emperor if the Prince could meet her daughter and after refusing for so long she finally gave in and allowed the boy to visit their home on his return from the battlefield. She wasn't completely a fan of the idea, but she couldn't really find excuses anymore and it might even be good for Alejandra to meet someone new for once.

But that was it. It would all depend on her daughter's feedback. She would never ever force her child into a union without love, but she also knew that Alejandra was already nineteen and the Prince isn't a bad bachelor either, it won't be long before vassals begin questioning and putting even more pressure on her daughter to marry.

She allowed him to visit her once. Just once. So it appalls her that the Emperor expects Alejandra to enter the ball escorting the Crown Prince, arm in arm.

It was like he was screaming their engagement in front of everyone.

Emperor Jacob wasn't a bad guy, but he was sly. He knew how amazing of a girl Alejandra was and how good of an Empress she would be if she ever became one. Heck, Roselia would dare say her own daughter would change the course of the Empire for the better.

But all of it depends on her sweet child.

And deep down she knew what her child desired…

Her father's title.

"Duchess." A voice called from behind and it was Alejandra's personal maid, Teresa Montgomery. Someone whose family has been serving House Ramirez since the first family and the first Duke.

"Yes, Teresa?" Roselia put down the cup of tea she was enjoying in the garden.

"My Lady requests for your presence, Your Grace." She bowed her head. 

"Tell her to come herself, she has legs doesn't she?" Roselia raised an eyebrow.

"Understood." Teresa bowed respectfully and went back inside the mansion. After a few minutes she had returned but had Alejandra walk in front of her this time.

Her dress looked comfortable, modest, and tight. Roselia couldn't imagine wearing such things as a knight, so she opted to wear pants and suits for her casual wear. She only wore dresses for two reasons. For important occasions and for…

To put it mildly… for her husband.

She coughed up after having this sudden thought and spilled some tea on to the table where a maid on standby next to her immediately reached for the stain and wiped it clean.

"Is something wrong, Mother?" Alejandra mused as she took a seat in front of Roselia, who was regaining her composure.

"Unfortunately for you, quite so."

"That's exactly why I'm here." Alejandra leaned back and raised her chin just to show she was annoyed. "I already agreed to entertain him when he visits our estate, but now I have to be his partner for the ball?!"

"Lower your voice, child." Roselia warned and the lady squeaked and nodded. "Why are you so adamantly refusing the Crown Prince anyways. He's a war hero, quite handsome, and according to rumors he's quite kind."

"He's terrifying." The girl answered as Teri, poured her a cup of tea. "He's slain entire camps on his own."

"I've defeated entire armies on my own, child." Roselia sipped her drink amusedly. "Am I also terrifying to you?"

"Very much actually." She answered with no hesitation. "You scare me so much Mother, that I am relieved that you love me."

Roselia chuckled and leaned on the table to admire how adorable her daughter was. "You know your father thought the same of me." She drew circles around the rip of her cup and sipped the leftover tea from her fingers. "He thought I was a monster with how easily I beat people much larger than me."

"Really now? Dad doesn't seem to be the type to be scared of anything." Alejandra had an interesting expression on her face. "He would always see things as opportunities to grow both business and oneself. Father is quite a greedy man."

Roselia laughed. "That's what I loved about him. He would be afraid of me, but was brave and audacious enough to go past that fear unlike the others." Roselia fiddled with her black hair, her cheeks flushed pink. "Many men tried to court me but ultimately ran away after seeing how strong I was."

"But Dad…?"

"Joseph used his fear as motivation. He kept on approaching me until he was no longer afraid." Roselia looked at the roses planted in the garden. "Before he knew it, he found the scarier side of me a lot more attractive than terrifying."

"That's…" The girl shuddered in her seat.

"Your father was also very influential as the heir to a powerful house but now that he was dating me, a prodigal young Azarolla from the north. We became the talk of the city." Roselia grinned. "He was so shy, he couldn't even hold my hand in public."

"Dad?! That cute!? No way!?" Alejandra gasped in shock.

"I know right!" Roselia slapped the table fangirling over her own husband. "He was so goddamn adorable, I could squeeze him to death." 

"Wait, hang on! Was Dad quite the gentleman like the stories I have heard?"

"Oh he was." Roselia giggled as she fell back to her seat. "He would escort me everywhere, respect my space, and knew what I wanted, while at the same time, never leaving me alone. For our first anniversary instead of going for a basic gift like flowers, you know what he got me?"

"Chocolate?"

"A sword!" One wouldn't expect a dignified woman to squeal as much as Roselia had right now that even her daughter was surprised. "He knew I had just chipped my blade because he was present in a lot of my training and watched me intently. So he gave me a sword as a gift. Aaaah! Your father is extremely thoughtful."

Alejandra smiled at her Mother's suddenly acting like a teenage girl in love, but there was a lingering question in the back of her throat that she was all too curious about.

"But Mom," Alejandra felt a bit uncomfortable asking this question when her Mother looked so giddy, "wasn't Dad almost killed?"

Roselia's excited and blushing face turned to stone once more. "He was. He fell into the river on our boat date because someone fired a blunt arrow on his shoulder." She held the edge of the metal table tightly. "My sweet, amazing, handsome, Joseph was almost taken away from me by some bastard who had been envious of House Ramirez."

"Did they get to arrest him?" Alejandra was a bit scared now from her Mother's shift in tone

Roselia's eyes gleamed with fury and hatred. "They didn't…Cause I got to him first." She didn't say anything afterward. The young lady anxiously dipped biscuits on her tea and decided to shift the subject. 

"Anyways Mom," She cleared her throat to change the mood, "I understand what you're trying to say, but being escorted by the Prince sounds like a pain for me." She turned the conversation back to the Crown Prince and the Ball.

The lady's cheek slumped to the cold steel surface of the table. "Everyone in that party would all think I got engaged to him or something."

"The Crown Prince will visit the mansion first before the ball." The Duchess informed her daughter. "Maybe you could request a change of plans when he visits."

"I see." Alejandra looked a bit worried. "He'll hopefully understand my situation right?"

"I am not sure but…He's not a bad kid." As a mother, Roselia knew that her daughter was scared of people's eyes and that she wasn't really sociable. "But Alejandra, Take this chance to make a friend at the very least. You never socialize unless it's for business."

"Fine." The girl rolled her eyes and slumped down to her seat. "He's visiting in a week right?"

"Yes," Roselia nodded and called over a maid to fetch them more tea, "and you're father and I will be busy discussing matters with His Majesty, the Emperor, in the palace for the entire week and a half."

"Ugh." 

"In the meantime, keep Teresa and Sir Asher around for company." Roselia smiled. "Being the only two friends you have after all."

"Oh shush, Mom."

"Hehehe." The Duchess chuckled.

The mother and daughter then continued to have their tea time in the evergreen pristine garden of the Ramirez house. Meanwhile in the outskirts of the Capital, a red haired beauty stood atop a branch of a tall tree eyeing a group of suspicious looking people.