What a Shocker!

Titania's gaze shifted to the Archduke. 'I can't let him meet her,' is what she thought.

Without thinking, she began biting her nails as she sauntered towards the Archduke. Thoughts dealing with her escape from the ballroom was the only one that filled her mind. The music started playing, and men from different directions followed her and even blocked her way, making her flustered.

"May I have this dance?"

"No, let me have this first."

Men began arguing about who would dance with Titania first, but she couldn't care less. She keeps on peeking at the Archduke, making signs that could lead to them leaving, but he's not looking at her. Not even the slightest glance in her way.

"May I have this dance, my lady." Titania's eyes widened in shock after seeing the Emperor kneeled in front of her with his hand waiting to touch hers. The other suitors backed off because of the sudden big competitor.

The murmurs are getting louder, and Titania's mind is getting hazy. She didn't want to humiliate the Emperor, so she reluctantly accepted his offer to dance.

Emperor Lennox led her to the centre, held her on her waist, and began dancing while Titania followed his lead. Every time Titania would land a step on the floor, she felt intense pain on her feet and made her wince.

The Emperor pulled her closer, making them look eye to eye. "Are you alright?"

Titania didn't want to answer, and she felt uncomfortable because of how close they were to each other. Almost as if the Emperor is planning to kiss her.

She wanted to stop dancing for her sake, but the Emperor seemed to be enjoying himself. Well, at least not until Titania noticed Cassandra, who is aimlessly walking near the Archduke.

This made her stomp at the Emperor's foot and made them lose balance. Lennox fell on his butt, while Titania continued flailing when she realized that she was about to fall flat into the Emperor's body. She stomped one of her feet to balance herself, thus making her feel electrified all over her body.

"Oh no—" before she could fall on her back, Sylvester caught her. Making the other nobles look at them with amusement and awe.

The Archduke looked at Titania in disbelief. "What are you doing?" While Titania is still in his arms and the Emperor on the ground. Upon realizing the situation, Sylvester let go of Titania and helped his cousin stand up.

'Did he just throw me aside?' Titania couldn't believe what the Archduke did. However, it was reasonable since it would create an issue if the Emperor continued sitting on the ground while the two of them were having a 'staring contest' with each other.

The Emperor cleared his throat as he walked back towards the throne, trying to remain calm as if nothing had happened. The loud music and the sparkling-wide ballroom is making Titania dizzy. Her feet hurt, and she feels kind of hungry.

She shouldn't have skipped her meal before, is what she thought. However, she was too anxious to eat, and she was afraid that she might vomit it all.

"I have a wonderful announcement to everyone." The music stopped as the Emperor sat on his throne and said that out loud.

Titania's having a hard time breathing as her gaze goes to the Emperor. She couldn't even look at him properly due to her eyes getting heavier.

Lennox looked at Titania and Sylvester's way with a smile on his face. He made a gesture for them to go to his side, so the Archduke lent Titania his hand. They stood beside the Emperor like how he wanted them to do.

Titania is being cautious of Lennox since she's not sure if the smile on his face is genuine or if he is planning something horrible.

"My cousin, Archduke Sylvester de Monde Alynthi, and our Fairy Queen, Titania, are now engaged."

The shocking news stunned the whole ballroom. The nobles all looked at Titania, who arrived with the Archduke and stood beside him all this time.

Some are curious about how the two fell in love, while others think that Lennox must feel hurt by the news the two brought. Knowing that the Emperor has been chasing the young lady for how long now.

"Let us hear it from my cousin himself and his soon-to-be wife." The Emperor glanced in the Archduke's direction while the other nobles began clapping.

They were all celebrating the Archduke's engagement, all of them except for Titania, who is now having a mental breakdown because of the girl named Cassandra Margaret Astley.

She remembered what that woman's role was in the Archduke's life. She couldn't possibly let the two meet at this time, right? If the Archduke fell in love with Cassandra, he wouldn't be willing to deal with the contract they made anymore.

"Titania and I are getting married."

