Since When Were You The Villain?

Chapter 73

 

Sophia awkwardly smiled and lightly brushed her dress with her hand.

“The ball has started, and I wonder where he went…! Anyway, I should look elsewhere. Thank you, Your Excellency.”

“You’ve worked hard.”

After Killian sent the servant away, Estelle’s gaze shifted to Killian.

Estelle stared at Killian, saying nothing.

“You mentioned you had something to say, my lady?” Killian asked when he noticed Estelle’s intense gaze.

Estelle cautiously pointed behind him with her hand.

“Um…”

Behind Kilian, another man’s shoes were visible.

“So, what is it you wanted to say?”

Kilian shamelessly asked back, as if telling her not to worry about it.

However, Estelle looked at him boldly.

“It seems like there might be someone eavesdropping on our conversation. Can I talk to you later?”

Estelle thought that hiding behind someone’s back like this was rude, even if they were just standing nearby.

Mikhail, who had been hiding behind Kilian’s back, looked embarrassed.

After a quick adjustment of his shirt, he reluctantly raised his head.

“I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop.”

Michael revealed himself with an awkward smile.

Estelle looked at him in surprise.

“Uh, uh…?”

Her voice was filled with confusion.

“You, um…?”

Estelle hesitated, taking a step back. She remembered Mikhail’s face from their unpleasant encounter on the street the previous day. Despite the unfortunate meeting, she couldn’t forget his handsome face.

“Nice to see you again, Lady Estelle.”

With a resigned attitude, Mikhail flashed a charming smile.

As Estelle gazed at him, her eyes fell on the royal emblem etched on his chest. Simultaneously, her face began to blush.

“Y-Your Highness?”

“You seem quite surprised, Lady Estelle.”

“Uh, uh, uh…”

Estelle stammered, unable to continue her words.

Kilian, as if unwilling to intrude, stepped back, leaving Estelle and Mikhail face to face without any barriers.

An awkward atmosphere flowed between them.

“Well, it’s fate, isn’t it? Would you care to dance a song with me?”

Mikhail extended his hand towards Estelle. She looked back and forth between his hand and face in confusion before finally accepting it.

Mikhail shrugged casually, and they made their way towards the ballroom, where the music was about to change.

Sophia watched the backs of the original female lead and male lead with curious eyes.

‘It feels slightly different from the original, but it seems like it’s turning out the same in the end… I wonder what will happen between Estelle and Killian from now on?’

Estelle seemed to have more than a passing interest in Kilian.

However, Killian…

As Sophia looked up at Killian, he met her gaze. Without a word, he extended his hand.

“Would you care to dance?”

It seemed that Killian assumed Sophia was envious of Mikhail and Estelle, who had gone to dance.

“Do you know how to dance?”

Sophia tilted her head as she looked at the hand he held out.

You said you’ve never danced before?

“Yes.”

A firm answer as if telling her, ‘Don’t underestimate me.’

Having grown up in the palace, Killian learned to dance at a young age.

In addition, the imperial family worked harder to teach him dance and entertainment to encourage him to have fun.

‘Oh, right… He may not be the male lead, but he’s a male lead-like character.’

Sophia belatedly acknowledged his abilities.

There’s no way the lead male character in ropan novel can’t dance.

A ‘Northern Duke Killian’ character who can’t dance. This would never happen.

“But I’m really not good at dancing. I practiced a bit, but I’ve only been learning for three weeks.”

Sophia spoke in a somewhat uncertain voice.

“I’m not good at it, either.”

He extended his hand again, as if to say it wasn’t a big deal, and lightly tapped her hand.

Sophia reluctantly placed her hand on top of his.

In truth, she had practiced diligently and wanted to give it a try at least once.

The tempo had just slowed down to a more manageable pace. It was a good time for beginners to dance.

Killian took her with him and mingled with the dancers. And at the same time, she could feel the curious gazes of the people around her. One by one, they began to leave the dance floor.

‘Why is everyone leaving?!’

Just as a new song was about to start, everyone suddenly stopped dancing and moved to the sidelines.

‘Could it be that they ostracize people like this at the ball?’

Sophia looked around in confusion.

In the middle of the ballroom, only Killian, Sophia, Mikhail, and Estelle remained.

It was only then that Sophia realized that people weren’t trying to ostracize her.

