If that treacherous Jucid were to catch on, it wouldn’t end with my identity just being exposed. As I stood frozen, Closette suddenly interjected and tugged at my arm.
“Now that I think of it, Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess must be waiting! Let’s go, Roselia!”
Because she whisked me away at the perfect moment, Jucid, effectively brushed off, glared at our retreating backs with a persistent gaze. As we wove through the crowd and put distance between us and Jucid, Closette finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“She really is incredibly persistent. Be careful not to be spotted by Jucid. You know what happened last time, right? Once that woman loses her mind, she doesn’t see anything else.”
I shuddered, recalling how Jucid had once drugged me and stripped me of my clothes. While I rubbed my arm and grimaced, Closette scanned the surroundings.
“I think we should meet Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess and pay our respects first…”
There were so many people that it seemed impossible to cut through the crowd. Just then, Closette’s eyes widened as if she had discovered something. The crowd, which had been swarming like ants, suddenly parted, and a path cleared automatically.
Turning my gaze toward where Closette was looking, I stiffened. A man was walking down the center of the parted crowd. I didn’t know how he had tracked us in this massive throng, but Crown Prince Esteban was walking straight toward me.
It felt like the masquerade ball all over again. The surrounding crowd held their breath as they watched us. It seemed Esteban still harbored resentment over how I had run away from him last time; his expression was stiff and cold.
As he reached us, the Crown Prince curled his lips and murmured lowly.
“You managed to run away quite well last time.”
I swallowed dryly and bowed as calmly as possible.
“I greet the Sun of the Empire.”
“Drop the formalities. Isn’t this a bit much? I was trying to help you in my own way.”
It was that ridiculous talk about the scent again. I tried to feign ignorance, keeping my eyes cast down as I replied.
“I do not know what you mean, but if I have offended your Royal Highness, I apologize.”
“Apology, you say…”
The Crown Prince let out a twisted scoff, then curled his lips into a smirk.
“Forget the apology. You will share your first dance with me today.”
This lunatic Crown Prince… Even though he had been wearing a mask at the masquerade, his face was fully exposed now. Moreover, this wasn’t just a simple banquet; it was one attended by distinguished guests from another empire. If I were to dance with the Crown Prince, it could tarnish not only the reputation of the Crown Princess but also that of the Empire itself.
However, as someone who wasn’t even considered a proper noble, there was no way I could refuse the Crown Prince’s request. As I bit my lip in distress, the crowd on the other side suddenly parted, and murmurs broke out.
A tall man in a crisp, black tailcoat was walking toward us through the newly opened path.
Klaus…
Walking with a stride that was neither too fast nor too slow, Klaus stood before the Crown Prince and me. Unlike at the masquerade, where he had been a step late and forced to watch from afar, he had appeared at the perfect moment. He bowed briefly to the Crown Prince before turning his gaze to me.
“I would like you to be my first dance partner today…”
Klaus looked at me intently and extended his hand cautiously.
“Would you do me the honor?”
His tone was gentle, a sharp departure from his usual cold, commanding manner. Caught in his gaze, I stared at him, as if bewitched. Before I knew it, I had placed my slender hand into his.
Satisfied, Klaus grasped my hand tightly, as if he were afraid I might slip away, and led me to the center of the dance floor. Only when I felt the pressure of his fingers around mine did I snap out of my daze, suddenly flustered.
I had no idea what I was thinking, accepting Klaus’s request. Yet, seeing the Crown Prince standing off to the side with a rigid expression, I felt it hadn’t been such a bad choice.
“It would be best if you didn’t look toward the Crown Prince.”
At Klaus’s calm words, I looked at him in confusion. As I rolled my eyes, trying to decipher his meaning, I soon spotted several men among the nobles wearing unfamiliar styles of clothing, and I gulped as something dawned on me.
The envoys from Laphelios…
They were the nobles from the delegation that had come for the agreement between Rugvelzet and Laphelios, led by the Crown Princess. If I had danced with the Crown Prince, it would have been a grave insult to the Crown Princess and a blow to the Empire’s prestige.
Could it be that he did this for her sake as well…?
When my thoughts reached that point, I looked up at Klaus. Even as my head understood the situation, for some reason, I didn’t feel entirely pleased.
“Are you doing this for Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess and the Empire?”
Klaus, who had been trying hard not to stare at the skin of my exposed shoulders, looked down at me with a puzzled expression.
“What do you mean?”
“The reason you asked me to dance.”
For a moment, Klaus was speechless, staring blankly into my eyes.