The Archduke kept it short and was about to go down, but Titania stopped him as she saw Cassandra walking towards them, lacking clues on what was about to happen.

Titania knew that Cassandra would immediately fall in love with the Archduke if she saw him closely, and she didn't want it to happen now. 'I still need to survive,' she thought as she roams her vision. How will she create a situation where the Archduke will be forced to leave the ball with her?

"I thought she'd end up with the Emperor."

The other nobles have been whispering that for now, but Titania didn't want to give a damn. All she wants is to survive, but why is this world making it difficult for her to do so? Her grip on the Archduke's arm tightened as she panicked after seeing Cassandra slowly making her way towards them. She must be curious as to what's happening since she's not from the Empire of Alynthia.

Titania thought that if the Archduke met Cassandra, he might cancel the engagement right before the Emperor. And that would result in the Emperor abducting her once again. Putting her back to that enormous cage inside his chamber.

'I can't let that happen,' she thought that it would be better to escape from the Imperial Palace first before she lets the two meet. That's her last resort if things go awry. She knows that true love cannot be hindered by someone like her.

"Why are you holding my arm as if you don't want to let me go?" Titania flinched after the Archduke whispered that to her ear.

The party resumed after their announcement, and they went back down the stage. Titania is getting more and more anxious, knowing that Cassandra and the Archduke might meet.

'I have to do something!' is what she thought. Her breathing grew heavier as her eyes got clouded. Overthinking is making her brain want to explode. She is not used to crowded places, and it often makes her dizzy. Nina was indeed an introvert that avoided parties and such, making this a first time for her.

The Archduke raised an eyebrow after noticing the changes in her. "What's happening to you?"

Titania began hearing a loud ring on her left ear as she felt her head spinning. "Hey! Titania."

The last thing she saw was the Archduke's face before she lost consciousness. Her body almost fell on the ground, but the Archduke immediately caught her.

It was too sudden; this made the other nobles curious about what happened to the young miss. The atmosphere grew darker as the whispering of the nobles got louder. Sylvester clicks his tongue, making them all shut their mouths.

"I believe we have to go first, your majesty," Sylvester said as he lifted Titania and carried her bridal style.

As if she was a damsel in distress, the way the Archduke held her in his arms makes the other woman feel jealousy. They wished someone as handsome as the Archduke would carry them like that. It would be a dream come true for most girls, but not for Titania.

The Emperor winced after seeing Titania in Sylvester's arms. He felt annoyed but also defeated at the same time.

"You may go. Take care of the lady." The Emperor cracked a forced smile as the Archduke turned around. He walked towards the exit with Titania in his arms.

He didn't even notice that Titania's left shoe fell on the ground because he was busy scaring the other nobles, making them avoid his gaze. His menacing aura that they all are wary of made them bow their heads.

He was ready to kill any of them if they started talking bad about the lady. Once the Archduke got out of the Imperial Palace, Blaze greeted him, who came with them as their guard.

"Let's go back," Sylvester said as he lay Titania inside the carriage. Blaze nodded and was about to call the coachmen, but they both heard a voice that called up to Sylvester.

"Mister Archduke!" He turned around to look at the owner of that soft and gentle voice.

With an eyebrow raised, Sylvester saw a beautiful young woman with very long black hair and a pair of light pink eyes.

She gracefully tucked her hair behind her ear due to the sudden wind that came her way. It was an incredible sight, and no wonder men in all different countries are being attracted to this young woman.

The beautiful light decorations on the Imperial Grounds make her look more majestic than ever. It was like a fated encounter.

"If I may, I am Cassandra Margaret Astley." Both her hands are on her dress as she gently bows from the waist after introducing herself.

When she looked up to the Archduke, she began smiling upon seeing his face closely. It was a fulfilled fantasy for women from other countries to see the mighty and handsome Archduke of the Alynthian Empire.

As the clueless lady she is, she wasn't paying attention to the announcement the Archduke made. That explains why she bravely made her way to the handsome man with heart-thumping feelings.

