Before dancing in earnest, the guests roamed freely around the ballroom, eating, drinking, and chatting.
‘Wow, it’s pretty.’
In keeping with the name of the spring ball, servants were busy carrying trays of bite-sized dishes decorated with the theme of spring flowers. She wanted to taste them all, but she didn’t touch any of them. This place was in the middle of enemy territory. There were no fools who ate the food the enemy gave them. The Baron of Hobart would not want to spoil the ball at all. In the mansions of nobles, it was standard to take a poison test and then serve food. But again, you don’t know.
“Your Highness, it’s been a while.”
“Long time no see. Hazel, this is…”
People came one by one to greet the Grand Duke and then left. Each time, the Grand Duke introduced them to her. All of them glanced at her with uneasy eyes, and then, without saying a few words, ran away.
“Because nobles are exclusive. It will take time, but one day everyone will see your true face.”
It was the attitude she expected, so there was nothing to regret. But the Grand Duke seemed to want people to like her. But didn’t this camouflage relationship begin with the premise that everyone didn’t like her? If people liked her, it wouldn’t help the Grand Duke. So she couldn’t understand. It was also the moment when someone just said hello to the Grand Duke and withdrew.
“Ahh!”
She heard a man’s scream next to her…
Charleuk!
Red wine spilled from the glass in the man’s hand onto the hem of her dress. It came out! Sprinkle wine on her dress! The hall became quiet for an instant, and a nervous silence began. In the meantime, she casually shook the hem of her clothes.
And then… Drops of red wine rolled down like raindrops rolling off an umbrella. The dress was spotlessly clean. She also read some romance novels. Fearing not to ruin such an expensive dress, she studied a cleaning potion in advance and sprayed it on her clothes.
‘Oh, that’s childish. How old are you guys?’
She said with a look in her eyes to the crowd watching from afar. The young ladies, who had faces of embarrassment, became contemplative and averted their eyes. Among those young ladies, the person who tripped at someone’s instigation and the man who fell unluckily ran away as if they knew she would turn them into frogs.
“Sorry.”
For some reason, everyone who should have apologized ran away, and the Grand Duke apologized to her. But why was he kissing her on the forehead? She realized the moment she looked into the eyes of people full of astonishment. Oh, they were acting out their relationship right now.
“It’s fine.”
She smiled at the Grand Duke like a passionate lover and put her hand on his chest.
Throbbing.
Like the day she met Drake, her heartbeat rang in her palms.
Bella Monette was in tears the entire time she was walking around the garden with young girls her age.
It was the first time she hadn’t danced at a ball since formally entering the social world. Of course, like Bella, who was called the jewel of society, the men constantly reached out. But she never responded.
‘There is another man who can dance with you.’
But the man Bella was eagerly waiting for never once asked her to dance.
‘I didn’t say a word, let alone dance.’
Bella closed her eyes as she recalled the expression the Grand Duke had made all evening dancing with the witch. It was a kind smile that he had never shown before.
“The alliance is on hold for a while.”
Late last year, the father said to Bella what had been said between the Grand Duke and him.
“That means…”
“Yes, the marriage with the Grand Duke also…”
Her father studied her complexion for a while, paused, then continued his words.
“I don’t know whether to call it pending or say it never happened.”
“Yes?”
“The Grand Duke said that your marriage would not affect the alliance with the Grand Duke.”
That meant that the Grand Duke and Bella might not marry, even if one day they formed an alliance. In other words, it also meant that it didn’t matter if Bella married another man in the meantime.
‘Could it be that he sincerely loves that witch and euphemistically rejects his marriage talk with me?’
At first, when she only heard wild rumors, she tried hard to deny that it was a rumor. Didn’t the witch also deny it with her own mouth?
“I heard that the Grand Duke and the witch appeared alone in a village in the Grand Duchy. It is said that they looked like lovers, holding her hand or buying her gifts.”
Then, when she heard the story of the sighting, she tried hard to deny that it was a smoke screen operation to avoid the imperial family’s check. But today, as she witnessed it with her own eyes, her hopes were shattered.
“To think that the saintess’ son fell in love with a witch, no, was seduced by a witch…”
The young ladies surrounding her whispered while examining Bella’s complexion.
“I won’t be coming to the Hobart Street ball next year. Inviting commoners? A festival where farmers eat and drink like pigs would be more classy.”
