The banquet went on peacefully without any incidents in a warm atmosphere. In the meantime, the Margrave of the West came to visit once, and this time the Margrave of the North, the Marquis of Levi, came and had a chat. Although it was more of a chat, it was closer to a specific suggestion about the schedule or contents of sending material support to the North. Throughout the proposal, the Marquis was suspicious of Leone’s true intentions and constantly questioned him. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it could be considered rude depending on the person. Leone, who had been listening for a while, suddenly asked.
“I even threw such a grand banquet, but you still don’t trust my words about being friendly to the border, Marquis?”
It was a sharp question. Marquis Levi opened his mouth confidently without backing down or being afraid.
“Can I be honest with you?”
‘Isn’t it because he’s the male lead? ‘Everyone trembles in front of Leone.’
“I heard that the virtue of a marquis is honesty.”
There was a hint of laughter in Leone’s voice as he accepted it. It was a slightly cold voice, and one might think that the prince was being sarcastic out of anger after hearing Marquis Levi’s suggestion. However, she could see that Leone was very happy. And she also saw that something was hiding in that face. I couldn’t figure out what the plan was…
“It’s unreliable.”
‘You must be very strong to be able to speak to the prince like that…’
After all, he was the man who commanded the best army in the empire. Leone laughed softly. Even if the Marquis couldn’t hear him, she could hear him. It was a very satisfied laugh. She wanted to ask why he was satisfied, but the conversation between them seemed serious, so she kept her mouth shut.
“It’s not that your highness is untrustworthy, but the people of the capital. I don’t know what you’re thinking, but if you declare that you will provide such grandiose support to the northern and western frontier, there will be a huge backlash. Are you saying there is a way to make this possible?”
Leone chuckled. The Northern Marquis was quite upright. It was a little different from the common greedy people in the capital. They said they hated the imperial family, but that meant they hated their incompetence in destroying the country and leaving the people persecuted.
“It must be difficult for you to be among the capital’s nobles. No, I guess you’ve already been hated.”
“…yes?”
“For being overly honest and upright.”
“Hmm, hmm.”
Perhaps what Leone said was correct, the Marquis averted his eyes and made an embarrassed expression. It was true. In the original work, when Layla was teaching the Marquis his attitude, she was often scolded for being too upright.
“Don’t worry. If you’re that worried, why don’t you stay in the capital and work with me directly?”
“Yes?”
“You watch for yourself. Wouldn’t that make you feel safer?”
“…I’ll think about it.”
“Okay. Let’s leave it at that and enjoy the banquet.”
At Leone’s urging, the Marquis finally retreated.
“Leone. You look very satisfied. What’s the matter?”
She let out the question she had been holding in. Leone opened his mouth with a still satisfied expression on his face.
“Trixie, the Marquis of Levi.”
“Huh.”
“I need to do some work.”
“…huh?”
“I thought it would be nice to have an upright person like that help me create the world I want. Yes… Marquis Levi is perfect.”
Leone smiled. It gave her a little goosebumps because he looked like an evil boss who was happy to get useful labor.
“Hmm, good… It’s the personnel line.”
Even in the original work, Marquis Levi was quite workaholic and was a person trusted throughout the North thanks to his fair and flexible handling of work. He was a decent character. He ended up working with Leone during a time of upheaval in the Empire. How hard could it be?
She wished him well in her heart. ‘Please, don’t die from being crushed by work.’
“I think I can use this incident as an opportunity to force him to sit in the capital, so I need to think about a better way to catch the Marquis.”
Even talent has already started fishing. Leone’s actions were always unstoppable. She was a little jealous too. She was a person who was always busy thinking, taking a step back, and thinking about a way to escape.
‘Like Leone, I want to push myself.’
At that time, people dancing came into view. They didn’t dance as they continued to drink light cocktails, chat, play with their joined hands, and greet the occasional visitor for a drink. But Leone said she wanted to dance with her. She didn’t know how to dance, but still.
“Leone.”
“Huh?”
“Do you want to dance with me?”
For once, she wanted to reach out first. That’s what Leone wanted.
Leone smiled brightly.
“Good.”
He took her hand. They got up from their chairs and walked side by side. The center of the stage emptied of its own accord and a calm waltz song began. She watched the class from afar every time, so she knew the staff to some extent. Although it wasn’t accurate.
“One arm, like this. The other arm is on my back.”
Leone gradually brought her body closer to his.
“Keep your back straight. Looking into my eyes… Just follow my steps, Trixie.”