But like the cold and usual Archduke, Sylvester looked at her with uninterested eyes. 

"What do you need?"

On the other hand, Titania was grunting as she quickly regained consciousness. She kept on moving around, making her fall from the seat and her face slammed on the floor.

As she got up, she scratched the back of her head, her face hurts, but it didn't matter that much. Maybe in this way, she might end up getting used to pain.

"What happened?"

Her head turned to the door, and there she saw Blaze. She blinked a thousand times before realizing that she was all alone in the carriage with the Archduke nowhere to be found.

She stood up quickly and opened the door without even wearing her shoes. Not far from the carriage, Sylvester and Cassandra were seen to be talking.

"No."

Titania hurriedly ran towards the two after seeing Cassandra's hand was about to touch the Archduke's face. "Al…most," she said when she was about to reach the two, but due to her clumsiness, she fell face first and successfully snatched their attention.

"Oh god, I am sorry Titania." She whispered to herself.

'Okay, fine, I lost. Kill me now,' Titania thought while still lying on the ground, all ready to give up.

"What are you doing?"

Titania looked up just to see the Archduke looking down at her with a chilly gaze. It was weird, but as if the moon once again shone its light to the Archduke, he seemed glowing. Although his eyes were still terrifying as ever.

"Oh no! Are you okay?"

Cassandra helped Titania sit up, and she also wiped her face with the handkerchief she had in her hand. "That looks painful."

Titania looked at Cassandra with tears in her eyes. She thought that this woman was too sweet and soft that she'd let her have the Archduke if she just said the word.

"Why did you run like that? Are you an idiot?"

Titania purposely ignored the Archduke as she continued to stare at Cassandra's angelic face. "Is... Is there anything wrong with my face?" She blushes, which makes Titania's heart skip a beat.

"Why are the two of you talking?" Titania wanted to punch her face after saying such a rude reply to Cassandra's question. She placed both of her hands on her chest because it was beating faster than ever.

'Don't tell me, I'm gay?'

"Oh, I picked up the shoe that you left in the ballroom." Cassandra smiled as she pointed at the hand of the Archduke where he was holding the shoe. "I guess I'll leave now. It was nice talking to you, Miss Fairy Queen."

Titania's eyes continued following Cassandra until she couldn't see her anymore. "I guess I love girls, huh?" she mumbled to herself.

"Are you going to stay there all night?" Titania glared at the Archduke because of his brutal remarks. 'Why isn't he using a formal tone towards me?' she thought, but then remembered that she doesn't do it too.

"Why don't you carry me back to the carriage instead of nagging?" She rolled her eyes and was about to get up, but Sylvester placed his arm on his waist and lifted her like a bag. It was even worse than being a sack of rice that is placed on one's shoulder. (Referring to what Blaze did before.)

Titania could feel her stomach churning because of how the Archduke holds her with just one arm, and she's anxious that he might let go of her, and she'll fall on the ground face-first for the third time. She thought that she could not let him do that since her face was one of the treasures of the Alynthian Empire.

"You're such a jerk."

Sylvester stopped right in front of the carriage after hearing that. "You've been speaking informally towards me. Are you comfortable with me now?" His cold tone made Titania gulp as he placed her inside the carriage. 

"Let's go." Blaze bowed and went to the coachmen as Sylvester got inside the carriage too.

Titania, struggling with the pain on her feet, couldn't keep a straight face anymore because of how excruciating it was. She thought that maybe seeing Cassandra's face made her feel a little better, but now that she's nowhere to be seen, the pain came back to her all at once.

"Can't we just ask Astra to teleport us back to the manor?"

"I see you've become pretty chummy with Astra."

Titania's forehead creased after hearing the cold and not-so-happy tone of the Archduke. "Why? Are you getting jealous?" Titania mocked him, and it was too compelling.

"Yes." His gaze was so deadly that even Titania couldn't handle it well. 

'Huh? Did he low-key confess that he likes me?'

"Huh?!"