“Witches are really impudent. She walks her feet into the aristocratic balls without refusing.”
“Even with the Grand Duchess’ jewelry all over her body. She said, had the Grand Duchess been alive, she would have passed out.”
“It’s pretty, but…”
As someone muttered carelessly, an accepting silence fell for a moment, and then was immediately broken.
“If you dress up with expensive jewelry and a dress, even a bear can pretend to be pretty.”
“I am very curious. How did that witch bewitch the Grand Duke?”
“With a pretty heart.”
The moment they heard a man’s voice behind them, the women were startled and dropped the fans in their hands.
“Your Highness, Grand Duke…”
While the young ladies were contemplating, the Grand Duke approached with a polite and kind smile as usual.
“Miss Hazel is not here, so if I’m going to defend her, Miss Hazel isn’t pretty because she’s dressed up, she’s pretty by nature.”
“…”
“Me for overheard and the young ladies secretly criticizing my lover are both rude actions, so let’s end it in a tie.”
One was ‘accidental’ and the other was ‘secretly’. The Grand Duke must have known that it was a mistake that could never be compared.
“Then have a good night.”
The Grand Duke silently looked down at the frightened young ladies, then he greeted them gracefully and left. All the while, he never gave Bella a single glance. It was her sobs that broke the eerie stillness.
“Wah…”
“Oh my gosh, princess.”
“Do not cry.”
“Why did he say such a bad thing?”
Indeed, Princess Monette did not stop the ladies from slandering the witch. But isn’t the opponent a young lady of a prestigious Duke family? The young ladies appeased Princess Monette.
“We were wrong.”
“Please dispel your anger.”
“I was misunderstood by His Highness because of the young ladies, waaa.”
Uncharacteristically for Bella, she raised her voice and cried. So that the Grand Duke could hear her grievances.
“I was misunderstood by His Highness because of the young ladies, waaa.”
There’s nothing wrong with that. Elliot turned the corner and he smiled bitterly at her as he approached the ballroom terrace. He already knew what kind of person she was. Of course, thanks to Hazel for the past few years, it’s a fact that he learned because he didn’t have to travel to the battlefield or abroad. He didn’t know it until he stepped into the social world often.
Princess Monette was clever. She was, of course, to some extent clever, which was a virtue she needed as a Grand Duchess.
Until it melted there.
‘Am I weak or pretending to be weak?’
She was reluctant either way.
‘I have to stay away.’
In the first place, Elliot had never wanted Princess Monette to be his Grand Duchess. He only wanted an alliance with the Duke of Monette through their marriage. The alliance could have been formed in a different way.
“I hope you don’t waste your precious time, Princess.”
Duke Monette seemed to understand what he was saying.
‘The princess will soon fold her heart.’
After passing through the terrace and entering the ballroom, Elliot reflexively looked for Hazel. The crowd was dense, but it wasn’t difficult to find her. Hazel was sitting alone on a sofa by a window. It was empty only where she was, whether there was an invisible wall behind her.
“I won’t be coming to the Hobart Mansion ball next year. Inviting commoners? A festival where farmers eat and drink like pigs would be more classy.”
It probably wasn’t just that young lady’s thoughts. It was expected that the high-ranked nobles would not accept Hazel easily. Residents first, then nobles someday. He set the attack order like that. The reason why he vowed to make an effort to help nobles see Hazel differently someday was because he was certain of it the day she discovered his holy power.
Hazel was the Grand Duchess.
“I won’t tell anyone. Do not worry.”
When she said that she would find out about his difficult situation first and she would keep it a secret, Elliot felt that he had more feelings for Hazel than that he simply liked her as a member of the opposite sex.
Camaraderie.
In retrospect, Hazel had already been a strong ally whenever the Grand Duke faced a crisis.
“Your Highness, Grand Duke Elliot Blaine, and Miss Hazel, the Witch of the Black Forest.”
What a childish thing. Someday, Hazel’s title would not be the Witch of the Black Forest, but Grand Duchess. It was at this time that Elliot made this decision and he headed straight for Hazel. Someone approached her first and spoke to her.
‘Viscount Dorian and his wife?’
Elliot’s eyes were wary.
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Translator Note:
Hello there! This is RJR. Thank you very much for reading! 😀
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