Chapter 3

A tense battle of silent glances unfolded among the members.

But in the end, it was a meaningless fight—because all of it would crumble before Céline’s presence.

No one here could surpass Céline in status.

And now, Céline was aiming for the Grand Duke.

The answer was already decided.

The leader of Frozen Agriche swept a sharp gaze over the members before getting straight to the point.

“Show your abilities before His Grace. Those called will step forward.”

Tension thickened in the air as she continued.

“Céline and Ritornan.”

No surprises there.

Among all the members, Céline and Ritornan were undoubtedly the best performers.

The two women stepped forward, offering a polite bow before Grand Duke Kallain.

Ritornan, despite her composed exterior, failed to hide her nervousness.

Céline, on the other hand, strode forward with confidence, basking in the flattery whispered by her fellow members.

The first to take the stage was Ritornan.

Beside me, Monet did what she always did—
Whispered information in my ear.

“She’s the eldest daughter of the Rezlid merchant family.”

As Ritornan waited for the music to begin, Monet rambled on about the Rezlid family—but I already knew enough.

In Frozen Agriche, the Rezlid family held power second only to Céline’s family.

Céline and Ritornan were both aristocratic daughters—
Raised with the natural expectation of commanding others.

But there was a key difference between them.

Céline was the predator.
Ritornan was the bystander.

Regardless, one thing was clear—

They would stop at nothing to seize this opportunity.

The hall fell silent, anticipation hanging thick in the air.

As the music flowed, Ritornan lifted her chin gracefully and began to dance.

Purification was typically performed through direct physical contact,
but a skilled dancer could use movement to alleviate pain to some extent.

And the better the dancer, the more effectively their Purification energy could be expressed.

The chilling melody, befitting of winter, echoed grandly throughout the hall.

The Agriche institutions under the Lutpherion Empire numbered four,
each representing a season—and Frozen Agriche embodied winter.

In that sense, the song choice was excellent.

Ritornan’s footwork was uniquely her own, moving with a brilliance that reflected her skill.

Indeed, she was undoubtedly talented.

However, unlike the others, I could see something they couldn’t.

She’s nervous.

Over the past months, in preparation for this day, I had practiced my dance in secret.
I knew how to analyze movements, and it wasn’t hard to see the signs.

When a person is nervous, their movements become too fast.

Meanwhile, Grand Duke Kallain remained utterly unmoved.

Though he had come here to stabilize his rampage,
he showed no reaction whatsoever to Ritornan’s Purification dance.

Even though Ritornan was second in rank among Frozen Agriche’s Purifiers,
he regarded her with complete indifference.

How many men could remain so unfazed in front of someone with such skill?

Kallain was clearly even more difficult to please than the rumors suggested.

‘Well, that works in my favor.’

While I mulled over my thoughts, the music ended,
and Ritornan stepped down from the stage.

Her expression darkened, as if she realized that she had let her nerves show.

The leader of Agriche gave a gesture, signaling the next performer.

Céline.

As part of her performance, she removed an ornament from her hair,
causing her glossy red locks to cascade like falling flower petals.

Unlike Ritornan, Céline radiated confidence.

I turned my head slightly—

Grand Duke Kallain was watching her.

‘This time, even the Iron-Blooded Grand Duke should show some reaction.’

But—

His expression remained unchanged.

There was no difference from how he had looked during Ritornan’s dance.

I wasn’t the only one who noticed.

Monet whispered beside me.

“Is His Grace really here for Céline?”

“Now that you mention it… I’m curious too.”

“He doesn’t look interested—he looks bored.”

Monet was right.

Not even a flicker of interest.

Despite being surrounded by countless attempts at seduction,
he remained completely unaffected.

If you wanted to put it kindly, he was “noble.”

If you wanted to put it bluntly, he was “insufferable.”

Judging by his posture, his pain must have subsided to some extent.

Now that he was stable, wasn’t it time to enjoy the show?

And yet, he seemed wholly unimpressed.

I had heard that he had no interest in women—
Was that actually true?

Perhaps Céline realized it too, because she pushed her movements further,
making her dance even more extravagant.

Her performance was so flawless and mesmerizing
that it felt as if she had taken the most beautiful things in the world and given them form.

Her red dancer’s outfit swayed, her flowing scarlet hair fluttering like the wings of a crimson butterfly.

Gasps of admiration filled the hall.

As the music came to an end, Céline’s followers erupted into cheers,
clapping wildly in praise.

Among them, I spotted familiar faces—

The very same women who had once thrown their laundry at me.

Ritornan, standing in the corner, had turned red with shame, her expression stiff.

She was just one of many who had miscalculated today.

As I shifted my gaze past the other dancers, I found the leader of Frozen Agriche, Kostia, watching the performance with satisfaction.

Clearly, she had enjoyed the show.

Her eyes lifted confidently as she addressed the Grand Duke.

“I wonder if Your Grace found it even slightly impressive.”

Though spoken indirectly, it was an undisguised offer—
She was blatantly asking if Céline should be chosen as his Purifier.

The entire room expected the Grand Duke to take Céline back to Detroit.

Even Céline herself seemed certain, unable to contain her smile.

Her lips curled into a seductive smirk, and she cast a dazzling gaze toward Kallain.

All eyes were on him.

A moment later, his deep voice finally resounded through the hall.

“As the Leader says, your skills have improved greatly.”

Céline’s eyes widened, her expression one of deep emotion.

The atmosphere shifted—everyone assumed it was already decided.

His gaze swept slowly over the dancers, finally settling on Céline.

But the words that followed were entirely unexpected.

“Well done.”

A polite farewell—
Nothing more than formal indifference.

Céline blinked, as if unable to process his words.

As if that was all he had to say.

And indeed, that was all.

Kostia’s face flushed with embarrassment, and Céline, with her head lowered, returned to her seat.

Her cheeks burned red, not from shyness, but from humiliation.

Her clenched jaw betrayed her anger.

A petty part of me wanted to smirk, given all the trouble she had caused me in the past.

But honestly, I had expected this outcome.

More importantly—

This wasn’t the time to be distracted.

‘I have to show him my abilities.’

But the room had grown cold, and an uneasy feeling crept in.

And as expected, Kallain, wearing his usual expression of disinterest, rose to his feet.

“Let’s end this here. This is enough.”

With those words, he turned away, preparing to leave.

The leader of Agriche looked deeply disappointed, but had no choice but to bow in submission.

‘I can’t let him leave like this.’

Just as I stepped forward, Monet grabbed my sleeve.

“Stay still. If you move now, you don’t know what punishment the Leader might give you!”

Her pale face was filled with genuine concern.

She wasn’t wrong.

If I acted recklessly in such an important setting and ruined everything…

Even imagining the consequences was terrifying.

The Leader had already warned us to be careful today.

If things went wrong, I would have to accept any punishment—

Even if it cost me my life.

But I couldn’t let this opportunity slip away.

“If I don’t take this chance now, I’ll regret it forever.”

Hearing the firmness in my voice, Monet hesitated, then let go of my sleeve.

I could already picture what my face must look like—

Like a general marching onto the battlefield.

With each measured step, I closed the distance.

I was betting everything on this moment—

On the man who could change my life forever.

Swish.

Just as Kallain Detroit was about to step outside, I blocked his path.

His gaze pierced through me.

“It seems Your Grace’s pain has not completely subsided. Allow me to cleanse you fully.”

Kallain’s face slowly turned toward me.

For the first time—

A subtle, unreadable smile played at his lips.

Like a predator who had just found something interesting to hunt.

Behind him, Leader Kostia’s face paled with shock.

“What do you think you’re doing?!”