They had stepped aside to watch the crown prince, who could be considered the host of the royal ball, and the grand duke, who had never danced before.

‘I feel like this is getting too much attention!’

While having fewer people around meant fewer chances of bumping into others, she hadn’t expected it to be this sparse.

Killian then greeted her and took Sophia’s hand.

“It’s a perfect day for a debut.”

He whispered in her ear, looking at the crowd gathered around them.

Debutantes were meant to garner attention, after all.

However, Sophia hadn’t had a separate debutante ball.

So, this was her debut ball.

“And my first dance as well.”

His strong, large hand supported Sophia’s back, while his left hand gently held hers.

He seemed completely unfazed by the surrounding gazes.

Sophia placed her hand on the shoulder of the man, who was much taller than her.

His familiar scent, different from when she practiced with Ian, made her even more nervous.

It felt completely different from practicing with Ian.

As she held onto his hand tightly due to her nervousness, Killian briefly glanced at her and smiled quietly.

Her innocent heart started to beat wildly again.

As the prelude of the song passed, Killian gently pulled her hand with a slight force, signalling the start of the dance.

In response to the signal, Sophia took her first step in perfect rhythm, without making a mistake.

However, her head soon felt dizzy.

Not only was she nervous, but also Killian was standing right in front of her, which made her extremely self-conscious.

She could feel his breath nearby, and his movements were sensitively transmitted.

Strangely, her body was naturally moving along with Killian.

Is this what it means to leave your body to the music and move like water?

Even if she momentarily forgot what to do, Kilian’s slight body movements, his guiding hand, and the tension he provided all made her move instinctively.

Each of Killian’s subtle movements became hints and signals for her.

‘I thought I couldn’t dance… but I was wrong!’

Even though she hadn’t learned to dance for long, she had no way of guessing Kilian’s skill level, but one thing was certain: he was far from a novice.

Sophia held Killian’s hand, feeling like she was taking her first steps, and followed his lead.

Despite Killian’s skilled guidance, Sophia couldn’t completely avoid making mistakes.

‘Ugh! I stepped on his foot again!’

It was the second time she had stepped on Killian’s foot. Despite all the practice, she was still making mistakes.

Killian tried to hold back his laughter when he saw Sophia’s shoulders jump every time she stepped on his foot.

As they danced, matching their steps and their breath, Killian felt his fiancée’s presence throughout his body.

He could sense her enthusiasm in the grip of her hand, and her occasional stumbling, while endearing, made her all the more lovable. (T/L: Someone is falling hard.)

A delicate fragrance emanated from her long, slender neck. He could feel the warmth of her body against his own.

Was it okay to be this happy?

Killian asked himself this question. Pursuing happiness in his life felt like a goal worth reaching, much like conquering new horizons.

However, there were priorities and duties that he couldn’t ignore—sacrifices and a mission that were more important than his happiness. More important than Sophia.

Yet, he couldn’t help but wish that this dance would never end.

He wanted to hold Sophia in his arms and continue dancing. He knew he couldn’t escape from reality, but Sophia’s allure was overpowering.

Especially knowing what awaited him after this dance.

* * *

Sophia quickly made her exit from the center of the hall after her ‘Sophia’s Messy Dance Show’ finished and was hit by a wave of embarrassment, joy, and exhaustion all at once.

It felt like she had climbed a massive mountain as she took deep breaths.

“Phew… You weren’t embarrassed dancing with me, were you?” she asked.

In response, Killian chuckled and tilted his head slightly.

“It exceeded my expectations.”

“In a good way, I hope?”

“Of course.”

Kilian nodded.

Despite practicing for only three weeks, Sophia had mastered all the routines perfectly and didn’t miss any of the dance basics.

Sophia possessed beautiful lines from her outreached fingertips to her arms, waist, legs, and even her toes.

Sure, Killian’s feet were stepped on by hers, but it was their first time dancing together, and slight missteps were expected.

More importantly, Sophia’s body, once frail due to malnutrition, now seemed to have gained some strength.

Her muscles had evolved from a state where they existed solely for survival.

Though it was still far from ordinary stamina, Killian was relieved to see her on the path to recovery.

“Sophia, did you… enjoy it?” Killian asked her. (T/L: He is cute 😳.)

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TRANSLATOR:

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