Inside the ballroom.

Prince Soren turned sharply. His coat snapped through the air in a wide arc, trailing behind him like a banner catching an invisible wind as he stormed out of the room.

His personal Royal Knights gave Agnes a respectful bow and left with him.

Nothing had to be said in the Prince’s case. Everyone could take a guess at what he was feeling.

Agnes stepped in the center of the ballroom once again and looked at the seated nobles.

They hadn’t moved an inch from their seats since the beginning. The immense pressure made them unable to.

"This was a masquerade ball." Agnes addressed the nobles. "All matters are to remain confidential and I hope no house catches the ire of the Duke or the Royal House personally."

The nobles nodded. They weren’t stupid enough to pull such a stunt because they were sure, before the Duke or the Royal House, the Countess would get them.

Agnes couldn’t tell what the nobles were thinking. She did her part by warning them.

Agnes then turned to Duke Leurox and nodded politely. "Please send the young lady my well wishes."

Agnes left the room, finally giving the nobles some breathing space.

Duke Leurox went to the center stage to formally give the end greetings so everyone could leave without worrying.

Duke Heinrich indulged in some more wine while chatting with his daughter while Duke Brunelle stared at the exit the Royals and the Countess had left from.

He took out his pocket watch and checked the time, then decided to eat a few more pastries before leaving.

House Leurox’s pastries were certainly among the best in the kingdom. Missing out on them was foolishness.

While the Dukes had a moderate reaction, a burly figure seated a row behind them had his complexion turn pale.

This was Count Hall.

Even though it was rather chilly this evening, he was wiping the sweat on his forehead with a handkerchief.

’Is the Count rank so powerful that I can talk to the Dukes and Royals as equals?’

The moment Count Hall had such a thought, he immediately dismissed it, thinking, ’No. Rank and strength are separate matters.’

He turned to stare at the exit the Countess had left from while continuing to wipe the sweat off his face.

’In the current noble society, offending a Duke is political suicide. However...’

Count Hall stood up while feeling somewhat weak in his legs.

’Offending Countess D’Arc is close to actual suicide.’

Count Hall internally thanked his stars that he remained an insignificant figure in the Countess’s eye and didn’t get targeted.

He was more glad that her son did not immediately complain about him.

’I better hurry and send the promised coal mine. No, not just the coal mine, I’ll need to do a bit more to show sincerity...’

Count Hall hurriedly left the ball.

The nobles in the room went through a myriad of emotions. But, most of them shared one thing in common.

Regret.

They regretted not treating the son of the Countess better.

They also regretted speaking ill of him.

Contrary to what the rumors said, he did not seem a drunkard or wastrel. He had kept to himself the whole time and did not even have any alcoholic drinks.

Also, the reason why he chose an attendant as his dance partner was because...

Many nobles turned in the direction of the silver-haired young lady quietly standing near a young lady in a blue dress.

This was his fiancée!

This was not an ordinary attendant. She was actually his fiancée.

The young girl belonged to a commoner blacksmith family and wasn’t actually a noble so everyone had a hard time recognizing her.

A noble marrying a commoner was highly scandalous and frowned upon.

However, after what happened today, who would dare to comment on this aspect?

The nobles silently chose to ignore this fact for their own sake. The young girl would eventually become a noble and her house wouldn’t stay a commoner either.

Everything was fine. Nothing scandalous was happening.

Meanwhile, on Leona’s side, the young lady of House Blaise was waving a paper fan at her, making her silver hair flutter messily.

"Your Highness, is there a chance I can swap positions with you and become his fiancée?"

Her words fell on deaf ears.

Leona’s focus on something else entirely.

Something much more serious.

She was staring at the three Dukes.

...

Beyond the Duke’s estate, the capital remained awake beneath the night.

Cathedral spires rose over the city like black spears piercing the clouds while rows of amber gas lamps stretched across the rain-dark streets below.

Carriages rolled through the stone roads one after another, their iron wheels echoing softly beneath the distant toll of midnight bells.

Inside one particular carriage, it was warm, but that did little to soften the lingering tension.

Wearing a wide-brimmed hat, Vivienne sat across with her legs crossed, staring at the young Vincent.

Anastasia sat beside him with her hands on her lap, staring at the outside through the glass window.

She could see far beyond the noble district.

Smoke could be seen drifting from factory towers and disappeared into the fog hanging over the capital.

Vivienne shifted her hat to make her face more visible.

An amicable smile adorned her beautiful face as she asked, "So, how was your first sober ball experience?"

Vincent stared in her direction but his eyes couldn’t focus.

His head felt dizzy due to a constant ringing, and in his vision, he could only see the system messages.

+

[Ding!]

[Entanglement increased.]

[Entanglement increased.]

[Entanglement increased.]

[Entanglement stabilized.]

[Subjects synchronized:]

– Agnes Falkner

– Anastasia

– Leona Voss

– Vivienne D’Arc

[Profile access updated.]

[Ding!]

[Fate Deviated!]

[Fate Deviated!]

[Fate Deviated!]

