Episode 66
“Duke.”
“Madam, I was actually about to go and find you since you hadn’t returned for a long time.”
“Ian and I took a short stroll in the garden.”
“I see.”
“Did you have a good time?”
“Yes, thanks to you, Duke.”
“Cough.”
Amidst the conversation with Lloydin, a bitter cough from Father conveyed his displeasure.
“Father, I’m always grateful.”
I quickly turned to Father and expressed my gratitude.
“Grateful, hmm. It’s only natural for you to do so now that you’re one of us.”
“Still.”
“But it seems like your husband always comes before your father in your eyes.”
“What? Uh, that’s…”
I couldn’t bring myself to lie and stumbled over my words.
“Dear, please don’t be immature and jealous.”
“When have I ever been jealous?”
“Others might see it that way.”
“Hmm!”
Fortunately, Mother intervened and the situation was resolved.
I silently expressed gratitude to Mother with a nod.
“What about the brothers?”
“They were here until just now, but His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince sent for them, so they went over there.”
“His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince? I see.”
The Crown Prince was close in age to my brothers.
Except for when I was ill, he got along well with others.
After a while, the genre of music echoing through the banquet hall changed.
As the soft melody settled in people’s ears, the center of the banquet hall emptied in an instant.
Then, men and women began to gather, forming pairs.
“The ball has begun.”
I hadn’t been to many balls, but I knew the routine.
Once the ball started and some time passed, the banquet hall would transform into a ballroom, and the nobles would enjoy the moment by dancing.
“Dear, shall we?”
Father reached out his hand to Mother.
“Yes, let’s go.”
They affectionately held hands and walked away.
I glanced at the two men standing beside me.
No matter how much I wanted to dance with Lloydin, I couldn’t leave Ian alone.
‘Let’s give up for today.’
Although I wanted to enjoy the ball and dance with Lloydin at least once, it was unavoidable.
But then it happened.
“Ian, would you like to dance with me?”
Dahlia, who had parted from us earlier, was suddenly by our side.
“Hmm?”
“Let’s go dance, Ian.”
Dahlia, with a pretty smile, took Ian’s hand, who stood hesitantly, not knowing what to do.
Before I could even hold both of them, she quickly left.
“Who is she?”
Lloydin asked about Dahlia.
“She’s a friend of Ian’s who came here.”
“A friend?”
“Yes. She’s a student at the same academy as Ian and wants to be friends.”
“Oh…”
“And…”
I paused as if I were about to reveal something monumental.
“There was a witness at the bookstore. It’s her.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Lloydin, too, couldn’t take his eyes off Dahlia and Ian for a while.
“Thank you very much. I hope both of them are doing well.”
“They probably are. Oh, I mean, I think they’re doing well.”
I quickly corrected myself before making another mistake due to being too excited.
“Shall we go dance?”
As I reached out my hand to him, Lloydin’s large, warm hand enveloped mine.
“Let’s go.”
So we headed to the center of the ballroom.
Though I felt some glances directed at us, I had no room to care about them at all.
Lloydin’s hand was on my waist, and I rested my hand on his shoulder.
Except for on a bed, our bodies were closer than ever before.
As our breaths intertwined, tension slowly built up, and I didn’t even know how we were dancing.
My legs moved automatically as if they had been waiting for this day to come.
“You dance very well.”
I blurted out whatever came to mind.
“I learned at the academy.”
“I learned from a home tutor.”
“I see.”
“Yes. Since I couldn’t attend the academy, I learned everything at home.”
Still, as we conversed as usual, the tension gradually eased.
“Ian will return to the academy soon.”
“I’m fortunate to be able to see him off this time. I’ve never properly seen him off before because I always leave the estate first.”
Lloydin responded with a bitter expression.
“Why don’t we accompany Ian this time?”
“Accompany him?”
“Yes. Since he’s entering an intermediate academy, let’s attend the entrance ceremony.”
“Come to think of it, that might be a good idea.”
“Really?”
Lloydin smiled elegantly in agreement with my suggestion without saying anything.
The music continued to change smoothly, and so did the dances.
Without getting tired, people didn’t leave the center of the ballroom until the music ended.
The same went for Lloydin and me.
We danced and talked as if no one else were around.
It was such a joyful and enchanting time.
So, wishing that moment could last forever, I didn’t let go of his hand from his shoulder for a very long time.
* * *
The dreamlike New Year’s party passed, and life returned to normal.
Lloydin was still, or rather, even busier, so there was no time for me to learn horseback riding.
Furthermore, Ian was extremely busy preparing to return to the academy.
Still, while having a meal together, I heard some incredible news: Ian and Dahlia, whom we met at the party, were exchanging letters.
I was so happy because Ian wouldn’t feel lonely at the academy anymore.
However, I couldn’t be perfectly happy.
As Dahlia and Ian grew closer in the original work, the harassment at the academy was now directed towards both of them, not just Ian.
Among those who harassed Ian, only one was expelled.
There were still many who were waiting with bated breath to harass Ian at the academy.
Knowing this, I couldn’t just stand by quietly.
I wanted to warn those kids at the party, but time and circumstances didn’t allow it.
Still, thanks to Father’s greetings with Lloydin, the purpose of the party was fulfilled.
Afterwards, I pondered more deeply for a long time to find another way.
How could Ian live peacefully at the academy without being harassed by other kids?
As a result, I concluded that I needed to get deeply involved in the academy.
In the empire, nobles had to go through elementary, intermediate, and advanced academies for education, or if they couldn’t attend the academy like me, they had to receive appropriate home education.
However, the tuition fees for the academy were not so easy to handle.
And not all nobles were as affluent as our family.
So, scholarships for such noble children were actively promoted at the academy.
Through this scholarship program, I planned to get involved in the academy.
I had enough money to spend lavishly for a lifetime.
Before getting married, Father had divided a portion of the family’s assets among us siblings.
Since that asset was entirely mine, how I used that money was solely up to my judgment and will.
And I found a very useful way to spend that money.
It was quite nice in many ways because I could also do good things with that money.
To make this happen, I was as busy as Lloydin and Ian.
Without the knowledge of the two, I visited the academy where Ian would attend.
It wasn’t my first time setting foot in the academy.
When I was young, I had come a few times for my brothers’ entrance and graduation ceremonies.
Still, it was regrettable to come to a place where I hadn’t come by choice but out of necessity.
But, well, I didn’t want to dwell on the past too much.
As I got off the carriage, a particularly large building stood out in front of me among other buildings.
It was the main building.
“Welcome.”
A middle-aged man greeted me.
According to the information I obtained in advance, he seemed to be Ruben Merahus, the headmaster of the intermediate academy.
“Nice to meet you for the first time. I’m Ayla Blighton.”
“I’m Ruben Merahus, the headmaster of the intermediate academy. Now, please follow me.”
“Yes, I understand.”
I followed the headmaster into the main building.
The headmaster led me to his office.
The office didn’t have any particular features, like Father’s or Lloydin’s study.
“Thank you for coming all the way here. I’ve prepared some special tea for you since you’ve come. Please have some.”
“Thank you.”
“No, not at all.”
After taking a seat on the sofa, I drank the tea prepared by the headmaster himself from the tea cups on the table.
