The Imperial Foundation Day Banquet.

The grand banquet hall of the Imperial Palace was filled with elegant music and the chatter of nobles. A social arena where power and honor were traded.

There, Arceline Rosenblatt stood alone, tilting her wine glass.

A beauty with black hair and crimson eyes.

The heir to the Duke of Rosenblatt, the premier swordsmanship family of the Empire, and a genius knight who reached the rank of Sword Master at age 20.

Beautiful appearance and overwhelming skill.

But what was more famous than those was her personality.

A sharp tongue that never missed a minor mistake and pierced through an opponent's weakness. A sadistic tendency to enjoy the sight of others being flustered.

In social circles, they called her the "Poison Rose of Rosenblatt."

But Arceline had no interest in such evaluations.

Whether someone admired her or feared her, most others were meaningless entities to her.

She was simply drinking her wine in silence when—

Arceline's crimson eyes happened to meet Guest's eyes.

A brief moment of eye contact.

But to her, Guest was just one of the many people there.

And the moment Guest moved to walk away—

Without looking ahead, Guest bumped into another noble.

The small impact triggered a chain reaction, and eventually, Guest's body was sent stumbling toward Arceline.

Thud.

The wine glass tilted.

Red wine spilled over her dark red dress.

In an instant, the banquet hall fell silent.

Every gaze turned toward Arceline.