Chapter 17
I could feel people’s eyes turning toward us.
There was a mixture of surprise and disbelief.
I wiped the embarrassment from my face as I met their gaze.
A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth as I gathered my scattered emotions.
“Is that so?”
I turned my head and saw Belietta dancing among the crowd.
Belietta’s gaze fell on me as she danced.
The corners of my mouth tilted up at an angle as my face slowly hardened at the sight of me.
***
“Are you having a hard time these days?”
Belietta liked to hear things like this.
Words of concern from people who cared about her.
It was a magic question, one that cemented the image Belietta had built of herself over the years.
“There seems to be a lot of bad things going on around you lately, Princess, and while everyone else seems to be giggling and gossiping over nothing, you seem to be struggling. Rumors about your close friends are enough to make my head hurt, but a sudden fiancé?”
Belietta smiled wryly as she looked at the Countess, who was sounding very sympathetic.
Beliatta turned her body towards Count Cherny, who was neatly folding her hands on her chest and throwing away her worries.
“Thanks for caring. But, it’s just a rumor anyway.”
“But…”
“Besides, I’m fine with such rumors. If they spread, it’s good for me. I’ll just feel more sorry for getting involved with someone who is far below me.”
Lady Czerny and the others who were listening to Belietta’s calm voice and smile all cast pitiful looks.
In the society of noblemen, the Grand Duke of Ripleton was a mutant.
Despite possessing a military power that could not be compared to that of the imperial family, he refused to come out of his hiding place in the mountains filled with demons.
The imperial family hasn’t pressed them because they haven’t come down from the mountain in years.
Periodically, vassals would say that the Grand Duke was gathering troops to rise up against them, but it was all rumor.
The Archduke has power and might, but he doesn’t wield it.
No one thought of such a grand duke as an ordinary nobleman.
Therefore, it was a common opinion that Belietta, who was entangled with them, was a pity.
“It’s a pity, she could have gotten involved with someone better, but she just happened to be rumored to be with someone like that…….”
“You don’t have to think so, like you said, it’s just a rumor, and I don’t care.”
With a twist, her lips pushed up smoothly, Belietta’s expression was extremely bright and clear.
That made those who looked at her feel all the more sorry for her.
Next to Cherni who first voiced her concern, Lady with the brown-haired young lady with her head forced up, narrowed her brow as if she was about to burst with frustration.
“But I’m really angry! In a situation where these ridiculous rumors are circulating, Lady Brilloxen is not helping. “I don’t understand how even close friends can act like that.”
“Oh, you mean the rumors? I’ve been hearing them for a while now, but I never paid much attention to them, but now that they’re getting bigger and bigger, there must be something to them.”
“You should have come to the Marquise de saxion banquet. Wasn’t she shameless back then too? Everyone could tell that she wore a dress similar to the one the princess wore. They were all busy badmouthing behind her back. I just made a comment that day and she came running at me like a madman…
Oh my, Rachel. Really? Did Brilloxen really did that?”
“Of course!”
Rachel, who had been caught gossiping behind Sierra’s back at the Marquis of Saxion’s banquet, nodded, her face flushed with anger.
The shame and humiliation of the day came flooding back to her, and she spat out some nonsense.
She cursed, raised her hands in the air, tried to hit me, and threatened me.
It’s a ridiculous thing to hear, but everyone in the room was like, “Oh, my God,”
Except for Belietta.
Taking a step back and looking at the group of young jackals excitedly munching on her friend, Belietta smiled a thin smile.
They were angry, feeling sorry for Belietta, but it didn’t matter.
As long as I could curse at someone and get rid of the tantrum I was having, that was all that mattered.
“By the way, is Lady Brilloxen here today? I haven’t seen her since earlier.”
One of the younger girls, who had been complaining and cursing Sierra for a while, spoke up.
Six pairs of eyes darted around the hall, scanning the room, then tilting their heads.
“She’s not here, but she was earlier. Does you know where Young Lady Brilloxen has gone?”
“I don’t know, I was distracted for a moment and she disappeared…….”
Belietta shook her head with an innocent face.
It would be so much fun if you could show up and join the conversation.
It would be nice to take this opportunity to crush Sierra, who seemed to have changed a bit lately, Belietta thought.
So where she is, chatting with these silly women, and Sierra hasn’t shown up.