The softly whispering voice was clearly just teaching her how to dance, but it gave her a strange feeling. But that strange feeling lasted only for a moment. The tension quickly rose.
This was because Leone glanced at the orchestra and the conductor found a new piece and started playing it right away. Without even having time to prepare her mind, she followed Leone and took the steps. When she first reached out, she thought she could just do what she didn’t know. But when she came out to dance,her body stiffened. She frantically followed Leone’s lead. If she thought she was following his lead well, her steps would be twisted, and if she thought her steps were going well, she would miss the beat.
‘Me… He was more physically fit than I thought.’
She really liked Leone’s suggestion to dance, but she now realized that it was a very difficult suggestion. She was so focused on looking at her feet that she was gradually missing the music.
“Trixie.”
At that time, Leone pressed his body against her and called her name.
“Turn now..”
“Oh, huh? Not yet- ah.”
Before she could prepare, Leone made a big move of his arm and spun her around. She was embarrassed for a moment, but as soon as she turned around, she stood face to face with Leone again. Their hands met each other in the air, and Leone supported her back in a stable manner. It was amazing that even after going around once, everything was still in the same place and they met again at the right time.
“Haha. How does it come back just right like this?”
“I’m quite the dancer.”
“Oh, you are very confident.”
“So you can lean on me and dance.”
Leone smiled sweetly. She could tell that he meant to make a turn in a playful way and convey kindness. She guessed he felt bad that she was so nervous. She became slightly more embarrassed.
“I was too nervous, wasn’t I?”
“No, you weren’t that nervous?”
“Lie.”
“Really. Rather than thinking that you were nervous, I just thought that you were doing well even though it was your first time. However, I want you to dance while looking at me. I tried to get some attention.”
It was nice to hear a warm voice with a calm, considerate tone. She let go of her tension and leaned slightly into his arms. Only then did she hear music.
They moved slowly to the music. Then she stepped on Leone’s foot, but it quickly became fun. They looked at each other, laughed and danced. The whole time she was dancing, her vision was filled with only Leone, and she could only smell his body, so she had the illusion that Leone was the only one in the world.
After dancing for a while, we went to quench their thirst. Until now, she thought banquets were boring, but it was very fun to spend time with Leone without worrying about other people. There’s a lot to eat, it’s bright and colorful, and the music was exciting. She could see the beautiful Leone, and she felt refreshed and excited by dressing up. It was full of good things.
“Lord Leone. Cheers.”
When she was dancing or at the head of the table, she used to speak informally because she thought whispering might not be heard by people around her, but now she felt like she needed to be a little more cautious, so she was respectful. Leone frowned slightly.
“…Speak informally.”
“How can I do that here? First, let’s say a toast. Ah, my arm hurts.”
She held up a bottle of sweet-smelling champagne and handed it to Leone. Leone could not express his dissatisfaction further and accepted the glass. Soon, the two crystal glasses clashed in the air, making a clear sound.
“Uh… Lady Hermann.”
At that time, she heard a voice behind her. When she turned around, there were several young ladies standing there with faces she had never seen before.
“…What’s going on?”
Could it be that these are hyenas targeting Leone? She went on alert. It was the same with Leone.
“Oh right. Greeting Your Highness the Prince. I’m sorry I’m late in greeting you.”
“…okay.”
‘Oh right?’ It was not a line that a hyena targeting a prince would say. Without realizing it, her expression relaxed and she opened her eyes.
“This is my first time seeing Lady Hermann, so I’m really curious.”
“Yes…”
“Your dress is so beautiful today. Which tailor is this? Could you introduce me to the salon?”
“Yes? Uh… I’m fine with that… It was a gift from His Highness the Prince…”
“Oh my goodness! Your Royal Highness gave it to you as a gift? It can’t be this romantic.”
What were these favorable reactions? She felt dizzy. Leone also had a slightly embarrassed look on his face.
“Young lady. It’s no different… Could you please come next time we have a tea party? Since it is a party for women who have recently gotten married or are about to get married, it may not be particularly fun for the young lady to attend. It looks like Lady Hermann will soon become like us…”
She realized this from the long series of invitations. Most of these were young ladies, not ladies. They already owned a man, and since they just got married, they either had no children or were young. In short, they were people who had no reason to aim for the seat next to Leone. So maybe…
‘It’s someone who seems likely to become the princess, so the intention is to build a friendship first.’
This was the first friendly approach she received today. She felt pretty good.
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Translator Note:
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
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