“Well… that is true, but…”
Klaus suddenly lifted his lips and smiled softly. Taken off guard, I had to suppress a gasp of surprise.
The cold-blooded Klaus was smiling like that?
While I was flustered, Klaus pulled me closer and murmured lowly near my shoulder.
“I just didn’t want to lose you to the Crown Prince.”
What had I just heard? I felt my ears burning from his breath against my skin. Before I could process my confusion, the music sped up, leaving no room for thought. Klaus, who was leading the dance with ease, lowered his head so that it was almost brushing my fair shoulder and whispered.
“Do you know?”
I felt the fine hairs on my neckline stand on end.
“You smell lovely.”
Suddenly, my head went blank. I recalled that not long ago, Klaus had asked if I—when I was Antonio—was wearing perfume. He had even scolded me for it, saying it didn’t suit me. Now, he was saying I smelled nice.
The feeling was strange, but from another perspective, it was clearly a very dangerous situation. If I really did have a scent as the Crown Prince claimed, and Klaus were to notice that Roselia and Antonio shared the same scent…
I quickly pulled away from Klaus. Fortunately, the song was coming to an end. Giving a sheepish smile to Klaus, who was looking at me with a puzzled expression, I bowed politely.
“I feel a bit dizzy, so I shall excuse myself.”
With that, I turned around and walked away. As the song changed and the nobles swapped partners, a sea of dancers quickly filled the space between us. Klaus reached out as if to follow me, but realized there was no real reason to stop me and lowered his hand.
When I returned to the banquet hall, Closette and Ikelia greeted me as if they had been waiting.
“Roselia! My goodness, you danced with Klaus… are you alright?” Closette asked anxiously, knowing that I was Antonio.
Ikelia, interpreting the situation differently, chimed in, “My goodness, you danced with the Duke of Baltezar… is your heart alright?”
At Ikelia’s words, Closette and I both stared at her, eyes wide. Noticing the sudden attention, Ikelia tilted her head in confusion.
“Why are you both looking at me like that? Oh… Lady Closette, since the Duke of Baltezar is your brother, you might not understand. The Duke is quite famous in society.”
Closette raised an eyebrow, looking skeptical. “Famous for what?”
“He’s famous for absolutely refusing to dance with anyone. With that cold, charismatic aura, he keeps everyone at arm’s length; no one even dares to approach him. Many women admire the Duke from afar.”
When Closette made a face as if that were ridiculous, Ikelia smiled.
“Ah, of course, there was exactly one woman. Someone who danced with the Duke before Miss Roselia.”
At Ikelia’s words, Closette fell silent, having quickly guessed who it was. Suddenly overwhelmed by curiosity, I couldn’t hold back.
“Who was it?”
“Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess.”
It was expected, perhaps, but I felt a wave of discomfort. My brow furrowed, unable to understand my own reaction. Ikelia, unaware of my inner turmoil, turned her gaze elsewhere and swiftly changed the subject.
“I was so surprised when the Crown Prince approached you earlier. Fortunately, he is now standing beside the Crown Princess to greet the Laphelios envoys.”
As Ikelia said, the Crown Prince was standing with the Crown Princess, conversing with the envoys. It seemed the Crown Princess was leading most of the conversation while the Crown Prince only responded…
Just then, the Crown Prince’s gaze flicked toward me. I felt a chill run down my spine and swallowed hard. Surely, that madman wouldn’t walk away from that position to come to me, would he?
At that moment, Closette scanned the Laphelios delegation and asked with a puzzled look.
“Didn’t they say the representative of the Laphelios delegation was a remarkably handsome man? All I see are middle-aged men.”
At Closette’s disappointed tone, Ikelia chuckled.
“It seems the representative was delayed due to some matter and left later. They say he’ll be arriving in a few days, so it’s unlikely we’ll see him at tonight’s banquet.”
At Ikelia’s regretful voice, I swept my gaze over the delegation. The heroine’s second male lead was likely the representative who hadn’t made it. Since the novel had spent pages praising his appearance, I knew at once that he wasn’t among them.
I recalled that the second male lead belonged to a Marquess family with enough standing to be considered the pillar of the Laphelios Empire, where the positions of Grand Duke and Duke were vacant.
While I was deep in thought, the Crown Prince’s gaze turned toward me once more. Unlike before, when I thought it was just my imagination, his eyes were clearly fixed on me, and I stiffened.
Could it be…
Before I knew it, Esteban exchanged a polite smile with the Crown Princess, turned, and began walking toward us with long, firm strides.
Swearing silently, I handed my champagne glass to Closette and turned away in a hurry.