9.

Because of Cordelia, who was much taller than her, Serenity looked up at her. She was slightly shorter than Dante, but among the women she had seen, Cordelia had the tallest stature.

Cordelia’s confident demeanor was charming, and Serenity thought she suited being a knight.

Cordelia placed her hand on Serenity’s shoulder.

The violin performance, played with a steady rhythm, began. Serenity glanced to the side, and the violinist was playing with all their might.

“Try to do it as you’ve learned. I’ll follow your lead.”

“I’m not very good at this…”

Serenity still lacked confidence, and when she trailed off, Cordelia lowered her head.

“Who starts out being good at something? Everyone learns by doing. To be good at something, you need time to compare yourself to when you weren’t so good.”

Strangely, she felt more at ease. She was less nervous than a moment ago.

Serenity moved her feet in time with the beat. One, two, three. Left foot, right foot. Left foot. Cordelia followed her movements.

While Serenity was focusing on the violin music, she accidentally stepped on Cordelia’s foot.

“Ah.”

“It’s okay, it doesn’t hurt.”

Cordelia continued to dance with Serenity without any change in her expression.

“Are you really not in pain?”

“It’s just a piece of cake.”

Serenity thought that the pain she felt wouldn’t even be considered painful for someone in the Order of Knights. Still, she was relieved when Cordelia assured her it didn’t hurt. She accidentally stepped on Cordelia’s foot twice, but Cordelia brushed it off. She seemed less hurried than usual, which led to fewer mistakes.

As the violin reached its climax, their bodies twirled. Serenity took a breath as she stopped in her place.

“Is it okay?”

“You did well. Excellent, Serenity.”

Cordelia stopped and patted Serenity’s shoulder.

Serenity’s heart was also put at ease when she saw Cordelia’s smiling face.

Serenity turned her head toward the Zeros couple.

“Our Serenity did so well…”

“She’s fit for the soirées as she is.”

Dabbing their tears with handkerchiefs, it was like they were watching an emotionally charged play.

“Absolutely perfect!”

“…No, I don’t think that’s the case.”

She’d stepped on Cordelia’s foot a few times, and it was the easiest step, after all. But maybe in the minds of the Zeros couple, Serenity had already become the Empire’s top dancer. Serenity was starting to feel it.

She felt it.

…It wasn’t a bad feeling to receive recognition. In fact, it was good. Being praised for doing well made her more determined to work harder. Feeling hot for some reason, Serenity absentmindedly touched her cheeks and realized that her face was flushed.

A tingling sensation.

A pleasant excitement.

Unfamiliar emotions flooded over her.

“If it’s at this level, it shouldn’t be a problem to greet people.”

Yustian Zeros stroked his chin, a satisfied smile on his lips.

“What do you think, Serenity? We’re planning to host a party to celebrate your awakening. The nobles are eager to see you.”

“When do you think it will be?”

“From now, we need to send out invitations, clean the banquet hall, and hire staff… all in all, it might take about two weeks on the fast track. But above all, your opinion is what matters.”

“Come to think of it, the Imperial Family also asked for their congratulations to be conveyed once again.”

Cordelia chimed in from the side.

“They might visit us soon.”

Yustian stroked his beard and mumbled, “The Emperor.” Could the Emperor’s name come up so easily? Serenity was amazed at the natural conversation, as if it were a casual visit to another mansion. Talking about the Emperor reminded her of the Crown Prince.

‘…I wonder if Wyatt is doing well.’

Thinking about Dante and Clagen, she wondered if he had changed too. But Serenity quickly shook her head. He was the Crown Prince.

“Serenity? Are you okay?”

Yustian’s voice brought Serenity back to reality.

“Your peers will be there. This is a great chance to make friends.”

Jane smiled and spoke. The word “friends” ironically made Serenity think of the person who seemed the farthest from being a friend.

“…Will a letter be sent to Liv as well?”

When Serenity asked, Yustian nodded immediately, and his eyes sparkled.

“If you want, you can even have her come. But why Liv?”

“Just curious.”

Cordelia nodded in agreement.

“The last time we talked, it seemed to have left an impression.”

“The second daughter became a bit pitiable.”

