124.

At that moment, Dante spoke in a low voice.

“Countess Martin.”

Brigitte stiffened and turned to face Dante, who kept his gaze on me as he continued.

“Can I trust you to take care of Elze?”

“Ah, yes.”

Brigitte replied hastily, moving quickly to my side.

Lucian, however, tried to block her path.

“It’s alright, Countess. I’ll take care of Lady Lepherian myself—”

Thud.

Lucian wasn’t able to finish his sentence. A firm grip had seized his wrist, forcing him to stop. He looked down at his hand, his face twisting in anger.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Were you raised too delicately to pick up on these things?”

Dante sneered, his voice sharp.

“She’s struggling.”

“What…!”

Lucian clenched his teeth, but Dante pressed on coldly.

“Get a grip, for once.”

“Marquis!”

“Both you and I… we’re burdens to her.”

There was something unexpectedly somber in Dante’s voice, enough to catch me off guard even in my fragile state. It wasn’t like him to show any sort of self-reflection.

“Go.”

Dante nodded toward Brigitte and me.

Brigitte carefully helped me, supporting me as we moved to leave.

“Let’s go, Elze.”

She said gently.

“…Thank you.”

Grateful, I leaned on her as we quietly left the ballroom.

* * *

Lucian watched us leave, his gaze murderous as he turned to Dante.

“What, do you want to settle this here?”

Dante responded with a savage smile. “I’d rather not. She wouldn’t like that.”

“…”

Lucian’s face froze, caught off guard by Dante’s words.

Dante, mocking, asked.

“What? Did you not even figure that out? She doesn’t like men who can’t read the room.”

“Cut it out.”

Lucian growled.

“I should be telling you the same thing.”

Dante replied, shooting Lucian a disdainful glance.

He clicked his tongue in irritation before turning to leave.

“Enough. It’s pointless to keep talking to someone as clueless as you. It’ll just frustrate me more.”

With that, Dante walked off, his steps casual and unhurried. Lucian stood there, furious but unable to do anything, restrained from lashing out at Dante as he normally would have.

[She wouldn’t like that.]

Those words echoed in Lucian’s mind, gnawing at him.

“Damn it.”

He muttered under his breath, clenching his jaw in frustration.

Someone else had been watching this confrontation from a distance—Benedict.

‘…Once again, I didn’t step in.’

His fists clenched in self-reproach.

It was always like this.

As the head of the Schmaikel trading company, Benedict had to prioritize maximum profit and maintain cordial relationships with both nobles and the royal family.

There were countless reasons why he couldn’t intervene, why he couldn’t help Elze.

He had only stepped in once before, unable to stand watching Elze trapped under Dante’s control. That time, he had allied with Lucian to rescue her. But the result had been Offenheir’s ruthless retaliation.

After experiencing that firsthand, Benedict understood just how merciless Offenheir could be when he set his mind to it.

The reasons not to help Elze were crystal clear.

His sharp mind had already calculated that aiding her would bring no benefit at all.

And yet…

Despite knowing all this… despite understanding…

“Benedict.”

A small hand tugged at his sleeve.

It was Marguerite, his partner for the imperial ball.

“You don’t look well. Is everything alright?”

“……”

Benedict stared at her in silence.

“Is it because of Elze?”

Marguerite asked softly.

Benedict looked down at Marguerite’s gentle green eyes, filled with concern, and her soft lips parted slightly.

“In that case, I might have a way…”

* * *

Brigitte led me to an empty lounge, far from the eyes of both Dante and Lucian. Only after being completely out of their view did I finally feel like I could breathe a little easier.

“Elze, how are you feeling now?”

Brigitte asked, cautiously studying my expression.

I forced a smile. The sensation of my lips stretching into a smile felt foreign, as though they didn’t belong to me anymore.

“I’m fine. I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch, Brigitte. I was planning to soon, but…”

Suddenly, Brigitte grabbed my shoulders, startling me. Her distorted expression reflected in my wide eyes.

“I don’t care about that!”

She blurted out, her voice trembling with emotion.

“…”

“All I ever wanted was for you to be safe and happy!”

Her eyes quivered as she fought back her tears.

“What happened to you?”

“I…”

I began, but quickly fell silent, unsure where to even start.

Seeing my hesitation, Brigitte’s expression crumbled further, and she whispered, her voice filled with suppressed pain.

“It’s alright, Elze. You don’t have to say anything.”

“Brigitte?”

“So please, don’t make that face.”

What face was I making?

Confusion washed over me, but before I could dwell on it, Brigitte extended her arms and pulled me into a tight embrace.

“You’ve been through so much…”

Her voice trembled as she spoke softly into my ear. A warm tear slid down my cheek.

Then, as if a dam had burst, more tears began to fall.

‘Don’t cry’

I told myself.

I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood, trying to hold back the flood of emotion. I had leaned on Brigitte too much already. She was my one and only friend—the one person who had shown me compassion and understanding.

I didn’t want to burden her anymore.

“Brigitte.”

I whispered weakly.

“Yes?”

“I… I’ve been having such a hard time.”

As I finally admitted those words, Brigitte gently stroked my back.

“I know, I can tell.”

Her touch was so tender, her gaze so warm. It had been so long since I’d felt this comforted, this safe.

“…Ugh.”

The tears wouldn’t stop.

* * *

Meanwhile, Dante stormed into the garden, his steps impatient and frustrated. Unlike the lively ballroom filled with music and warmth, the winter garden was eerily quiet.

The withered branches of the trees looked like blades cutting through the dark night sky. The freezing air lingered heavily, with not even a breeze to stir it.

This stillness reminded Dante of the lake Elze had once fallen into, and the thought only soured his mood further.

“Damn it.”

Dante cursed under his breath.

Initially, he had only intended to catch a glimpse of Elze from a distance. Even though he had eyes and ears watching her every move from Kalleid, Lüneburg, and the Schmaikel Trading Company, he still wanted to see her in person, if only for a moment. He hadn’t planned to confront her or cause any trouble.

That had been his plan, at least… until he witnessed her being openly insulted by the Empress. At that moment, he lost control. His anger took over.

But when Elze had turned to him, her face pale with fear, it felt as though the world had collapsed beneath him.

“I shouldn’t have intervened like that… Damn it.”🔒

Dante muttered, running a hand through his neatly combed hair, messing it up.

“If that bastard Lucian took her, he should at least protect her properly!”

Just then, Dante halted his angry pacing.

A slender figure with long, silver hair emerged from between the bare trees. The woman moved gracefully, almost like a lost fairy accidentally wandering into the mortal world.

“Oh my.”

She said, her emerald green eyes wide in surprise. She smiled warmly.

“Hello.”

Dante remained silent, his expression hard as he stared at her.

Marguerite.

‘There’s something unsettling about her.’

Dante thought.

Her silver hair, reminiscent of his deceased mother’s, was one thing. But more troubling was the fact that ever since Marguerite had joined Lucian and Benedict, everything had started to change.

The once astute Duke of Kalleid had begun to act like a fool. The ever-rational Benedict, Marquis of Lüneburg, had started to behave recklessly. And it all began after this woman entered their lives under the guise of friendship.

Marguerite took a step forward, the sound of her footfall crisp against the dry grass.

“Are you that worried about Elze, Marquis?”

She asked softly.