[Fate Deviated!]

[Ding!]

[Major Fate Deviation!]

[Fate trajectory disrupted!]

[Current Fate Rank: F+ → D–]

[Deviation severity: HIGH]

[Reward generated.]

[Do you want to open the reward? (Y/N)]

+

The lines of texts stacked upon each other in less than a second, faster than what Vincent could see or read.

His head started sipping but he somehow managed to hear his mother’s question and answered while stuttering,

"I-it was... fine..."

+

[Ding!]

[Anchor destabilization initiated.]

[Anchor removed: (1/5)]

[Anchor: Death of Vincent D’Arc]

[Reward generated.]

[Do you want to open the reward? (Y/N)]

+

While Vincent felt the system messages and Anastasia looked outside the window, Vivienne noticed something was off.

Vincent was staring at her but his gaze seemed unfocused.

Trying to understand his state, she asked, "What did you like the most about the ball?"

Vincent did not hear her question but saw her lips parting and saying something.

In his vision, everything had turned red.

+

[Warning!]

[Fate Restoration is about to begin.]

[Correction attempt initiated by the World Laws...]

[Host comparability check in progress...]

[Heart: BELOW STANDARD]

[Veins: BELOW STANDARD]

[Soul: UNSTABLE]

[Crest: DORMANT]

[Result: HOST DEATH IMMINENT]

+

Except the red lines of the system, everything in Vincent’s vision turned dark.

His eyes lost focus.

It did not go unnoticed by Vivienne.

She knit her brows and stared at her son.

+

[Ding!]

[Emergency protocol initiated.]

[Reward cannot be delayed.]

[Initiating forced stabilization...]

[Opening First Vein: Ash Vein(partial opening)]

[Warning: Pain Threshold exceeded!]

[Warning: Soul overload risk!]

[Warning: Consciousness fragmentation possible...]

+

Soon, even the red line of texts disappeared in Vincent’s vision.

His pupils dilated and his breathing turned uneven.

He did not lose consciousness but found himself losing all motor controls.

A constant ringing appeared in his head followed by a splitting headache that felt like someone was trying to tear open his skull.

Everything spun before him.

Vincent’s body slowly collapsed to the front.

Poof.

It did not fall to the ground but got caught in a gentle embrace.

"Vincent..."

A soft voice called his name out but Vincent couldn’t hear it.

A pair of clear blue eyes stared at him with motherly warmth.

Vivienne’s brows were knitted as she saw her son in a semi-conscious state on her lap.

Seated right beside Vincent, Anastasia was startled when she saw Vivienne suddenly get up from her seat.

It was only when she turned to the side did she notice the young master had collapsed!

’What in the world happened...’

Anastasia’s thoughts turned wild.

’Is the young master...’

Such a dangerous thought was immediately dismissed when she saw Vincent’s chest heave up and down. Even though it was irregular, as long as he was breathing, it helped calm Anastasia’s nerves down.

She turned to look up and saw her madam gently caressing her son’s hair.

There was no look of panic.

Just concern.

’This is...’

Pitter-patter.

Anastasia’s gaze shifted to the carriage windows before her thoughts could form.

Droplets of water dragged down the windows as the darkness deepened.

Pitter-patter.

It began raining.

Anastasia’s body trembled as memories of the past resurfaced her mind.

Memories of her first iteration.

Pitter-patter.

Under the vast gray sky was a sea of black umbrellas arranged like a floral garland around a casket.

The casket was slowly being lowered into the grave.

Staring at it with lifeless gazes were two women—a young redhead and a mature brunette.

Dried tears were on their faces, smudged black due to the makeup.

No one spoke.

Only the raindrops hitting against the casket resounded like thunder in everyone’s ears.

Anastasia held an umbrella for the black-haired lady in a wide-brimmed hat.

She could see the lady holding an old parchment in her hand.

Not much was visible, but she could faintly see two lines:

[...their fates rest in your hands.

Love,

– –ne.]

The rain grew heavier.

The iron wheels made a creaking sound as they turned.

Anastasia’s eyes glanced at the rain striking heavily against the glass window.

Pitter-patter. Pitter-patter.

But she was no longer seeing the present.

The casket was lowered completely in the grave and covered.

Vivienne stood still, having not moved even a finger.

Only her eyes now slowly glanced upwards, staring at a tombstone being erected.

Anastasia’s eyes shifted to the tombstone.

-

[Vincent D’Arc]

Died: Year 1001 of Astral Calendar

-

’That day... was where the D’Arc House began to break...’ Anastasia thought as she remembered the key moments.

Anastasia’s eyes shifted and she stared at the expressionless Vivienne in her memories, standing beside her.

’...M’lady... Vivienne D’Arc...’

’...she could destroy armies...’

Anastasia sighed and lowered her gaze.

’...but she could not protect a collapsing house while grieving.’

Anastasia’s eyes regained their focus.

It thundered outside, but presently in the moving carriage, her Madam—

Vivienne was simply caressing her son’s head on her lap.

It was as if... nothing in the world had ever broken her.