Chapter 75

As soon as the dance ended, the moment I had been dreading arrived.

‘How do I explain this?’

I greeted Lucas, who was frozen like an ice sculpture with drinks in both hands, with an awkward hello.

“I’m back.”

I felt terrible knowing how much he had been looking forward to dancing with me.

Lucas remained motionless, like a real statue. I waved my palm in front of his eyes to catch his attention.

“Um… Lucas?”

“….”

“Are you very hurt?”

When I asked carefully, cracks appeared in his rigid expression.

I swallowed hard at the sight of his eyes welling up with tears.

Soon after, his lowered eyelashes became completely soaked with tears. The tears falling without a sound were heartbreaking.

“Lucas? Are you crying?”

“I… I was so looking forward to… dan-dancing… with you…”

Drip. Drip.

As tears continued to fall, my body moved before I could think. I took tissues from Tristan and gently dabbed at Lucas’s reddened eyes.

Even as the fresh tissues became damp, Lucas’s tears showed no sign of stopping. I suppressed a sigh as I looked at his golden eyes, distorted with moisture.

‘He did seem to be looking forward to it.’

Unlike with Tristan, I didn’t think I could appease him with the excuse of a private outing to town. I suddenly remembered what Lucas had said to me.

“I’m happy to share your glorious first debutante dance.”

“It’s not that glorious.”

“Because I’ll remain as family during this important moment in your life.”

After helping me practice diligently for days, only to have his role stolen by the Crown Prince, he had every right to feel upset.

Lucas tried to hold back his sobs with a pitiful expression.

“Hic. Sniff. Ugh.”

When someone with doll-like features that normally attracted attention started crying, the stares from all around were intense. I extended my hand in front of Lucas.

“Lucas. Look here.”

I took his hand as he dutifully looked at me despite his tears. I bent my knee slightly and smiled at him with crinkled eyes.

“Sir Lucas. Would you honor me with a dance?”

“Sniff. Y-yes.”

The tears that had momentarily stopped began pouring out again. After wiping his reddened eyes several times, Lucas kissed the back of my hand.

He looked adorable, smiling back at me with tears clinging to the corners of his eyes.

“If you wish, anytime. And what happened earlier doesn’t count. This will be our first dance today.”

“Yes. Of course.”

If it made him feel better, the order of dances didn’t matter at all. Just then, a new song began to play.

Lucas escorted me with the restrained movements befitting a knight.

‘They all have their own style.’

While Michael’s dance had a flashy feel mixed with technique, Lucas’s was precise and angular. Tristan had the feel of a charismatic street dancer.

Thanks to our many practice sessions together, I could dance comfortably.

“Did you hear why that Crown Prince asked you to dance?”

“I think it was just curiosity.”

“Don’t get too close to the Crown Prince. Everyone in the imperial family is despicable.”

That doesn’t seem right.

At least Michael had nothing to do with the Grand Duchess’s death. But Lucas’s grudge was too deep to be dismissed by such facts.

‘I wonder if it would be a disaster if he mistook me for an imperial princess like the Grand Duke did.’

I shivered slightly and placed my hand on Lucas’s shoulder.

“I’ll lift you high.”

Lucas grabbed my waist and lifted me up.

From my elevated view, I caught sight of Tristan watching us. Even from a distance, Tristan’s face looked crumpled like paper.

His eyes showed displeasure that I was only dancing with Lucas. As soon as my feet touched the ground, Lucas spun me around once and caught me.

I smiled with pleasure at our perfectly synchronized movements. Lucas, his expression much improved, asked me.

“Liat. I’m much better than that Crown Prince, right?”

“Yes. I like Lucas much more.”

Despite his slightly swollen eyes from crying, Lucas still looked like he had stepped out of a masterpiece painting. Someday, when he grew up, he would surely become a renowned handsome knight.

‘Instead of being nicknamed the Mad Dog.’

Since his relationship with Tristan had improved compared to before, his future would likely change for the better too.

Suddenly, I thought of a question I wanted to ask Lucas.

“Lucas, what kind of knight do you want to become in the future?”

I asked the question, but I already knew the answer. He would undoubtedly say a strong knight.

However, with his eyes curved, he gave a different answer than before.

“A knight who never gives up.”

“That’s different.”

“Because someone told me it’s okay to be weak sometimes.”

“That’s good advice.”

Whoever it was, they seemed to have given Lucas appropriate counsel.

Lucas, no longer wavering like before, was radiant.

‘That dream might come true.’

The future where Lucas becomes stronger than Kashian. My heart beat faster at the thought of that wonderful dream.

At the same time, the ballroom music that had felt irritating during practice now sounded cheerful. It wasn’t the place but who you were with that determined the day’s emotions.

