Chapter 12
Rosalind quickly made her way over.
She gracefully lifted her skirt.
"I, Rosalind Winterbourne, pay my respects to Your Highness," she said, dipping into a curtsy.
Prince Leonard glanced at her.
"So you're the missing daughter?" he asked.
She smiled.
"Yes, Your Highness," she replied.
I was stunned.
She accepted it.
Right in front of everyone.
Prince Leonard looked her up and down, clearly pleased.
Beautiful.
Graceful and proper.
Kind and gentle.
Even her smile had a hint of sweetness.
"No wonder Alistair kept you hidden for so long," Prince Leonard said.
Rosalind's cheeks turned pink.
"Father thought I wasn't good enough yet," she murmured.
Prince Leonard smiled.
"I think you're already perfect the way you are," he said.
And just like that, she was out there, wearing my identity and charming the prince who should have been meeting me.
Rosalind chatted about the operas in the Royal Capital, then moved on to hunting grounds and poetry.
Every word she said was perfectly measured.
Prince Leonard's gaze toward her grew warmer and warmer.
I hovered nearby.
Suddenly, it all seemed absurd.
This was my welcome banquet.
She was wearing the most stunning gown.
She stood right there beside my parents.
Now, she could take my identity away with just a few words.
Father saw the scene from afar and frowned.
But he hadn't heard what they had been saying and assumed they were simply making conversation.
So he turned away to greet the next carriage.
The carriage bore the crest of another ducal family.
Father's expression shifted instantly.
"Victor," he called.
It was Victor, the Duke of Howard.
Victor and Father were among the most powerful nobles in the kingdom, though they had been at odds for years over royal affairs and territorial issues.
Father's smile came back as he went to greet Victor.
"I almost thought you wouldn't show up tonight," Father said.
Victor laughed. "You didn't really think I'd miss the banquet, did you?
"We've certainly had our share of political disagreements.
"But nobles should still show some unity."
He clapped Father on the shoulder.
He said, "I heard you finally recovered your daughter after eighteen years. Naturally, I had to come.
"After all, no one wants noble blood left to be tainted by commoners."
Victor soon noticed Rosalind near the entrance of the banquet hall.
Of course, he knew her.
After all, Rosalind had spent eighteen years in the Royal Capital's noble society as the adopted daughter of the Winterbourne family.
He saw her standing beside Prince Leonard, chatting and laughing, and came to a sudden stop.
Then he gave a cryptic smile.
"Alistair," Victor called.
Father frowned.
"What is it?" he asked.
Victor gestured toward Rosalind with a tilt of his chin.
Victor mocked, "You're not seriously planning to marry some adopted daughter of unknown origins to His Highness, are you?
"Trying to deceive His Highness simply because this is his first time meeting her?"
Father's face darkened.
But Victor acted like he didn't even notice.
He continued, "Letting someone without a drop of Winterbourne blood pose as your daughter and approach the royal family?
"This isn't just a breach of etiquette."
He flashed Father a mocking grin.
"This is an act of utter disrespect toward the royal family," he finished.
Father's expression darkened slightly.
"You've misunderstood," he said.
He quickly pulled himself together.
He explained, "Rosalind is here to help the Winterbourne family welcome His Highness.
"But the true focus of tonight is, of course, my biological daughter."
Victor smiled.
He let it drop, not pushing the issue any further.
Father brushed it off and ushered Victor into the banquet hall like nothing was wrong.
But I could tell right away.
He was clearly upset.
Victor's words had already reached the ears of quite a few nobles nearby.
For the Winterbourne family, what mattered most was always their reputation.
*****
Once most of the guests had arrived, Father finally left the entrance.
He made his way through the crowd and walked over to Mother, lowering his voice.
He asked, "Where's Elara?
"Why hasn't she come out yet?"
Mother hesitated, looking a bit surprised.
She wondered, "She's still not ready yet?"
Her eyes flicked to the stairs without thinking.
"I clearly had the dress and jewelry sent over," she said.
I hovered next to them.
I almost laughed.
This was nothing new.
Mother believed she'd had everything sent over.
Father believed I'd received it.
As for where those things had actually gone, no one had ever bothered to check.
Father's frown deepened.
He muttered, "On such an important day, she still has to throw a tantrum?
"She really doesn't have the slightest bit of—" He trailed off, and suddenly, he stopped.
I saw his expression shift.
"Wait." He fixed his gaze on her.