Chapter 77

Chapter 77

Lucas was only 24 years old. In terms of modern society, he was still a student attending college or preparing for a job after just graduating.

However, Lucas earned the title of ‘genius’ at the age of 19, younger than he is now, graduated from the academy’s swordsmanship department at the top of his class, and at the age of 20, became the deputy commander of the duke’s knights, who are trusted by the emperor.

He must have been an outstanding person in many ways.

How could I look in the eyes of others when I didn’t really have many thoughts? Wouldn’t I seem like the goose that lays golden eggs?

Of course, Lucas currently belonged to the Duchy and held a position there, but he was in a position where he could quit at any time.

Initially, he was offered to join the imperial family, but remained in the Duchy to maintain his loyalty, so Lucas could go to other families at his will.

Moreover, he was single and a man of marriageable age.

If Lucas was to become the son-in-law of the duke, the Duchy would obtain a reliable knight that also had a good relationship with the ducal family, so it was killing two birds with one stone.

That was why people’s eyes moved to us.

As the three of us came out into the light and crossed the middle, people sneakily followed. Some spoke to me, but the majority spoke to Lucas for the reasons above.

‘Ugh… how tiring.’

I exchanged greetings with people in moderation.

There was nothing much to say except just greetings, so a quiet silence was maintained and people left me alone afterward.

It was clear that they were surprised by my inability to handle social exchanges. Yes, I didn’t care.

We hadn’t spoken to each other in the past, so there wouldn’t be bad rumors for no reason.

If it was Selena in the past, I wouldn’t have cared about rumors or anything… I lived a very comfortable life. Which sounded wonderful.

Oh, and among the people, there were some who randomly asked if Lucas and I were in a relationship.

It seemed like they had a misunderstanding because we came as partners and even wore similar colors.

I firmly shook my head to those who handed me such a question with only a word.

“No.”

Soon, my surroundings became empty. The only one left by my side was Vivian, whose arms were still crossed. I glanced down at Vivian and took a look at my partner.

Lucas was talking to other people some distance away.

At first glance, it seemed as if the word ‘monster’ was heard.

‘Monster? Monster…’ Lucas’ eyes were fierce as he listened to their stories, and his lips were tightly shut.

The rare serious face told me how important the conversation he was having was.

Well, whatever. The important thing now was me, not the inaudible conversation.

Thump, thump. I stamped the toe of my shoe on the floor a few times. My leg hurt so much. Maybe it was because of the high heels, but my ankles were tingling and I couldn’t stand it.

I thought I had done enough of my job, so couldn’t I go back to my place in the corner?

Of course.

I quietly approached Lucas.

As I got closer, Lucas, who had been listening intently, turned his head towards me.

“Sir Lucas. I will go with Lady Vivian, so you can talk.”

My legs hurt and I couldn’t stand it without sitting. But I didn’t want to drag someone who was having a serious conversation… So this was the decision I made.

“But…”

He did not answer immediately.

Lucas looked at me and Vivian in turn as if he was worried.

Vivian quickly nodded to him, showing that he was excited to be walking around with me, and I also added a word to ease his needless worries.

“A lot of people go without a partner anyway. Besides, since this is the ballroom of the imperial palace, there’s a lot of security. It’s okay.”

After I added those words, Lucas was silent for a moment, then nodded,

“I understand. Then, when the conversation is over, I’ll go pick you up.”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry.”

‘You don’t have to be sorry.’

I simply bent my knees to the old nobleman who was talking with Lucas and turned my back on them without regret.

‘Whoa, I’m finally out of the light.’

Like a mole that hated the light, I found a corner and sat in the shadows. I tried to take off my shoes as soon as I sat down, but the dress was so lavish that it was difficult to find my ankles, let alone the shoes.

As I struggled in front of her, Vivian stood up and helped me find my ankle.

Eventually, with Vivian’s help, I was able to take off my shoes and massage my ankles.

“Thank you, Lady.”

“Ah, what is this between friends?”

Vivian, who responded cheerfully, tried to sit down again, but looked at the table lined with desserts.

She had asked me to eat dessert, but she seemed to regret not being able to reach her target.

“Shall we go together?”

Vivian always did the best for me. Even if it was for future business reasons or whatever, it didn’t change the fact that she took care of me.

And so, I prompted her first. Even if it wasn’t a big deal, I also wanted to listen to what she wanted.

Vivian looked at me like a stranger, then smiled brightly.

“Great.”

Unfortunately, Vivian’s happiness did not last long. She quietly watched me as she put the macaron, which was small enough to be eaten in a bite, into her mouth.

First of all, since we came to eat dessert, I only needed to put it in my mouth to achieve my goal, but I could hear conversation about myself in the sounds I heard around me… It seemed like such a complex situation.

The whispering in question was this.

“Coming ..… after a while…… seen…… long…… that princess.”

It wasn’t loud, but I heard whispers about me from somewhere.

They seemed to think I wouldn’t hear… but the keywords stood out quite a lot.

I looked down at the orange macaron I was holding in my hand while listening to the vague words about me. It was just a light joke, but it still haunted me.

‘This is why everyone should be careful with their words.’

I popped the orange macaron into my mouth and chewed it. The crunchy texture was excellent. Soon, my body trembled at the fresh scent and the sourness that followed the sweetness.