Perhaps because Serenity had been lying down for a long time, the Zeros couple seemed to find Liv pitiable.

“Recently, it seems more difficult because of the first daughter. They said that the number of invitations sent to Liv as the first daughter has decreased. We could definitely ease her burden by inviting her. What do you think, Cordelia?”

“This is like a curse, superstition. I don’t care. Besides, there’s another girl in a similar situation to Serenity, and it worries me even more.”

Listening to the two, Serenity couldn’t help but notice that there were some strange aspects to the conversation.

The first daughter should be Yulia, so what kind of trouble could she be facing?

“If it’s the second daughter, that should refer to me, Julia Liv. How can I be in a more difficult situation than myself?”

Curiosity got the best of Serenity, and she asked.

“What happened to the first daughter?”

“Ah, Serenity. You must know about the successor of the Four Elements, right?”

“Yes.”

The story was very familiar to her.

“Last year, a little while ago… Liv was announced as the successor of the first female Water Element. Everyone was delighted when they saw the symbol carved on the back of her hand.”

Serenity was aware of the story up to this point.

“The problem is, the disasters began occurring more frequently once she became the successor.”

Yustian’s face grew serious.

“The frequency of natural disasters started to increase rapidly. The weather also started to fluctuate more than it used to. Personally, I just think it’s a coincidence… but it seems like Liv is being criticized for not doing her job properly, blaming her for the increased frequency after she was formally announced as the successor.”

This was an unexpected story. In fact, it surprised her.

“…So even after I died, Yulia couldn’t live happily?”

Serenity became curious about Yulia’s current state. Would she still be as confident in this situation? Or had she changed as well?

“…Are you scared, Serenity? If you don’t want it, we won’t invite her.”

Yustian asked Serenity for her opinion. After some hesitation, she shook her head.

“No, I want to invite her.”

She was curious about how Yulia was living and how she would treat Serenity. She was no longer Julie Liv.

* * *

<Serenity Zeros has awakened. This party is being held to celebrate the return of our daughter, Serenity, to the world. Please attend this event and pray for Serenity’s safe and happy life.>

The contents of the invitations, written in elegant handwriting, were mostly similar. They varied only in titles and greetings, depending on the sender’s noble status.

The words congratulating her on returning to the world made Serenity feel embarrassed. She had never considered herself a person who could be blessed just by living.

* * *

The party was progressing smoothly. The grand hall was cleaned thoroughly. Curtains were replaced, and the glass was cleaned. And not only that, they even replaced the chandeliers with larger, more splendid ones.

The menu for the food that would be served in the hall was carefully considered in advance.

Wherever Serenity went, people were bustling about, preparing for the party. They also asked her questions.

“Lady Serenity, is there any dessert you prefer?”

“Lady Serenity, do you have a favorite glass pattern?”

“What’s your favorite color?”

Serenity hoped that the preparations for the party wouldn’t go wrong because of her. She still didn’t know much, and her etiquette as a noblewoman was lacking.

“Please use whatever you like. I don’t know much, so I’ll discuss it later.”

She wanted to become a better person, someone more perfect.

This new life had planted desires in her that she hadn’t thought about before.

For Serenity, the Zeroes had reserved Brayden’s store. Cordelia had taken leave and personally visited it.

The sun was scorching, and Serenity, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, stood in front of Brayden’s store. Cordelia was with her.

Unlike her usual armor or training clothes, Cordelia wore a dress, and she exuded confidence. It seemed that her time in the Knight Order had given her a considerable amount of developed muscles and a different bone structure compared to an ordinary woman, but she didn’t seem to mind it at all.

Cordelia’s build actually made her look even more confident.

Serenity was envious of Cordelia’s self-confidence.

She knew why Yulia wanted to be close to her. Serenity also wanted to become more confident. She didn’t want to be passive forever.

‘What gives Cordelia so much confidence?’

Deep in thought, Serenity raised her head at Cordelia’s voice.

“Apparently, the dresses here are the most fashionable lately. I didn’t know, so I asked around.”

Cordelia scratched her head as she spoke. Cordelia was usually indifferent to brands and wore whatever Jane chose for her. However, this time was an exception. This dress was for Serenity!

There was no room for error.