Esther had always moved with grace and elegance, but because she was in the background wearing a servant’s clothes and acting lowkey, this was often overlooked by the majority of people. Now that she was wearing clothes befitting that of nobility and the center of attention, it was not surprising that she shone brighter than anyone else.

Since the moment his father started speaking, Prince Theron had a guess about what’s to happen next. Perhaps it was intuition, but even before Sir Galien sought out Esther, Prince Theron’s eyes already caught her standing somewhere near the balconies. The moment she stepped out of the crowd, he could finally sigh in relief—it wasn’t his imagination that she was here. He had finally found the person he wanted to see the most.

While the entire banquet hall was buzzing with curiosity and anticipation, Prince Theron could hear nothing but his own heartbeats. He was looking at her in a daze, and he could not help but find his mouth feeling dry and thirsty. He had always known that Esther was prettier than most ladies he knew, but he had never expected that this woman would affect him like this. At this moment, he was both mesmerized and angry—mesmerized because she was the most attractive yet frustrating person he had ever known, and angry because men aside from him were given the chance to admire her lovely face.

As soon as they reached the Ivanovs, Sir Galien bowed and went to the side, while Esther was left standing in front of the head table. She then greeted the royal family with a perfect curtsy.

“This humble subject greets His Majesty the King, Her Majesty the Queen and His Highness the Crown Prince. May the dragon and phoenix protecting the Ivanovs continue to bless the Kingdom of Megaris.”

“You may rise, child.” The King looked at the young woman with a kind gaze as he was thankful towards her for saving the two most important people in his life, his wife and his son. “From now on, I grant you the title of a baroness.”

King Esteban then gestured for one of the dukes standing near the head table to approach. It was his aide, the trusted advisor of the King, who pulled open a scroll handed by a palace official.

The King’s advisor read the contents of the scroll. “As per His Majesty’s royal decree, Miss Esther is granted the surname of ‘Burton’ and the land title to Sirgiles and Cortane, two of the newly discovered islands in the eastern territory that was managed by the royal family, which from now on will become part of the Burton Barony. She will be awarded three chests of gold, a manor in the southeastern district of Blackhelm, along with ten servants to take care of her residence in the capital.”

The King’s advisor carried the scroll towards Esther, who then fell to her knees as she received the King’s decree along with the King’s royal stamp.

She said in a humble tone, “Baroness Esther Burton is honored to receive the decree of His Majesty the King.”

Esther accepted the scroll, and after she stood up, she again bowed before the smiling King and Queen. King Esteban and Queen Theodora both held warm gazes as they received the bow from the Ivanov Family’s benefactor.

The King smiled. “On behalf of this kingdom and the royal family, I am thankful to you for saving the lives of the Queen and the Crown Prince of Megaris. The Ivanovs would like to reward you for the bravery and kindness you have shown us. From this moment onward, you are no longer a commoner but a noble lady with a title of her own. Regardless if you wish to purely manage your territory or if you want to hold a position and work as an official of the palace, you can live your life the way you want. In future, if you have any difficulty, you can come to me or my wife and everything will be taken care of. Remember, you are a friend of the Ivanovs.”

Esther could not help but respond in kind to the older man’s sincere gratitude. As the ruler of a powerful kingdom, it was truly difficult for him to announce that someone was a friend of the royal family. The fact that he disregarded whatever consequences that would bring only proved how much King Esteban valued Queen Theodora and Prince Theron.

“Let us continue the festivities!” The King laughed as he gestured for the orchestra to resume the music. He then offered his hand to Queen Theodora, who happily accepted it as she too rose to her feet and went to the middle of the ballroom to begin the first dance of the ball.

After the King and Queen made their way to the dance floor, other nobles also started pairing up to dance. Many of the bachelors were having a great time because of the unusually high number of beauties in attendance; however, to their great dismay, the majority of them were turned down on the spot by the proud young maidens who were eyeing a particular brown-haired young man quietly sitting at the head table of the banquet.

However, the one feeling the biggest pressure at that moment was not Prince Theron, but in fact the newly titled Baroness Burton. The dance was a great opportunity for the men to approach Esther who they had been eyeing since she appeared.

“Baroness Burton, I am Oliver Bane, the second son of Count Bane from Lustor,” one young noble introduced himself with a smile. “May I have the honor of having a dance with you?”

Esther didn’t wish to dance with anyone, but rejecting a nobleman straight to his face would surely be disrespectful towards the person, which would likely affect her reputation now she was the center of attention. If she were to fail to handle this well, it would bring her future troubles with the people of high society. She didn’t want to stand out as much as possible.

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