Cherrya, who burst out laughing clearly, bowed and brought her lips to Olivia’s hand.
At the same time, the crowd burst into applause and cheers, celebrating this beautiful moment.
“Oh my, it will be the best birthday for Lady Balmore.”
“Yes, I wish I could also receive a kiss on the hand from Dame Emblem…”
Olivia instantly became the center of everyone’s envy, firmly establishing herself as the true protagonist of this party.
“Hohoho, our Olivia and Dame Emblem have been so close since childhood. Despite being so busy, she still made time to come!”
The voice of the Marchioness of Balmore, who was in high spirits, echoed throughout the party hall. Olivia, who had always been proud of her mom, felt a little embarrassed.
“Then may I have the honor of the first dance?”
With a smiling face, Cherrya politely requested a dance. This was the moment Olivia had been waiting for and looking forward to since she was fourteen until she turned eighteen.
Overwhelmed with emotion, Olivia simply nodded, and Cherrya naturally led her to the main hall.
As they passed Lizzy Vanderwall, whose face had turned pale as she stewed in humiliation, Olivia did not forget to give a slight smile.
“…Ugh!”
Hearing Lizzy Vanderwall’s angry groan, Olivia savored her feeling of victory.
If she had wanted to compete with the belle of the social scene, she should have prepared better!
Internally mocking Lizzy, Cherrya softly whispered to Olivia.
“Sorry for being late.”
“…It’s okay. You came.”
Her heart, which had been restless until Cherrya arrived, melted softly with her apology.
As Olivia and Cherrya entered the main hall, the people dancing slowly made way for them.
This was the moment when the esteemed Cherrya Emblem would dance.
The musicians, sensing the mood, began playing new music naturally.
“……….”
Facing Olivia with a curled smile, Cherrya’s presence was so impressive it felt as though Olivia’s legs might give out.
In fact, some of the more faint-hearted people seemed to feel dizzy, holding onto their partners for support.
‘This is why everyone is so obsessed with Emblem…’
Cherrya, who had saved Olivia from being ridiculed by Lizzy Vanderwall’s public humiliation, was the very knight that every lady in the world had dreamed of.
When they were young, Cherrya had been rough, blunt, and always brawling with Enoch Gray, so Olivia never realized.
She never imagined that the formal knight Cherrya Emblem would not only acquire knightly manners but also become someone capable of stirring hearts.
“Your hand.”
Olivia looked at Cherrya’s outstretched hand. Unlike her own pale and delicate hand, Cherrya’s hand was rough and marked with various scars.
It was the hand that had saved her during the royal hunting event.
“Gladly.”
With a smile, Olivia took the most beautiful hand in the world.
Their dance began. Cherrya led Olivia with neat movements. Although the dance was not flashy, Olivia’s excellent dancing skills made their coordination stand out even more.
As Olivia twirled and drew closer as Cherrya led, she finally opened her mouth.
“I thought you’d greet Lizzy Vanderwall first. What made you come to me first?”
In truth, Cherrya was not very interested in the social scene.
She was almost close to disliking it. She thought that dancing and wearing dresses were ridiculous.
That’s why Cherrya wore her knight uniform instead of a dress, let her long hair down instead of adorning it, and spent time laughing and chatting with people instead of dancing.
She would teach new, simple games she had just learned or share funny stories from her knight training.
Sometimes, she would bicker with Enoch Gray, or drink and chat merrily with other Emblem knights in a lively atmosphere.
Naturally, people would gather around Cherrya, and everyone liked her.
“I didn’t think you’d notice.”
Olivia thought Cherrya was unaware of the darker side of social life. Since she never attended any non-royal events, she wouldn’t have known.
The subtle jealousy and envy, the clever insults exchanged with smiling faces.
At a party where one didn’t have to be mindful of the imperial court’s gaze, people moved more blatantly to protect their own interests.
“I’m not stupid, you know. I saw it clearly. That spoiled brat, number two, no, Lizzy Vanderwall, was picking a fight with you.”
Cherrya had also experienced some people’s jealousy and snide remarks toward her.
However, each time, she would feign ignorance, asking in a bewildered manner what they meant until the other person, flustered, would flee. After that, no one dared to pick a fight with her.
“There’s no way our oblivious Cherrya could be so perceptive…”
Cherrya retorted in disbelief to Olivia’s muttered comment.
“What do you mean? I knew everything but pretended not to notice. I just didn’t want to get involved.”
“Hmm. Really?”
“Absolutely.”
“Then what do you think it means when someone says, ‘Dame Emblem, today’s weather is as bright as your beautiful hair’?”
“………?”
For a moment, Cherrya nearly stumbled in her steps at Olivia’s question.
As she stared at Olivia in utter confusion, Olivia struggled to suppress her laughter by tensing her abdomen.
“Isn’t it just saying the weather is nice?”
“It means they’re saying your head is empty.”
“How does that even mean that?”
“That’s just basic social etiquette talk.”
“…Ugh, this really isn’t for me. Don’t expect me at your birthday party next year.”
Cherrya grimaced, clearly disgusted by the whole concept. Olivia found her blatant distaste amusing and chuckled.
“If this is both the first and last time, then Dame Emblem, you’ll have to keep dancing with me.”
“Ah, no can do. I’ve already got my next partner lined up.”
“What? Who are you dancing with next?”
“Lizzy Vanderwall.”
Olivia’s eyes widened in disbelief at the name that had just popped out.
“What?”
“Look at her face. She looks like she’s about to run out of here crying.”
“Oh, Cherrya, you’re really too kind.”
She’s even being kind enough to comfort that spiteful woman just because she’s a lady.
Although she failed to answer the earlier question, Cherrya perfectly understood the words Olivia hadn’t yet spoken.
By showing such gentle manners even to Lizzy Vanderwall, Cherrya had become the most respected knight among the empire’s people, even surpassing the genius knight, Enoch Gray.
Though Olivia understood, the growing sense of unease made her pout slightly, and Cherrya shook her head slightly.
“You two got along well when you were younger. What’s the point of this now that you’re all grown up? If you fought, you should have the satisfaction of making up, especially between friends.”
Cherrya quickly dismissed Olivia’s conflict with Lizzy Vanderwall as nothing more than a trivial spat between friends.
She seemed completely unaware that this conflict could have jeopardized Olivia’s future status and influence in the social circle, not to mention the honor of her family.
“I’ll make sure she apologizes to you properly, so just pretend you don’t know and accept it. You’ll have to keep seeing each other, and it’ll be exhausting if you’re always at odds.”
But Cherrya’s seemingly trivial treatment of the issue actually made Olivia feel better. Somehow, she felt at ease.
“True. It was a bit childish, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah, way too much.”
Watching Cherrya nod firmly, Olivia smiled brightly. Her smile was so beautiful that the next morning, a social magazine would write, [The beautiful smile of Olivia Balmore has caused a flood of marriage proposals, overwhelming the Balmore Marquessate.]