Well, I was still a jerk Lady. Or, rather than being nicknamed no-mannered Lady, I’d rather take oranges… Anyway, I think the nickname ‘orange’ might be better.

E/N: I’m assuming she’s referencing the couple of times she’s used the play-on-words of “orange” joke you’ve seen in earlier chapters, but as for how it applies here, I have no idea. Sorry if this makes no sense, because it doesn’t to me either…

At least the oranges were delicious.

I, the person who was the victim of the rumors, gave it no thought at all. But Vivian, who was in my company and was the one who wanted to come here, kept shoving the innocent macaroons into her mouth and glancing at me as if she was uncomfortable.

“Shall we take this over there?”

I asked, pointing to the empty chair in the corner where we had been sitting, and Vivian, who had stuffed snacks full into her mouth, nodded quickly.

Well, if she stayed any longer, she would have a stomachache.

We eventually headed back to our corner seats with some macaroons and cookies on our plates. Vivian also seemed to have finally realized the value of a seat in the corner as her complexion brightened.

“Whoa.”

Vivian, who had to mumble for a long time after sitting down, finally swallowed all the food in her mouth and exhaled refreshingly. When I handed over the apple juice, she thanked me and accepted it, then poured it into her mouth. Perhaps her throat was dry.

“The dance will start soon.”

As I asked, “Dance?” back, Vivian nodded puzzledly .

“People also danced at the Lord’s engagement party that day… Oh, did Lady go home early that day too because you weren’t feeling well?”

I replied with a nod.

For now, I was treated with amnesia in this world because I opened my eyes and said ‘Where am I?’ without looking silly.

So even if I didn’t know the basic order of a party right now, it wouldn’t be strange.

No matter how much I thought about it, choosing to pretend to have forgotten everything seemed to have been the best choice rather than pretending to know for no reason.

My family didn’t force me into etiquette and social circles either. I didn’t want that, and my family didn’t want me to force myself to do anything.

Once again, I felt fortunate to have such people as my family.

“The music is getting faster and faster. Usually, when the party is ripe, that is, about an hour or an hour and a half after it starts, implicitly, it becomes dance time.”

As I listened to Vivian’s words, I noticed that people were gradually coming from the center to the edge.

“You don’t have to dance, do you?”

“Of course.”

If so, that was fine. It seemed that watching other people show off their dancing skills would not be worse than sitting here listlessly. When the music stopped for a moment, the people formed pairs and headed to the center.

I stared blankly at the scene.

“Doesn’t Lady Selena have anyone you want to dance with?” Vivian asked quietly.

Responding to Vivian’s question, I put the macaron in my hand into my mouth and chewed it. The one I wanted to dance with… Well.

I had never danced before, so I never thought of wanting to dance with someone. But if I had to dance, who would I dance with?

I tapped my toes at the melody that was calmly starting and scanned the hall where men and women were gathered in pairs. Neither Aiden nor Lucas were dancing.

Perhaps they were still talking to others.

“Shall I dance with Lady Vivian?”

“What? Oh my, Lady.”

Vivian grinned and turned her gaze to the people spinning in the distance. We watched the people dancing in silence for a long time.

It was nice to see young men and women dancing under the colorful lights. It was as beautiful as the dancing dolls in the glass music box that I saw the other day.

As we were watching the dance, the music was getting quieter and quieter.

The first calm song was coming to an end. Those who danced together bowed to each other, held hands and escaped through the crowd.

Some men and women did not go out, but stood still, apparently waiting for the next song.

Oh, their stamina was good, too.

It looked like they were simply going round and round, but it seemed like great exercise to me, who got tired after walking three steps.

I looked around excitedly to see who else would dance this time, when someone’s voice called me.

“Selena.”

Lucas stood in front of me with a smile on his face. He held out a hand to me, and bent over. He had his back to the light, so it seemed like a halo shone behind him.

Was there a man who looked good with a halo?

“Sir Lucas?”

“Would you like to dance to a song?”

It was an unexpected dance request. Apparently, until recently, he was talking with others with a serious expression, so when did he come here? As I stared at him, Lucas lightly squeezed and opened his outstretched hand, urging me.

However, no matter how much I did, I couldn’t get up holding his hand.

“I can’t dance.”

I really couldn’t dance. Lucas must have known that, too. What was he thinking…

“That is fine. Since we’ve come together as partners, why don’t we dance to a song together?”

No, was it okay if you asked someone who couldn’t dance to dance?

But at some point, I felt the people around me glancing at me. Lucas must have walked across the hall, and in the meantime, the eyes on Lucas’s back must have been followed.

If I refused here, Lucas and I would look strange. How come this man seemed to be suggesting something to me after creating situations that I couldn’t refuse in.

It was probably not just because of the mood.

I let out a small sigh and put my hand in his.

As soon as my hand touched his, Lucas smiled and gave me strength to stand up. The pull was so strong that it was more accurate to say that I was dragged rather than raised.

I got up from my seat and looked in the direction where Vivian was sitting. It was a bit embarrassing to leave her right after we agreed to stay together as I said I wouldn’t dance.

Vivian waved her hands, showing that she didn’t really care. I was thinking more and more that Vivian had a really good personality.

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