“Lucas, I think I’m finally shaking off the bad memories.”

It wasn’t that I didn’t hear unpleasant comments with Tristan around. The gazes observing me like some rare creature hadn’t changed from before.

Yet the once suffocating space didn’t feel so bad anymore.

Thanks to these two who took all my attention away from negative gazes and words. Even my dance with Michael had become a not-so-bad memory.

Even when I grew up, I didn’t want to forget today.

***

As my dance with Lucas ended, Tristan blocked our path.

Tristan gritted his teeth at Lucas’s smirking expression. With a look of disgust, he separated Lucas from me and commanded.

“Now. Do that for me, too.”

“You mean asking, ‘Would you dance with me?'”

“Yes.”

He promptly answered, grabbed my wrist, and pulled me to the center.

Once we started dancing, Tristan’s lips curled up slightly. It seemed he wanted to keep pretending to be angry, but couldn’t manage it.

While crossing the ballroom with Tristan, I suddenly became concerned about the Emperor’s absence. The ball had progressed far enough that he should have arrived by now, but neither the Emperor nor the Empress was anywhere to be seen.

Tristan explained in a nonchalant voice.

“Those people are probably too busy to come.”

If the imperial couple who had agreed to attend the ball were absent…

“Could it be because of earlier?”

“Your guess is right. You danced with the Crown Prince. They’re probably running around trying to manage the fallout.”

“So the repercussions came immediately.”

“It would be troublesome if your dance with the Crown Prince were interpreted by other nobles as an alliance between the imperial family and the Grand Duke’s family.”

I had a feeling that was also why Michael disappeared right after dancing with me.

‘The Grand Duke isn’t visible either.’

Tristan pulled my arm as I was lost in thought. As he tilted his head, the earrings in both ears jingled.

“You should be looking at me.”

With his eyes narrowed into thin crescents, he grumbled with a smile.

“To improve my mood, we need to dance at least five more times.”

Wait, this isn’t the last dance?

Seeing me turn pale, he stuck out his tongue. He meant that the town outing compensation was invalidated because I danced with Michael first.

“You haven’t paid the price for dancing with my brother first.”

“Tristan, is your dream to become a loan shark in the future?”

“My dream is to happily play and eat together with you.”

Looking into his eyes, it was clear he wouldn’t back down until he got his way.

Resigned to being dragged around by Tristan, I later heard the same complaints from Lucas for the exact same reason.

“It’s unfair that you’re only dancing with Tristan!”

I had to dance frantically, pulled back and forth between the two. Only after finishing a three-person dance I had learned with Heishar was I finally released from their hands.

Seeing my exhausted state, guilt appeared in both their eyes.

‘Your remorse comes too late.’

Looking at the two who were now being considerate made my blood boil. If they were going to feel sorry, they should have stopped earlier.

They had been selfish despite knowing I didn’t have good stamina.

“I’m not dancing anymore. And I’m going to rest alone in my room.”

“Liat. I agree you should rest, but it’s dangerous alone.”

“All the rooms prepared here have magic spells on them, so it’s fine.”

“Little one. We’re really sorry. Instead of that, let’s together…”

“I. Will. Rest. Alone.”

As a final compromise, the two escorted me to the room.

“See you both later then.”

I slammed the door in front of them and leaned against it.

‘That went over surprisingly well.’

To attend the festival, I needed to be alone in one of the ballroom’s rooms, even if it meant making excuses. The rooms in the ballroom had magic spells allowing only authorized people to enter.

Once inside the room, I was free from those two.

“I wonder if Michael can get to where I am in time.”

While dancing, I had told him which room I would be staying in. What worried me was the impact our dance might have on Michael.

‘Let’s wait and see.’

I sat on the bed waiting for Michael to arrive. When the appointed time came, there was a knock on the door.

Knock knock.

Could Lucas and Tristan have returned in the meantime? I put my ear close to the door and heard Michael’s seemingly tense voice.

“Liat. It’s me.”

“I’ll open it right away! Wait.”

Opening the door eagerly, I was shocked by Michael’s face. Standing awkwardly at the door, one of his cheeks was visibly swollen.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I should be grateful for this excuse to get out.”

He draped the robe he was holding over me.

Even as I put on the clothes, I glanced at his cheek.

“Who did that to you?”

“Would you believe me if I said I fell?”

He pulled his hood down to cover his swollen cheek and ruffled my hair. My carefully styled hair became disheveled under his careless touch.

Seeing me glaring at him, Michael raised one corner of his mouth.

“You’re not going back to the ballroom anyway, so it doesn’t matter if your hair is a bit messy, right?”

“Idiot.”

Though I was worried, he wouldn’t tell me the truth even if I asked. I could guess who might have done it.

Giving up on probing further, I left the ballroom with Michael.