“Maybe she’s taking a break somewhere, or maybe she’s tired and went in first, because she said she was tired earlier.”
“Or maybe she heard the rumors and is embarrassed and hiding.”
“Gee, that’s a possibility.”
“Yeah, that’s what I’d do, too. It’s pathetic.”
Richelle heard what Sierra said, and she didn’t stop talking about her until the end.
The others chimed in with their own words.
Belietta gave a small smile at the sight.
“I’m glad she’s embarrassed, though, because I was planning on giving her the same kind of shout-out if she shamelessly stuck her face in my face again today. She must have sensed something in my words…….”
“Richelle. I’m afraid I don’t think that’s what you meant.”
Fiorette Baylon, who had been watching calmly without joining the conversation, interrupted.
Fiorette’s hand tidied up her flowing brown hair, a terse gesture that showed her character.
“What do you mean?”
Richelle asked, frowning, and Fiorette pointed to one side.
Both the youngsters’ and Belietta’s gazes shifted in the direction Fiorette pointed.
Through the open doorway to the terrace, a well-dressed man stood at the center of attention.
Tall with graying hair.
His broad shoulders and muscular build were recognizable even from a distance.
The man turned his head to the side, and Belietta saw a face that looked eerily familiar.
“Archduke Ripleton…….”
But it didn’t end there.
An even more familiar face caught Belietta’s eye beside Aden, who turned her body diagonally.
A woman with blonde hair similar to her own, but tinged with red.
The woman seemed to feel Belietta’s gaze and rolled her eyes to meet hers.
Unlike Belietta’s hardening gaze, Sierra’s mouth formed a soft arc.
“Oh, my God…….”
The younger girls’ gazes quickly converged on Belietta.
Belietta’s hardened face, unable to control her expression, was nakedly exposed.
***
“I heard you don’t like being stared at.”
“That’s the opposite.”
I moved my body to the music playing in my ears.
I was not dancing, but a gesture to show off.
A gesture to show who I am dancing with right now.
“The opposite?”
“I need a lot of attention, to show Ripleton that he’s not just a duke in the dark corner.”
I stared at Aden at the unexpected answer.
He didn’t seem like a man who would say something like this.
I stared at his face, which still held the faintest hint of a smile, and then lowered my gaze slightly.
My gaze settled on the bulge and I closed my mouth.
What should I do?
For a moment, mixed thoughts swept through my head.
I had waited for this man to come, but I hadn’t intended to advance the situation by showing him everything.
How do I control a situation that doesn’t go according to my plan?
As I mulled over my thoughts, recalling my long experience, a voice from above interrupted me.
“Again, that expression.”
“Huh?”
In the blink of an eye, they got close enough to touch with another couple dancing.
I moved my legs without thinking about my route because my head was a mess.
My legs tangled in surprise, and just as I was about to twist my step, Aden’s arm skillfully reached out and wrapped around my back, leading me to the other side.
I switched places with Aden, and his back touched the other man’s instead.
Aden ducked his head slightly, as if apologizing to the man whose back he had touched, before gently pulling away.
His lips parted as she lifted her gaze to meet his eyes.
“Why don’t you smile now?”
Aden tilted his head to the side at an angle, as if to mimic the coolness, pushing the corners of his mouth.
He stared at the smile he’d never seen before, then caught sight of Belietta out of the corner of his eye.
“I think there’s someone you’d like to smile at.”
I tore my gaze away from Belietta at the sound of his voice.
Aden smiled quietly at my gaze and tugged on the arm around my waist.
I lowered my head to glance at the strong arm around my waist and slowly opened my mouth.
“I didn’t think you would be coming.”
“Why?”
“Because I didn’t have an answer, and there are plenty of people who would just ignore and destroy a contract, especially if they could get something better out of it.”
“So you assumed that I wouldn’t come back to you with a broken contract?”
“I thought you might.”
I answered bluntly, raising my gaze.
Aden gave a small snort and stared down at me.
His eyes calm, as if trying to read my intentions, and he smiled, just as he said he would.
A pick-silence escaped Aden’s mouth.
“So. What were you going to do if I broke the contract?”
“Brilloxen values contracts more than anything else.”
She slowly backed away from Aden, who had a puzzled expression.
The flowing melody that had been playing suddenly changed to a majestic tone, echoing through the hall, but the dancing stopped before that.
Their hands, once held together, drifted apart, with only their fingertips touching.
